Most times I've seen legislation fast-tracked because "something must be done" ... I wish something HADN'T been done. The legislative solutions are worse than the problem they're addressing.

Sometimes the best thing to do is ... nothing.

He was all out of bubble gum.

The article is loaded with emotional content, and makes claims I cannot find sources on. I wish it had.

1) The death of 12-year-old Max Mendoza is profoundly heartbreaking. He accidentally killed himself with a pistol brought over by a teenage friend. Presumably these children have had no firearms training (I've been shooting since childhood, and was trained how to properly handle firearms at a very young age). The specific detail of the pistol being a ghost gun is all but irrelevant - his friend could just as easily brought over a fully registered, legally purchased Glock, likely with the same deadly results. While emotional, I don't think the "ghost gun" detail is relevant. Training? Yes. Proper storage of firearms? Yes. Ghost gun? Irrelevant.

2) Article states: "Over the past 18 months, the officials said, ghost guns accounted for 25 to 50 percent of firearms recovered at crime scenes." Really? Sounds horrendous! I'm shocked! But wait, I have a few questions: What officials? What crime scenes? Where? When? Are there any unbiased statistic sources to back this up from, say, the FBI? The DOJ? I'm going to chalk this one up to someone (Glenn Thrush, author) playing fast & loose with numbers, without backing it up with sources. You know, like a journalist should.

3A) We get an anecdote (NOT data): “I’ve been on the force for 30 years next month, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Lt. Paul Phillips of the San Diego Police Department. By the beginning of October, he said, the department had recovered almost 400 ghost guns, about double the total for all of 2020 with nearly three months to go in the year. --- Well, please tell me: Is Lt. Paul Phillips the data and statistics number cruncher for SDPD? How is his anecdote relevant? I wish I had some sources to research.

3B) While we're on the anecdote, a journalist would (or should) note that firearms sales in the U.S. have been on a tear the last two years, I suspect due to unrest in the country. I think it only makes sense this increase would ALSO apply to ghost guns. A record-high 39.7 million background checks went through NICS in 2020, 11 million more than in 2019. More background checks have been initiated through the first three months of 2021 than any other three-month period. There are MANY sources for this - google "firearms sales 2020" and pick a source YOU trust. (You're welcome.)

4) Article states: "Law enforcement officials in California think that the rules would do much to keep ghost guns out of the hands of criminals and children." --- Again, WHICH law enforcement officials? Do they have special access to information we don't? Are they relevant, or random opinionated law enforcement officials? Exactly HOW would new rules keep ghost guns out of the hands of criminals and children? Again, a journalist would cite sources that could be followed up on. Instead, we just have another ZINGER with no way to check out its veracity for ourselves.

5) Some more anecdotes ... 'nuf said on that topic. (I could repeat this many more times. But I won't. Other than to say I'd like some real data sources.)

6) The usual discussion of "The Loophole" (tm). There's another, more accurate description for "the loophole": it's called "The Law". Now would be a great place to discuss suggestions on how to improve the law, and how the proposed changes would result in an actual reduction in accidents and crime. But no ... THAT discussion is fraught with proposals that, upon a cursory glance, expose that they WON'T ACTUALLY REDUCE accidents or crime in any statistically meaningful way. It's just more gun control without any benefits.

7) The hysteria: “This is the biggest threat in the country right now,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group that has tracked the rapid growth of the gun kit industry. --- I wouldn't characterize "Everytown for Gun Safety" as an unbiased source of information. It would be totally fair to include their views when you counter it with the opposition's view - that's what a journalist would do. But no, this article only serves half the information.

So ... I think there is a lot that we could do better in the U.S. to reduce violent crime. Unfortunately we all need to have honest discussions about what the options are and what the impact will be. Then we can make meaningful changes instead of flinging soundbites from left to right and back, across a very large chasm. As it is, we're just too far apart, too divided, and that is bad for us all. ... And we should expect more from our journalists.