And hundreds more like it. It just so happened that I took the final exam in the boating class the day before the Mother's Day Million Mom March in Washington, so the subject of handgun violence was all over the newspapers and newscasts as I crammed for the test. And I found myself wondering why so much controversy has been generated over the years regarding the appropriateness of regulating firearms, when we accept without complaint strict government regulation of dozens of other areas of endeavor. Once you start down this road, you find yourself cataloging all the things that are regulated without question or whimper, and comparing their relative potential for misuse and bodily injury to the typical 9mm semiautomatic pistol. In America today, nobody thinks anything of the fact that you are required to register your dog or apply for a permit to put in a new bathroom or a license to catch a fish.
Nobody complains about having to register a car.
There is only one issue that ignites violent argument over the right of the government to issue rules and restrictions - guns. This weekend, I have to put the new registration number on my boat. Not three inches, not italics. Then, if I want, I can go buy some handguns and leave them sitting around a school playground. It's truly amazing.