I'm in agreement with you - what's needed are a limited number of laws/rules to curb the excesses of the top 10% and the bottom 10% of humanity so the middle 80% can live their lives in relative peace and freedom.

The problem with no laws at all is that someone with a big gun and mates will just take over and force you to live by his rules (which can very likely be worse than the "big society" rules you left behind).
Humans have this deep seated need to tell others how to live.

So - yeah, driving licence, gun licence, no drink drive, and so on. I support a very minimal set of laws that just define a base level condition for the smooth running of society.

To give you an idea of the stupidity of the "health 'n' safety" nuts:

Near me (UK) is a school. it has a fence around it, chain link, a strong one (it'll stop a runaway car but maybe not a direct car-attack)

Inside the school grounds is a pre-school - inside another chain link fence.
That pre-school has a playground.... inside a THIRD chain link fence.

And the little kids? They were running around on the playground in high vis vests... FFS!!!
If they're not already safe inside three chain links fences then the high vis vests are going to do total sod all to help!

But no, H &S says it MUST be this way (and you can't debate with POS bureaucrats - they are always right)

That's the sort of dumb **** I'm hating on.

 

Just a small interjection here, then I'll butt back out. In the US, driving is a privilege and guns are a right. You shouldn't need to buy a license for a right.

 

True - but my licence idea is just to demonstrate proficiency in care/storage/maintenance/handling. (Don't you need a permit anyway, in some places?)

I'm not in the US but I do understand (as much as we outside the US can) this "gun rights" thing - it's just that we licence people to drive 1-2 tons of steel and rubber at 60mph, with lessons and tests (and, yes, OK, they still F up).
And then you read of "3 yr old shoots 5 yr old sister dead" - and I can only think "why the hell was the gun around kids and loaded... left on the coffee table?"
Maybe a basic set of lessons and a test then licence will help? (You might have read my opinion on "rights + responsibility" before)

Not necessarily $$$ costing - maybe just a "proof of certificate of completion" before you buy the weapon.
Looking into the US, I think there are many people there who seem to need some form of training on caring for the weapon and correct storage and handling (it might save a few of those "kid shot" stories)

Still, Devil's Advocate to my own views - car licences haven't stopped the morons with cars, has it? But then... it'd likely be a lot worse without the lessons and testing.

No need to butt out - I'm happy to be corrected or debated on an issue.

I admire the USA - you REALLY believe in your rights... the UK politicians just run rough-shod over ours.

 

If you believe that BS I've some prime building sites in the middle of a swamp for the paltry sum of $500,000 an acre! I drove over the road trucks for 30 years and the looney leftist state had the second worst drivers I ever had to deal with! NOWHERE can ever be as bad as New York city! Just for the record I have a shiny gold belt buckle that says 4 MILLION miles accident free from the ATA.