#198259 by
Kramerguy
Mon Dec 17, 2012 5:10 pm
I've had this argument many times in the past, and I've been on both sides.
I'm a former gun owner.
I sold my guns, ammo, targets, etc.
Why? Because I could not abide with having guns in my house when I had a child on the way. No matter how much you think kids can be taught safety and no matter how big your safe and gun locks are, kids can and will find a way to get into them should they (or their friends) decide they want to play with the guns. If you think you can safely lock them away, think about how hard most of our parents tried to lock up the liquor.. and me, and just about all of my friends were able to get into the booze cabinets, and of course, usually ended up doing something stupid.
But anyways, that aside, the stats speak for themselves. It's undeniable fact that nations that have outright bans on guns have very few gun-related deaths, and zero mass-murders. No amount of guns will make anyone safer, that's a fantasy that is not supported by any math.
Yes, Jeff, you can save one mans life by wielding a gun, and you can equally save a mans life by getting into a gunfight with someone else who has guns. If the assailant didn't have a gun, things would probably not have escalated.
Do you understand the FEAR that guns cause? I can think of two recent personal cases, where someone in a public place was so blatantly rude and inconsiderate / hostile, that I wanted to defend myself or family verbally. But I couldn't. In both cases, the 'offender' appeared to be mentally/emotionally unstable (angry, not retarded), and was wearing baggy enough clothes that a gun could be anywhere.
WHY in the hell would ME having a gun make those kind of situations any safer? I say something.. we get into an argument, and then the gun comes out.. now I might be able to draw and defend myself, but probably not.. the more unstable person will draw first, and ultimately, this ain't the wild west... In most cases, I would not have the time to draw and would be shot and probably die trying.
No.. guns being so attainable isn't the answer. In the UK, I'd gladly take the risk of saying something because the likelyhood of him being armed is about the same as me purchasing a winning powerball ticket.
But here? I honestly think in both cases that I could have easily ended up with a bullet in my back as I would be diving for cover when this freak pulls out his gun.
I DO believe people have the right to target-shoot, hunt, and DEFEND themselves against government or foreign invaders.
And there is a simple solution...
Armory. All guns should be stored in an armory. Armory should be controlled by local elected and paid "agents of the public trust" (yay, job creation!) If you need to hunt- you go check out your gun and when you get back from your trip, you check it back in.. same with the ammo. Target shooting same thing.. you can check out a public gun, or your own private one. There could be far more control over who's hands they go into and exactly who is responsible for each gun, via a nationally shared and simple "yes" list by SS# and positive ID, of course. WHO can check out guns should have to pass safety tests, a psych exam, and other careful scrutiny. If you aren't on the yes list, then you can't check out a gun.
"loaning" or allowing anyone else to use the gun is highly illegal and punishments should be extreme jail time. If a crime is committed with a "straw" loan, the person who loaned it is equally as guilty, unless it's stolen from them, of course, but even then, it must be reported the minute it's discovered stolen.
Ban all assault rifles.. and high capacity clips. There's no need for them for hunting or target practice. They can be owned by the armory for purposes of security (regional or national) and dispensed to citizens in the case of an emergency, but never checked out for recreation.
Having an armory controlled locally fixes many issues WITHOUT taking away the 2nd amendment. It's really the only solution, because with these mass slaughters of kids becoming more prevalent, gun enthusiasts might want to just accept that they will be lucky to avoid outright bannings.
So all you gun enthusiasts- this is a friendly word of warning- Stop. Think. Compromise. Things CANNOT continue the way they are, and more guns aren't going to make gun deaths go down. You are foolish to think that, and should start thinking about how you can KEEP your 2nd amendment rights. See the writing on the wall and start working towards solutions that can work. Look at the statistics (the real ones, not the NRA's) on gun safety and kill rates per country and start thinking about letting go of the dogma that the NRA spouts at you, things must change.
I'm tired of watching malls, schools, post offices, corporate offices, and everywhere else being shot up by people with guns that they shouldn't have. You can't arm the entire nation and expect anything but the wild west.
Just stop, and think. I know you guys will react anyways and slam me, but this isn't me talking, it's most parents out there. You want democracy? Well the majority wants gun control. Real control, not this crap we have now.
