I loved this post. What a wise mother and, now, wise daughter.
My dad was an NRA instructor in the 50’s. He taught all us kids how to shoot rifles. He repaired and, I understand now, made some, too. We treated our guns almost reverentially though they were never left to be “easily picked up in every room of the house”.
I have retained that reverence. They are beautiful, as beautiful as pieces of sculpture can be. The care with which they are milled and put together is amazing. And a good gun with small kick and very accurate is a godsend to smaller and weaker than men women.
I have a concealed carry permit and have been shooting for years. My only real fear about guns is not that trained people will shoot them, but that untrained emotionally immature people will use them irresponsibly.
I do not think emotionally damaged people whether by genetics or by actions of man should be allowed to buy guns. And I do not think there is a test, per se, that will necessarily identify them. But I do think tests can give a hint but then talking with that person and getting written affidavits from friends and families might help to identify them. After that, I truly think it might be a crap shoot.
I do know that people who are familiar with guns and the people who shoot them have a good eye for people who shouldn’t have them. Maybe people who sell guns have that eye if they are also competative shooters. It might be worth investigating.
When I was a kid, all the weapons were loaded with one in the chamber. And we had lots of them. No one shot themselves or anyone else.
Maybe living in the country is different than city folks are used to...