What's your position on gun rights?

AM07

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
With the re-opening of the Politics forum, I thought I'd get things started off right and begin a topic about a very controversial subject for some people, although it shouldn't be at all because outlined in the CONSTITUTION, it says we have the right to arm ourselves.

If you can't tell by the last sentence, I'm pro-gun rights. I do believe some control is necessary (i.e. keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, violent felons shouldn't be allowed to own one, etc.), for the most part, gun control causes more harm than good. Prime examples of this are the major cities in the U.S. They typically tend to be run by Democrats. While some of them are run well, some of them are complete trash because they have been taken over by leftists. After D.C. enacted it's gun ban, crime increased. It's now one of the most violent cities in the country, and what can residents do about it? Nothing.
 
Red Dog

Red Dog

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
Great post! -- and I agree completely.. I'm not even a hunter or a violent person and I absolutely support the right to own and CARRY a weapon with you -- given you go through the proper channels of authorization..

Absolutely -- mentally ill people, felons, etc. should not be granted the right to arms, for obvious reasons that only an absolutely idiot would argue against..

Also, I absolutely support the right for qualified individuals to carry concealed weapons on campus as well -- how many lives would it have saved? How many could it save in the future?

Even more, how many criminals would be willing to assualt, rob, or engage in criminal activity against people that could very likely be carrying a gun or weapon? The positives outweigh the negatives in this situation so heavily that I fail to see how anyone can support the proposed anti-gun legislations..
 

AE14

Board Sponsor
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
this is an interesting argument, as both sides can make valid points. However if we look at it directly from a constitutional perspective then unless you are a part of a "well regulated militia" you do not have the right to keep and bear arms.
 
Red Dog

Red Dog

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
Well, it depends on how you define militia.. that's an argument of semantics that I doubt anyone will ever win.

Regardless, there is absolutely no positive aspect that I can see that limiting law-abiding citizens from owning and carrying weapons provides.
 

bigironkiller

Banned
Awards
1
  • Established
they day they take away my guns, it will be my last day in this country.
 

AE14

Board Sponsor
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
Well, it depends on how you define militia.. that's an argument of semantics that I doubt anyone will ever win.

Regardless, there is absolutely no positive aspect that I can see that limiting law-abiding citizens from owning and carrying weapons provides.
with regard to your first statement I agree, it is semantics however for me if you read it literally then it seems fairly apparent, but we are at the point where there is a lot of give and take about language
 
MuscleBound1337

MuscleBound1337

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall." - Adolf Hitler
 
ManBeast

ManBeast

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
While I agree that people should be able to arm themselves for defense and sport (love my mossberg 500), I am against people having a cache of fully-automatic weapons and the like.

MB
 
BodyWizard

BodyWizard

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
This might surprise some, but I am not only a defender of the 2nd, I am one who reads it as plainly indicating an individual right to own and carry arms - and, specifically, military-grade arms; after 40 years of study and debate and argument, it is clear to me that any other rendering of the meaning misapprehends the language used, and thereby distorts the meaning.

One point where I disagree w/ a lot o' folks: there is nothing in the 2nd Amendment that refers to sport or hunting in any way. Not that I have a problem w/ hunters or sportsmen, particularly, but politicians are always quick to assure the public that they aren't targeting hunters and sport-shooters whenever gun restrictions are proposed; they bring these up as a specific counter to 2nd Amendement concerns. That is bogus, as dishonest as Hillary's sniper attack, and intended to cloud the issue. It usually works...and it's usually hunters and sportsmen who usually help it work.
 

jrkarp

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
this is an interesting argument, as both sides can make valid points. However if we look at it directly from a constitutional perspective then unless you are a part of a "well regulated militia" you do not have the right to keep and bear arms.
That's completely false.

The text and history of the constitution clearly define the 2nd as an individual right.

Remember that the 2nd describes the "right of the people." "The people" is exclusively used throughout the constitution to refer to citizens in general, not members of any particular group. The prefatory clause simply describes one of the purposes of the 2nd, not its exclusive purpose.

