- by Laura Buckler

Here's what I don't get.
My dad is an avid gun collector.
By 'avid', I mean he has A LOT of guns. He has all kinds of guns. Long guns, hand guns, rifles, weird guns that are hard to find.
Here's the thing though.
In order for him to have all these guns, he had to go for extensive gun training, pay to obtain lots of special licences, organize his house so they are stored legally and safely, give all of his information to law enforcement so that at any time, for any reason, with or without a warrant, they can enter his house and make sure his guns are stored and/or are being transported properly.

Guess what.
No one is taking his guns away, no one is saying he can't have them, they're just asking him to have proper education and training, and to be transparent in his life. That's it.

Dear USA: Is it too much to ask to maybe raise the age requirement for gun ownership? Make it a bit more difficult to find a place that even sells guns? Is it too much to ask for a little education? A little responsibility? A little tracking and transparency? A little respect? I know, I know. Guns don't kill people, people kill people.... criminals will get guns either way... blah...blah... can you not at least start somewhere? Make it a teeny bit more difficult for people to buy a gun?
What are gun owners so afraid of?
Why do you think you shouldn't have to be accountable? Is it not worth a little bit of extra leg work if it saves even a couple of lives?