One of the most ignorant and blatantly statist statements I have ever read on a news site. Notice the subtext: the state SHOULD record the personal history of those who purchase guns; the state SHOULD record their reasons for buying them.
NO, it shouldn't do either.
The ignorant part: they can't understand why, in a down economy, with overall crime decreasing, why gun purchases are increasing. They cannot make a causal connection, in their hoplophobic worldview, between more guns and less crime. They cannot fathom a world in which the government no longer has the money to protect them.
Sick, sick puppies.
The government doesn’t need to know if I own a firearm, how many, what my proficiency level is, my TTP or ROE. That is liberty, and nearly impossible for the liberal mindset to grasp.