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This approach will help you think of a solid startup idea.It is broken into 5 steps to facilitate progress through a system that in total should take about 30-40 hours to complete over a week or two, if you do it all.Add rigor and discipline to your brainstorming and idea evaluation process:Build lists of potential customer types and business or pricing models.Evaluate the opportunities where these lists overlap.Then, exit your ivory tower and evaluate the top ideas with real potential users, customers, or suppliers.This will improve your likelihood of success and waste less time down the road, even if you pivot from your original idea.Preface: There certainly are simpler answers like, “pick an area that is trending”, “look for a large market that hasn’t changed in 10 years”, or “convert your hobby into a business”. Unfortunately those aren’t particularly helpful, and since this question comes up often in discussions, I wanted to get my thoughts down in a more comprehensive way. I’m sure Quora will have some good feedback for me :)Also, while this answer covers the ideation part of the journey, keep in mind that implementing the idea is the hard part.Three primary paths to a new business idea1. The spontaneous idea: It hits you when you’re in the shower, driving in your car, talking with friends, or doodling during a meeting. The dots suddenly connect in a new way and you have an epiphany...your sudden insight is surprising and exciting, and the value of this new idea seems obvious. You can’t believe nobody else has thought of it before!So you go online and poke around...and...most of the time it turns out that someone has thought of it before. But, you still might be able to do it better...so you keep thinking about it and a day passes, and you start to realize some problems. You share it with a few trusted friends and get feedback about a lot of things you hadn’t thought of yet (e.g., nobody pays for it, it’s a tiny market, etc.). It could turn out to be a great idea, but you don’t know, you have a good job, and it is uncharted territory...so you let the dream slowly die away. Cheer up, that was probably the right decision.2. The insider idea: Maybe you’ve spent the last 7 years building enterprise software for airlines and you’ve noticed some voids in the product stack or issues with how your company brings it to market. You point these deficiencies out to your bosses, but there are other company priorities and nothing changes. Or, say your company pays vendors a lot of money to do some work, but nobody ever seems happy with the results....and you see a way to do it better for less. Or, maybe you witnessed your company kill an amazing new product or feature not because testing didn’t show user interest, but for political or organizational reasons.You see an opportunity to do it on your own, so you start moonlighting on a solution. You gather more specific information, talk to trusted co-workers and industry contacts, and determine the viability of solving the problem. The good thing is, you’re already knowledgeable and well positioned/networked in the business space...so good luck to you!3. The deliberate idea: In this case, you aren’t starting with a business idea. Instead, you’re starting with a desire to create a new business and become an entrepreneur. You may be ready to quit your job and go for it whole-hog, or just start it on the side of your desk...but you’re looking for the right business idea to pursue (which could be a business related to your work environment or industry, as in #2).While the first two paths may happen unintentionally, the third is for people who know they want to start a company, but don't yet have their idea. If you fall into the third group, then this answer is for you.#3 The Deliberate IdeaIdeation is fun and freeing, but it is the easy part of the process. Execution of your idea separates the wheat from the chaff and is where most people fail. That said, coming up with the right idea will improve your odds of successful execution. This system will help you do that well.Step 1 - Decide what is your primary motivation or personal goal for starting this (1 hour)For example, do you want a:Fun or hobby based business (e.g., making bracelets to sell on Etsy (product))Part-time lifestyle business that could become full time (e.g., running a wine-investment club)Full-time startup hoping for acquisition exit in 3-5 years (e.g., It’s like Airbnb (product) for fish, get it?)Large, cash-flow positive business (e.g., B2B furniture import and delivery business)Path to industry credibility and networking over financial gain (e.g., scriptwriting peer-training exchange for aspiring comedy writers)Create a new spreadsheet and write down your goal in the first tab. It may seem like overkill now, but if you take a break from this project you’ll want to be able to have it as a frame of reference when picking it back up.Step 2 - Frame the problem (2 hours)If you try to just write down a list of ideas from scratch, you’ll probably be underwhelmed with the results. You’ll likely hit a block after a handful of ideas, and what you come up with will be based on your predispositions...i.e., if you are a gamer, you’ll have ideas for games. If you work in cloud computing, you’ll have ideas for new approaches, etc. This isn’t a bad thing, but it is limiting.Instead, make a deliberate effort to facilitate your own brainstorming.In the spreadsheet you created in step 1, create a new sheet and type out a list of 15-20 different categories of customer/audience types in the first column. Don’t start with the usual demographic descriptions like, “18-35 year olds in urban environments making over $100k per year”. Instead, use descriptive phrases that represent specific groups of consumers and/or businesses with unique challenges and needs. These tend to be easier to conceptualize so they are more useful and helpful for generating ideas.Start with some that relate to your personal interests, hobbies, experience or professional network, but don't limit yourself to them. Some examples include retail insurance agents, cyclical dieters, ex-pats in Asia, news junkies, people that eat out 3+ times per week, new college grads, stay-at-home mothers, winemakers, startup founders raising money, youth sports teams, companies at trade shows, wedding planners, gamers, health nuts, software development agencies, etc. If you’re having trouble coming up with enough, broaden to specific industries, e.g., public transportation, dating, real estate, etc. If you’re going after a specific geography, call it out (e.g., ex-pats in Asia).Next, along the first row of your spreadsheet, type the business or pricing models (i.e., the type of business) that you could apply to these customers/audiences. There’s no exact right or wrong approach, and I’m using the term “business model” very liberally here. Not all models will apply to each group and some overlap is okay. Remember, you’re doing this to help you brainstorm and compare new business ideas, not to become an expert on business models.For example, subscriptions, product bundling, risk management/insurance, auctions, resale/classifieds, peer-to-peer exchanges, outsourcing non-core functions, freemium, advertising-supported content, new product development, after-sale care, daily deals (discounted pre-sale), collaborative consumption (think AirBnB), rapid evaluation/matching (e.g., Tinder), sales channel innovation, lead generation and referrals, marketplace, brokerage, BI/CI solutions, community, etc. (more here: TechCrunch business models)Step 3 - Generate ideas (4-6 hours)Your spreadsheet is now a grid with customer/audience types down the side and business/pricing models across the top. Each box where the two lists overlap is a place to brainstorm ideas. Go through each square in this grid. You can dismiss many of the boxes in a few seconds (e.g., Business Intelligence for stay-at-home moms?), but it is worth giving each consideration as you’ll inevitably come up with ideas you didn’t expect.The easiest way to do this is go column by column. Pick a business or pricing model, think of a few existing businesses that use it, and spend 5 minutes reading about them to get your head into that space. Then, apply it to each potential customer or audience group: how could it fit? What are their priorities, what gets in their way, where are they wasting time or money, what do they depend upon? Browse discussion forums where they participate or are discussed. See what they care about, what people complain about. Search online for other companies that already