06-01-2004, 05:13 AM
I'm against gun control for a number of reasons. Gun control is worthless in North America - too many guns are currently on the street. It would take perhaps 50 years of Byzantine police efforts to reduce the number of guns available on the black market by an appreciable quantity.
Japan has strict gun control and it works fine for them; they're an island and thus sufficiently isolated to prevent mass smuggling efforts. Trying to control firearms in America is akin to trying to prevent the flow of illicit narcotics - a big waste of time against an insurmountable opponent.
Also, guns in the hands of private citizens are our last line of defense against foreign invasion or government tyranny. I know we're not going to be invaded anytime in the forseeable future, and as much as I distrust the government I don't think we'll see gestapo-like tactics used anytime soon. That's not really the point though. Nobody knows what the future will bring, what will happen in 50 years or 200 years.
I also think proper gun use and safety should be stressed from an early age. So many people die needlessly because some asshole with a god complex will get his hand on a gun and, not having any training, doesn't seem to grasp the concept that it's not a toy, it's a deadly fucking weapon. Part of this comes from the mixed message in our culture where kids are told in school and by parents that guns are an awful terrible thing, but in the movies they see that the guys with the guns are the badass motherfuckers, at the top of the food chain. In the early days of this country, and really up through the last century, kids learned at a young age that guns are part of life, and were taught how to shoot, to clean and care for weapons and be a responsible gun owner. I think going back to that line of thought would be more productive than making law after law in a futile effort to disarm the masses.
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.
Japan has strict gun control and it works fine for them; they're an island and thus sufficiently isolated to prevent mass smuggling efforts. Trying to control firearms in America is akin to trying to prevent the flow of illicit narcotics - a big waste of time against an insurmountable opponent.
Also, guns in the hands of private citizens are our last line of defense against foreign invasion or government tyranny. I know we're not going to be invaded anytime in the forseeable future, and as much as I distrust the government I don't think we'll see gestapo-like tactics used anytime soon. That's not really the point though. Nobody knows what the future will bring, what will happen in 50 years or 200 years.
I also think proper gun use and safety should be stressed from an early age. So many people die needlessly because some asshole with a god complex will get his hand on a gun and, not having any training, doesn't seem to grasp the concept that it's not a toy, it's a deadly fucking weapon. Part of this comes from the mixed message in our culture where kids are told in school and by parents that guns are an awful terrible thing, but in the movies they see that the guys with the guns are the badass motherfuckers, at the top of the food chain. In the early days of this country, and really up through the last century, kids learned at a young age that guns are part of life, and were taught how to shoot, to clean and care for weapons and be a responsible gun owner. I think going back to that line of thought would be more productive than making law after law in a futile effort to disarm the masses.
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.