Gun Control

[Gods_Mercenary]

I want to know what you guys think about Gun control, I personally am against most forms of it. I think that it is a ridiculous infringement on our rights to prevent us from owning a pistol or a hunting rifle, especially since these can both be sporting items. I'm sure that some will go even further, but I think that anything smaller than an assault rifle should be legal. I'm obviously speaking from a U.S. perspective, so non americans please provide your own views and how it is in your home country.

[G. Adams]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary I want to know what you guys think about Gun control, I personally am against most forms of it. I think that it is a ridiculous infringement on our rights to prevent us from owning a pistol or a hunting rifle, especially since these can both be sporting items. I'm sure that some will go even further, but I think that anything smaller than an assault rifle should be legal. I'm obviously speaking from a U.S. perspective, so non americans please provide your own views and how it is in your home country.

In the UK we have outlawed all handguns, and to own a rifle or shotgun you must obtain a license. To obtain a license you must provide a reason, such as sport or hunting, however the police err on the side of caution. It is difficult to gain that license unless you can demonstrate where you will be shooting it safely. This largely means rifles are restricted to those who own large amounts of land or are good friends with those who do. Farmers or the rich then.

The ban and restrictions are illiberal and none sensical. Although it was not easy to get a firearm beforehand, the clampdown really occurred after the Dunblaine massacre where a gun nut went and murdered a bunch of schoolchildren and their teacher. The campaign against guns, the Snowdrop campaign, was based upon emotion rather than reason. If it was upon reason perhaps someone would have noticed only law abiders would hand in their guns, leaving criminals and psychos armed.

Gun control is not only pointless but it is downright dangerous. A government should fear it's people. It should have to stop and think whether the people will tolerate whatever new law they dream up. This just will not happen when we have a disarmed populace. The government can act as it please, particularly as we have no codified constitution. Our tyranny may be benign now, but one day it will become malignant. And when it happens I want more than words to defend myself.

[Gods_Mercenary]

If you support the legalizing of ownership of drugs, then you have to be against gun control, considering a properly used gun doesn't hurt anyone, while illegal drugs do at least hurt you a little bit.

[The Bacon Guy]

I would most certainly support a person’s right to keep a firearm in their house for use in defending their property. I honestly see no possible adverse effects from allowing this. The claim that this access to a firearm could aid someone in a premeditated crime is ridiculous, since if they want a firearm for use in a crime, they will obtain one illegally. After all, why would a criminal care about the legal status of firearms?

Allowing people to carry guns outwith their property is admittedly more problematic, since the access to the firearm is immediate. Hence, the gun could be used in a “heat of the moment” situation. However, that is the gun user’s responsibility and he will deal with the consequences is he uses it improperly. I think an innocent person’s right to defend themselves is more important. My liberty shouldn’t suffer for someone else’s stupidity or lack of self control.

Also, I'm not comfortable with the government having the exclusive right to bear arms. By allowing that, we're giving them far too much power over us, especially in the current political climate, in which, admittedly much further down the line, I can see a well regulated militia becoming necessary.

[Kamehameha34]

Guns designed to "spray" fire should be strictly regulated. Otherwise, a simple registration should suffice.

[Gods_Mercenary]

I wonder if we have any gun control advocates here? Anyone know of one?

[G. Adams]

Quote by: Kamehameha34 Guns designed to "spray" fire should be strictly regulated. Otherwise, a simple registration should suffice.

I would be more worried about a killer with a single fire rifle than an automatic. One of the main reasons automatic weapons were given to troops after WWII (although granted, the Thomson was in use by the US by that point) is because they discovered most people don't try to kill another person. It is difficult to look down the sights of your rifle and place a round in anothers face. With automatics it allows the soldier to not be quite so precise, so their mind is more able to cope with shooting at people.

In todays society someone aggressively using an auto is just a rambo moron, dangerous of course, but not the same as the guy who looks down the iron sights and shoots one at a time.

NB before someone goes off on one, I said one of the main reasons, not the only or central reason.

[Scribbler1]

The only gun control advocates I ever run into use street crime as an excuse for it. They don't realize the huge number of illegal firearms out there that wouldn't be registered, plus the fact that they are not about to be surrendered by their owners. There is no way to track these things and no real way to stop them. The only thing to do is make sure they are educated as kids, along with their parents, to know the power a gun has.

My solution to this is to shoot every kid in America in the leg when they reach ten years old. Once they know how much it hurts they will think twice about using one against another person.

[G. Adams]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary I wonder if we have any gun control advocates here? Anyone know of one?

I think Pooey is a supporter of the ban in the UK, if I remember rightly.

[Kamehameha34]

Quote by: G. Adams I would be more worried about a killer with a single fire rifle than an automatic. One of the main reasons automatic weapons were given to troops after WWII (although granted, the Thomson was in use by the US by that point) is because they discovered most people don't try to kill another person. It is difficult to look down the sights of your rifle and place a round in anothers face. With automatics it allows the soldier to not be quite so precise, so their mind is more able to cope with shooting at people. In todays society someone aggressively using an auto is just a rambo moron, dangerous of course, but not the same as the guy who looks down the iron sights and shoots one at a time. NB before someone goes off on one, I said one of the main reasons, not the only or central reason.

So a weapon that allows someone to fire several demonstrably guilt-free shots per second is less dangerous than a weapon that requires precision, and determination to even compare with the threat of the former?

[The Sexorcist]

As a socialist, I can't help but feel uncomfortable at giving up our main means of physical defense against government. I do beleive in the right of revolution, and it's nessecity (sp?), so it seems that voluntairly giving government some legal custody of the public firepower would be a bad idea in the long run.

Of course I want to keep gund away from kids and crimminals, but anything beyond that could be seen as encroaching on our rights to defense, against government if needed.

