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About the Episode

I love a well-made argument. I value a well-made argument over any party line or political dogma. My entire political belief system is based on well-made arguments and I support what is fair, what is right, and what makes sense.

At the same time, I despise poor arguments. Not the people making them, but the arguments themselves absolutely make my skin crawl.

I heard one this week that I’d heard before, and I have to say I’ve had enough of this particular argument. Someone, somewhere, wrote that guns ought to be regulated the same way cars are regulated, so that every gun would have to be registered, and every gun-owner would need a license. At least, that’s the gun-grabbing, flavor-of-the-month argument right now.

I have to say the argument is ridiculous. And I have to say I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before.

Humor me for just a moment:

• Imagine that gun dealers wouldn’t need to be federally licensed or keep meticulous records of transactions, just like car dealers.
• Imagine that guns could be sold across state lines without penalty, just like cars, AND: guns wouldn’t be banned because they look scary or hold a lot of bullets, just like cars aren’t banned for their size or holding a lot of gas.
• Imagine that CHL’s would be valid in all states, just like drivers’ licenses.
• Imagine that gun owners wouldn’t have to alert the ATF when selling any kind of gun to someone in another state, just like cars can move through domestic borders freely.

These are just a few examples. Regulating guns like cars wouldn’t increase oversight; in truth, oversight would sharply decrease.

Obviously, I wouldn’t want every gun that I carry off my private property to require registration, and I also wouldn’t want to have to register myself to operate those guns. But take into account the amount of freedom that car owners enjoy in comparison to gun owners. Think about how infuriating it would be to alert a federal agency anytime you wanted to drive out of state, and how awful that would be for people that live on a state border. Mull over how miserable everyone would be if every, single, little, part of your interaction with, or use of, your car was somehow overseen, hindered, and ultimately ruined by the involvement of some federal or state agency.

Some people will say “Michael, that’s simply not fair. Vehicles are transportation, but guns are weapons.” Consider this: cars kill more people every year than guns do. Every, single, year. Even still, it’s easier to own and operate a car than it is a gun.

You ask me, I say we got it backwards. We ought to be more worried about the cars that drive the wrong way on 35 and kill people in head-on collisions than we are about the guns that shoot targets at a shooting range.

As always more guns equals less crime. Go out and buy yourself a gun! You’ve been listening to Come and Talk It! with Michael Cargill.