The Parker decision from the DC Court of Appeals has an excellent in depth background and analysis of the 2nd. I strongly suggest checking it out: http://www.gurapossessky.com/news/parker/documents/parkerdc030907.pdf
 

Saurabh

Registered User
Awards
0
With the re-opening of the Politics forum, I thought I'd get things started off right and begin a topic about a very controversial subject for some people, although it shouldn't be at all because outlined in the CONSTITUTION, it says we have the right to arm ourselves.

If you can't tell by the last sentence, I'm pro-gun rights. I do believe some control is necessary (i.e. keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, violent felons shouldn't be allowed to own one, etc.), for the most part, gun control causes more harm than good. Prime examples of this are the major cities in the U.S. They typically tend to be run by Democrats. While some of them are run well, some of them are complete trash because they have been taken over by leftists. After D.C. enacted it's gun ban, crime increased. It's now one of the most violent cities in the country, and what can residents do about it? Nothing.
That is an old and stale law and should be done away with.

I am reminded of the time when there was this shooting at Virginia Tech. I was talking to my neighbourhood folks and I was surprised how each and every one of them had a gun inside their house. And each of these gentlemen slept with a gun very close to their bed in case a burglar walked in.

Does that kind of atitude makes USA a safe country? Or does it make it a scared country? You judge.
 
MuscleBound1337

MuscleBound1337

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
I totally agree jrkarp. The constitution clearly states that we have the right to bear arms... And not just for duck hunting either. I agree some control is necessary such as background checks. But I do not believe in individually registering each firearms. That will lead to confiscation.
 
Red Dog

Red Dog

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
That is an old and stale law and should be done away with.

I am reminded of the time when there was this shooting at Virginia Tech. I was talking to my neighbourhood folks and I was surprised how each and every one of them had a gun inside their house. And each of these gentlemen slept with a gun very close to their bed in case a burglar walked in.

Does that kind of atitude makes USA a safe country? Or does it make it a scared country? You judge.
Wait, so we are a scared country because we have guns in our homes and keep them near us when we sleep?
 
MuscleBound1337

MuscleBound1337

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
That is an old and stale law and should be done away with.

I am reminded of the time when there was this shooting at Virginia Tech. I was talking to my neighbourhood folks and I was surprised how each and every one of them had a gun inside their house. And each of these gentlemen slept with a gun very close to their bed in case a burglar walked in.

Does that kind of atitude makes USA a safe country? Or does it make it a scared country? You judge.
Makes us a safe country bro. If you feel like pretending there aren't people willing to hurt you or steal your stuff in a heartbeat to better themselves then you have the right to disarm yourself. And you think wanting to protect ourselves and our family's makes us scared? Maybe you're willing to depend on the police to protect you, but i sure as hell am not. In a perfect world the you wouldn't have a reason to own a firearm, but in a life and death situation where you don't have time to call for help you need to rely on yourself for protection.
 

Saurabh

Registered User
Awards
0
Wait, so we are a scared country because we have guns in our homes and keep them near us when we sleep?
Course it does.

You do realize that this happens only in USA, please show me which other country has this situation at hand??

Indeed very recently when students were interviewed at Virginia Tech they suggested they all wanted guns, in case the shooting happened again. Why did they want guns? Because they suddenly developed affection for it? No, they are scared. Not entirely different for most other people as well.
 

Saurabh

Registered User
Awards
0
Makes us a safe country bro. If you feel like pretending there aren't people willing to hurt you or steal your stuff in a heartbeat to better themselves then you have the right to disarm yourself. And you think wanting to protect ourselves and our family's makes us scared? Maybe you're willing to depend on the police to protect you, but i sure as hell am not. In a perfect world the you wouldn't have a reason to own a firearm, but in a life and death situation where you don't have time to call for help you need to rely on yourself for protection.
In that case shouldnt citizens make more of an effort to better law and order in USA than to go get a gun??

Let me put this question to you: What do you opine will bring down crimes - good Cops and Police system in USA? OR Americans carrying guns?
 

AE14

Board Sponsor
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
That's completely false.

The text and history of the constitution clearly define the 2nd as an individual right.

