I came here to say that myself! Who in their right mind thought baseball caps for the color guard was a good idea?

Because she was still the first woman senator of the US. Her racism and slaveholding past doesn't change that.

If anything, it makes it all the more important, as she reflected a large portion of society's views at the time. She was appointed as a political move to win points for a Democrat's re-election. Understanding the ugly parts of our past helps us avoid them in our present and future. If we ignore or disregard all the things that don't conform to our modern social standards, how can we critically analyze and grow from them?

Not going to lie, I didn't read the article. That was pretty much my point though, some situations are just un-legislatable. However irrelevant to this particular incident training may have been, it would still be a net benefit to a gun-laden society like ours. I was just using this article as an excuse to open dialogue on the topic is all.

If having a base level of competency and firearm safety isn't a benefit, I don't know what is. You're right about the potential to alienate poorer gun owners, but to be frank, if you can afford a taurus and a couple of boxes of ammo, you can afford a weekend class.

You make good points man, you're probably right in saying training and certification wouldn't have prevented this shooting. Maybe if she had her own gun, she could have protected herself. Maybe she still would have died. We'll never know.

My point is, there is no law that could have saved her life, so we shouldn't let perfect be the enemy of progress, and I think mandatory training for potential gun owners is progress.

I mean, yeah, but that's for people convicted of a felony already, and what I'm describing, ideally, wouldn't be a felony.

I believe fines are only punishment for poor people, so that's why I say jail time minimum. That way, even millionaires who illegally acquire a firearm without the proper training would have a consequence.

The purpose of that proposed system isn't to punish but to promote safe, responsible ownership of the greatest force-equalizer we have.

This is why we need actual courses, training, and certification required for firearms owners. That way, only the people who care enough about safety and responsibility would would be willing to go through the hoops to get a gun. You get caught with a gun, and you shouldn't have one? Jailtime at the minimum.

There will always be people who skirt the system and get one illicitly, so we shouldn't remove the option for safe, responsible gun owners to have one as well.