compete to offer them products and services. What are they?Your pass through the first column will take the most time, because you're learning about each of the 15-20 customer types as you go. It speeds up after that.Each time you come up with a keeper, type it into the corresponding box. For example, providing after-sale customer management for retail insurance agents? Or, a debt auction business for startups looking to raise seed funding? Type it in.Note: You may have 2+ ideas in a box. To add a new line inside of a cell type Alt-Enter for Excel on PC, Option-Command-Enter for Excel on Mac, Ctrl-Enter for Google Docs on MacTry to come up with at least 6 solid ideas. Then, create another tab in your spreadsheet and list all of your ideas there. In addition to writing down the ideas themselves, you should state the goal, audience(s), and model(s) for each one. These will change over time, but it is good to start grounded with something you can work-back towards.Step 4 - Evaluate ideas and narrow it down (3 hours)The next step is to evaluate your list of 6+ ideas against a set of criteria that will help you narrow down to the most promising three. For example:Heat in this space: E.g., Some answers on QuoraYour experience and connections: Do you have experience in this industry or with similar businesses? Are you well connected with friends or family that operate in this space? Any advantages, or disadvantages?Alignment with goals: How well does this align to your original goal? Are the upfront capital costs compatible with the level of investment you want to make in this business?Market opportunity: How big is this market and how unique or differentiated is your approach? Consider competition here, but don’t be discouraged by the presence of competition. It is validation that the space is interesting. Also, there are plenty of companies have come along and disrupted markets that others had written off as already solved, like:Google ... after Altavista, Metacrawler, Lycos, etc.Facebook ... after Friendster, MySpaceUber ... after Yellow cab, black car services, etc.Gmail ... after AOL, Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.iPhone ... after Blackberry, Palm, Windows MobileFlipboard, Wavii, Zite, Pulse, Prismatic, etc. ... after Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, CNNYou probably don’t have time to really deep-dive on 10 ideas, so getting this narrowed down is both science and art. What does your gut tell you, what would be fun, where are you most comfortable and confident?OPTIONAL STEP: To add more science try quantifying some of these criteria.To do this, add a column to the Ideas tab, one for each criterion. Then, for each new column score your ideas from 1-5, with 5 being the best. So, for “Alignment with my goal”, a 5 means it aligns perfectly, and a 1 means it doesn’t align at all (e.g., your goal is to create a fun hobby business, but the idea is to sell offshore development services to technology companies in the US).Don’t worry if you aren’t sure whether something is a 3 or a 4, just go with your gut or do 5 minutes of online research. Keep moving forward, don't get stuck here bogged down in the weeds.When you’re finished, add up the scores and sort your list by the sum of these scores. In theory, the higher the score, the more interesting the idea should be to you.When you’re done evaluating your ideas run them by a couple of trusted friends, and narrow it down to the three that seem most promising. If you do the optional scoring step, don’t feel like you must pick the three that scored highest.Note - we could have used these criteria earlier in step 2 to narrow down the list of audiences and business/pricing models, but that would have limited the creative process too far upstream (i.e., before the brainstorming process), so I suggest waiting.Step 5 - Deep dive on those 3 ideas (20-30 hours over a week or two)Congratulations, you have come up with 3 solid ideas! Now it’s time to step out of your ivory tower and start getting street-level information and feedback. There are three basic steps for doing this (i.e., 5_a, _b, and _c) that are general enough to apply to most types of ideas.A quick aside: at this point people ask, "If I share my idea with a lot of people, won't someone steal it?" The answer is possibly, but unlikely. As previously mentioned, there are a lot of startup ideas but few people with the time, energy, or know-how to implement them. The benefits of getting good feedback early on outweigh the risk that someone will steal it. So, don't tell people that won't benefit you, and avoid telling direct competitors that are in a position to do it themselves, or to block you from doing it, but generally don't worry. Related questions / blog posts:Will a VC or Angel steal my idea?How can I be sure people won't steal my idea during a pitch?Will anyone steal my startup idea?Why you shouldn’t keep your startup idea secret5_a. Get smart(er) (6-8 hours)You will be able to evaluate and refine your ideas 10x faster by engaging in discussions with real potential customers, users, and partners. But, if you go into these unprepared you’ll wind up asking the wrong questions, sounding out of place, and wasting your opportunity and their time.So, before you invest in surveys, coffee shop chats, or informational meetings, you need to get up to speed on the basics of the industry you are targeting. If you gave yourself a 5 in the “Experience and connections” category in Step 4, you can skip this. If not, invest 2-3 hours per idea.Note - throughout this process you should take detailed notes. Create a new tab for each of your ideas, or an entirely new document; doesn’t really matter as long as you can write stuff down. Track who you've spoken with, emailed, feedback, etc. Trust me, you will be glad that you wrote this all down.This will probably take a couple of days. At minimum I would:Call up or email savvy friends and family to get their thoughts (LinkedIn is a great tool for this).Give them the 10,000 foot view of your idea and ask for their opinion. (Take good notes on or right after the call; do not trust your memory for this.)Ask them what they think is the biggest problem with it, otherwise they might just say nice things.If they’re in your industry then ask if they know of other companies in your space, what they think is broken, etc.Ask them who they would speak with if they had your idea. Ask if you can get informational interviews with those people.Talk to potential investors if possibleThey don’t have to be the people that will actually invest in your business, but at this step ideally you have a personal relationship with them. Position your conversation as looking for advice to make a decision, not their money.Anyone you know that does angel investing, VC, M&A, etc., will have a trained perspective.Do lots of online research. For example:Find out who competes in this space, and add them to your spreadsheet.Read their websites, watch their videos, and search for them together, e.g., “Windows AND Android AND iPhone”. These search queries surface articles and blog posts that analyze the broader industry, offering helpful perspective and discovery of competitors you missed. E.g., “Windows, Android and iPhone versus Blackberry”.Browse on Wikipedia to learn industry vocabulary and organization.Search Quora for questions about the industry or these competitors.Determine external dependenciesYou may need data. Is it available free or paid, or will you have to mine it yourself, etc.?Do you need any particular physical materials, machinery, etc. that are hard to come by?Will you require any permits or government approvals?Will you need to hire any specialists people that are particularly difficult to find and recruit?Expensive equipment?Will you need to raise a significant amount of outside funding just to get started b/c there are high capital costs?Etc.Now you are smart enough to have the intelligent conversations with people in your prospective industries, and you probably have also improved and refined your ideas. Woohoo, you’re getting closer to “the one”.At this point a lot of people would pick something and invest time in “creating” their business. I.e., set up a corporation, pick a name, secure a domain, design a logo, print business cards, figure out their title, etc. While these things feel like progress towards a “real company”, they are an unnecessary distraction at this point. It is much wiser to spend that energy on validation of your idea, like testing with real customers, meeting competitors, mocking up prototypes, etc.5_b. Talk to potential customers, competitors, and industry