Remember that the 2nd describes the "right of the people." "The people" is exclusively used throughout the constitution to refer to citizens in general, not members of any particular group. The prefatory clause simply describes one of the purposes of the 2nd, not its exclusive purpose.

The Parker decision from the DC Court of Appeals has an excellent in depth background and analysis of the 2nd. I strongly suggest checking it out: http://www.gurapossessky.com/news/parker/documents/parkerdc030907.pdf
I dont doubt that the modern view has seemingly changed from what our founding fathers truly meant, but based on their meanings I dont think that there is an individual right.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

I bolded certain parts for a reason
 
Dadof2

Dadof2

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
In that case shouldnt citizens make more of an effort to better law and order in USA than to go get a gun??

Let me put this question to you: What do you opine will bring down crimes - good Cops and Police system in USA? OR Americans carrying guns?
Good cops and police system? You cannot depend on the government to protect you from everything. At 2am when your house is being burglarized your local policeman is likely eating his dinner at the local diner. At that point it is up to you to protect yourself.

Besides who would stop the government from seizing our freedoms if we as a populace are unarmed? History tells us all that we need to know about government, and it isn't pretty.

The liberty that we have in this country did not come easy, it was fought for tooth and nail. Don't think for a second that things have changed. We could just as easily be called on to fight for our freedom again, and if that day was to come would you want to try to get that freedom back with a stick?

The Founding Fathers knew this was true because they experienced it, thus they gave us the right to have guns. Human nature has not changed since the Revolution, and our right to own guns is just as important now as it was back then.
 

Saurabh

Registered User
Awards
0
Good cops and police system? You cannot depend on the government to protect you from everything. At 2am when your house is being burglarized your local policeman is likely eating his dinner at the local diner. At that point it is up to you to protect yourself.
Yes and Yes.

If we have an efficient system then you wont/dont hear of crimes. And thats true in most part of USA. Unless you are living in a really crime infested area you dont see gun-fights everyday. You tend to hear crimes mostly in areas like LA, Chicago, New York etc...cities that have a corrupt Police service.

Besides who would stop the government from seizing our freedoms if we as a populace are unarmed? History tells us all that we need to know about government, and it isn't pretty.
Sorry but thats pretty illogical.

In 8 years the price of gas has gone from 2 dollars a gallon to 4, people have lost houses, economy has tanked, dollar has lost values, rest of the world is making fun of USA and all you are worried about is what would you do if Government seizes your freedom?? Well I have got two words for you - Patriot Act. What happened when Govt. started recording your privacy? Didnt exactly see the NRA come out firing against Govt, did we?

The Founding Fathers knew this was true because they experienced it, thus they gave us the right to have guns. Human nature has not changed since the Revolution, and our right to own guns is just as important now as it was back then.
The Founding Fathers got things done in their lifetime. This is not 1789, this is 2008. Many founding fathers had slaves, do we do that now? During Founding Fathers lifetime no woman or blacks had power to vote, do we do that now?

Heck half of the Americans hate the whole Primary thingy thats ongoing right now. Again a tradition going back to Founding Father days. Why should we even carry such traditions is beyond me.
 
Dadof2

Dadof2

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
Yes and Yes.

If we have an efficient system then you wont/dont hear of crimes. And thats true in most part of USA. Unless you are living in a really crime infested area you dont see gun-fights everyday. You tend to hear crimes mostly in areas like LA, Chicago, New York etc...cities that have a corrupt Police service.
Talk about illogical? There are murders and every other crime committed all over the United States. Yes, corrupt police departments do exist in big cities, but that has more to do with hiring practices than anything else. You are totally incorrect in stating that ethical police equals significant crime reduction. What is your idea of good policing praytell?



Sorry but thats pretty illogical.

In 8 years the price of gas has gone from 2 dollars a gallon to 4, people have lost houses, economy has tanked, dollar has lost values, rest of the world is making fun of USA and all you are worried about is what would you do if Government seizes your freedom?? Well I have got two words for you - Patriot Act. What happened when Govt. started recording your privacy? Didnt exactly see the NRA come out firing against Govt, did we?
Ok so we are in agreement that the government is slowly but surely removing our freedoms. How do you suppose a populace would go about getting those freedoms back? Thumb wrestling? Slap fighting?


