The whole libertarian mantra about "being left alone" sure does make sense when you remember the guy next to you would legally be allowed to carry a sub machinegun around 
But, in all seriousness, I already answered that question. There is absolutely no need for that level of firepower to be available to the general public and, really, it's not a good idea for regular people to have access to more weaponry then law enforcement. Police have a tough enough time fighting criminals who have access to better weapons than their own departments. Why would you make it so every potential criminal did?
As much as I hate the police becoming more like military organizations, at some point they should be armed with real weapons. The fact that cops had to break into gun stores to stop the North Hollywood shooters proves incompetence on the part of the people arming them.
And for what it's worth, I don't think it's a great idea for people to be able to carry machine guns in public. It's the kind of thing that couldn't have been foreseen at the time, so given that I think the wise choice is to not allow it. Single shot rifles though... eh... why not? Other than "guns are scary," what's the reasoning behind it?
That example isn't really that great. Something like gun control would need to be done on a national level. Getting anything across state borders is generally a cake-walk.
Getting guns from Mexico is also easy. And unless you just straight up ban rifles, converting them to full auto weapons is actually not very difficult. It's what the North Hollywood shooters did.
I read a good article once on that shooting of the US Rep down in Arizona (or wherever it was) about a guy who happened to be carrying a concealed weapon. He pulled it out and ran to the scene and nearly shot a completely unarmed citizen who momentarily looked like a threat. Thankfully he came to his senses and decided not to shoot anyone.
That's one thing that should be made very clear. If that guy hadn't have changed his mind, he would have been a murderer. Not someone who made a bad mistake, a murderer. I'd almost be okay with executing these people just for being stupid. Rights come with responsibilities.
I'm very, very nervous about putting normal citizens, untrained in these types of situations, into a position that split second decisions could decide someone's life. It's only a matter of time until some gun nut shoots an innocent person thinking they're a terrorist or something if it hasn't happened already. Protecting your home and family is one thing. Bringing that weapon out on the street is another.
Not everything can be perfect. And the fact that it's seemingly never happened is borderline miraculous, but fortunately it shows that people carrying guns can be a good thing for society.
If you're being mugged by a guy with a gun or being carjacked, you're infinitely safer just letting them take your stuff than trying to shoot them. Situations in which nuts are shooting random people at work or school are so incredibly rare (even though they happen a couple times a year) that it doesn't make sense to carry a weapon for this type of situation.
I'd tend to agree. But it's more about instilling fear in criminals. The last thing you want to do is rob a convenience store and get killed by someone who is carrying a gun and knows what he's doing. Criminal activity is very much about minimizing risk as much as possible. Even the possibility of someone having a gun creates major problems.
Anyway... just realized this was kind of off topic from the purpose of this thread. Enjoy your weapons those of you who do. I don't understand it, but as long as you don't come shooting at me it's not that big of a deal.
That's fair.
A few replies directed at Reapsta.
You initially refer to everybody having the right to defend themselves, including the right to form a militia, yet suggest that you're happy for them to own weapons with little or no use in practical self defense; going so far as to say you're fine with them owning highly inaccurate full-auto rifles.
It's not just about self-defense, it's about defense against government. If for some reason Obama said "This government is considering banning the Christian religion in this country," wouldn't you think the entire South would have the right to say "You can try that, but then we're all loading up in our pickup trucks and heading for the white house, and you won't be able to stop us without military intervention"? It's essentially a matter of checks and balances.
School rampages are very infrequent. Accidental school discharges occur much more regularly. A statement from the Houston Independent School District said the kindergarten student brought the gun to school, but it fell to the ground around 10:22 a.m., injuring two of his classmates and the boy himself, Fox News reported. This despite only outlaws having easy access to guns. You're envisioning a solution that would pose a far, far greater risk than the problem itself (a problem I think you'd agree is severely overblown).
Dude, holy god, we're talking about Kindergarteners now. What does that have to do with licensed and responsible adults with weapons?
And even if we're talking about kids, there was a time when kids would bring shotguns and rifles to school for shooting club, and miraculously schools weren't bloodbaths.
On the topic of John McClainism, people tend to react very poorly in shootout situations. Cops, who are usually referred to during these sorts of discussions as trained professionals, have an embarrassingly bad track record of hitting the bad guy and not bystanders. That's why you see videos like the one a few threads down where they fire 140 rounds into a car, kill the bad guy and injure a half dozen others, including other cops. For every sharp-eyed Bernard Goetz, you're going to have a whole lot more Barney Fifes.
I already mentioned this in another post. It's not about accuracy, it's about suppression.
I lived in central florida for about a year and saw plenty of people walking around with pistols in holsters. it didn't make me feel safe, it made me feel like i was surrounded by fucking idiots.
Does this have to do with any quantifiable risk they create or the fact that you're afraid of people with guns?
I think it's interesting that when I go to Israel, a country where most citizens are walking around with machine guns, I feel completely safe. But in America, I don't want to think the citizens are carrying guns. I guess in the end, I just don't trust the American mentality.
I don't think this is completely unfair to say. While I think the fear of crazy gun nuts is highly exaggerated, the gun culture here is definitely about bravado to a somewhat uncomfortable extent. In Israel, everyone has to serve in the military and gun use is treated super seriously because of constant Palestinian threat. If everyone in America had to serve two years of military duty, I'd probably be okay with everyone carrying Machine Guns here too. I mean, why not?
but I don't think I've ever met a gun enthusiast who hasn't made the always-classy joke about how they like to shoot "cans."
I don't get it. Whenever I talk to someone who likes to shoot cans, they're actually talking about cans. (Which is gross by the way. I can't stand the sight of uncooked corn bleeding out of a shot up tin can).
There was that thing a while back where a man called 911 because a couple of black guys were breaking into his neighbours house, and he went outside and shot them both, an act which I find abhorrent.
Dude, I hate to sound heartless, but this is exactly why I want people to own guns. I'm not saying the guy handled it 100% correctly (Since I don't know the specifics of the situation), but I'm completely comfortable with the idea that if you break into someone's house you risk dying. (Although I do understand this requires judgement and carries risk with it. For example, some idiot shooting you for opening the window to get into your own house).
EDIT: Something I should have made more clear. I'm thinking more about break-ins when the occupants are present. If the occupants aren't present, it's entirely possible the criminals specifically didn't want to do harm to people and waited for the right moment. While they're not great people, just shooting at them seems unnecessary.
Topic: Any fellow gun enthusiasts? (Read 4771 times)