partners you don’t know personally (5-10 hours)Before you pour your heart and soul into a new venture, you should validate it outside of your friends and family circle. Is this solving a real issue for potential users or customers? Would they be willing to pay for it...or do businesses even have budget for what you’re offering? Again, the mechanics of this depend on the type of business idea that you have (e.g., starting a sandwich shop vs. office supply delivery vs. peer-to-peer insurance), but here are some general approaches that I would recommend.Run an online surveyQuick way to get a relatively large sample of answers from your target customers or audience.There are probably others, but Google Surveys is drop-dead simple to use and it allows you to easily limit responses to your target (e.g., people that buy life insurance).It’ll cost you a couple hundred bucks per survey. A cheap alternative is to post the concept on a discussion forum or Quora to get feedback.Talk with your potential customers/audienceIf you’re targeting consumers, figure out where they spend time and go there to ask them questions (e.g., certain neighborhoods or coffee shops, concerts, sporting events, conventions, etc.). If you end up in a coffee shop, print a sign for the back of your laptop that says “Your feedback on my idea for a free latte”!If you’re targeting B2C businesses, approach them as a customer, and ask them some questions. Buy something if they sell retail.If you’re targeting B2B businesses, email them or go to conferences that they attend, etc. Try to get an informational interview based on the premise that you’re working to improve the industry and do something valuable for them, so you need their expertise and advice. People like it when others ask for their ‘expertise’.Talk with suppliersThis is relatively easy, since you are a potential buyer and they will want your business.In a previous step you identified the external dependencies you’ll want to take, i.e., what you should buy vs. build, and some possible vendors. Get meetings with them.You need to verify your assumptions, and while a lot of the details will be available on their website, information about pricing, access restrictions, etc., is often not, so you’ll want to email or call them to get details.Try to speak to more than 1 provider for each item so you can compare prices and look for differences or similarities, which will tell you a lot about the industry.OPTIONAL - Start selling before you have anything to sellSome people call this doing a “smokescreen test”, and the mechanics of it really depend on the business idea. In many cases, it actually won’t be practical to do this until you are working on your final idea.B2C: If you’re targeting consumers you can do this via the Google or Facebook ad platforms.B2B: If businesses, then send a bunch of emails to potential customers (you can find them online) with a proposed offer and price...vary the price and offer details and keep track of how people respond (hopefully some do). see if you can get on the phone with one or two of them. Learn what questions they ask, what they push back on, if the price seems reasonable. If someone wants what you’re selling, then you may have your first customer if you can deliver something quickly (you won’t be the first to sell something before you own it...remember Bill Gates and IBM (company))5_c. Write abbreviated business plans (7-10 hours)We’ve spent a lot of time working on the individual components of each idea, and now it is time to step back and see the big picture. Bring your thinking and research together into a brief business plan for each idea that still appears to be worth pursuing. If it is obvious from the previous steps that that an idea isn’t going to work, drop it.Here’s a suggested outline. Try to limit it to be 2-3 pages, and no more than 3 hours per idea:Page 1One-line description of your idea:[Company] will <do, make, or provide> for <target audience or customer> so that <the value/outcome you bring>.Example: Lewis Industries will develop customer management software for automotive dealerships so that they can increase loyalty post-sale and sell more services and upgrades to consumers that buy vehicles.Description of your products and services: 150 word description of the problems you are addressing and the scenarios you will focus on first.Page 2How and when you monetize: Will you start as a free service for everyone, and hope to monetize later through premium offerings (freemium) or advertising (ad-supported)? Or, will you start charging immediately, or never? You won’t know for sure, but give your best guess.Distribution model: How will potential customers or users discover you? What marketing and/or partner channels do you plan to use?External dependencies: For what core things will you rely on others to provide, e.g., A database of all vehicle makes and models, and option packages since 1970? You should have this list from previous steps, and don’t worry about generic things (e.g., office space).Page 3Estimated cost to reach your Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Just try to get in the ballpark here. The main reason to figure this out during the ideation stage is that it will impact how you approach starting the business, which may or may not align with your goals. I.e., if you’re planning to build a Zipcar for trucks and need to raise $2 million for the vehicles, then you probably can’t do it as a lifestyle business off the side of your desk.What are the major external dependencies and how much will they cost (e.g., $20,000 for the automotive database)How much development and design do you need to do for this idea, any large capital costs (e.g., a fleet of trucks)?Here are some places to learn how to estimate these costs: Estimating startup costs for a new businesses (StartupNation), How to estimate the cost of starting a business from scratch (United States SBA), Estimate startup costs (Entrepreneur)Summary of idea’s strengths and weaknesses (1-2 sentences for each)Research: What did you learn from your survey, calls, emails and online research that supports or challenges this idea? E.g., Positive if 67% of people surveyed say they will pay $10 for this, less so if 4 of the 5 companies you spoke with have no interest in what you’re proposing.Industry/macro trends: Will you have a tailwind or a headwind doing this? List out the specifics (e.g., My largest customer, retirees, is estimate to grow at 10% per year for the next 20 years.)Your knowledge and connections: You'll have a good sense for this, but write it down anyways. E.g., I have spent 4 years working on software for this industry, and x, y, and z from college are potential buyers.Risks: Are you taking dependencies where the solution isn’t yet clear? How competitive is the market, and what advantages do competitors have...or, is competition not a deterrent for x reason?You could easily increase the scope of this business plan by an order of magnitude, and there are a dozen templates for this (Writing a Business Plan) or approaches to analyzing your ideas (e.g., SWOT analysis). The important thing is that you’re being honest and self-critical, because ultimately you are the one taking the risk.Step 6 - Pick the best idea and get startedIf after all of this digging you are still feeling really good about one of these ideas, then go for it...this is where the real work begins. You’re going to need to think about financing, hiring, networking, and business operations in addition to the fun part of actually building your product or service.That is for another post! In the meantime, here are some resources to help you on your way:First I'd sit back and read...Startups are roller-coasters that often end in failure...make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into! Check out Mashable’s post on Why 90% of Startups Fail, David Lee's on Why I Never Started My Own Company, and Dave McClure's slides and video about “Why not to do a startup”.Now, if you still want to do this, read Paul Graham 's essay on How to start a startup (he also has an interesting view on startup ideas)Next, grab a drink and read Quora's take on what first timers often miss - What first time entrepreneurs are blind toThen, Jimmy Wales' answer to how to contact him about a startup idea...it applies broadly to how you should contact a potential advisor or investor about their startup.Lastly, go up-vote something Ashton Kutcher wrote on Quora and ask Mark Zuckerberg a question that he won't answer...Congrats! You're half-way to a great startup (scene story for your friends). :-)Startup advice and storiesQuora questions - What is the hardest part about staring a company, Common mistakes made when starting a tech company, Top five things to remember whens starting a companyJames Altucher, TechCrunch - Should you start a company?Jason Goldberg, Betashop - 13 things you must do every week as a startup CEOSeth Sternberg, Meebo co-founder (acquired by Google since this article) - From nothing to something. How to get there.Ben Horowitz vs Fred Wilson - Ben posts (case for fat startup), Fred rebuts (fat not healthy), Ben rebuts (revenge of fat guy)Neil Patel, Geekwire - Wish I would have known before starting my own businessDane Carlson - 20 things not to do before starting a business (I agree with most of this, but not #1 if you can afford it)Scott Weiss, TechCrunch - The path to starting a startupJames Altucher, TechCrunch - What you can learn from Woody AllenErick Schonfeld (2006), 5 ways to start a company (without quitting your day job)ChecklistsRyan Roberts, Startup Lawyer - If I launched a startup (great cheat sheet)Quora - How do you start a companyForbes - 38 things to do when starting a business (non-tech)Fiverr (marketplace) - Startup checklist (non-tech, and website is a little kitschy with all the dashes, stars, and arrows in the text)Finance and LegalQuora - What questions do entrepreneurs want to ask venture investors most but are afraid to askUser-10887637379381104900 - So you want to raise seed capitalFred Wilson, AVC - Financing options for startups, Financing options: convertible debt (likely way you will raise your first round of angel/seed money)Ryan Roberts, Startup Lawyer - How convertile debt works, What type of entity should I form, What does a series A term sheet look likeMartin Kleppmann - Valuation caps on convertible notes explained with graphsOrrick - Startup toolkitBrad Feld, Foundry Group (venture capital firm) - Term sheet series wrap upHiringBabak Nivi, Venture Hacks - What does an employee offer letter look like, Questions recruits might ask Part I, Part IIRobert Scoble, Quora - How to avoid hiring the wrong people for your startupElad Gil, Elad blog - Hiring for cultural fitBlogs by entrepreneurs:Jason Goldberg - BetashopDanielle Morrill - Danielle Morrill’s blogMarco Arment - Marco.orgBen Milne - Ben Milne’s blogKate Kendall - Kate Kendall’s blogGuy Kawasaki - How to change the worldSeth Godin - Seth Godin’s blogSriram Krishnan - Sriram Krishnan’s blogPenelope Trunk - Penelope Trunk’s blogScott Adams - Dilbert blogNeil Patel - Quick SproutEric Ries - Startup Lessons LearnedSteve Blank - Steve Blank’s blogDharmesh Shah - OnStartupsQuora - Other startup founder blogsBlogs by VCs:Brad Feld (Foundry Group) - FeldThoughtsFred Wilson (Union Square Ventures) - AVCDave McClure (500 Startups) - Master of 500 hatsPaul Graham (Y Combinator +) - Paul Graham EssaysDavid Lee (SV Angel) - dasleeUser-10887637379381104900 (Andreessen Horowitz) - Chris Dixon’s blogJeff Bussgang (Flybridge Capital Partners) - Seeing Both SidesBen Horowitz (Andreessen Horowitz) - Ben’s blogJosh Kopelman (First Round Capital) - Redeye VCMike Hirshland (Resolute.VC, formerly Polaris Ventures) - VCMike’s BlogDavid Cowan (Bessemer Venture Partners) - Who has time for thisJalak Jobanputra (FuturePerfect Ventures) - The barefoot VCHoward Morgan (First Round Capital) - Way too ealryGreg Gottesman (Madrona Venture Partners) - Stark Raving VCDavid Skok (Matrix Partners) - For entrepreneursMark Suster (GRP Partners) - Both Sides of the TableOther blogsJared O'Toole and Matt Wilson - Under 30 CEOAnita Campbell - Small Business TrendsAndrew Chen - Andrew Chen’s blogCarson McComas, Work Happy blog for entrepreneursYoung Entrepreneur BlogHarvard Business Review Blog NetworkBusiness PunditQuora entrepreneurs to follow (there are a lot of ‘must follow’ lists of entrepreneurs on Quora, of which many aren’t very active. These people are)Wikipedia, Jimmy WalesCraigslist, Craig NewmarkBlippy and Adbrite, Philip KaplanVontu & Pipewise, Michael WolfeQuora & Facebook, Adam D'AngeloFriendster, Jonathan AbramsInstagram, Kevin SystromFoursquare, Dennis CrowleyPath, Dave Morin500 Startups, Dave McClureFacebook, Dustin MoskovitzMahalo, LAUNCH, & Weblogs, Jason CalacanisPayPal, David SacksEchoSign, Jason M. LemkinWavii, Adrian AounOther people’s listsRyan Spoon, Polaris Ventures - list of Quora threads for startupsOther resources:SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration)StartupNation (Source for Small Business Advice)Notes: I tried to use mostly plain-speak when writing this. There are a lot of opinions on vocabulary and the definition of business models, business plans, etc., so if you’re hung up on those details write your thoughts in the comments, but keep in mind that the nuances are less important than the spirit of applying some rigor to picking an idea.

That under the current circumstances the National Debt is almost a completely meaningless number. I'm a Wall Street finance guy with a finance background, but when I make my long, but fairly simple (in my mind!) to grasp argument why it doesn't mean a darn thing, I may as well be a unemployed gas attendant - that is how much credence it gets! ;) Although I am super self-confident and bug me it does not, I still would have to say that is my top answer to this question...I want ahead and elaborated per several requests!Why the United States “National Debt” Doesn't Really MatterA Little History Lesson From Our Friends the BritsThe shortest and simplest version goes as such (with me nothing is ever very short so hang in there my friend): Reagan in the 1980's simply took a page from one historic day in our British ancestral history. In 1693, The British Empire issued the very first Foreign Sovereign Bond - National Debt (the ‘Tontine Act’, which passed through Parliament during December 1692 and January 1693, which strictly speaking should be taken to mark the origin of the national debt.” The UK issued the first sovereign bond in 1693 in the form of a tontine to fund part of the Nine Years War against France). The buyers lined up and the success was amazing, so they issued quite a bit more and more. They used the majority of these proceeds to build the mightiest Naval force the world had seen to that point - and that launched a small, rather dreary (no offense to my UK peeps - my mother's side is all British and you're country is one of my very favorite nations in the world!) small island and 150 years later were the undisputed Super Power of the World, an Empire that held the majority of the world’s landmass. Now the Brits, being a small Island with decent but not nearly enough in the way of natural resources did what every European Empire was doing during that historical time period - they were acquiring land and building colonies via Military Might (in one form or another) because Britain ruled the waves - if you control the sea lanes you control trade and therefore have a VERY large (disproportionate? Perhaps, I am a Realist and not here to judge) percentage control of World Trade and the Global Economy as it existed then. Foreign debt was the fuel behind the expansion of the British Empire - there were plenty of other factors, don't presume me a simpleton, but there is no question that foreign debt was the fuel.That debt fueled the creation of the second greatest Naval force to ever rule the world’s seas. That would be second to one other Republic (not an Empire - that vast majority of Americans on BOTH sides of the aisle cringe at that very word; it is why are largest geopolitical and military failures have come from bailing far too early on nations we've had to knock over since World War II, rather than stick it out with extended occupations like we did in Germany and Japan, two of our closest allies today - but there are a myriad of other factors, including the changing face of warfare itself and the asymmetrical tactics the occupied nation’s rebellious factions utilize to grind down an American public already not at ease with “an occupation of another sovereign nation.” Now, I am a realist - we do not need in today’s economy actual occupation of land mass as a means to an ends of building and maintaining the world’s largest economy. Rather, and this is where I lose SO MANY people who go off to rant and rave about “American Corporate Military Imperialism.” But indeed, I am a Capitalist and perhaps the World’s Last Realist (an ugly combination to some - and I find many fascinated by someone who will simply tell it exactly like it is - totally objective of the left, the right, any political parties, etc…), and indeed, it IS in fact that maintaining the world’s status as the overwhelming military superpower is a very critical reason why the US National Debt means very little - as conditions stand today.What do I mean by that phrase, “as conditions stand today?”Simple: As long as we continue to invest the incredible amounts of borrowed funds in the United States Military, then the US Dollar, and US Treasuries, will remain essentially the foundational “Safe Haven Investment Vehicle” in which foreign nations stockpile their sovereign wealth in.The United States DollarThe International Reserve CurrencyBesides being the main currency of the United States, the American dollar is used as the standard unit of currency in international markets for commodities such as gold and petroleum (the latter sometimes called petrocurrency is the source of the term petrodollar). Some non-U.S. companies dealing in globalized markets, such as Airbus, list their prices in dollars.The U.S. dollar is the world's foremost reserve currency. In addition to holdings by central banks and other institutions, there are many private holdings, which are believed to be mostly in one-hundred-dollar banknotes (indeed, most American banknotes actually are held outside the United States). All holdings of U.S.