The Founding Fathers got things done in their lifetime. This is not 1789, this is 2008. Many founding fathers had slaves, do we do that now? During Founding Fathers lifetime no woman or blacks had power to vote, do we do that now?
What is your point here?

Heck half of the Americans hate the whole Primary thingy thats ongoing right now. Again a tradition going back to Founding Father days. Why should we even carry such traditions is beyond me.
The way that a politcal party nominates its presidential candidate, and a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT are two totally different things. The Constitution is not a tradition.
 

Saurabh

Registered User
Awards
0
Ok so we are in agreement that the government is slowly but surely removing our freedoms. How do you suppose a populace would go about getting those freedoms back? Thumb wrestling? Slap fighting?
NO.

It is NOT that Government per se removes our freedom but that this Government most certainly has. I am not sure if I have seen any other American Government that has curtailed the privacy of its citizens as the current Govt.

Onto your question as to how do we go about bringing the change. Well we have the most powerful tool - Democracy - that we can use. I mean we are keen on spreading this abroad(read Iraq and elsewhere) but when it comes to USA this doesnt work? That doesnt cover ourselves with much glory does it now?

What is your point here?
My point was rather simple. Just as we dont have slavery today, as we did in the times of our Founding Fathers I see no reason why we should have Free for All Gun control. My argument stemmed from the fact that you suggested -The Founding Fathers knew this was true because they experienced it. This obviously doesnt hold true since not all of Founding Fathers decision in 1789 is valid today.

The way that a politcal party nominates its presidential candidate, and a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT are two totally different things. The Constitution is not a tradition.
In many ways it is. How else can you explain the fact that we have been ruled by a President who enjoys 25% ratings on every channel, from Fox to MSNBC for the past 2 years? If ever there was a case of impeachment this was it. I mean can you imagine CEO of Nutraplanet being at top if only 25% of its members/workers/stockholders supported him?

So why he hasnt been impeached? Well because he didnt commit a crime and thats what COnstitution says in such cases. Go figure!

I say update Constitution as well.
 
Dadof2

Dadof2

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
NO.

It is NOT that Government per se removes our freedom but that this Government most certainly has. I am not sure if I have seen any other American Government that has curtailed the privacy of its citizens as the current Govt.
I am no fan of the current administration either, but the administration of Woodrow Wilson was at least as bad as GW's.

Onto your question as to how do we go about bringing the change. Well we have the most powerful tool - Democracy - that we can use. I mean we are keen on spreading this abroad(read Iraq and elsewhere) but when it comes to USA this doesnt work? That doesnt cover ourselves with much glory does it now?
Our system is broken, and it was broken intentionally over time.


My point was rather simple. Just as we dont have slavery today, as we did in the times of our Founding Fathers I see no reason why we should have Free for All Gun control. My argument stemmed from the fact that you suggested -The Founding Fathers knew this was true because they experienced it. This obviously doesnt hold true since not all of Founding Fathers decision in 1789 is valid today.
So you are saying that the human race has evolved to a state where there is no potential for dictatorships? The idea that freedom just happens is illogical. Do you think it is an accident that our rights are being stripped away at the moment. Could it possibly have anything to do with the apathy and general ignorance of far too many Americans? Men are just as likely to be despotic today as they were 200+ years ago.

In many ways it is. How else can you explain the fact that we have been ruled by a President who enjoys 25% ratings on every channel, from Fox to MSNBC for the past 2 years? If ever there was a case of impeachment this was it. I mean can you imagine CEO of Nutraplanet being at top if only 25% of its members/workers/stockholders supported him?
So we should allow opinion polling to determine when a president should be impeached? I think the Constitution also has this one right. Can you imagine the potential problems that would come about if impeachment was decided by popular opinion?
I say update Constitution as well.
Thats what amendments are for
 
BodyWizard

BodyWizard

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
That is an old and stale law and should be done away with.

