Quote:
Originally posted by Mozart1220,
THE BILL OF RIGHTS SAYS "WELL REGULATED MILITIA"
Why do you keep convieniently leaving that out? besides, I doubt the founding fathers had automatic weapons and armour piercing bullets in mind. I doub't they thought 12 year olds would take thier father's guns to school and kill thier classmates.
In a "technical" sense, the constitution protects "arms" it doesn't even mention guns. you could carry a big rock and the constitution is served.
True, the gun doesn't kill, but without it, most cowardly gangsters and "militia members" couldn't kill either. |
"When It is a crime to own a gun, only the criminals will have guns" Ever heard that cliche?
The reason I ask is that our revolutionary heroes were wary of the usurpations of authoritarian governments. The weapons the colonists posessed at the time of the most honorable war America ever fought were the latest military technology. I have no doubt that if these men could lead us now they would allow all of us to possess as much of the latest military gear as we want. The purpose of the Second Amendment was to put government tyrants on notice that their siezure of authority from legitimate sources would not be easy or bloodless.
Now, if you want to disarm the
Government of the US then I will agree that the citizenry needs no more second amendment protection for their gun collections.
Are you aware that the government of Switzerland trusts all of its adult male citizens with assault rifles?
Here is something to consider, an excerpt from here:
http://www.theblessingsofliberty.com/artic.../article11.html Quote The Wall Street Journal Europe
June 4, 1999 Stephen P. Halbrook
In 1994, when the U.S. Congress debated whether to ban "assault weapons," a talk show host asked then-Senator Bill Bradley (New Jersey), a sponsor of the ban, whether guns cause crime. The host noted that, in Switzerland, all males are issued assault rifles for militia service and keep them at home, yet little crime exists there. Sen. Bradley responded that the Swiss "are pretty dull."
For those who think that target shooting is more fun than golf, however, Switzerland is anything but "dull." By car or train, you see shooting ranges everywhere, but few golf courses. If there is a Schuetzenfest (shooting festival) in town, you will find rifles slung on hat racks in restaurants, and you will encounter men and women, old and young, walking, biking and taking the tram with rifles over their shoulders, to and from the range. They stroll right past the police station and no one bats an eye. (Try this in the U.S., and a SWAT Team might do you in.)
Tourists--especially those from Japan, where guns are banned to all but the police--think it's a revolution. But shooting is the national sport, and the backbone of the national defense as well. More per capita firepower exists in Switzerland than in any other place in the world, yet it is one of the safest places to be.
SNIP
The U.N. study omits mention of Switzerland, which is awash in guns and has substantially lower murder and robbery rates than England, where most guns are banned.
Here are the figures: The Swiss Federal Police Office reports that in 1997 there were 87 intentional homicides and 102 attempted homicides in the entire country. Some 91 of these 189 murders and attempts involved firearms. With its population of seven million (including 1.2 million foreigners), Switzerland had a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000. There were 2,498 robberies (and attempted robberies), of which 546 involved firearms, resulting in a robbery rate of 36 per 100,000. Almost half of these crimes were committed by non-resident foreigners, whom locals call "criminal tourists."
Sometimes, the data sound too good to be true. In 1993, not a single armed robbery was reported in Geneva. No one seems to be looking at the Swiss example in the U.S., however.
Congress is stampeding to pass additional firearm restrictions in response to the events of April 20, when two students used guns and bombs to murder a dozen classmates and a teacher in Littleton, Colorado.
Yet in 1996, a man who legally owned guns under England's strict regulations went on a rampage, murdering 16 children and a teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. Parliament then banned all handguns and most rifles.
But there have been no school massacres in Switzerland, where guns and kids mix freely. At shooting matches, bicycles aplenty are parked outside. Inside the firing shelter, the competitors pay 12-year-olds tips to keep score. The 16-year-olds shoot rifles with men and women of all ages. In fact, the tourist brochure, "Zurich News" recommends September's Knabenschiessen (boy's shooting contest) as a must-see: "The oldest Zurich tradition consists of a shooting contest at the Albisguetli (range) for 12 to 16 year-old boys and girls and a colorful three-day fun-fair." The event has been held since 1657, and attracts thousands of teenage participants and spectators.
While many shoot for sport, all males aged 20 to 42 are required by militia system regulation to keep rifles and/or pistols at home. In addition, gun shops abound. Yet firearms are rarely used in crime.
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But don't even think about invading and occupying Switzerland. You will get your rear end shot off... Are they safe in a dangerous world? Obviously not 100%. But I bet they don't worry about a despotic government getting out of control either.
Actually in 2001 there was an incident in the Swiss parliament where MPs were killed and wounded. That story is here:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=34751
Here's an excerpt:
Quotefollowing the Sept. 27, 2001, shooting spree in Zug, a consultation process on tightening Swiss gun laws failed to see the adoption of serious gun reforms.
The measures under consideration thus far include tighter rules for persons wanting to buy firearms, as well as a ban on imitation and soft-air guns, said SwissInfo. Based on current statistics, studies show there are 1.2 million firearms in Switzerland, the news service reported, citing a survey by the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, a figure Metler has described as "worrying."
But critics counter such rules would give the federal government too much power in deciding who can and cannot obtain a firearm, a problem that could limit the country's ability to defend itself, based on its current system of ensuring national security.
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