-dollar bank deposits held by non-residents of the United States are known as "eurodollars" (not to be confused with the euro), regardless of the location of the bank holding the deposit (which may be inside or outside the U.S.).Economist Paul Samuelson and others (including, at his death, Milton Friedman) have maintained that the overseas demand for dollars allows the United States to maintain persistent trade deficits without causing the value of the currency to depreciate or the flow of trade to readjust.The above chart is one of my VERY FAVORITES - it tells the entire tail of how an uni-polar superpower like the United States can run long-term, very large deficits as long as the deficit spending (which is accumulating each year to the United States National Debt) can continue literally indefinitely so long as the deficit capital is being spent by the US Government correctly, in ways that will only produce one or both of the following results:Deficit spending provides strong add-value to the direct and immediate growth of the United States GDP. Growth should be at all times one of the most critical and continually watched-over (preferably I'd love to see a massive "Moonshot" type of overhaul of The Federal Reserve and the Treasury's access to real-time, accurate GDP figures via literally hundreds and thousands and eventually millions and millions of API feeds (Application Protocol Interface - basically a stream of data from a Financial Institution or medium-to-large corporation - anonymously - directly to this incredibly innovative and absolutely POSSIBLE Big Data Solution that could sort through the billions and trillions of datum andSimple - All spending not directly related to immediate and positive GDP growth should then be spent on maintaining Military Spending Levels - in fact, I would like to see a 10-year INCREASE in Military Spending rather than the proposed cuts we are seeing from both parties. To be extremely frank, the United States Military's Projection of Power is a massive reason (I would posit over 60%!) why when times are troubled, and the US decides to issue more National Debt in the past 5-years than in the previous 237-years of our country's history and demand increases for our US Treasury Bonds...and because of that our borrowing costs as a Nation have fallen to record lows, not seen since Eisenhower was in office.Some quick facts:63% of Global Central Banks (excluding the United States Federal Reserve, of course - another brilliant creation for another time to discuss) is held in United States Treasuries and United States Dollars.China and Japan each hold over $1 trillion in US Treasuries. This constitutes a very large percentage of each nation’s Central Bank’s asset’s. But...why?84% of global transactions (from commodities to Derivatives to several countries simply adopting the US Dollar as their national currency outright) are partially of fully conducted, hedged, pegged or at a minimum projected in United States Dollars. A POWERFUL statement...Dollarization and Fixed Exchange RatesOther nations besides the United States use the U.S. dollar as their official currency, a process known as official dollarization. For instance, Panama has been using the dollar alongside the Panamanian balboa as the legal tender since 1904 at a conversion rate of 1:1. Ecuador (2000), El Salvador (2001), and East Timor (2000) all adopted the currency independently. The former members of the U.S.-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which included Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, chose not to issue their own currency after becoming independent, having all used the U.S. dollar since 1944. Two British dependencies also use the U.S. dollar: the British Virgin Islands (1959) and Turks and Caicos Islands (1973). The islands Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba adopted the dollar on January 1, 2011, as a result of the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.Some countries that have adopted the U.S. dollar issue their own coins: See Ecuadorian centavo coins, Panamanian Balboa and East Timor centavo coins.Some other countries link their currency to U.S. dollar at a fixed exchange rate. The local currencies of Bermuda and the Bahamas can be freely exchanged at a 1:1 ratio for USD. Argentina used a fixed 1:1 exchange rate between the Argentine peso and the U.S. dollar from 1991 until 2002. The currencies of Barbados and Belize are similarly convertible at an approximate 2:1 ratio. The Netherlands Antillean guilder (and its successor the Caribbean guilder) as well as the Aruban florin are pegged to the dollar at a fixed rate of 1:1.79. In Lebanon, one dollar is equal to 1500 Lebanese pound, and is used interchangeably with local currency as de facto legal tender. The exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar and the United States dollar has also been linked since 1983 at HK$7.8/USD, and pataca of Macau, pegged to Hong Kong dollar at MOP1.03/HKD, indirectly linked to the U.S. dollar at roughly MOP8/USD. Several oil-producing Arab countries on the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, peg their currencies to the dollar, since the dollar is the currency used in the international oil trade.The People's Republic of China's renminbi was informally and controversially pegged to the dollar in the mid-1990s at ¥ 8.28/USD. Likewise, Malaysia pegged its ringgit at RM3.8/USD in 1997. On July 21, 2005, both countries removed their pegs and adopted managed floats against a basket of currencies. Kuwait did likewise on May 20, 2007, and Syria did likewise in July 2007. However, after three years of slow appreciation, the Chinese yuan has been de-facto re-pegged to the dollar since July 2008 at a value of ¥6.83/USD; although no official announcement had been made, the yuan has remained around that value within a narrow band since then, similar to the Hong Kong dollar.Belarus, on the other hand, pegged its currency, the Belorussian ruble, to a basket of foreign currencies (U.S. dollar, euro and Russian ruble) in 2009. In 2011 this led to currency crisis when government became unable to honor its promise to convert Belorussian rubles to foreign currencies at fixed exchange rate. BYR exchange rates dropped by two thirds, all import prices rose and living standards fell.In some countries, such as Peru and Uruguay, the U.S. dollar is commonly accepted, although not officially regarded as, a legal tender. In Mexico's border area and major tourist zones, it is accepted as if it were a second legal currency. Many Canadian merchants close to the border also accept U.S. dollars, though at a value that usually favors the merchant. In Cambodia, U.S. notes circulate freely and are preferred over the Cambodian riel for large purchases, with the riel used for change to break 1 USD. After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, U.S. dollars are accepted as if it were legal tender. Prices of most big ticket items such as houses and cars are set in U.S. dollars.So First...Who Is Holding the IOUs?Let's skip most of the history and get down to brass tacks. There are a couple of very crucial facts that are totally left unsaid when speaking about the UNITED STATES National Debt.The US National Debt is NOT the US$16,700,000,000,000+/- figure it is purported to be - at least, not in the way the media portrays it. Of the roughly $16.7 trillion plus in total National Accounts Payable, around US$11 