Gun Control

[DanEC]

One more time.

Originally Posted by Tenrocca

Incredible logic right there folks. And while were at it lets legalise Meth because we really want everyone to access to that dont we - we really dont want to leave that to the bad guys.

Drug criminalization is as good a comparison as any to what would happen if guns were somehow outlawed in the US and confiscated by some miracle - druggies will still have drugs and crooks will still have guns, either makeshift, bought from Mexico or hidden from confiscation. I might add that we currently have thousands of laws on the books that pertain to the use of guns in crime or to criminals and terrorists obtaining guns. Our politicians are very good at passing laws which are unenforceable or largely forgotten about or conveniently ignored.

Ill say a few more things on this issue before I sign out because it really is like banging your head against a wall.

I am not for gun prohibition, but surely, in America, a system where you can be on a no fly list but you can buy a gun is wrong. How can ANYONE think this system is OK. Even if you are "pro gun", you would have to be insane to think it is OK for potential terrorists to buy a gun.

Where do you get that it's OK for a terrorist to buy a gun? First you have to identify who is a terrorist. Neither of the California Islamic terrorists were on a no fly list, on a watch list, had any record, or were under any surveillance. As far as who is a "potential" terrorist - that's actually 100% of the population - anyone could fill that bill. Potential is just that - potential. When you start taking freedoms away from people on the basis of "potential" then basically you are living in a police state. Again we already have laws on the books that address criminal use of guns but they are largely ignored by our leaders.

Cars aren't designed to kill people, fast food isn't designed to kill people, so comparing guns (which are designed to kill people) to these things is really dumb IMO.

I can just as easily argue that guns were designed for hunting to put food on the table and were adapted to war. I can also argue that I own many, many guns and have fired thousands and thousands of rounds and never shot at or hit anyone. I can also argue that I can pick up about anything in my tool shed or get in my car and drive downtown and turn it into a weapon of human destruction. Tell the families of the 3 dead people in Oklahoma or the Israeli soldiers run down by Palestinians that cars aren't intended to be used to kill people. I'm sure that will be of great comfort.

According to recent CBS news poll, 58% of Americans want to see change to the gun laws. Those folk telling me that Im not welcome to visit your fine country because disagree with you and agree with the majority of your countrymen - Im guessing you would like those 58% to leave then?

A change in guns laws maybe, but if you change the question to "should guns be confiscated" as in Australia, that figure drops way down into the mid to low 30s. I would never tell you that you're not a welcome visitor to our country over a disagreement in principal. My wife has relatives in Australia and we have had this conversation several times. If you are ever in Arkansas I'll buy you a beer - we'll talk Cobras instead of guns.

Separating terrorist attacks from gun control is not entirely valid. If you were to compare the most recent attack in San Barnardino to the 2 most recent in the UK and Australia. Both lone attackers, the UK guy using a knife in the subway injuring a few, the Australian using a single pistol killing one. The huge part of why these were so less damaging than the San Barnardino attack was because access to weapons in the UK and Oz is so much more difficult. It is very logical to conclude that if there are more weapons in circulation in the general public, then more weapons are able to end up in the hands of those we don't want to have then, such as terrorists.

Maybe we should talk about France - despite draconian gun restrictions there it didn't seem to be a problem to bring in the guns they used. Most of our murder capitals are big cities with restrictive gun laws. We don't live in a vacuum or on an island and guns in the hands of our population can not and will not be subject to confiscation - because for the most part there is no record or registration that has ever existed. I have guns over 100 years old that are just as serviceable as when they were produced. I agree that with more weapons in our country - we will have a higher incidence of violence than a country without. That is a price of our countries liberties and freedom. It is also a price paid from a 50-year social experiment that has produced a huge population of miscreants with no skills, no sense of self-worth, no employable skills, no moral values, and a high incidence of mental illness, and prone to criminality - that no one seems to want to deal with. That is our major problem.

This is not a quick fix. It is a little like the global warning debate (and Im not saying I support one side or another) but the sooner a change is made the sooner the problem starts to get better. Even if the sale of all guns was banned from now, it would still take decades for an impact to be felt, however, if something is not done, then in 50 years time you will still be seeing the same type of stats saying you are 20 times more likely to die in the US by being shot then any other first world country. Any of those bragging about your gun collections, that stat is nothing to be proud of. It is actually shameful.

I'm far, far more likely to die from a car accident, a accidental fall, cancer or many other things before I die from being shot. I will say that if the sale of guns were banned now - it would not be decades before they would disappear - but centuries. I think you underestimate how many guns are legally owned currently and how long they last with good care. Even bullets have a remarkable longevity and many of us handload anyway. To think that guns will ever disappear from the US is not a rational belief. I do own a sizeable number of guns and used to enjoy hunting and still enjoy target shooting. Some of my most prize guns including a Colt 45, and M1 Carbine and an 30:06 Enfield that were handed down to me from my Grandfather and I'm very proud of them and in fact treasure them. Enjoy your life.

Cheers