Reply to Re: School shooting in Connecticut
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December 17th 2012, 06:15 AM
shevek
As far as stabbings go, yeah, it's easier to kill with a gun, but it's also easier to protect yourself with one as well.
Exactly my point: you say you need a gun if there are people with guns around. And you do: giving up your gun doesn't make you any safer in a place where many people have guns. But changing the law and making everyone, including you, give up their gun, makes it a lot safer indeed.
The fact of the matter is that criminals don't stop at laws
Right, they don't. And we, "the people", have hired the police to stop them. If a criminal is breaking into people's houses and shooting their guns, the police will be on their tails in no time. Yes, it's bad luck if you happen to be the first one where the criminal visits. But even with the risk of not being able to protect yourself in that case, you are still a lot safer. This is because the risk of you being the first is very low, and there are much fewer criminals with guns if there are fewer guns. Plus, from experience in the Netherlands, I can tell you that criminals with guns are mostly using those guns on other criminals (and the police doesn't care as much about that).
There's also the matter that everyone in my country has the right to bear arms and that that shouldn't be infringed upon in anyway.
Yes, this seems to be something holy to US citizens, and nothing can stop them (you?) from thinking this. Even in the face of clear evidence that you would be safer without this right. I cannot comprehend this.
How else are the normal people going to protect themselves and keep the gov't from becoming too powerful?
This is exactly what I wrote before: you don't trust the police to protect you, so you must protect yourself (against criminals and/or the police). The paradox is that this attitude makes you and the rest of your country less safe for everybody.
Do you realize that you live in a democratic country? The government is chosen by the people and they should do things that people cannot properly do themselves, for the benefit of the people. The most important of those things is keeping the country a safe place. They do this from the outside, by hiring soldiers to protect against attacks from other countries, and on the inside, by making and enforcing laws for traffic and how you can or cannot treat other people. Controlling the possession and use of weapons should be a part of that.
100 years ago, when the West was still Wild, there was no real government in there. It made sense to trust only yourself with something as important as your safety. But now things are different. You can trust the police. And you should trust the police. Because as long as you (as a society) don't, you will not live in a safe place.
Last but not least, what are you going to do against a power-grabbing government? You think they use guns to grab power? No, they will use Big Brother-techniques. They will overpower people one at a time. Your guns will not help you there. Your best bet is using the democratic process. Which, I fear is quite a bit flawed in the USA. Go fix that, instead of insisting that you must be allowed to carry guns. It will make you feel better in more ways than just your safety.
Exactly my point: you say you need a gun if there are people with guns around. And you do: giving up your gun doesn't make you any safer in a place where many people have guns. But changing the law and making everyone, including you, give up their gun, makes it a lot safer indeed.
The fact of the matter is that criminals don't stop at laws
Right, they don't. And we, "the people", have hired the police to stop them. If a criminal is breaking into people's houses and shooting their guns, the police will be on their tails in no time. Yes, it's bad luck if you happen to be the first one where the criminal visits. But even with the risk of not being able to protect yourself in that case, you are still a lot safer. This is because the risk of you being the first is very low, and there are much fewer criminals with guns if there are fewer guns. Plus, from experience in the Netherlands, I can tell you that criminals with guns are mostly using those guns on other criminals (and the police doesn't care as much about that).
There's also the matter that everyone in my country has the right to bear arms and that that shouldn't be infringed upon in anyway.
Yes, this seems to be something holy to US citizens, and nothing can stop them (you?) from thinking this. Even in the face of clear evidence that you would be safer without this right. I cannot comprehend this.
How else are the normal people going to protect themselves and keep the gov't from becoming too powerful?
This is exactly what I wrote before: you don't trust the police to protect you, so you must protect yourself (against criminals and/or the police). The paradox is that this attitude makes you and the rest of your country less safe for everybody.
Do you realize that you live in a democratic country? The government is chosen by the people and they should do things that people cannot properly do themselves, for the benefit of the people. The most important of those things is keeping the country a safe place. They do this from the outside, by hiring soldiers to protect against attacks from other countries, and on the inside, by making and enforcing laws for traffic and how you can or cannot treat other people. Controlling the possession and use of weapons should be a part of that.
100 years ago, when the West was still Wild, there was no real government in there. It made sense to trust only yourself with something as important as your safety. But now things are different. You can trust the police. And you should trust the police. Because as long as you (as a society) don't, you will not live in a safe place.
Last but not least, what are you going to do against a power-grabbing government? You think they use guns to grab power? No, they will use Big Brother-techniques. They will overpower people one at a time. Your guns will not help you there. Your best bet is using the democratic process. Which, I fear is quite a bit flawed in the USA. Go fix that, instead of insisting that you must be allowed to carry guns. It will make you feel better in more ways than just your safety.