trillion (or about two-thirds) of the US National Debt is owed to...Americans themselves.Well, first of all, the government itself. Just about $5 trillion of the total is in the form of so-called "intergovernmental" holdings, mainly the Social Security and Medicare Trust funds, roughly $3 trillion, and Federal employee pension and health insurance programs, just north of $1 trillion.This is so-called "non-public" debt: money the government owes to itself. Typically, when you see the ratio of debt to GDP reported at around 70 percent, it is total debt minus the "intergovernmental" chunk. Including debt to ourselves, the number would be about 100 percent.By the logic of excluding what we owe to ourselves, though, it might seem reasonable to exclude the Federal Reserve's holdings as well. That's another $1.7 trillion or so that one branch of the government owes to, in effect, another branch, since the Fed holds about $1.7 trillion dollars worth of Treasuries.I don't mean to debate the issue, however, just clarify to whom "we" owe money. For those keeping score, if you tally up Fed holdings plus all trust funds, we're now up to about $6.7 trillion of the $16.5 trillion total -- all to ourselves. And we're still not done with what you might call "intra-American" debt.That's because a next big tranche, as they like to say on Wall Street, is also held by or on behalf of citizens of the United States. State and local governments, for example, including their pension funds, hold about $700 billion; mutual funds, nearly $900 billion; private pension funds, $600 billion; banks, $300 billion or so; insurance companies, $260 billion.Add in personal holders of U.S. savings bonds -- another $185 billion -- and individuals, government-sponsored enterprises, brokers and dealers, bank personal trusts and estates, corporate and non-corporate businesses, and other investors in Treasuries, and you've got an additional $1.4 trillion or so. Hit the calculator: $4.3 trillion more in money Americans essentially owe -- to Americans.Grand subtotal thus far: $11 trillion -- two-thirds of the total. So who's holding the rest?Let me pause for you to guess...That's Right!: Foreign Creditors.They're holding about $5.5 trillion worth of Treasury securities, or a MUCH smaller 32.93% of the US GDP! These include the infamous bond hoard held by China, for example. You've surely heard the story: the Middle Kingdom could supposedly, if angered, dump on the bond market, driving up U.S. interest rates. Absolute RUBBISH.But in fact, China holds no more in U.S. Treasuries than does Japan: just over $1 trillion each. You can see the total list for yourself here, though you may want to take a crack at the top ten first. Russia above Germany, do you suppose? Singapore more than Switzerland? Check it out.But details aside, the foreign total is, as I say, about $5.5 trillion, about a third of the total total. If by "our children" the pundits mean the next generation of Americans, they are holding, at least implicitly, the substantial majority of our national debt. It is the government's liability; it is their asset.Yes, if taxes rise to pay off the interest and principal, the next generation will be on the hook. But mostly, you could argue, they will be paying themselves. Especially to the extent that today's American holders of Treasuries bequeath them to their children.So there it is, the truth about the U.S. national debt. I’m sure a lot of people who prefer to live their lives in fear will not like what they read here. Some people have to believe the worst about everything and simply cannot function in a positive frame of mind.We often think of our debt as owed to foreign countries, America owes a lot of money to sources closer to home -- namely ourselves. Large institutions, individual investors, social security -- are all big buyers of U.S. bonds. But even regular Americans indirectly own a large chunk of our national debt -- through their 401(k) plans, retirement accounts, etc. They're buying U.S. bonds, which is lending money to the government.Year National Debt National Debt($ billions) as % of GDP1940 $51 50%1945 $260 122%1970 $381 38%1980 $909 33%1990 $3,206 56%2000 $5,629 57%2013 $17,200 102%Moreover, the national debt is not like debts you and I might incur. It is money that we, through our collective representative the government, have borrowed from ourselves. Our personal debt is external; it's owed to others. Most of the national debt is internal; it's money we owe to ourselves. Although some of the debt is owned by foreign interests, two-thirds of it is held by U.S. creditors. In fact, the largest creditor of the government is the government itself! Over 40 percent of the national debt is owned by government agencies - mostly federal, but some state and local.The national debt need not be repaid in the same sense that private debt must be repaid. Most government debt is in the form of short-term Treasury bills that mature every 90 days. When one set of Treasury bills matures, the government simply pays them off by selling more. As long as it offers competitive rates of return on "safe" bonds, the government will be able to refinance or "roll over" its debt indefinitely. As a result, we need not worry about burdening our children with repayment. They won't repay the debt. Like us, they will refinance and pass it on.More importantly, the official data badly misstate the true importance of the debt. The government does have debts, but it also has assets. If I can borrow $500 and buy a capital asset worth $600, I'm better off, not worse off! What matters is government net worth, not the value of its debt. The numbers are somewhat subjective (how can we measure the value of the Capitol or Yellowstone National Park?), but researchers calculate that our government net worth remains solidly positive.Does that mean deficits and debt pose no economic problem? Not necessarily. Government borrowing impacts credit markets and pulls dollars and resources into the public sector. If the economy is in a recession and these resources otherwise would have been unemployed, no damage is done. In fact, deficit spending designed to put these resources back to work is the traditional fiscal policy recommendation to stimulate the economy and eliminate the recession. But, if the economy is already at or near full-employment, deficits can potentially "crowd out" private investment.When the government borrows, it competes for scarce loanable funds with private firms that also want to borrow. Like any other market, increased demand creates a shortage that, in turn, drives up prices. When the government wants to borrow, its new demand creates a shortage of loanable funds that drives up the rate of interest. The higher interest rate makes borrowing more costly and discourages private firms from borrowing and investing. The would-be private borrowers are crowded out of the market. Monies that might have been loaned to finance research and development or new manufacturing capacity in the private sector are loaned to the government instead. Unfortunately, with less research and development and less manufacturing capacity, productivity and long-run economic growth will suffer. As a result, current fiscal prolifically can lower the standard of living our children will enjoy.On the other hand, crowding out does not always cause lower productivity and growth. Suppose the government borrows $100 million that would have been borrowed by General Mills to modernize its cereal factories. We lose the $100 million of private investment, but what do we get in return? What does the government do with its $100 million? If the $100 million is wasted on unproductive Congressional junkets to Bermuda, future generations are harmed. They inherit a smaller and less productive stock of capital with which to work. But, suppose the $100 million is used to educate a new workforce or to rebuild our transportation infrastructure. These are productive investments and are indispensable building blocks for our future economic well-being.The critical question is which project will benefit future generations the most - modernized cereal factories or new education and infrastructure. As long as the government spends its borrowed dollars on investments at least as productive as the private investments it crowds out, no damage is done.The Controversial Part - The Debt, The Deficit, and Military SpendingAnd finally, we arrive at the most controversial but frankly the most simple part of ALL of this National Debt talk to understand. I will put it in extremely CRUDE, SIMPLE TERMS - I do not mean to offend a soul, but sometimes more