[Frank Munoz]

Originally Posted by choof

firstly, police officers should have guns, without a doubt. that's not a topic you should bring up at all

secondly
I think everyone should have the capacity to purchase a weapon, but I also think that everyone should go through a rigorous background check, a rigorous mental health examination, and a rigorous course that shows you how, when, and why to use a weapon. if the person passes all three of these things, they are allowed to purchase a weapon and allowed to open carry.

another issue that I don't think canada has (haven't looked it up), is that they don't have a country south of them that imports thousands upon thousands of illegal guns every year. it's probably significantly higher than what I'm expecting, but the fact is that the US has illegal weapons flowing into the country and into the hands of criminals. I don't think there's any logistically feasible way to combat this at the borders, so we should combat this within the US as a whole.

it's been proven that gun violence goes DOWN when the public has a very good means of self-defense

completely agree with everything here,
the administering of guns to those who do not meet the suggested requirements you listed above are what i think will help diminishes alot of school shootings, accidental firearm related deaths,
like the ~23 toddlers who have shot and killed people this year.
some may have not been on accident though...
if a parent is not mentally sound enough to keep their guns safely away from children, then they prolly shouldn't have been able to purchase one.
hence your vigorous mental health examination.
But that issue might be more complex...

one thing i would combat this with is that this will not stop the gun crimes of bigger organizations, like those who smuggle illegal weaponry, like you stated above
so looking to combat this within the US as a whole is a great suggestion