[–] Gringojones ago
I would prefer to see all anti gun people be forced through a gun safety course. I'm sick of hearing how law abiding owners should be punished so that criminals don't commit crimes.
[–] tjkac 1 point 0 points 1 point (+1|-1) ago (edited ago)
I get the people saying, "Shall not be infringed." But the problem is the 2nd Amendment has been infringed already and for quite some time. That's not to say that those limitations should not be removed, I think they should. However, to answer your question in a more technically correct manner in line with current laws...No, I don't think a state requiring a class before owning a firearm would likely be found unconstitutional. It may not even be unconstitutional to require the firearm purchaser to pay for the required class. There are already laws that require background checks and mandatory waiting periods, which the purchaser has to pay for. Those are all constitutional limitations currently, so the likelihood that a class on proper handling, storage, and local discharging laws probably would pass through the courts.
[–] Bobtheviolent ago
If the class were determined to be increasing safety and was not exclusionary or placing an undue burden on the people it might pass muster
[–] MaxVieuxlieu ago (edited ago)
Read the text of the amendment and determine that for yourself. There's no way to tell what the Courts would say. But if you want to reduce gun violence, how would a class help? If the logic is that fewer people will own guns, only fewer law-abiding people would, so gun violence and threats of gun violence would increase. If the logic is that people are going to learn that violence is wrong from a class they have to take in order to get a gun, well I'm not sure how effective that would be.
[–] daskapitalist 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Obviously. Here's a simple analogy: if states required a free speech safety class to speak, would it be Constitutional?
[–] Putzmiester 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
No because most violent gun crime is committed by people who, imagine my shawk, don't own the guns legally. We don't have a gun violence problem, we have a violent black youth problem.
[–] UsedToBeCujoQuarrel 1 point -1 points 0 points (+0|-1) ago
The best way to reduce gun violence is throw more people in prison. Or harvest their organs.