The Right to Life vs. The Right to Bear Arms  Gun control  In
order to purchase a co-op apartment in Manhattan, you often have
to supply a litany of documents, bordering on the absurd, bank
statements, pay stubs, letters of recommendation, and a credit
check. Once all of your documents have been probed, you
typically must sit for an interview with the co-op board. For
your troubles, you are then afforded the opportunity to pay
exorbitant prices for your little slice of the American dream.
Imagine, for a moment, if even a shred of that vetting process
was applied to weapons purchases. The worst you could do as a
resident of the co-op is fail to pay maintenance each month, a
financial burden for the building, no doubt, but not a matter of
life and death. If, however, a person who is ill-equipped to
handle a gun is permitted to make such a purchase, the
consequences can be deadly.  Why is it that in order to secure a
job, you must be interviewed; in order to purchase a car, you
must have insurance; in order to