Why, when it comes to talking about guns does all common sense leave the room?

There are few topics that elicit as much furor as a discussion about guns. Whether one believes people should be allowed to buy guns without restriction, or that nobody should be allowed to buy guns, there’s plenty of room for yelling, screaming and talking . . . and plenty of room in between the two ends of the argument.

And an argument it is, often with little sense or reasonable resolutions in sight.

I don’t want to take your guns, I merely think there should be a couple of reasonable steps taken to own one. I’m not interested in getting into the debate about “types” of guns here . . . We can do that another time.

But . . .

What’s the fear of having to register or wait a few days to pick up your gun?

Frankly, it wouldn’t bother me if I were buying a gun.

Why not have the same process apply at gun shows?

Again, it wouldn’t bother me if I were buying a gun. Why do I need a gun today instead of in a week?

Two points . . . There should be nationwide limits on who is allowed to purchase a firearm, and that should include restrictions on those who have a documented history of mental illness, those who have convictions for assault or domestic violence, and those convicted of stalking or similar threatening behavior. Simple.

Second . . . There should be a mandatory waiting period so those background checks can be run. We’ll also assume there’s a national data base connecting all law enforcement agencies so there are no gaps between local, state and federal checks.

I’ll also argue that any owner whose gun causes the accidental death of a child should lose the right to own guns. (You can add the accidental death of an adult if you'd like.) And finally, would it not be sensible to mandate that guns be safely locked either in a safe or with a trigger lock? Statistics show just doing that might save several hundred lives a year. The fundamental “problem” with guns is that if there’s an accident, it can be deadly . . . unlike an accident with your food processor, coffee maker or fax machine.

Some people freak at the words “restrictions” or “mandatory” or “regulations” when it comes to guns, but we routinely deal with those things when we register our cars, buy a bottle of wine, write a check, apply for a job or credit card, or vote, as examples. I don’t see a thing wrong with putting gun-buying onto the same field as most other things we do.

There are no “hurdles” seen for those things, so why if we try to apply them to someone buying a gun do they suddenly become threats to the very nature of America? Suddenly people start chirping about the Second Amendment, the government swooping in to take their guns and those silly concerned but misinformed parents.

Stop it . . . You probably haven’t even read the Second Amendment, and there’s not a thing in there about having an arsenal of semi-automatics and 10,000 rounds of ammo in your basement.

I grew up around guns. Not a basement full, but a couple for shooting skeet and trap, or grouse and pheasant or target shooting. I hunted mostly birds with friends and enjoyed plinking cans with my Dad at a dump in Vermont. I think that was during a time before everyone went crazy over “gun rights.” With the loudest fear and shouting coming from and fueled by the National Rifle Association, any past civil conversation has shifted to a very polarizing “us versus them” scream fest.

It doesn’t need to be that way. As grownups, we should be able to sit down at a table and figure out where there is common ground. No talk about assault weapons, or clip size or number of guns a person can own . . . Just a couple of reasonable rules that might save a few lives. 

We’ve stepped over the line here. Some people freak when Target or Waffle House says patrons can’t bring their guns into stores. Is that a reasonable response? My doctor’s office and the local hospital have signs by their entrances that advise, “No weapons permitted inside.” That’s fine with me. I don’t need to be sitting in a doctor’s waiting room filled with people carrying guns, and I’m guessing the staff wouldn’t be entirely comfortable with that either. We need to turn down the volume. Common sense has taken a vacation . . .

We need to walk through the process and see where we can close the gaps.

That’s a good start.