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Originally posted by cavscout
400,000 law-abiding people per year report that they successfully defended themselves against an attacker (usually without a shot being fired) by displaying a firearm.
It is true that every life is precious, especially the little ones. So if having all those guns around saves just one innocent life, isn’t it worth it?
Originally posted by The Vagabond
We who support the second amendment have a responsibility to promote laws that ensure that said right is exercised in a safe, responsible way by law abiding citizens, and not in any other capacity.
This is our responsibility both to the society that the second amendment is inteneded to protect and to future generations who should have the same right to defensive weapons.
We cannot meet this responsibility if we fail to acknowledge the problems to which guns are contributing and participate in formulating sollutions that do not infringe on our rights. If those who support the right to bear arms don't acknowledge those problems and help solve them, those who do not support that right will do it on their own, and we'll have little place to complain since we left them with no alternative.
Blame it on the Liberals!
Originally posted by donwhite
To make the turn-in work, beginning one year after the law, any gun not licensed and tax paid, would be confiscated and destroyed. I see no need to criminalize untaxed gun possession. We already have too many criminal laws on the books.
Well, in the study the 400,000 were quoted as saying that their use of a gun to defend themselves "almost certainly" saved their lives.
Originally posted by The Vagabond
. 400,000 lives possibly saved (who is to say if all 400,000 would have died)
versus over 9 million gun murders annually destroys the "if it saves one innocent life" proposal, because it takes more innocent lives.
I think the ability to raise militia forces is the cardinal justification for the right to bear arms.
There's really no denying that guns kill people as opposed to saving them.
but I have no idea where the "give life" button is. I'm pretty sure that feature hasn't been added yet.
let's face it, Charles Manson is relatively safe compared to Hitler.
We who support the second amendment have a responsibility to promote laws
Originally posted by cavscout
9 million!?!
You kidding me?
So, even if you include all the justifiable homicides in the 10,000 per year, and even you say that 97% of the 400,000 claiming that their use of firearm "almost certainly" saved their lives are lying, the numbers still point to an armed populous being a SAFER populous than one in which the victims are disarmed.
I think the ability to raise militia forces is the cardinal justification for the right to bear arms.
Incorrect! You cant show any current numbers that show guns killing more people in the US than they save. 400,000 victims disagree with you.
Notice that there is also no "take life" button.
let's face it, Charles Manson is relatively safe compared to Hitler.
And loaded, unlocked firearms are relatively safe around children as compared to bowling balls and mop buckets.
We who support the second amendment have a responsibility to promote laws
Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Guns don't kill children. People kill children.
That same gun might full well be why your child is returned safely to you someday.
I find it very interesting that in each of the 3 recent attacks on schoolchildren, there is one common denomitator: each of the gunman committed suicide before they could apprehend them.
Strange..
What if these people were brainwashed or being blackmailed into committing these atrocities? I think that is a real possibility. And I know it sounds crazy.
Look at the headlines, though, from the last week. Foleygate is dominating the news. Then there's that pesky book by Woodward, "State of Denial." This has been an horrific week for the Republican party.
I hate to say this, but it would not surprise me in the least if I learned that Republican operatives were behind this string of ghastly child-crimes. To take attention away from the perv scandal in DC.
Originally posted by cavscout
Department of Justice recently reported that murder rates have been on a steady decline since the early 1990s and that they have reached, for the first time, levels the same as the 1960s!
posted by deltaboy
“Even if . . “ [Edited by Don W]
“. . you ban guns, they just use some other weapon. Maybe looking for ways to kill the same number of people or more people through more sophisticated means than guns.
posted by Vagabond
In 1987 Florida nixed the 400+ local CCW laws in its state and made one, easy to obtain, CCW law. What happened? Murder rates in Florida have been dropping since 1989. [Edited by Don W]
Why? Because the criminals now live in fear of the citizens. Only problem was that Florida thugs, knowing that people just getting off planes were unarmed, began the "great Florida tourist murder rampage" as the AP put it. Solution? Well they just removed the huge day-glow rental stickers from cars leaving the airports and the problem was solved. You see, it is no longer safe for a criminal in Florida now that he cant tell who is packing and who isn’t.
Originally posted by donwhite
“guns don’t kill, people do” kind of illogic?
Will America Ever Change? Can It Change? Are We To Be Forever Doomed By Our Love of Guns? Will America grow up, and give up its love of guns, its fascination of power associated with guns? There was a struggle in the 1990s when the idea of banning assault guns was enacted. No more AK47s.
[edit on 10/3/2006 by donwhite]
posted by Ghost01
Will America Ever Change? Can It Change? Are We To Be Forever Doomed By Our Love of Guns? Will America grow up, and give up its love of guns, its fascination of power associated with guns?
Actually we have the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights that gurintees the right to Keep and Bare arms. Tim [Edited by Don W]
Originally posted by donwhite
posted by Vagabond
Originally posted by donwhite
Somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people are killed by guns every year in America. That is a large number of people to "give up" as a cost of doing business, or for the fun of holding a Blackhawk .44 in your hand. Most people regard the unnecessary deaths of up to 10,000 people a year to be a significant social problem. I do.
[edit on 11/13/2006 by donwhite]