There are a number of things we can do right now about guns. Many don’t include any kind of gun bans, although some bans would be completely legal even under current interpretations of the 2nd Amendment. Things we can/should do now:

1. MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE: allow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to begin unfettered research on gun violence. Congress has banned (or effectively banned by threatening funding cuts) CDC research on guns since 1996. Why? Out of NRA driven fear that data will show what every reasonable American knows – that guns are the most dangerous part of the equation. If guns are the issue, we should know it. Put the data out there, and we can debate it openly. Or we can continue to let a small group of Americans hide from the facts.

2. Implement mandatory gun insurance. Just like buying a car, if you purchase a firearm you must show proof of insurance. If you later transfer that firearm to someone else, they must show proof of insurance. If you can’t afford the insurance, you can’t afford a firearm. For those who say “guns are a right, and you can’t charge me for them,” you are incorrect. You are already charged for your gun when you buy it at a store – insurance is just another, very reasonable cost. Then if a gun is used in a crime, the insurance can pay the penalty. And while I don’t love the insurance industry, I do like the idea of the political capital that they can bring to the table here.

3. Implement mandatory, universal registration and transfer documentation. “But then the government will know if I have a gun!” Yes, they will. Please note that you also have a right to vote, and you have to register with the government to do that too. If you want to own a gun, register it. Put it in a federal database that all law enforcement can access. Include prohibited buyers in this database (for past violent crimes, etc.) If you transfer a gun ANYWHERE (at home, gun show, gun shop, etc), you must register that transfer in a database — this will actually help to cover MANY of the illegal guns used in inner-city violent crime. And if your gun is used in a crime and you don’t report the transfer, YOU are liable and your insurance pays for it.

4. Implement mandatory background checks for all purchases and transfers. See above. We can negotiate the political details of who can’t purchase a gun, but I’ll begin with people who have a history of violent criminal action and people who a psych professional says are a danger to themselves or someone else.

5. Implement mandatory gun locks with stiff penalties for violation. Want to own a gun? Ok, but when you have it at home you have to lock it up. This is standard for almost all industrialized nations that allow gun ownership. And no, you can’t give the combination/keys to minors. And if more than one person can open the gun lock/safe, you have to note that on your insurance. You also need to keep ammunition locked up separately from your guns. If your unlocked gun is used by someone else in the commission of a crime or in an accidental death, you are criminally responsible and financially liable. And if your gun wasn’t locked, your insurance may not cover the cost.

Please note: these suggestions absolutely will not stop all gun violence. But they will be an excellent start. And I think the vast majority of Americans could agree on these.

Personally, in future steps I also suggest bans on all semi-automatic weapons, including handguns and rifles. There is a lot of focus on AR-15s and similar military style weapons after each mass shooting, but most gun deaths are still from handguns. Hunting rifles, shotguns and revolvers? With the rules above, I’m willing to give it a try and see if we can severely limit gun violence without massively changing laws and banning these. I fully realize this is MUCH more controversial than my first five suggestions, and thus keep it as a separate issue.

So to those who keep asking “what can we do???”, here are some suggestions. All of the first five should easily pass constitutional muster. And we really need to start moving forward NOW, because thousands of kids have already needlessly died for our gun culture.