CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Treating gun ownership more like car ownership; Guest Column

Capital - 3/18/2018

Guns and cars are responsible for nearly identical numbers of U.S. fatalities annually -16.9 percent for autos,16.7 percent for guns - according to a study published in 2014 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and updated in April 2017.

In the annals of commerce, both guns and cars are considered ordinary consumer products. Yet, cars are designed for transportation; they only kill by accident or misuse. On the other hand, the only purpose of guns is to kill - sometimes by accident, but more often on purpose.

We do have some extremely libertarian libertarians in this country: I've read that in Wyoming there are bumper stickers protesting the requirement to use turn signals. "It's none of your damned business where I'm going," they say. But outside of a few such individuals, most Americans accept the requirement that cars must be registered, licensed and insured.

In our society, cars also serve as ego extenders, and sex and status symbols. Many owners secretly believe that a bright red convertible makes up for a lot of real or imagined social deficits. And, although many gun owners will probably dispute this, firearms can be put to exactly the same use.

The majority of our lawmakers at every level tell us it's OK to own and operate guns with absolutely no training - although they are quick add that the National Rifle Association will gladly train its members in safe handling of a weapon.

More important, there is no requirement that gun owners insure their devices. Yes, we all know that the "deep state" would salivate over a list of "registered" gun owners - folks government agents could roust in the still of the night to take away their guns.

Truth be told, there's a far greater danger that while NRA members fret over government plans to take away their guns, friends of the NRA in Congress - that is, the Republican majority - are plotting to slash Social Security, Medicare and much of the social safety net in order to fund the lavish tax cuts they have enacted. But they're going to make sure everyone has their guns.

That's the American way.

Every year, we see thousands of Americans slaughtered by both guns and cars. Every year, federal, state and local legislative bodies refine and sharpen regulations dealing with automobile safety. Yet every year, citing the sacred Second Amendment, our lawmakers evade similar opportunities to regulate the commerce in lethal weapons. And, every year the body count from guns rises.

There is no "right time" to talk about sensible gun regulation, except for the present. And sensibly controlling access to lethal weaponry without infringing on constitutional rights isn't really rocket science.

All those brilliant constitutional scholars who like to hearken back to the founders should be reminded that the "well-armed militia" envisioned in the 18th century consisted of a score of volunteer farmers and mechanics toting blunderbusses and muskets - weapons capable of firing a lead ball every couple of minutes.

So, if an American wants to own a modern firearm - not an assault rifle - let them register and insure each weapon and purchase liability insurance directly on each device. If that device is lost or stolen, or used in a crime, the insurance policy will be expected to indemnify the injured party. Let the free market - another concept gun apologists claim to venerate - regulate gun ownership. Insurance rates on irresponsible gun owners might indeed make ownership too expensive for some, but, hey, that's capitalism.

These ideas may not be perfect solutions to the problem of our schools becoming shooting galleries, but it's something to start the conversation.

Gregory Kenefick is a 30-plus-year Annapolis resident and a retired public relations consultant whose clients included unions representing workers in the shipbuilding industry. Contact him at gregkenefick@gmail.com.

Credit: Gregory Kenefick - Gregory Kenefick is a 30-plus-year Annapolis resident and a retired public relations consultant whose clients included unions representing workers in the shipbuilding industry. Contact him at gregkenefick@gmail.com.