Ban guns!

[shawmutt]

Yet another act of violence shows that guns steal happiness from the world.

Two clowns shot dead at circus Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:19AM EST BOGOTA (Reuters) - Two clowns were shot and killed by an unidentified gunman during their performance at a traveling circus in the eastern Colombian town of Cucuta, police said Wednesday. The gunman burst into the Circo del Sol de Cali Monday night and shot the clowns in front of an audience of 20 to 50 people, local police chief Jose Humberto Henao told Reuters. One of the clowns was killed instantly and the second died the next day in hospital. "The killings had nothing to do with the show the victims were performing at the time of the incident," Henao said in a telephone interview. "We are investigating the motive." With an entrance fee of under 50 U.S. cents, Circo del Sol de Cali attracts mostly poor Colombians. It pitched it tents in Cucuta, near the border with Venezuela, earlier this month. "The clowns came out to give their show and then this guy came out shooting them," one audience member told local television. "It was terrible."

[Epistemologist]

If you outlaw guns only outlaws would have guns (and the police). :)

[Gods_Mercenary]

If I'm already a criminal am I going to be that concerned that the gun I own is illegal, probably not.

[Omegaham]

If you ban guns, all you do is give criminals free run of the place. You take away the ability for honest citizens to defend themselves, and the criminals are going to (not surprisingly, they're criminals!) keep theirs. Yay!

[Epistemologist]

If you train an effective policing force, then I suppose the problem of protection from outlaws could be solved.

[Gods_Mercenary]

They'd have to be almost omnipresent to provide the same protection to me as when I owned guns.

[Epistemologist]

Well, it's not like we're all out in the streets like the A-team blasting away at gangs and protecting our women from the forces of evil. Citizens with guns don't necessarily maximize protection, they just maximize the "feeling" of protection.

[The Dunedan]

Ask the British, posessors of argueably the best-trained Police in the world, how well that works. The UK (Scotland especially) is the most violent country in the developed world as of 2005. You're more likely to be assaulted in Edinbugh or London than in almost any large American city.

The study, by the UN’s crime research institute, found that 3 per cent of Scots had been victims of assault compared with 1.2 per cent in America and just 0.1 per cent in Japan, 0.2 per cent in Italy and 0.8 per cent in Austria. In England and Wales the figure was 2.8 per cent.

Scotland tops list of world's most violent countries-News-UK-TimesOnline

Secondly, the cops can only arrive after a crime has occurred. This does you no good, of course, if you're dead.

[Epistemologist]

Of course, in the situation of guns being banned, the rules will have to change on the extent of police activity.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: Epistemologist Well, it's not like we're all out in the streets like the A-team blasting away at gangs and protecting our women from the forces of evil. Citizens with guns don't necessarily maximize protection, they just maximize the "feeling" of protection.

Speak for yourself:)

I'm talking about, say a home invasion, if I have a pistol, not a hard thing, but if I don't the police would have to be on every street corner to be able to provide the same protection.

[Epistemologist]

Well if basic pistol training and safety knowledge is a requirement for ownership (of pistols, not necessarily big rifles), then I it would be okay in many contexts.

[The Bacon Guy]

Quote by: Dunedan The UK (Scotland especially) is the most violent country in the developed world as of 2005.

Representin'

Crime isn't a problem for me really, since I live in the suburbs and in the busy city centre alternatively. I get a train or taxi between them, so I don't tend to find myself in the danger spots of the inner city. However, from the odd occasion I've had to walk home from the city centre at night, I can tell you that if I had to travel through the inner city on foot on a regular basis, I would feel a lot more comfortable with a means of defending myself.

[Epistemologist]

Knife proficiency is a good skill for not just defending yourself but also surviving in a stranded place.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Who knew you Brits were so messed up? you have a nice little island (O.K.pretty big) and you still kill each other, I thought america was for sure the more violent.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: Epistemologist Knife proficiency is a good skill for not just defending yourself but also surviving in a stranded place.

What kind of knife proficiency? like learning a martial art or something, or just knowing how to handle it. The Russian spec forces are trained in knife fighting. I've done a little study on knife combat and even some practice, but no real organized training. It would still be a secondary weapon to my gun, in almost all situations.

[shawmutt]

I'll take street smarts and common sense over a martial art any day.

Now I have to go to my UU "protect the clowns" seminar.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Not me, as long as the martial art was firearms combat, doesn't matter how much street smarts you have, it won't stop a bullet. Something like knife combat would probably come second on my list, cause you can always find a knife.

[Milton Bradley]

Why don't the anti-gun advoctes ever see through to the real issue, and try to ban ideas?


Oh wait, Stalin did...

[Gods_Mercenary]

Not true, you could have ideas in a gulag.

[Osborn F Enready]

Banning guns would be as effective as banning oxygen.

Killing all the law abiding citizens.