Re: What the gun industry can learn from scuba divers

WARNING: This article has required reading.

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While I applaud Mr. Gudmundsson's ingenuity in finding a middle ground in the gun debate, there are a few flaws in his logic. A SCUBA certification costs between $250 and $350 to the applicant. If this same fee were applied to a gun owner licensing process it would put the possibility of armed self-defense out of reach for many lower-income citizens, the same citizens who are the most likely to need to use a firearm in self-defense.

Additionally this system, like most gun control laws, would only regulate those willing to operate within it's strictures. Illegally acquired guns would still get into the hands of criminals and ammunition would become available to these people by demand through the black market.

The other purported benefit of this system would be the training that armed citizens would receive and have to maintain to retain their 'license'. I cannot speak for all gun owners, but I do know that everyone I know who owns a firearm periodically goes to shooting ranges to test and improve their skill-at-arms.

In the end, it seems to me that Mr. Gudmundsson's idea, like many 'middle ground' plans, would do little to stop criminals from acquiring firearms, while placing additional hurdles between honest citizens and the hope of armed self-defense.