Carrying weapons, taxes, and responsibility

So with all the commotion and general brouhaha that has been surrounding recent "gun control" activities, I figured that I'd throw my idea into the ring and see either how many people agree with the wisdom or how many it will just piss off.

The premise is simple.   The right hates taxes but loves their guns.   The left loves taxing but doesn't feel safe with all the guns around.   How about we tax people who use and carry guns and (wait for it) use those taxes to train the people who carry the guns?

Here's how it would work.   We implement a tax on all gun sales (both private and commercial) - call it a "transfer fee".  Oh hell... call it a gun tax - I don't care.   Also, tax the ammunition, parts, cleaning supplies, etc...   That should sufficiently please the left and piss off the right.

Now, we take those taxes and fund training for those who wish to buy guns and use guns.   Training such as:

• Beginners Firearms: how to load and fire your new gun
• Beginners Firearms: how to clean and safely store your new gun
• Intermediate Firearms: how to hit the broad side of a barn
• Intermediate Firearms: how to draw a handgun without shooting off your toes
• Advanced Firearms: how to avoid confrontation
• Advanced Firearms: how to ...

you get the picture.

Now, in order to carry a concealed weapon, the permit holder would need to "qualify" with their handgun twice a year - paid for by the taxes of course.  They would be required to qualify in much the same way as police do.  Can they determine when its safe to fire?   Do they KNOW who the bad guy is?  Are they properly handling their weapon?   Do they follow orders from police who come on the scene?  etc...

I am ALL in favor of 2nd amendment rights.   I'm also ALL in favor of not having innocent bystanders shot when a completely untrained (and unprepared) person (civilian or not) pulls out a weapon and fires it regardless of the circumstances.

I believe - and I have no proof to back this up, which is why its a *belief* that training and creating muscle memory is vital to those who choose to carry a weapon.   I believe that this training can be paid for, and should be paid for, by the government to protect its citizens.    I believe that it could be funded by appropriately taxing those who exercise their 2nd amendment rights.

Not only will this get people trained, keep them trained, and keep us safe, but it will create jobs to do the training and manage the program.   If the government wants to keep us safe from guns, then ensure that those who have them know how to safely use them.

Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness

So riddle me this: What is the highest law of our nation? I submit that it is found in The Declaration of Independence.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

So, reading the last sentence, if and when our government "becomes destructive of these ends", how can we "abolish it and institute a new Government" without arming the people? If the Government must be abolished, do you think our elected officials will give up without a fight?

Its not a question of whether or not The United States of America will enter into *another* civil war (yes Martha, it actually has happened before), but that our founding fathers needed us to be prepared for the possibility that it *could* happen.

Guns aren't just for hunting. They're not just for sporting. They protect us from those who would kill us, rob of us our property, rob us of our family, and rob us of our freedom.