Should people be able to own guns?

[Rich Boy Rob]

Wow all the unconstitutional sentiment in this thread amazes me.

We can't just pick and choose what constitutional rights people should have and ignore parts of the Constitution we don't agree with. That sets a dangerous precedence.

You know there's more than one country in the world right? Only the US is held under the Constitution, not the planet.

Also on the Police issue, I agree they do need them in some cases, I was exaggerating a bit to get the point across. Although I don't really think they need a gun while just out on patrol, sure if they're busting a drug den or stopping an armed robbery they should be allowed one then, but they should never be used to kill the felon.

 

[Yusshin]

You've got to be kidding me, right? Gun violence is, as Salem said, as low as low can be. Even police officers don't need guns, 90% of the time. Really, the only time I know a police officer has needed a gun was when someone was coming at him with a knife, and even then the gun was not needed. The guy was never shot. There's more knife violence and fist violence than anything else. Are you going to ban people from having hands? They can kill, so there you go. There's more direct suicide than there is murders of other civilians involving guns.

As for your whole trap idea, a lot of animals are smart enough to maneuver around them. Scarecrows don't always work, and as I said earlier, the electric fence would not work. Having an electric fence around your farm is just stupid, really. Why would anyone do that? That has the potential to do more damage than a gun does.

About the whole robbing thing, too. It doesn't matter if you used a gun, a knife, your fists, pepper spray, or what. If someone jumped out and said, "Give me your wallet" and you didn't know some form of defense, then you would.

All I ever hear about in Canada and the US is "drive-by shootings", "three dead from bullet wounds", and "gun violence leads to deaths and xxx$ damages."

I'm sure knives are popular, too, but we obviously can't get rid of those or we woudn't be able to use them in the kitchen :| The only use a gun has is to kill.

Humans are smart. We can figure out another way to get rid of rabbits.

 

[Esper]

There's more knife violence and fist violence than anything else.

Breaking news! Three innocent bystanders were killed in Los Angeles today by stray fists during a drive by punching.

What's with all the paranoid people thinking they're going to be victims of armed burglaries? If you confront a robber with a gun they're going to be almost certain to use theirs and then you have bullets flying. I don't see how this is a safer way to keep your home safe than just letting a burglar have your wallet.

 

[Legobricks]

All I ever hear about in Canada and the US is "drive-by shootings", "three dead from bullet wounds", and "gun violence leads to deaths and xxx$ damages."

I would suppose that's all you hear about simply because that's what makes the news — to the broadcasters, the good things in life aren't news. You'll very rarely be told about the effects of charitable aid in the third world or the latest advancement in cancer research, usually just the war in somewhere, crime in somewhere else, or some political guff.

Humans are smart. We can figure out another way to get rid of rabbits.

Snares are about all that come to mind... and I think a lot of people have moral problems with those too. Not me though, so long as their positions are noted such that they don't become dangerous to other things like children playing in the woods. I've seen how inhumanely animals will kill other animals, the fact we're humans doing it with traps shouldn't be any more 'evil'.

 

[Åzurε]

The only people who are allowed to have guns are police and soldiers. No one else. I am sorry I am scared of guns. I don't think I will ever touch one. There are too many people getting hurt/killed over not knowing how to hold a gun.

If people are getting hurt over not knowing how to hold a gun, wouldn't be a good idea to allow more people to learn how to use guns, rather than outlawing them?

There is little reason to fear a gun. They don't kill. People do. Guns do not go off without stimulus. Ever. If it weren't for courtesy and such, I'd stand in front of one comfortably if nobody was holding it. It's very rare for a gun to go off without the stimulus being human, and it's usually indirectly the fault of a person in cases such as falls and such. If people knew how to treat a gun, there would be fewer accidents like you said. Having a fear or ignorance of guns puts one at risk, more so than not.

In responsible hands a gun is a tool first and a weapon second. Excepting weapons issued by the military (and even then, somewhat. Target practice, anyone?), they are generally not made with the intention of killing other human beings.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

You know there's more than one country in the world right? Only the US is held under the Constitution, not the planet.

Also on the Police issue, I agree they do need them in some cases, I was exaggerating a bit to get the point across. Although I don't really think they need a gun while just out on patrol, sure if they're busting a drug den or stopping an armed robbery they should be allowed one then, but they should never be used to kill the felon.

Statistic have shown that as gun ownership increases, crime goes down. People who use guns to commit crimes usually get them illegally, whether there was a way for them to get them legally or not, so the law doesn't stop them, it only stops the victim from being able to defend themselves.

Seriously, do you think gang bangers, robbers, etc. take the time to register their gun and get licensed before commiting their crimes? I think not.

 

[EmeraldSerenade]

In self-defense: yes.
in general: no.

we don't need anyone blowing each others face's off because of a little "accident".
"ONOZ I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS LOADED D:!"

 

[donavannj]

That can be dealt with by proper gun handling training.

Statistic have shown that as gun ownership increases, crime goes down. People who use guns to commit crimes usually get them illegally, whether there was a way for them to get them legally or not, so the law doesn't stop them, it only stops the victim from being able to defend themselves.