I am reminded of the time when there was this shooting at Virginia Tech. I was talking to my neighbourhood folks and I was surprised how each and every one of them had a gun inside their house. And each of these gentlemen slept with a gun very close to their bed in case a burglar walked in.

Does that kind of atitude makes USA a safe country? Or does it make it a scared country? You judge.
First: it's not "a law" - it's an essential component of the way our nation is structured: part of the foundation laid on which we established our way of life. You may think it's old and stale, but tyrants are always searching for a foothold, and rendering the populace helpless against enemies domestic is an open invitation to tyranny.

Imposition of tyranny might not be *stale*, but I doubt any of us would enjoy it much (unless we were among the imposers).

As for whether this makes us "safer" - look around: is this Somalia? Beruit '88? Israel's occupied territories? Sadr City? Rwanda? Darfur? Zimbabwe? He!!, it's not even *Bosnia* (gotta watch them snipers).

Yes. It makes us safer, and not just so far.
 
BodyWizard

BodyWizard

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
I dont doubt that the modern view has seemingly changed from what our founding fathers truly meant, but based on their meanings I dont think that there is an individual right.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

I bolded certain parts for a reason
I can tell you think that makes a point, but it doesn't make the point you think it makes.

What *is* a militia?
What is required for a "well-regulated" militia?
Why do the answers to these questions disassemble your point?

BTW I think it's worth noting that Sen. Obama is the first candidate for the presidency TMK to explicitly comment on the 2nd : he, Constitutional scholar that he is, stated *plainly* that the 2nd *clearly* protects an individual right.
 

jrkarp

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
I dont doubt that the modern view has seemingly changed from what our founding fathers truly meant, but based on their meanings I dont think that there is an individual right.

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

I bolded certain parts for a reason
Again, if you read the Parker decision, you will find a better summary of the history than I can repeat here. It clearly addresses the prefatory clause and its purpose. Prefatory clauses were very common in 18th century law, and they generally were not intended to make a statement of the entire or exclusive purpose of a law.

Even the most liberal constitutional law scholars (such as Tribe and Dershowitz) concede that the 2nd is an individual right.
 

jrkarp

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
NO.

It is NOT that Government per se removes our freedom but that this Government most certainly has. I am not sure if I have seen any other American Government that has curtailed the privacy of its citizens as the current Govt.

Onto your question as to how do we go about bringing the change. Well we have the most powerful tool - Democracy - that we can use. I mean we are keen on spreading this abroad(read Iraq and elsewhere) but when it comes to USA this doesnt work? That doesnt cover ourselves with much glory does it now?



My point was rather simple. Just as we dont have slavery today, as we did in the times of our Founding Fathers I see no reason why we should have Free for All Gun control. My argument stemmed from the fact that you suggested -The Founding Fathers knew this was true because they experienced it. This obviously doesnt hold true since not all of Founding Fathers decision in 1789 is valid today.



In many ways it is. How else can you explain the fact that we have been ruled by a President who enjoys 25% ratings on every channel, from Fox to MSNBC for the past 2 years? If ever there was a case of impeachment this was it. I mean can you imagine CEO of Nutraplanet being at top if only 25% of its members/workers/stockholders supported him?

So why he hasnt been impeached? Well because he didnt commit a crime and thats what COnstitution says in such cases. Go figure!

I say update Constitution as well.

Your understanding of the Constitution, the nature of governments, and the nature of rights is so fundamentally flawed that I am at a loss as to where to begin.
 
MuscleBound1337

MuscleBound1337

Active member
Awards
1
  • Established
In that case shouldnt citizens make more of an effort to better law and order in USA than to go get a gun??

Let me put this question to you: What do you opine will bring down crimes - good Cops and Police system in USA? OR Americans carrying guns?
Yeah man I'm all for law an order but this is the real world where **** often hits the fan and the fairy-tale no worries life can come to an end because of criminals. So while we're working things out with the government trying to create your perfect society, I'll be concealed carrying my glock.
 
Red Dog

Red Dog

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
Any restriction on guns hampers only the law-abiding citizen.

Criminals WILL get guns no matter what restrictions are placed on them -- All a restriction does is hamper our abilities to adequately defend ourselves against a very real, very dangerous criminal threat.
 
