Should laws require the registration of firearms?

Pro: Registration enables law enforcement officers to trace the weapons used to commit crimes.

Con: Registration is a step toward confiscation.

Reply: Gun owners could thwart any action by government to confiscate their weapons by hiding them and claiming that they were lost or stolen. If sufficient numbers of citizens did this, no agency of government would have enough personnel or enough patience to cope with the resistance.

Con: Registering all guns is impractical.