Serious about public safety? Regulate guns.

The political debate over violence and public safety at the State Capitol is missing a major component.

DFL legislators call for more investment in policing, mental health treatment and other public safety interventions, as well as major reforms to address the racism and inequity that is deeply rooted in our justice system.

Republican legislators call for more investment in policing and prisons, and blame DFLers for causing crime.

But there is notably little discussion about gun regulation. DFLers are pushing for a red flag law to take guns from people who pose a threat and legislation to close loopholes in the background check law — much-needed reforms. But there is great hesitation, even among many DFLers, to talk about reasonable regulation of guns.

Gun regulation long has been the third rail of American politics. But the increase in murders, accidental shootings, suicides, armed carjackings and robberies, as well as the ongoing tragedy of mass shootings, shows the urgency of changing course. A responsible gun safety regulatory system would reduce crime and save lives.

Consider how we regulate cars. There are lawful uses for both guns and cars, but both are deadly when misused.

With cars, we require operators to be trained and licensed. We register every vehicle, and re-register each when it's transferred to a new owner. We require liability insurance. We also require safety modifications and regulate how and where cars are driven.

For guns, there is no licensing, no training requirement, no registration, no insurance, no safety equipment required. This enables criminals to obtain guns with no background check, no waiting period — no means of enforcement at all.

Regulation saves lives. Motor vehicle regulations cut the traffic death toll by a stunning 90% over the decades, per mile traveled. We could likewise save lives and sharply reduce violent crime through reasonable gun regulation.

The U.S. Constitution explicitly says "well-regulated" when referring to gun rights, yet the gun lobby opposes any form of gun regulation. The courts have said that reasonable restrictions may be placed on the possession of firearms. The National Firearms Act of 1934 effectively banned machine guns from most private ownership. Since that time, the "Tommy guns" of the Al Capone era and other fully automatic machine guns have not been used in mass killings or other crimes.

Reasonable gun regulations are consistent with the Supreme Court's holdings and strike a proper balance between an individual's right to bear arms and the compelling interests of the state in protecting the public from gun violence.

When some gun owners argue against regulation, saying it is a burden on them, they are essentially saying that there should be no regulation of a person seeking to acquire a gun for carjacking or armed robbery or murder until after they have committed their violent acts.

People are understandably afraid of carjackings and assaults at gunpoint. We are sick and tired of the violence. Responsible gun regulation isn't the only step we need to take — I've authored and fought for other legislation to prevent crime as well. But we cannot afford to continue ignoring the huge death toll from unregulated guns.

Here are some reasonable regulations that are long overdue:

Ban:

I am introducing legislation that would implement this reasonable gun regulation (SF 3377, SF 3378). It does not "punish" responsible gun owners any more than vehicle regulation punishes responsible car owners. In fact, people who lawfully own guns now would be exempted from the training in getting their license.

These proposals address the all-too-frequent situations where anyone with a temper or a minor grudge — even a road-rage incident — can end up murdering someone. The bills will stop the free flow of guns onto our streets.

Our weak gun laws have led to an epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. — over 100 gun deaths every day — about 40 homicides, 65 suicides and an accidental gun death, day after day.

State gun regulations save lives. States with stronger gun laws average far less than half the gun violence deaths per capita of states with the weakest laws.

The NRA has enormous clout among Republican legislators. Republican politicians attempt to sound "tough on crime." But by opposing any efforts to regulate access to guns and gun ownership, no matter how frequently guns are used in violent crime, they demonstrate that their legislative priority is not public safety.

I've known too many people who have tragically lost family members. People have a right not to be shot. It's time for reasonable gun regulation.

John Marty, DFL-Roseville, is a member of the Minnesota Senate.