Thread: Reasonable Gun restrictions - need some help here...

Okay, first a disclaimer. I am a gun owner - both for hunting and home protection. I have a pistol, a rifle and several shot-guns. I do not have a CC permit nor would I ever seek one - personal reasons. I tend to support heightened background checks, assault rifle bans, elimination of gun-show loopholes, etc. I am not anti-gun, but do not think that the 2nd amendment should be applied to prevent ANY regulation on guns. My mother is also legally blind and from Iowa. That becomes relevant because of this:

Gun permits for the blind? Iowa grants them, stirs debate - CNN.com

I will say that there are a wide range of vision capabilities that will be considered legally blind - it's a spectrum with total profound blindness at the far extreme - but even at the low end of the range (where my mother is classified) these folks can't see shit 2-3 feet in front of their face.

IMHO - it would be perfectly reasonable to require a person applying for a gun permit to be able to SEE, it's a deadly weapon not that dissimilar from a car, you have to be able to see to drive.

She said blocking visually impaired people from getting weapons permits would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

I blame the PC left. If we allowed a little more discrimination stuff like this wouldn't happen. Only a joke.

Being honest I am torn. The article mentioned Stevie Wonder, and I think someone like him(as in 100% blind) owning a gun would be a bad idea. However there are people that are legally blind that do have some vision that makes it a different story. The article also mentions vision impaired hunters hunting with the assistance of sighted friends. I don't think this is as simple as if you are legally blind you shouldn't be allowed to own a gun. Too much gray.

Originally Posted by iravedic

Okay, first a disclaimer. I am a gun owner - both for hunting and home protection. I have a pistol, a rifle and several shot-guns. I do not have a CC permit nor would I ever seek one - personal reasons. I tend to support heightened background checks, assault rifle bans, elimination of gun-show loopholes, etc. I am not anti-gun, but do not think that the 2nd amendment should be applied to prevent ANY regulation on guns. My mother is also legally blind and from Iowa. That becomes relevant because of this:

Gun permits for the blind? Iowa grants them, stirs debate - CNN.com

I will say that there are a wide range of vision capabilities that will be considered legally blind - it's a spectrum with total profound blindness at the far extreme - but even at the low end of the range (where my mother is classified) these folks can't see shit 2-3 feet in front of their face.

IMHO - it would be perfectly reasonable to require a person applying for a gun permit to be able to SEE, it's a deadly weapon not that dissimilar from a car, you have to be able to see to drive.

I agree with you on that. I read this and was shocked. But I also think that might have been the point of the story - to shock us.

As for your other views, all I can say is preventing lawful citizens who would operate weapons safely and legally from having guns will not affect criminals one bit. I want to see tougher penalties for using guns in the commission of crimes. MUCH tougher penalties. Mandatory sentences. There's your solution right there.

Originally Posted by deathgodusmc

Normally i would say hell no but honestly its never crossed my mind on a blind person firing a weapon. I can definitely see a downside on this one. At the same time i know people that have trouble seeing that can find shit better then someone with 20 20. At the end of the day though i dont have a problem with a vision test. They cant drive while blind so its probably best they aren't popping shots off either.

Authoritarian liberal freedom hater.

I read and I about pooped myself when I saw that they did that. I'm very torn... Everyone should be able to defend themselves but seriously. Some of the primary rules of defense is knowing what's behind your target, never point the gun at anything you don't intend to destroy, etc. And that's really hard to do if you can't SEE what you are ATTEMPTING to aim at.

Ridiculous. But when we have legislation in effect that forces people to ignore "disabilities", this is what you get. I would have no issue with "legally blind without corrective lenses", but this is just dangerous.

BTW, i am legally blind without corrective lenses.