[The Sexorcist]

Heh, "gund"

[kpow]

i like it that guns are illegal in the UK....i KNOW criminals have them.
ive seen that for myself, but i dont think that they should be easier for EVERYONE to get their hands on.....not in todays society.
enough of the WRONG people have them now, but at least we can take them away from them if we get information.......as someone who wants a carrer as a police office (or prison officer but thats not relivant here ) i think its scary that criminals are armed yet MOST police officers do not carry guns, still i just dont think guns are generally a good idea....to dangerous and people are far to unpredictable....!!!

[Suburbanite]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary I want to know what you guys think about Gun control, I personally am against most forms of it. I think that it is a ridiculous infringement on our rights to prevent us from owning a pistol or a hunting rifle, especially since these can both be sporting items. I'm sure that some will go even further, but I think that anything smaller than an assault rifle should be legal. I'm obviously speaking from a U.S. perspective, so non americans please provide your own views and how it is in your home country.

I live in LA, I associate with social deviants. I need a gun!

[G. Adams]

Quote by: Kamehameha34 So a weapon that allows someone to fire several demonstrably guilt-free shots per second is less dangerous than a weapon that requires precision, and determination to even compare with the threat of the former?

Those demonstrably guilt-free shots are are also demonstrably less accurate. It is precisedly because the shots mean less that people get sloppier. You cannot waste your shots when you can only use one at a time, each one requires you use precision and make the most of it. There are no spray and pray tactics at work.

[G. Adams]

Quote by: kpow i like it that guns are illegal in the UK....i KNOW criminals have them. ive seen that for myself, but i dont think that they should be easier for EVERYONE to get their hands on.....not in todays society. enough of the WRONG people have them now, but at least we can take them away from them if we get information.......as someone who wants a carrer as a police office (or prison officer but thats not relivant here ) i think its scary that criminals are armed yet MOST police officers do not carry guns, still i just dont think guns are generally a good idea....to dangerous and people are far to unpredictable....!!!

I would find far, far more scary if all the police carried guns and innocent people didn't. Talk about an inbalance between citizen and state. In what way would we rule our government when they have all the power, and we have nothing?

We can't take away guns from criminals as a whole, very few firearms are confiscated in fact. Even those that are taken are very easily replaced. Criminals support the gun ban too, because then it is only them that may regularly carry them. If criminals thought that maybe 50% of women were carrying a gun, how many muggings do you think would take place? How many rapes? Criminals prey upon the weak, a gun makes the weakest person equal to the strongest.

[Cephus]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary I wonder if we have any gun control advocates here? Anyone know of one?

Control? Absolutely, I suspect just about everyone is an advocate of gun control, there simply are some weapons that shouldn't be in the hands of the public, period. Banning is another issue and it's always the loony NRA types who equate anyone suggesting any control are really out to ban everything.

[Praxius]

In Canada, handguns and auto/semi-automatic rifles and sub machine guns are illegal. To obtain a legal firearm for hunting or sport, you have to apply for a license.

In addition to that, there is also a Gun Registry in Canada now, where if you own any firearm, you must register it to the government so they know what kind of firearm you have and how many. This helps with tracking down firearms that may have been related to a crime.

This does not actually stop criminals from getting them if they truly want to, but it's better to make it somewhat difficult then to allow everybody to just pickup a firearm when they want to and do as they please.

Most reported assaults, murders and other crimes in Canada usually don't involve a firearm, unless it is gang/organized crime related. Weither or not our laws help reduce the amount of gun related crimes, I can't say 100%, but I still find it better then not doing anything about it.

In my view, besides for hunting or for sport, the only other people who should have firearms are the police and the military..... but within time, there is always an acception to every rule.

[GHook93]

Quote by: Gods_Mercenary I wonder if we have any gun control advocates here? Anyone know of one?

I will bite. I am on the fence, but see a valid point in prohibiting hand-guns. I honestly think the Brits have us on this one. Here are the NRA's arguments:

1) Handguns can be used for hunting. Please!!! A handgun main use is to take human life. They are not used for hunting. Even if there are, there is an highly reasonable alternative - rifles. For target practice.

2) You outlaw handguns, then only the criminals and psychos will have them. Please!!! Cracking down on handguns will not leave Americans defenseless. Eventually there will be less handguns in criminals and especially psychos hands.

3) And I love this one, Guns don't kill people, criminals do (modified from people kill people). Meaning we need to arm ourselves from criminals. Please, in majority of home invasion one doesn't have time to access his or her gun. If you get mugged on the street more than likely you won't have your gun. Majority of armed robberies the clerk doesn't have time to get his gun. Children have found guns and accidently killed themselved and others.

4) The constitution protects this right - the right to bear arms. 1st - arms can easily be interpreted as rifles and not to include handguns. 2nd - times have changed, do we still need protection from housing English soldiers also?

5) Outlawing handguns would plain and simple do more good than bad. Without a doubt it would equal less people being killed.

Bottom line: Handguns have no true use besides taking human life. The protection against criminals is basically NRA propaganda. The constitution can easily be interpretted not to include handguns. And there would without a doubt be less deaths from handguns.

Note: Like I said I am on the fence. I own one of my own. I keep it completely locked up, so it is not used for protection. I just enjoy going to the ranges every once in a while.

[GHook93]

Quote by: Scribbler1 The only gun control advocates I ever run into use street crime as an excuse for it. They don't realize the huge number of illegal firearms out there that wouldn't be registered, plus the fact that they are not about to be surrendered by their owners. There is no way to track these things and no real way to stop them. The only thing to do is make sure they are educated as kids, along with their parents, to know the power a gun has.

That is the same argument every pro-gun nut gives!