People should know how to use a firearm before using one, but I don't think it should be a mandatory requirement, and I'll tell you why. Arming yourself is not a privledge, but it is a right that you are born with, at least according to our ancestors who founded this country. Secondly, many people who fight for gun restrictions don't plan on stopping at that one "reasonable" restriction. Their ultimate goal is take guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens completely. It's a clever plan to shoot for progressively more and more restrictive laws every few years until their goal is met. That's why I think you get the knee-jerk reaction, because these people want to defend that right and will fight anything the anti-gun activists bring to the table.

What kind of gun have you considered getting? I have an Olympic Arms rifle on order.