There has been an idea floating around for some time and I think it's time has come.
Instead of punishing folks for poor behavior, rewarding positive behavior tends to work better, especially for those inclined to follow laws.
In this case, a tax incentive to seek out safety training, gun safes or safety gear.
Letter to my Senator below the squiggle.
Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a DKos group of second amendment supporters who have progressive and liberal values. We don't think that being a liberal means one has to be anti-gun. Some of us are extreme in our second amendment views (no licensing, no restrictions on small arms) and some of us are more moderate (licensing, restrictions on small arms.) Moderate or extreme or somewhere in between, we hold one common belief: more gun control equals lost elections. We don't want a repeat of 1994. We are an inclusive group: if you see the Second Amendment as safeguarding our right to keep and bear arms individually, then come join us in our conversation. If you are against the right to keep and bear arms, come join our conversation. We look forward to seeing you, as long as you engage in a civil discussion.
Dear Senator McCaskill,
Watching Congress struggle with the issue of gun violence over the past few months has been as painful as the events of December 15th 2012 that forced them to center stage. The horror of the events that started with Adam Lansa taking his mother’s life followed by the actions taken after he stole her firearms when added to the Clackamas Mall shooting earlier in 2012 that was perpetrated by a gunman with a stolen firearm lead me to consider a potential bill that could keep these sort of events from happening.
Stolen firearms account for the vast majority of violent crimes committed according to both the FBI as well as more local law enforcement. There are gun safes on the market today that are very difficult or time consuming for criminals to breach but unfortunately they are also rather expensive.
Also, accidental deaths by firearms are an all too regular occurrence today as well. Some simple firearms safety training can avert many of these, both teaching those with children as well as the children themselves how to properly handle firearms. These courses are available but are typically attended by those who have extra funds set aside for such things or are perhaps not easy to get to from more remote locations.
The Clackamas Mall shooting was ended by an armed citizen who did not have to do more than show the gunman that he faced armed resistance, something that the gunman did not expect at a public mall. Oregon has good Concealed Carry laws on their books and it would seem that at least in this instance the training came in handy.
I have written to you on the issue of firearms ownership in the past and while I do realize we don’t see eye to eye on private ownership of certain ‘unacceptable’ firearms, the reality is that these firearms exist in large numbers. Large enough numbers that if there were real issues with their being the root cause of violence and death they would beat poor heart health as the #1 cause of death in adults and higher than drowning in children. We need to move past that and on to things that can actually make a difference.
The example I am drawing from may at first glance not make sense, but hear me out. In the American Tax Payer Relief Act of 2012 American families could claim up to a $500 tax credit for energy efficient appliance installations. If a similar tax credit could be applied to the purchase of a safe with a minimum ‘time to enter’ rating, expendable safety equipment (such as eye and ear protection) and safety training that met a Federal standard, it would ensure that residents who normally would forgo such expenditures would have a financial benefit to do so. Proper safes and storage boxes that are tamper-resistant will reduce the access to firearms by those who should not have access to them and safety gear and training will go a long way to ensure responsible firearms ownership.
How about it, Senator? A bill such as this would get the support of the National Shooting Sports Federation, Independent Gun Owners of America as well as potentially the NRA-ILA. It would also go a long way towards getting the support of the Democratic Gun Owners’ Caucus of Missouri and the Blue Steel Democrats.
Thank you for your consideration,
ErikO, Chairman
Democratic Gun Owners’ Caucus of Missouri
“Democrats don’t want your guns, we have our own!”