I'm not saying an individual with military experience should have more rights and/or privilege when it comes to firearms. I'm not attacking your ideas and feelings toward the subject either. Quite the opposite is true. I actually have an open mind and value the opinions, life experiences and knowledge of others because I need those in order to make the world I'm responsible a better place for everyone I affect.
I agree....people who serve and those who do not/didn't serve should have the right to purchase a firearm. Military members after the draft volunteered to serve and protect the country and constitution just as I did. I don't want my rights infringed upon and I strongly defend protecting the rights of EVERY American. Everyone should be afforded the same rights afforded by our Constitution.
I also want a safer world in which we live so I'm willing to do my part by making some sacrifices and I'm willing to have some laws changed/amended in order to make our world safer. History has shown us that as time goes on, the world changes. Sometimes laws become outdated and need to be changed.
When I joined the service I was 18 and was shocked when I realized that there were so many countries in this world that laugh at Americans and their citizen's feeling of entitlement and their laughable ways of interpreting laws to fit their wants/needs depending on the current cultural situation. Many places have been established countries for THOUSANDS of years longer than 1776 and they know that very way of thinking doesn't work. Just like anything in life, we should learn from history and the experiences of others or we're doomed to repeat their mistakes. America is learning the hard way. The gun violence statistics don't lie.
You were fortunate to get the .22 at young age. Its wonderful to see that you were responsible enough to learn how to use/maintain and properly operate it. You also seem to have a solid work ethic which requires strong morals and values. You're the kind of person that makes the world a better place. My issue is that there are too many gun owners who lack sound ethics, morals, values, and life experiences. There are many more who weren't taught right from wrong and lack a proper parental figure. Our society/culture is who's raising these people based on their local environments. These are the people who, because its legal to do so, own firearms and in turn often times make the world more dangerous. I think we have the community responsibility to do something in order to alter the gun violence trends.
I'm not saying people who are legally allowed to purchase a firearm should be put through the ringer in order to own a firearm but maybe they should have some sort of minimal training in order to be a responsible owner. Maybe a written test that must be passed? You wouldn't need to carry a firearm license but there would be a record of you passing the test just like there's a record of your background check. You know, similar to the written portion of the Driver's license program.
Here's the main problem in my experience and in my extremely humble opinion. There are millions of irresponsible gun owners out there that own guns because its legal to do so. Just because something is legal to do doesn't mean its the right thing to do.
I think if a few more safeguards are put in place I can confidently say that our country will be safer and gun violence and crime will be lower. Associated crimes, weapon smuggling and other activities related to gun activity will be reduced.
Have an open mind when you read this: I have been in numerous countries both civilized and non-civilized. War torn countries, developing countries and even countries more socially advanced than the US. I've done some research and discovered what actually works in those countries across the world. I learned that we humans tend to have tunnel vision and only see what affects us in our own town/back yards. When we have an open mind and listen to the opinions, experiences and ideas of others from a wide range of people, we can more likely than not compromise and come to a resolution that betters everyone.