complex realities, OR realities that the vast, vast majority of both the US and the Global Population do not want to really acknowledge out of Political Correctness, National Pride, etc. etc.As the British Imperial Navy saying went in the 1800's, "Might Makes Right." In other words, our US Treasuries and US Dollars are now considered at the end of the day far safer than Gold, or any other national currency or debt instruments or investment vehicles, is because of a single reason.If shit really does hit the fan...where do you want the bulk of your nation's, your company's or your personal net worth parked in? The one country with the most powerful military in the history of mankind - and likely there will never again be such a historical mismatch. China, Russia, these countries are of little-to-no relevance when it comes to direct military conflict. Many do not realize China has yet to set sail a SINGLE AIRCRAFT CARRIER? They have no Projection of Power. SPAIN has an aircraft carrier - albeit two entire generations older that the oldest United States Carrier (recently retired in early 2013). China is actually fairly weak from a military standpoint - Taiwan would give China one Hell of a fight and I am here to tell you China would not take the Island Nation of Taiwan (or the ROC, if that is your preference) without resorting to nuclear strikes.And that would then impose upon the United States Military to act. We sail 11 Carrier Battle Groups - each of which has enough combined firepower along with long-range Air Force Strategic Bombing to sustain prolonged military conflicts with FOUR Nations simultaneously - that is just one Carrier Battle Group. 11 CBGs could then conceivably take on 44 nations concurrently. It is absolutely AMAZING the gap in hardware, training, and technology the United States Military has over the rest of the world combined.I won't go one with any further statistics - but clearly you can see why the United States of America's National Debt really means very, very little. Well...SO LONG as our - sorry, gotta curse - Asshole Tea Party Eco-Terrorists do not insist on holding the United States and the Global Economy hostage over debt ceiling raises in retaliation for a bloody Health Care Law that was passed by both Houses of Congress, was signed into LAW by the President of the United States, and essentially was upheld by numerous appellate courts including the Supreme Court of the United States. KNOCK IT OFF. The GOP lost me on that one...what an incredibly stupid maneuver that was. I may hate the ACA more than anyone - but that is NOT THE WAY to strategically fight its implementation! (I'm not saying I dislike the ACA - I do think it will fail under its own complexity and sheer weight, but I also believe a better Universal Healthcare System will rise from its ashes.Here is hoping this makes sense - I slammed it together on a new Chromebook in the back of a sedan on my way back from my partner's estate in East Hampton down the Long Island Expressway. I can provide much more concise White Paper research studies my company, nxVenture Capital Ltd put together with the global financial consulting firm BDO (particularly the Singapore location and their incredibly research team, regarding as one of the best in the world).I really want these basic precepts of why the National Debt means very little right now to hit home - HARD. Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Original question:Why is the liberal side of America so afraid of firearms?I'm not afraid of firearms; I was born and raised in the Texas hill country. I used a gun for the first time at 7 years old with my dad, who was teaching me how to shoot at glass bottles for target practice on my family's deer lease.I'm also someone who identifies as a liberal.Here is a picture of me recently for a point of reference:However, what I am bewildered about is the GOP’s stance on firearms and the right’s history of selling out to the NRA and other pro-gun lobbyists/organizations that essentially work for gun manufacturers:The NRA and its allies in the firearms industries, along with the even more militant Gun Owners of America, have together poured nearly $81 million into House, Senate, and presidential races since the 2000 election cycle, according to federal disclosures and a Center for Responsive Politics analysis done for the Center for Public Integrity.The Senators that have voted against expanding background checks for firearm sales (like requiring private sellers to conduct background checks) have overwhelmingly received generous campaign contributions from NRA, or groups like NRA:Among the 46 senators who voted to prevent any expansion of background checks:43 have received help—either direct campaign contributions or independent expenditures—from pro-gun interests since 2000; in aggregate about $8.5 million.NRA expenditures ranged anywhere from a $95 contribution in one race to more than $2.6 million spent on the 2010 election of Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).A total of 38 of those senators have gotten $15,000 or more in overall NRA help since 2000.Among the leaders: Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), $1.2 millionRob Portman (R-Ohio), $1.35 millionRichard Burr (R-N.C.), $852,000John Thune (R-S.D.), $717,000Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), $355,000.In several races, gun rights groups spent independent money both for one candidate and against his opponent (see chart).Forty-one of the 46 who voted with gun rights groups against expanded background checks were Republican.http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2013/05/nra-national-rifle-association-money-influenceI wanted to elaborate (after reading a comment to my answer) on the significance of the NRA.I didn't mention the NRA, and other organizations similar to it, based solely on the fact that it is an organization that gives money to campaigns and lobbyists who represent the NRA/are paid by the NRA (that's a topic for another discussion).I mentioned it because of the influence that gun manufacturers have over the NRA; gun manufacturers heavily influence the NRA, its funding and what the NRA spends its funding on (pays lobbyists and bribes politicians).This means that firearm profits have become a top priority for the NRA:One of the most interesting aspects of all is how an association for sportsmen became the prime defenders of assault weaponry.In its early days, the National Rifle Association was a grassroots social club that prided itself on independence from corporate influence.While that is still part of the organization's core function, today less than half of the NRA's revenues come from program fees and membership dues.The bulk of the group's money now comes in the form of contributions, grants, royalty income, and advertising, much of it originating from gun industry sources.Since 2005, the gun industry and its corporate allies have given between $20 million and $52.6 million to it through the NRA Ring of Freedom sponsor program.Donors include firearm companies like Midway USA, Springfield Armory Inc, Pierce Bullet Seal Target Systems, and Beretta USA Corporation. Other supporters from the gun industry include Cabala's, Sturm Rugar & Co, and Smith & Wesson.The NRA also made $20.9 million - about 10 percent of its revenue - from selling advertising to industry companies marketing products in its many publications in 2010, according to the IRS Form 990.Additionally, some companies donate portions of sales directly to the NRA. Crimson Trace, which makes laser sights, donates 10 percent of each sale to the NRA. Taurus buys an NRA membership for everyone who buys one of their guns. Sturm Rugar gives $1 to the NRA for each gun sold, which amounts to millions. The NRA's revenues are intrinsically linked to the success of the gun business.The NRA Foundation also collects hundreds of thousands of dollars from the industry, which it then gives to local-level organizations for training and equipment purchases.This shift is key to understanding why a coalition of hunters, collectors and firearm enthusiasts takes the heat for incidents of gun violence, like the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, rather than the companies that manufacture and market assault weapons.The chief trade association for gun manufacturers is the National Shooting Sports Federation, which is, incidentally, located in Newtown, Conn. But the NRA takes front and center after each and every shooting."Today's NRA is a virtual subsidiary of the gun industry," said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center. "While the