On the heels of yet another mass shooting, this time in the Navy Yard in Washington, there is another outcry for gun control. With scores of opinions being circulated, ranging from no controls whatsoever to an outright ban on all guns, we need to find a good starting place: a plan that will satisfy the majority.

We think the first move should be requiring background checks nationwide.

Poll after poll has shown that most gun owners have no objection being subjected to a background check.

If you’re a law-abiding citizen, you don’t have anything to hide. Hunters, gun collectors and others aren’t afraid to have their pasts investigated to make sure they have no criminal record, mental health issues or other information which would hurt their chances of purchasing a gun.

We’re proud that Maine is one of the nation’s 14 states already requiring a background check. Most Maine people wholeheartedly support this prerequisite to purchasing a gun, one not endorsed by the National Rifle Association. A background check is an inconvenience of course; but, it is a minor one. It does nothing, however, to curb purchases made at gun shows or online or through private sales from one individual to another.

It also doesn’t stop shootings such as the one in Newtown, Conn., when an individual used his mother’s registered weapons, or the most recent incident at the Navy Yard in Washington, in which the shooter’s mental problems were protected because he was being treated at a veterans’ facility.

In fact, background checks would not have prevented a number of the nation’s horrendous shootings in recent years. But they would, in our opinion, be a good starting point by guaranteeing that many violent criminals and those with known mental issues couldn’t openly purchase weapons.

As for access to guns, we all know that illegal gun purchases will probably always exist and we might just as well accept the fact, just as we all know that illegal drugs are purchased any time of day or night in towns and cities all across the country.

Politicians are working hard every day to come up with legislation which will muster the support needed for passage and often find they’re banging their heads against the wall. Freedom-loving Americans aren’t about to give up gun ownership, nor should they if they’re responsible individuals. Most of them also have no objections to a ban or strict regulations on assault weapons as long as such controls are carefully executed. What they will fight to the death, however, are those who would like to see gun ownership outlawed, period — those who see no need for gun ownership whatsoever.

Here in Maine, guns have been a household fixture for generations, used by thousands of hunters as well as by homeowners in remote areas who feel safer because they have a gun in the house. As long as they’re using their guns in a proper way, their right to gun ownership should never be violated.

Why don’t we work to encourage other states in the country that don’t currently require background checks to pass legislation similar to Maine’s?

It’s a good place to start.