Let’s talk guns and gun control in an intelligent debate

[Dr. Jack]

Obviously in the other thread it has started but I think it deserves its own thread. I know people feel strongly about this one way or the other and these debates usually get heated but I would like to see if we can get an intelligent debate about guns in our society.

I have family and friends on both sides of this debate and I myself am torn on the issue

I will start with this – You often hear “right to bear arms” and “guns do not kill – people kill”

What are the positives about owning a gun and why should it be a right to own a gun?

[WildKat]

The "bad guys" will get the guns if they need to have them. I am for the right to own a gun! Although, I dont!

[7thHeaven]

I have lived in 3 different countries so far (1 in Asia, 1 in Europe and 1 in North America, Canada) and i never feel the need for guns.

I do have a firearms license, having worked briefly for Brinks Security and frankly, I don't feel like I need to own a gun, let alone carry it everyday

It just boggles my mind but I respect you guys' rights and privileges. That being said, i think the U.S. need to institute stricter gun control. People keep saying guns don't kill, people kill but if that guy only has a knife, the carnage would be much less

Cheers!

[Romanowski]

95% of violent crimes are committed with UN-registered guns - this seems like intelligent reason to have a legal gun to protect your home.

however...

gun manufactures are also to blame...the # produced every year is astronomical and off the record these companies must know that it isnt possible that all the guns produced end up in the right hands

[domafia]

Originally Posted by Romanowski

gun manufactures are also to blame...the # produced every year is astronomical and off the record these companies must know that it isnt possible that all the guns produced end up in the right hands

this is great point, crazy to me that it's not a government-regulated industry.

[139420]

One of the biggest contributors to our govt were these firearm companies.

Originally Posted by domafia

this is great point, crazy to me that it's not a government-regulated industry.

[Big Pimpin]

Way too many pros and cons to list


You/I have a right to own guns for whatever purpose...protection/hunting etc...

Criminals will get guns any way they can get them...street or straw purchase or steal them.

Bottom line is when people are found or use them in commision of a crime the penalty is not that steep therefore not that much of a deterrent to not have them.

Also,not much you can do about some whack job that wants to kill people whether they have access to guns or not

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by domafia

this is great point, crazy to me that it's not a government-regulated industry.

Is the ATF, not government regulated??

[prep16505]

I really don't have a position on if people should have the right to carry arms. But personally, I will not own a firearm. The only reason I would ever need to have a firearm is to use it on someone else (I don't hunt so I wouldn't need it for game). There is way too much legal liability involved if for some reason I had to pull the trigger on someone else. If a man wants to shoot and kill me, then so be it. I will not, however, shoot and kill another man. I don't want to live with that, no matter the circumstances.

Consider this: My father knows a man who owned a bar. This bar got robbed a couple of times within a period of a few weeks. The bartender, who was the owner, got fed up and decided to purchase a gun to keep under the bar for safety and self defense. Well wouldn't you know it, but right after he bought that gun, a man came into his bar and robbed him at gun point. While the robber was trying to make his get away and run out the front door of the bar, the bartender pulled out the gun and shot the robber in the back of the head. The robber died right on the spot. The cops came down, arrested the bartender, and threw him in jail. The bartender was sentenced to thirty some odd years in jail.

[pwherr]

I live in CO.Make my day law.Yes I own a fire arm.Yes I would use it if necessary to protect home or family.I am not a gun nut but I do believe in the right to bare arms.

[prep16505]

Home. Family. None of it is worth going to jail over. I've never been there, but I know someone who has. It's all too risky for me....

If someone has a gun and is going to shoot me, then it's time to meet my maker. Give me Liberty or Give me Death

[Brother Love]

this only shows why you must be allowed to carry a gun. cops are there to serve & protect but they come after the fact. protection is needed at the moment. if that state had gun laws that allowed you to carry a firearm this kind of stuff would either not happen or would have been over w/ minimal ppl being hurt. muggers & rapist are gonna think twice also shoot you really wanna get into it w/ someone who might have a 9mm under that loose oversized jacket.
gun control only takes the guns away from the legal responsible gun owners, the criminals will always find a way to get weapons.

[Henry09]

You know I have always wanted to spend some time living over in the US as a career option. So many things I want to see, sporting events to attend and people I want to catch up with. But the thought that there are so many guns in circulation scares the absolute shit out of me.

[sportsfan]

Originally Posted by prep16505

I really don't have a position on if people should have the right to carry arms. But personally, I will not own a firearm. The only reason I would ever need to have a firearm is to use it on someone else (I don't hunt so I wouldn't need it for game). There is way too much legal liability involved if for some reason I had to pull the trigger on someone else. If a man wants to shoot and kill me, then so be it. I will not, however, shoot and kill another man. I don't want to live with that, no matter the circumstances.

Consider this: My father knows a man who owned a bar. This bar got robbed a couple of times within a period of a few weeks. The bartender, who was the owner, got fed up and decided to purchase a gun to keep under the bar for safety and self defense. Well wouldn't you know it, but right after he bought that gun, a man came into his bar and robbed him at gun point. While the robber was trying to make his get away and run out the front door of the bar, the bartender pulled out the gun and shot the robber in the back of the head. The robber died right on the spot. The cops came down, arrested the bartender, and threw him in jail. The bartender was sentenced to thirty some odd years in jail.

No big surprise here. Not usually very legal to shoot anyone in the back.

I used to be a big fan of Pro-gun laws but I don't really care anymore. All I care about now is that ammo is relatively cheap and available. Guns are really simple things and it is just too easy to acquire them to worry about what laws are or aren't passed.

[prep16505]

Originally Posted by Brother Love

this only shows why you must be allowed to carry a gun. cops are there to serve & protect but they come after the fact. protection is needed at the moment. if that state had gun laws that allowed you to carry a firearm this kind of stuff would either not happen or would have been over w/ minimal ppl being hurt. muggers & rapist are gonna think twice also shoot you really wanna get into it w/ someone who might have a 9mm under that loose oversized jacket.
gun control only takes the guns away from the legal responsible gun owners, the criminals will always find a way to get weapons.

While you may want to take the law into your own hands, you cannot. That is not going to change. If you shoot someone, and you havn't been shot or stabbed by them first, odds are you are going to jail for some time.

Do you know what scares muggers and rapists? I'm not talking about the ones that are high on drugs, because on hard narcotics they aren't scared of anything. But the only thing that scares muggers and rapists is the fact that they don't know if you are carrying a gun or not. They are afraid that if they target the wrong person, they might get shot or killed. They already think twice about it, trust me.