With households owning a record number of guns it may be time to stop thinking about easy answers to the gun violence problem and look at what may be a long term partial solution. I would suggest that we make firearm safety training a requirement for all 13 year olds. Many people get a gun and then get the idea that they can hit anything they aim at. After all that’s what all those folks on the screen do where firearm training now takes place. Included in training would be testimonials from both victims and perpetrators as to the many problems the use of a gun causes. It would also discuss all the relevant laws and safety procedures necessary to safely own a gun. Those that successfully show that they have learned these basics would get to a firing range and get to shoot both long guns and hand guns. This would show them how difficult it is to hit a target, much less a bull’s-eye. While this may not stop gang shootings, it may, at least, stop the shooting of innocent bystanders. With luck it would discourage people from wanting to own guns.
