The Independent View: A Process for the Purchase of a Weapon

I just read “The Centrist Manifesto” by Charles Wheelan. This is from his chapter on Guns:

“The key to making guns less dangerous is focusing on the mechanism by which guns get into the hands of criminals. The guns that kill innocent victims come off a legal assembly line. Most are sold legally at retail stores, gun shows, or private owner to private owner. So the overall focus should be intercepting the flow of guns moving from the right hands into the wrong hands.”

So I have been looking at the strict laws in New York City and combining Wheelan’s ideas with the New York City’s licensing process, came up with a plan, “Title and License of a Weapon”.

Every new gun/rifle produced in the U.S. or imported from abroad must have a TITLE. This title will provide the history of the weapon from the assembly line, all owners, up to the current owner. The Title would also have a “ballistic fingerprint” that is registered with the federal government at the time of manufacture, or when an existing weapon is titled for the first time, by its current owner or new owner. The fingerprint is the unique mark that the weapon’s barrel imparts on a bullet when fired. If a titled weapon is lost or stolen, the owner has an obligation to report the loss to the law enforcement authorities.

When a weapon changes hands, in any legal manner, the weapon’s title must accompany the transaction. This then makes owning an untitled weapon a crime. If one of your weapons is used in a crime and you did not report it, you will have some questions to answer and could face charges.

So you want to own a weapon, you will need to be a certain age (Determined by each state), a background check, and a license. Here are possible steps in a license process:

1. Start the process by a Background and Fingerprint check as the beginning or the license application.

2. Submit a letter from a licensed physician stating that he/she has examined you within the past 30 days, that the examination included a review of your past medical history and all pertinent hospital and institutional records, and must conclude that you are capable of possessing a rifle and or shotgun without presenting a danger of harm to yourself (applicant) or to others.

3. Color photographs, (Taken within last 30 days like a Passport photo), of the applicant must accompany the application.

4. You must submit proof of your present address. Acceptable forms of proof are utility bills, such as gas, electric or telephone bills, or a notarized lease. The utility bill must show your name and current address and must not be more than sixty (60) days old . If you do not have a lease or a utility bill in your name, a notarized statement from the person with whom you reside, accompanied by a utility bill in their name showing the same address is acceptable.

5. If you were born in the United States, you must submit your birth certificate. If there is no record of your birth on file with the Department of Health or the Bureau of Vital Statistics, some other proof of your birth date, e.g., a military record, U.S. Passport or baptismal certificate, must be submitted. If you were born outside of the United States, you must submit your naturalization papers, valid U.S. Passport or other evidence of citizenship if derived from your parents. All other applicants born outside the United States must submit their ALIEN REGISTRATION CARD.

6. A certificate of completion from a shooting range that you passed a written and safety test.

7. If the application is accepted, it is then filed into a license database.

8. The license would be for a gun, rifle, or shotgun and for a certain period requiring periodic renewal.

Now when you buy the weapon, the following would happen.

1. The seller checks the License Number from your accepted application document. It would display your photographic and type of weapon you can purchase. It would also show if you already purchased a weapon with that license number.

2. As the buyer, you would require the Title document to be filled in as the new owner of the weapon.

What type of process would you accept for a weapon purchase?