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should it be anymore of a pain in the ass than owning a car?

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Individuals who wish to possess or acquire firearms in Canada must have a valid possession-acquisition, or possession-only, licence (PAL/POL); either of these licences allows the licensee to purchase ammunition. The PAL is distributed exclusively by the RCMP and is generally obtained in the following three steps:

1.Safety training: To be eligible to receive a PAL, all applicants must successfully complete the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC) for a non-restricted licence, and the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) for a restricted licence; the non-restricted class is a prerequisite to the restricted licence. The RCMP publishes information on the locations and availability of these courses.

2.Applying for a licence: Currently only one type of licence is available to new applicants, the possession-acquisition licence (PAL). People can request a PAL by filling out Form CAFC 921.

3.Security screening: Background checks and investigations are performed. All applicants are screened, and a mandatory 28-day waiting period is imposed on first-time applicants, but response time may be longer.

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Gun violence is far too serious an issue for politicians to be passing meaningless laws that do nothing but make people feel like something is being done when the net effect of those laws is either non existent, or worse, leads to more crime and citizens unable to defend themselves.

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I'm about 40% strict regulation, and 60% outright banning (besides law enforcement and military personnel).

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Can others provide more detail on what they consider "stringent" regulation than "pain in the ass"? (Sorry KiKi)

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My little guy (see siggy pic) has had a series of "Possum Picnics" at school where he and his classmates hide in their cubbies and remain - I quote - "very quiet just in case a bad stranger comes to our school to hurt us".

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Strict regulation and my husband and I have talked about this quite a bit lately.

We think it's time for those who have guns and inadvertently let their children and adult children gain access, to be held accountable for what ever happens to the public.

You better damn well keep your guns locked up safely and get your kids mental health help or lose everything if something happens.
The parents should be held liable if their child takes a gun to school and does nothing more with it even.

Clip size needs to be regulated, owners need to do a better job of securing them and we need to have better mental health screening in order to obtain firearms. I'd also love to see schools given better funding to help screen and get help to those children who are bullied. Strict anti-bully programs also need to be put into place.

FTR we both own firearms, one of us has a conceal/carry and we also use them for hunting and skeet/trap shooting.

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Kristen, should it be anymore of a pain in the ass than owning a car?

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- I am in favor of the Federal, state, and local governments along with the mental health system ensuring that pertinent information is passed accordingly during background checks for gun purchases - juvenile records, felony records, misdemeanor records, and severe mental health diagnosis.

- I am in favor of having ALL gun purchasers go through a background check closing the gun show loophole.

- If there is ANY indication that a member of the family or a resident of the family home would have access to any firearms, something would need to be done to insure that person could not access the weapon. I don't know how to make this happen without violating a person's right to privacy, but this is something that must be addressed considering recent events.
I'm for locking up weapons and for removal of firearms from a home where a felon resides. This is already pretty much the law in Texas, btw.

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In order to convict a felon for possession of a firearm in this state, the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Powell v. State held the prosecution must first that the defendant is a convicted felon who, within five years of his release from prison or community supervision, knowingly and voluntarily possessed a firearm. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Brown v. State said the State may fulfill this burden, either with direct or circumstantial evidence, by establishing an affirmative link between the defendant and the firearm. The Powell court said the following circumstantial evidence may include but is not limited to factors such as the firearm was (1) in a vehicle driven by the defendant, (2) in a place owned by the defendant, (3) conveniently accessible to the defendant, (4) in plain view or (5) found in an enclosed space.

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- I am in favor of all gun purchasers go through safety training and range testing for the type of weapon they want to purchase in order to show proficiency in using it. Completely agree with training.

- I am in favor of those citizens who want to carry a concealed weapon be able to do so after training and range qualification of 80%. Re-certification happens every year or every other year for citizens. This qualification percentage is higher than most LEO agencies (LEOs have a 70% proficiency).

- I am still on the fence about private gun sales. They need some type of background check/controls to ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands. I do not have any suggestions right now on how to make that happen.

- I am in favor of the federal government clearly defining what an assault weapon is based on mechanics - not cosmetics.

- Get rid of No Gun Zones for the time being. The last few highly visible public shootings have all happened in NGZ areas.
I think No Gun Zones are advertising safe-to-shoot zones for those who are bent on creating a tally of victims. I find the signs to give parents especially an extremely false sense of security and they have bothered me since the very first sign I saw in the 1990's. Not surprisingly, they have become places of preference.

- I am in favor that those who want to legislate guns must sit through a two day course than includes instruction on how the gun works, taking it apart, cleaning it, putting it back together, and shooting it. If you are going to legislate it, you need to understand how it operates. Here here!

- Start tracking the number of reports when private citizens use a gun to stop a crime from being committed. Right now this information is not tracked by any agency. LEOs do not track this information because a crime was not committed. We can't have good gun control if we don't have a clear understanding of what benefit they are providing.

What should NOT be limited:
- Magazines and the number of rounds they hold
- Ammunition purchases
- Number of guns owned
- Telling people how they should store their guns

This is not an inclusive list.

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Lauren, I think that is just the beginning. Restricted firearms are also registered and I know that there are laws concerning where ammunition is stored, etc.

And that's the most I've learned about gun laws here ever.

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