"Take guns away from the Criminals!" is a common refrain. Well, go practice the preaching, or assume a partial responsibility for criminal violence. You can't have it both ways...
I want criminals who use guns to commit crimes to be locked up for a verrrrrrrrryyyyyyy lonnnngggggg time. If they are in the clink, they can't use guns to commit crimes. That's point number 1.
Point number 2, I will not accept any responsiblity for criminal violence. My ownership of firearms and my being able to purchase them from a friend or an FFL, depending upon my own choice, has nothing to do with responsibility for criminal violence.
Let me give you an example.
A short time ago, a young punk ( I believe he was 18), robbed a convenience store in Minneapolis with a handgun. We don't know how he acquired that handgun, and maybe it was from a gun show. Most likely, it was from one of his fellow gang bangers or criminal buddies, but let's leave that aside, just for now.
Turns out, the punk was caught and arrested. He went to trial and was found guilty of armed robbery. What do you think his punishment was? It should have been 10 years in jail if you ask me. At least 5 years in jail would seem to be "reasonable". Some liberal, weenie of a judge, gave him 1 year in the county work house and had him released after 4 months. The judges explanation, "I just didn't think that sending this young man to prison would help to get him on the right track" (or something pretty close to that).
So how did it turn out? One month after this punk gets out of the county workhouse, where he only served 4 months, he somehow manages to get another handgun. This time, he robs two innocent men walking home from their local pizza joint. He demands that they kneel down and hand over their wallets. They comply, not wanting any further trouble. Does he take the money and run? Heck no. He shoots both of them, execution style. They are both killed.
So, do gun owners who don't believe that the gun show loophole is a problem carry any responsibility for this type of criminal violence. Maybe in some folks bizzaro world, but not mine. The criminal justice system, and more specifically the liberal weenie of a judge, is 50% responsible, while the punk is ultimately responsible. Maybe his parents also have some responsibility for the way he turned out. But the point is, our CJS had the opportunity to protect society from this dangerous, blood thirsty punk, and some weak kneed judge gave him the benefit of the doubt, rather than society at large. The judge endangered society by letting this dangerous criminal back on the street to ply his trade.
We need to fix this problem first before we make law abiding gun owners jump through any more hoops. The gun show loophole is nothing but the first step by anti gunners to implement gun registration and have EVERY private sale be registered by the government.