NRA portrays itself as protecting the 'freedom' of individual gun owners, it's actually working to protect the freedom of the gun industry to manufacture and sell virtually any weapon or accessory."There are two reasons for the industry support for the NRA. The first is that the organization develops and maintains a market for their products.The second, less direct function, is to absorb criticism in the event of PR crises for the gun industry.It's possible that without the NRA, people would be protesting outside of Glock, SIG Sauer and Freedom Group - the makers of the guns used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre - and dragging the CEOs in front of cameras and Congress.That is certainly what happened to tobacco executives when their products continued killing people.Notoriously, tobacco executives even attempted to form their own version of the NRA in 1993, seeing the inherent benefit to the industry that such an effort would have. Philip Morris bankrolled the National Smokers Alliance, a group that never quite had the groundswell of support the industry wanted…But if history is any indication, the NRA will be front and center of the new gun control debate, while gun manufacturers remain safely out of the spotlight.How The Gun Industry Funnels Tens Of Millions Of Dollars To The NRAHow the NRA operates.The NRA is not the grassroots organization that it once was. The NRA used to only defend hunters, those wanting a gun for self defense or 2nd amendment policies, but not anymore.The NRA has evolved into a corporate lobbyist group that prioritizes protecting gun manufacturers as well as maximizing the sales of firearms and accessories.The NRA directly profits from a lot of the profits firearm manufacturers make.The intentions of the NRA are hidden/camouflaged (pun intended) under propaganda and divisive rhetoric.Another thing that disturbs me in that 80% of firearms used by mass shooters in the U.S. from the last two decades have been obtained legally. I don't think that it is possible to correctly withhold a gun from everyone who has the intent to murder a person/people, but I do know that the current gun laws don't appear to be doing enough.How the system works:A background check is initiated as soon as someone tries to purchase a gun from a gun dealer or manufacturerThe background check is limited to 72 hoursIf the background check isn't completed within 72 hours, a default sale occursBasically, if the background check is still in process but exceeds 72 hours, it doesn't matter and the sale happens anyways = default sale.~1 in 10 people trying to buy a gun will have background checks that take longer than 72 hours to completeSecondary firearm transfers (private sales of firearms - sales of guns where the seller isn't a gun dealer or gun manufacturer) are basically impossible to track:Secondary firearm transfers:Aren't regulated nationwideIf states do regulate these sales, many don't enforce the rules - if regulation is required in a state, that means that owner of an assault rifle has to register it with their county sheriff.Because this is unpopular and sheriffs are elected officials, many refuse to enforce this.Guns Used in Mass ShootingsAnother thing that makes no sense is the collective Republican hysteria over possible foreign terrorists (Trump’s Muslim ban), yet domestic terrorism from right-wing extremists is a much larger threat:Law enforcement agencies in the United States consider anti-government violent extremists, not radicalized Muslims, to be the most severe threat of political violence that they face,” the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security reported…based on surveys of 382 law enforcement groups…The problem is getting worse…Multiple confidential sources notified the FBI last year that militia members have been conducting surveillance on Muslim schools, community centers and mosques in nine states for what one informant described as “operational purposes”…The FBI also learned that right-wing extremists have created bogus law enforcement and diplomatic identifications…because they believe they hold those positions in a government they have created within the United States…The three ideologies within the violent American far-right are:RacistAnti-federalistFundamentalistEach has subgroups—the racists include white supremacy groups such as the KKK, neo-Nazis and skinheads, which can differ in subtle ways.The anti-federalists include militias, self-defined “patriot” groups and what are so-called “sovereign citizens,’’ who hold that they are legally bound only by their personal interpretation of common law and are otherwise not subject to federal, state or local laws.The fundamentalists are primarily Christian identity groups that believe the biblical war of good vs. evil is between descendants of Anglo-Saxon nations and all other ethnic groups. Tangential to the fundamentalists are the anti-abortion attackers, who also invoke religion as a foundational motive for their violence.These disparate groups of people—violent and nonviolent—pine for different versions of a highly idealized past.Right-Wing Extremists Are a Bigger Threat to America Than ISISRegardless of the threat of domestic terrorism from right-wing extremists, the GOP doesn't seem to care about it, which makes the collective judgement of the Republican Party questionable and insincere:…If these Republicans truly want to keep us safe, why don’t they ever raise the issue of right-wing terrorists?…”Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed by white supremacists, antigovernment fanatics and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims.”The reality, of course, is that talking about scary Muslims plays great with the GOP base. In fact, a recent poll found that three-quarters of Republicans think Islam is “at odds” with American values…We hear non-stop whining from the right about why won’t President Obama use the term “radical Islam”? Well, I have a question for Trump, Cruz, and Rubio: Why are you afraid to use the term “radical conservative” and address the threat posed to Americans from the right?The GOP Ignores the Bigger Terror Threat—From the RightDomestic terrorism and right wing extremists are important to bring up in this context because it reflects the GOP (collectively) not being able or not wanting to assess threats and safety properly.This inability to properly assess threats, which is coming from the side that is overwhelmingly pro gun (to an extreme), shows that the GOP’s opposing arguments on basic concepts, like expanding background checks for purchasing firearms, aren't rooted in reality.The majority of the arguements from the right seem to fall in the following categories (in my opinion):There should be no gun laws.Gun laws are pointless.Guns are the best protection against terrorism.Democrats deliberately target gun owners.Democrats want to abolish the 2nd Amendment.Liberals are scared of guns (like this question believes)Increase in gun sales are evidence that gun rights are at stake.Polls that show gun laws in a positive light are fake.These extreme and baseless accusations make it impossible to have rational conversation about guns.Basically, the gun argument from Republicans tends to show a lack of skill in:Thinking rationallyAssessing threats properlyHaving the ability to make responsible decisions on policy that deals with safetyHaving any reasonable arguments to explain their unyielding views on firearmsEverything seems to be blown out of proportion in the collective Republican rebuttals to those wanting to increase background checks or pass more laws on guns.It is common to hear:“Democrats hate the constitution and are unpatriotic!”“Guns don't kill people! People kill people!”“Should we outlaw cars too?”“The problem of gun violence is that not enough people have guns to protect themselves from gun violence!”Conspiracies are also created and paranoia (created from fear mongering tactics, thanks to right wing pundits, media outlets, politicians, the NRA, etc.) takes over logic and absurdity abounds:“Sandy Hook was a false flag operation set up by the government to justify disarming gun owners!”“The liberal elites want to establish a second world order! They'll pass one gun regulation law and before you know it, everyone will have their guns taken away!”“The first thing Hitler did was disarm citizens! That's what the left is doing!”Because of this, I think that the collective argument coming from the right regarding guns is moronic and shows an inability to make rational decisions or consider laws that might have the potential to make people more safe.That is what scares me.