Nabisco

Nabisco

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
Saurabh, I am stunned by your views...I knew some people advocated strict gun control, but your utopian viewpoint never will nor never has existed. Do a little research on gun control in your spare time, and the evidence will destroy your argument.

For instance, when the state of Florida allowed the law-abiding populace to carry concealed arms, violent crimes against Florida citizens plummeted. Two years after the institution of said law they did a study on convicted criminals. They posed the question, "Why have crimes in general decreased over the past few years against Florida citizens?". The overwhelming answer (>85%) was that they could never tell if a Florida resident would be carrying a gun so it wasn't worth the risk.

Wait a minute, so arming the general populace deters criminals? You wouldn't say. You bring up the VT shooting. You think those kids want guns because they are scared? Maybe a few, but I bet the majority want guns on campus, because they realize that if someone had been carrying a concealed weapon in that classroom building that day, then perhaps they could have saved lives.

The police can only do so much. They're are not even enough police in major cities to account for 1% of the population, so how do you expect them to be able to counter 100% of crime even if they were perfect officers? It's unachievable, and unrealistic. Wake up and smell the coffee home slice.

It's been proven by study after study, that strict gun control laws on law-abiding citizens result in a rise in gun related crimes, because criminals have nothing to fear. Where as, lenient gun control laws results in either no change (due to low crime already) or a decrease in gun related crimes against law abiding citizens.

If you take away my right to carry a firearm, what makes you think that will stop a criminal from obtaining one? Because its illegal, he won't be able to get one? Are you kidding me? He'll still have a gun and I'll have no way to protect myself. So he breaks in, and even if I can get a 911 call off to the police, I'll have to wait 5-10 minutes for that officer to arrive. And thats 5-10 minutes that the criminal has to harm me or my family.

I say unacceptable. When my life or the life of a loved one hangs in the balance, I damn well want the ability to protect myself. You say people want guns because they are scared? I don't agree. I think the people without guns are the ones who are scared. The people who own firearms are secure in the fact that they have the means to protect themselves.

But continue living in your utopian mindset. And when someone breaks into your home, and harms your loved ones, don't blame the police for not responding fast enough. Blame yourself for not providing the means to protect those loved ones.

/rant
 
EasyEJL

EasyEJL

Never enough
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
Any restriction on guns hampers only the law-abiding citizen.

Criminals WILL get guns no matter what restrictions are placed on them -- All a restriction does is hamper our abilities to adequately defend ourselves against a very real, very dangerous criminal threat.
Correct. They are criminals - non law abiding. making laws to make guns illegal or harder to get don't affect them. The issue is that the guns are already in circulation - there are more guns than cars in the US. any change making average citizen less able to buy guns doesn't affect the ability of a criminal to.

In a country like the UK where this hasn't been true historically (availability of handguns at least) its different.

I think its sweeden that requires everyone spend x amount of time in military training, and that each home have a military grade automatic rifle in it (since they have no standing military). Guess how often home invasions happen there?
 
Dwight Schrute

Dwight Schrute

I am faster than 80% of all snakes
Awards
2
  • Legend!
  • Established
In 8 years the price of gas has gone from 2 dollars a gallon to 4, people have lost houses, economy has tanked, dollar has lost values, rest of the world is making fun of USA and all you are worried about is what would you do if Government seizes your freedom?? Well I have got two words for you - Patriot Act. What happened when Govt. started recording your privacy? Didnt exactly see the NRA come out firing against Govt, did we?

How did Keith Olbermann get in here...
 
