Quote:
Originally Posted by Grapesoda
why do you continually blame human behavior /action on inanimate objects? seems a bit strange to me....  (btw the majority of gun deaths are suicide) |
I don't blame the gun. What I don't like is the idea that people who are crazy or who are of the mind that they are going to commit a crime having easy access to guns.
The simple fact is that countries that have strict gun control laws also have much lower homicide rates than the US.
I know a lot of people say that if guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns. That isn't necessarily the case. Most guns used in crimes are guns that were at some point stolen from someone. Many of these stolen guns were once legally purchased.
I believe that people should have the right to have a gun to protect themselves. I do, but I don't have any misgivings about it. I understand that the reality is I am much more likely to either not get to the gun in time to protect myself or that the gun will eventually be used against me than I am to actually use it to protect myself. I keep it locked up and get it out only when I go camping or back packing.
I don't have any absurd fantasy that one day the government will be overthrown and the military will turn against the people and my buddies and I, in Red Dawn fashion, will take to the hills and defend our town.
The people that piss me off are the people that leave their guns laying around where they are easily stolen or mishandled by kids and accidents can happen. I am also annoyed by people who own guns that have people in their families/lives that have serious mental issues.
What most people don't know is that most gun crimes are committed with handguns, not semi-automatic rifles. If having an AR 15 is going to give someone a better erection, so be it. I don't give a shit if they own 10 of them, but I think we should have much stricter laws on the selling of handguns.