Weeeellll... I think it's safe to say that gun licensing, as it exists in America, is kind of a joke. Almost anyone can get them and almost anyone can bypass a background check. (Looks like legislation is pending and will probably pass that helps close that loophole some.)

If we can't reasonably enforce the licensing and ownership issues, the next logical step seems to be the weapons themselves. Trigger locks, fingerprinting and so forth. If we are going to reduce gun-related deaths in this country, we need to think more than just about die-hard criminal activity. We need to prevent kids from blowing their friends away while they play with Mommy's gun, and we need to think of ways to help prevent Daddy from getting upset and shooting Mommy in a fit of rage. The die-hard criminals will get around the system. Nutcases who gun people down in a McDonalds are not as likely to have access to the technology to get around the system.

When my Mom was going through the police academy, I got a very thorough training in guns, how to respect them and how to use one. And perhaps most importantly, when not to use one. As mama always said, if it's important enough to shoot someone it had better be important enough to kill 'em. The mystique was gone -- I never wanted to play with guns, because we'd just go out to the range. I think that the old image of grandpa taking the boy (or girl) out back and teaching them how to shoot is much more responsible gun ownership than trying to hide it from your kid in the nightstand drawer.

Which is why I'm strongly in favor of safety training as part of the licensing process. I know some of the bigger gun shops include time on their range and basic safety with a gun purchase -- I think this is a great idea (responsible gun selling), but shouldn't it include everyone in the household?

Sorry for rambling all over the place... guns are a touchy issue. How to keep 'em out of careless and criminal hands and yet preserve the rights of responible owners is a hard nut to crack.