Australian made

Australian made

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
Makes us a safe country bro. If you feel like pretending there aren't people willing to hurt you or steal your stuff in a heartbeat to better themselves then you have the right to disarm yourself. And you think wanting to protect ourselves and our family's makes us scared? Maybe you're willing to depend on the police to protect you, but i sure as hell am not. In a perfect world the you wouldn't have a reason to own a firearm, but in a life and death situation where you don't have time to call for help you need to rely on yourself for protection.
You think the USA is a safer country by allowing ordinary citizens to carry guns?? does it not have higher crime rates then practically every other civilized country on earth?? You guys are ridiculous. The stats don't lie.
http://www.gun-control-network.org/GF01.htm

Banning guns is a great idea, perhaps you wouldn't have so many shootings if they were unavailable to a certain degree. Of course they can be obtained illegally but how many people would want to go down that route.
 

jrkarp

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
You think the USA is a safer country by allowing ordinary citizens to carry guns?? does it not have higher crime rates then practically every other civilized country on earth?? You guys are ridiculous. The stats don't lie.
http://www.gun-control-network.org/GF01.htm

Banning guns is a great idea, perhaps you wouldn't have so many shootings if they were unavailable to a certain degree. Of course they can be obtained illegally but how many people would want to go down that route.
Apparently most criminals would. Most gun crime is committed with illegally acquired firearms.

Gun owners who legally acquire their firearms are among the most consistently law abiding groups of people in the US.

Concealed carry permit holders commit crimes at a rate that is a small fraction of the general population. Furthermore, crime generally declines in states that pass "right to carry" or "shall issue" laws. For example, after Florida passed its concealed carry law, its homicide rate dropped from 36% above the national average to 4% below the national average.

The areas with the greatest amount of crime (DC, Chicago, NY, etc) are usually the areas with the strictest gun control laws.

It is also useless and intellectually dishonest to compare crime rates between countries. Many of the root causes of crime in the US do not exist in countries that are far more culturally and ethnically homogeneous - regardless of what that culture or ethnicity is.
 
EasyEJL

EasyEJL

Never enough
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
There is 1 incident in US history of a legally purchased fully automatic weapon being used for a crime. That was in the 1930s, it was a police officer who came home from work to find his wife in bed with another man, pulled out the machine gun and killed them both. Any other crime committed with an automatic weapon has been with an illegally obtained one
 
Australian made

Australian made

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
ummm all of the ones who were going to use the guns for crimes would :D
I dont no wether u own a gun or not but say you do and tonight u wake up, hear something, go into the living room and see some guy steeling your dvd player. what do you do? shoot him?? i dont understand how all of you guys can say you want to be able to carry a gun in your own home. You seem to have this "fight fire with fire" attitude.

Obviously things are very different in the USA, i guess growing up in a country that doesn't allow guns is going to give me a different opinion. Fact is a gun is a deadly weapon and i dont see how it can make a country safer by allowing people to own one.
 
EasyEJL

EasyEJL

Never enough
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
tonight u wake up, hear something, go into the living room and see some guy steeling your dvd player. what do you do? shoot him??...
yep. and he'll never break into a house again.

Obviously things are very different in the USA, i guess growing up in a country that doesn't allow guns is going to give me a different opinion. Fact is a gun is a deadly weapon and i dont see how it can make a country safer by allowing people to own one.
well, and thats the difference tho. in a country where there aren't 200 million guns already, not allowing guns is ok. its hard to import them, hard to sneak them past customs. Here on the other hand, that isn't the case. Remember, you were a prison colony originally :D
 
ManBeast

ManBeast

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
I dont no wether u own a gun or not but say you do and tonight u wake up, hear something, go into the living room and see some guy steeling your dvd player. what do you do? shoot him?? i dont understand how all of you guys can say you want to be able to carry a gun in your own home. You seem to have this "fight fire with fire" attitude.

Obviously things are very different in the USA, i guess growing up in a country that doesn't allow guns is going to give me a different opinion. Fact is a gun is a deadly weapon and i dont see how it can make a country safer by allowing people to own one.
I've got a shotgun by my bed. If I wake up and hear someone taking my sh*t out in the living room that is just fine, that stuff can be replaced. The shotgun is if they come into my bedroom, because that means they are probably going to try and hurt me or my girl. They get warnings.
1st: Get the f*ck out of my house.
2nd: the lovely sound of a pump-action shotgun being "shucked"
3rd: get the f*ck out of my room

if all that fails, yes, i'll be sending at least one shell of #1 buckshot their way... and at that range i'll probably not miss, and yes, i'll be shooting center-mass.

