Shots fired near WH

[hazard]

Or at least, that's how it should be.  God knows there was hell to pay if even a single round of ammunition was unaccounted for while I was in the Navy.  I don't see why a militia can't be held to a similar standard.

Militia aren't government organizations. They certainly should be, or at least heavily overseen by the government, but they aren't.

Though it needs to be reiterated: not allowing sidearms to be kept by their owners within their own home is going to be a non-starter, even with the large majority of the not-crazy gun owners.  Handguns, the sane gun owners will argue, should be allowed to be kept at home for the purposes of home protection.  Whether or not having a hand gun on the premises actually is effective is of little matter.  What will matter is the peace of mind it will bring that person, as well as the simple fact that most home invaders will immediately turn tail the moment they see a gun.

That most home invaders will run the moment they see a gun is not an argument to permit a handgun in the house. That's an argument that any gun will function as a deterrent for home invasion, including long guns. Even if those long guns are less convenient.

Additionally, large caliber handguns are a must if you're hunting dangerous game like bears or wild boars.  They make for a good back-up plan in case that critter isn't as dead as you thought it was.  A bear's skull may be tough, but not so tough that emptying a magazine of .44 magnum into its face won't do the trick.  (Though a shotgun loaded with 3" magnum deer slug shells will do the trick quite handily, too, but who wants to lug something that heavy through the brush along with their long gun?)

That's an argument to allow the carrying of large caliber handguns on hunts/during hunting season, not an argument to store a handgun in the home.

However, mandating standards for the keeping and storing of firearms would be something they'd agree happily to.  A good gun vault that requires both a key and a combination to open and is anchored into a sizeable concrete pad or the house's foundation should work well enough.  The assault rifles and other funsies can be mandated to be kept at the militia's base, and that should go over fairly well.

Just any sufficiently heavy and cumbersome safe will do really. The point isn't even to make it impossible to open without the keys and code, because that's impossible. You want to make sure that whoever is trying to get access is delayed and needs to think about what they are doing.

(Although we can also probably make the additional stipulation that you may only have one sidearm and one longarm per person in the household, and also that this is limited to persons who have an officially recognized certificate of basic proficiency.  Little Timmy shouldn't count if he doesn't know to never point the gun at anyone he doesn't intend to shoot.  The rest of the gun collection will be kept at the militia base and may be interchanged freely, though these interchanges must be recorded in a log book kept at the base.)

You don't permit children to drive cars either, and motorized vehicles are pretty dangerous themselves. Procedures to get a certificate of proficiency (or driving license) are restricted by age, so I don't see why gun access shouldn't be either. As for the logs, keep 4. One for the owner of the gun, one for the handler of the gun, and separate paper and electronic logs for the militia. And gods help you if the logs are in disagreement.

And on that note I would say that the only way a minor can own a firearm is if it is held in trust by their parents or guardians.  Additionally, until they are adults, they are never allowed to be unsupervised with a firearm, even if it is technically their own.  Oh, and minors are never to be allowed the combination and key to the gun vault except in an emergency, after which the key must immediately be accounted for and the combination changed as soon as reasonably possible.

This is really a gun culture issue more than a gun issue in and of itself, and it's quite sensible. Although I wouldn't permit children ownership of a gun, even held in trust. It's their parent's/guardian's weapon, and said adult is responsible for what happens with it. Including legal liability.

As to suicides, that will have to play hand-in-hand with reformation of the mental health system.  A hand gun is just the easiest and quickest way to go.  Yes, about 50% of all suicides in the US are by firearms.  But the vast majority of the other half is by poisoning (read: mostly drug overdose) and asphyxiation (read: mostly hanging).  Not terribly difficult to pull off, though asphyxiation does require some set-up, which is why poisoning is the larger wedge in that side of the pie.  If you you take hand guns out of the picture, you'll prevent a fair number for sure... But that number will still be smaller than the other half of the pie, no matter what.  And we want to stop as many suicides as possible, right?

That said, I'd have no qualms about taking firearms into the temporary custody of the ATF once it's known that someone is suicidal.  And if all firearm owners are enlisted in a militia, then that makes it a lot easier for these problems to be spotted.  You are basically forced to be a part of a group, and that alone is going to go a ways to preventing suicide - not only because others might see it coming, but also because it gives a person a chance to talk things out with other like-minded individuals.

The USA has one of the highest suicide rates of the western world. While ease of access to firearms no doubt plays a role in this as does the distinctly lacking mental healthcare system, the biggest component appears to me to be the high stress induced by the USA's culture in general.

Unfortunately, most suicidal people just don't show many signs of their impending suicide if they show any at all, you learn to put up and keep up a mask of normalcy no matter what. What does help though is being connected in a community with other people. Feeling isolated and/or disconnected from other people is often a major contributor to suicidal ideation, while having any emotional bond, something or someone to live for, often helps fighting it.