This paragraph is true in every sentence, with a slight altering needed to the last part of the last sentence, since there are plenty of things a victim can use if the main intent was just robbery, and they thief had a fake handgun. Openly carrying a gun also tends to scare thieves away, since they don't really wanna put their life on the line before they have the money or valuables they want.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

That can be dealt with by proper gun handling training.



This paragraph is true in every sentence, with a slight altering needed to the last part of the last sentence, since there are plenty of things a victim can use if the main intent was just robbery, and they thief had a fake handgun. Openly carrying a gun also tends to scare thieves away, since they don't really wanna put their life on the line before they have the money or valuables they want.

If I was wandering around in New York looking vulnerable I'd be mugged in an instant. If I'm carrying my 9mm or .45 with me on my lovely stroll muggers wouldn't be so quick to mug me.

 

[donavannj]

If I was wandering around in New York looking vulnerable I'd be mugged in an instant. If I'm carrying my 9mm or .45 with me on my lovely stroll muggers wouldn't be so quick to mug me.

Exactly my point with the last sentence.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Exactly my point with the last sentence.

People should be able to openly carry guns out in public. They would put them in their holster when entering a building out of courtesy. The only place they shouldn't have them are at schools and such sensitive places. Most schools have police officers or armed security guards on campus anyway which can respond quickly because they work exclusively on the school campus if something happens.

 

[donavannj]

Of course. It probably won't happen, though, because of the stereotypes too many people have about guns.

 

[Esper]

That can be dealt with by proper gun handling training.

Are you saying this should be a requirement for owning a gun? If you are then I agree with you. It's a good idea. Not as good as getting rid of guns entirely, but at least in America that's not going to happen for a long time so the fewer accidents the better.

Honestly though, I think we've proven we're not responsible enough to own guns. If guns weren't so easy to get a hold of then the boy I knew in junior high wouldn't have been able to kill himself so easily with his dad's gun. "Oh, but he would have found another way of doing it." Maybe, but when all you have to do is pull a trigger to take a life there's not much room for error. One little impulse, one little accident and someone is dead.

 

[donavannj]

Are you saying this should be a requirement for owning a gun? If you are then I agree with you. It's a good idea. Not as good as getting rid of guns entirely, but at least in America that's not going to happen for a long time so the fewer accidents the better.

In some states, you have to go through this if you're under a certain age... but that's for hunting rifles, not handguns. I think you have to be 18 to own a handgun in Minnesota.

 

[Esper]

In some states, you have to go through this if you're under a certain age... but that's for hunting rifles, not handguns. I think you have to be 18 to own a handgun in Minnesota.

I hope there's more to it than that.

I generally trust police officers to have guns (though I don't much like it) because I know they've had training in how to handle them. I'd be slightly more at ease if I knew that everyone who owned a gun had gone through the same thing regardless of their age. Kind of like getting your driver's license.

 

[donavannj]

I hope there's more to it than that.

I generally trust police officers to have guns (though I don't much like it) because I know they've had training in how to handle them. I'd be slightly more at ease if I knew that everyone who owned a gun had gone through the same thing regardless of their age. Kind of like getting your driver's license.

Well, there's also the primary issue of getting it through people's heads that you don't store guns where children can reach them... and the fact that the majority of people who get guns have been around them their whole lives and know what's going on... and most gun clubs encourage (some even require) that you take their general gun safety courses to become a member.

 

[Guillermo]

All I ever hear about in Canada and the US is "drive-by shootings", "three dead from bullet wounds", and "gun violence leads to deaths and xxx$ damages."

I'm sure knives are popular, too, but we obviously can't get rid of those or we woudn't be able to use them in the kitchen :| The only use a gun has is to kill.

Humans are smart. We can figure out another way to get rid of rabbits.

Because Canada and USA = The entire world. Plus, the police officers in America suck.

Breaking news! Three innocent bystanders were killed in Los Angeles today by stray fists during a drive by punching.

What's with all the paranoid people thinking they're going to be victims of armed burglaries? If you confront a robber with a gun they're going to be almost certain to use theirs and then you have bullets flying. I don't see how this is a safer way to keep your home safe than just letting a burglar have your wallet.

I don't understand if you're going against my point, or going with it.

 

[Åzurε]

What's with all the paranoid people thinking they're going to be victims of armed burglaries? If you confront a robber with a gun they're going to be almost certain to use theirs and then you have bullets flying. I don't see how this is a safer way to keep your home safe than just letting a burglar have your wallet.

I don't understand if you're going against my point, or going with it.

Against it, I believe. Although, if it's not an armed burglary, but an unarmed burglary (aka, the usual kind), just look at them funny with a handgun on you and I bet you they'd get out. Even in an armed burglary, chances are you have two people standing with guns pointed at the other, and nobody is going to want to shoot first.

 

[TziporaBatBinyamin]

Not in the uk. Our laws are to flipping soft!!!! Murders and paedofiles would be able to get guns and G-d knows who else.

It's easy for someone to say "I did it in selfdefence" when there is no one looking. Crime here is bad enough without actually being allowed to own a gun.

 

[Esper]

I don't understand if you're going against my point, or going with it.

Against, because innocent bystanders get killed by guns, not fists and with guns being illegal you wouldn't see as many school shootings, suicides, accidents, etc.