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Let me share my background.

I have 25 years of Expert Marksman ratings from the US Army and US Air Force, with rifle. I also qualified with Pistol more than once, and scored Expert with that as well. 

I have shot the M16, M16A1, M16A2, M4, M4A1, M15 (old USAF revolver).

I have shot the M60 General Purpose Machine Gun, the M2 Machine Gun (Browning .50 caliber). 

I have shooting trophies from the US Army.

I have served as an armorer--issuing and maintaining weapons.

I have served on the range as a line safety NCO, ammunition point NCO, range NCO, and primary marksmanship instructor. 

I've served as a weapons courier (responsible for transporting weapons) and as an armed courier (transporting other items while armed).

None of those actions are particularly impressive. They're only intended to show that I'm professionally qualified with weapons in the military.

As a civilian, I have beta-tested and reviewed firearms and accessories for manufacturers, furnishing promotional reviews, and feedback when the weapon did not perform as stated. I've even received firearms as gifts both as payment after the fact, and just because they think I'm an awesome writer.

I collect firearms.  I own...let's just say "a lot." 

My collection, in fact, has its own bank account.

My collection has its own incorporation papers.

My collection has its own lawyer on retainer.

Get that? A lot.

I own several restricted (National Firearm Act) weapons, that take money, paperwork, and federal approval to own, including actual machine guns, suppressors ("silencers") and short barreled rifles.

I have repaired, restored, examined literally hundreds of firearms in the last 33 years.

From raw materials, I have built firearms. And I don't mean bought a kit, though I've done that, too. I've turned solid blocks of metal into firearms. Dozens of them.

I've built my own firearm kits, specifying not only parts, but which alloys and heat treatment I wanted for those parts.

I have several correspondences with the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regarding said builds, to verify legality and technical matters.

I had a small part in helping draft firearm legislation at the state level.*

I've been active in promoting and supporting legislative movements.

I taught my kids to shoot starting at age 4.

I have written articles for firearm magazines in several countries. 

I also write fiction, but, as far as possible, I make the firearm use in said fiction factually accurate.

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Now, possibly you've taken a first aid course at some point. If not, you're probably familiar with the instruction that, "When qualified medical personnel arrive on scene, follow their instructions."

Well, when you get to that part in your gun control debate where the professional arrives on scene...here I am.

Once the professional has arrived, it's bad form to insist they're incompetent, delusional, a nut, have no idea what they're talking about, etc.

Yet, so many of you do that.

Here's an example of a very simple question in gun control. If you've actually "studied" the matter, you'll have an answer without needing any googling or references:

With BATFE moving from Treasury Dept to Justice Dept under Homeland Security, should the federal firearm laws be relocated from Title 18 USC to Title 10 USC? Why or why not?

What's your answer?

Because if you don't have one, you're utterly unqualified to have an opinion on the subject of what laws we have, have tried, or might implement. Or, as importantly, how hard it would be to implement them, and the fallout and second and third order effects of doing so.

EDIT: 

Which makes it really hard to "have a discussion" about gun control.  Because you don't need a discussion. You need an education. And you don't want a discussion or education. You want to dictate, from ignorance and fear.

One of the common refrains recently has been, "You gun nuts need to come up with something, because doing nothing is no longer an option."

So, if you're conceding that your 150 years of trying to do something constitute "doing nothing," I agree with you, as far as outcome.

Which means you're admitting your ignorance-inspired efforts have been worthless.

In which case, isn't it time you stepped aside, and let the doctor work?  Rather than insisting on power crystals and holy water, and burning garlic in sacrifice to the gods, or whatever you're absolutely positive will fix the problem this time?

And since you come from a background of ignorance and superstition, you're almost certainly going to be outraged when the professional tells you, "Your myths are irrelevant, accomplish nothing, and often make things worse."  But whether or not you're outraged, that's the fact. And your own admission that your 150 years of effort constitute "Doing nothing" is proof. You have no idea what you're talking about, but want your claims validated.

Well, that's not going to happen.

When you blame attacks on "white supremacy," you're virtue signaling, and you look like an idiot.

When you try to conflate the NRA and the KKK, who were on completely different sides of the race debate when they were created, and still are, you're virtue signaling and look like an idiot. (And it doesn't matter what you've read in some leftist rag by someone else ignorant, no matter what alleged credentials they claim.)

When you claim suppressors allow "silent assassinations," or speak of "high capacity clips" (sic), or that "bump stocks [sic] turn rifles into machine guns more dangerous than what the military uses," or reference "the shoulder thing that goes up" or talk about "assault weapons" based on what stock and grip two identical rifles have, you're being a complete tool. You're not "saving lives," you're not "promoting gun safety," you're flapping around like an idiot and making a scene.

If you say you want to "compromise," you're lying, because we've spent 150 years "compromising" with your ignorant bleats, and, as you admit, have "accomplished nothing."

So if you have any intellect whatsoever, you should probably take this opportunity to shut the fuck up and let the experts handle it before you kill another patient.

Now, you will probably not like what most of the experts have to say on the matter.  But the fact is, we are experts, you're not, and as you like to claim in science, we have consensus.

Here's one of my articles to show why you're wrong about, well, everything:
http://www.thegunmag.com/time-eliminate-gun-control-laws-yes/ 

And as to the solution to the problem you think you see: That has to be social and cultural, just as it was with the "problem" of liquor leading up to and during Prohibition, and as it is for marijuana and other recreational and potentially pharmaceutical drugs.

Which, as you might recall, also became "epidemics" because ignorant idiots insisted they knew the answers, until experts finally talked some sense into them.

Now please be quiet, the adults are talking.

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*And since one of you idiots tried recursive logic and claimed that by helping draft legislation I completely countered my own argument and "made himself worthless, good going buddy," I'll point out the legislation I was involved with was to REDUCE the legislation created by you idiots.  GFY.