MB
 
Australian made

Australian made

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
yep. and he'll never break into a house again.
He doesn't deserve to be shot and killed. Punished but not killed.

well, and thats the difference tho. in a country where there aren't 200 million guns already, not allowing guns is ok. its hard to import them, hard to sneak them past customs. Here on the other hand, that isn't the case. Remember, you were a prison colony originally :D.
Ouch :rasp:
 
EasyEJL

EasyEJL

Never enough
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
He doesn't deserve to be shot and killed. Punished but not killed.
that is a matter of opinion. by solely not breaking into my house, he could have avoided that outcome, so I would say he did deserve it by leaving the realm of acceptable civilization. I view it as a protection of my family, as there is no telling what could happen if my 3 year old daughter wandered downstairs before i did.
 
Australian made

Australian made

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
and what if he was stealing something so he could sell it to provide food for his 3 yr old daughter? this is what im saying, you have no right to take someones life for breaking into your home, a beat down yeah maybe, but a bullet, no.
 

jrkarp

Registered User
Awards
1
  • Established
and what if he was stealing something so he could sell it to provide food for his 3 yr old daughter? this is what im saying, you have no right to take someones life for breaking into your home, a beat down yeah maybe, but a bullet, no.
There are plenty of public assistance programs, even in the US, so that people don't need to commit felonies to feed their families.

Once someone has entered my home without my permission, I am not willing to trust them to not try to harm my loved ones or me.
 
ManBeast

ManBeast

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
like i said, they can take the sh*t from my house, but if they come after me or those i care about, "wake up time to die" (to quote a disturbed song).

MB
 
EasyEJL

EasyEJL

Never enough
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
and what if he was stealing something so he could sell it to provide food for his 3 yr old daughter? this is what im saying, you have no right to take someones life for breaking into your home, a beat down yeah maybe, but a bullet, no.
that is his problem, and he should get a job. he surrenders his rights when he violates mine.
 
Dwight Schrute

Dwight Schrute

I am faster than 80% of all snakes
Awards
2
  • Legend!
  • Established
EasyEJL

EasyEJL

Never enough
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
and what if he was stealing something so he could sell it to provide food for his 3 yr old daughter? this is what im saying, you have no right to take someones life for breaking into your home, a beat down yeah maybe, but a bullet, no.
going back to this, do I get to run a metal detector over him before he comes in the house to know he has no gun or knife on him? if not, then I have to assume he is dangerous to my family if he has so little regard for other individuals rights as to break into someone's home
 

Saurabh

Registered User
Awards
0
First: it's not "a law" - it's an essential component of the way our nation is structured: part of the foundation laid on which we established our way of life. You may think it's old and stale, but tyrants are always searching for a foothold, and rendering the populace helpless against enemies domestic is an open invitation to tyranny.
That is nothing but fear-mongering without any sound reason at all.

Let me ask you this - If you are so worried about tyrants overrunning USA can you please name me such tyrants in last 100 years of USA history?? Maybe a couple of Presidents that took away all the civil liberties of US citizens, to such an extent that every American was thankful for having the right to gun?

It is easy to make all these -tyrant-claims but lets hear out some concrete names/facts etc etc.

Imposition of tyranny might not be *stale*, but I doubt any As for whether this makes us "safer" - look around: is this Somalia? Beruit '88? Israel's occupied territories? Sadr City? Rwanda? Darfur? Zimbabwe? He!!, it's not even *Bosnia* (gotta watch them snipers).

Y
WOW! Those are some of the most violent cities in the world and it is only amusing that you compare a USA city to a Somalian city :rofl:

Reality check time:

a) Is LA safer than Stockholm(Sweden)? NO

b) Is New York safer than Paris? Hell NO.

c) Is Chicago safer than Berlin/Bonn/Stuttgart/Cologne etc etc. NO.

d) Is an average American school/college safer than a European school/college? NO.

e) Do more kids die due to gun firing in Tokyo/Seoul/Delhi than those in USA? NO.

Start comparing US cities with half-decent cities of the world, specially those of 1st world country - Australia, UK, Holland, Germany etc etc. and you will see how fundamentally flawed your argument was.
 

Top