Girl mistakes gun for Wii controller - kills herself

[FreeTalkLive]

Wiped said:

You're right. We definitely need to ensure that as a society, as a people, we do not allow our freedoms to be impinged upon. We can't stand bu and watch 1984 become reality - that much is completely true.

But we musn't make the mistake of thinking that guns are one of the freedoms we should have. That's like saying we should legalise drugs, because them being illegal is hurting our freedoms. They are illegal because they are massively destructive to us as individuals and as a collective society - the same reason, in fact, that guns are illegal in the UK. I don't complain that my rights to murder are impeded by the state's law against it.

Revolt is simply not the answer. The American government spend billions of dollars every year on guns, arms, the army in general. If ever there was a revolt, the people pulling pistols out from under their pillows would change nothing, it would simply make the whole process much more messy. Sadly, if the American government wanted to change to an undemocratic society, there is very little that the people could do, guns or no guns. They'd have to hope that another nation would declare war to put a stop to it (much like how UK and US fought against Hitler's regime in WW2). The idea that guns should be a right simply because it might help a revolt against a government that may become undemocratic is absurd. For one thing, it's far too hypothetical. Let's say it never happens, and that the government more or less keeps within a modicum of power-restraint. Then all the innocent lives lost to the ready availability of guns - such as the little girl of this article - all of the crimes committed, all of the people killed by firearms. would be for nothing. The revolt argument is the one argument with a shred of credence, but it simply isn't strong enough to warrant such old-fashioned and destructive practice such as gun use (and abuse) to freely continue within a supposedly modern society.

Re-legalize drugs?  Absolutely, ending prohibition would be a great step forward.  It would likely mean drastically lower crime and be a big boost for the economy.  However, that stuff isn't as important as every person's fundamental right to own their body.  As an adult, you own your body and as long as you own a substance, you are the only one with the right to decide if you put it in your body or not.  Otherwise, someone else owns you.  Personally, I own my own body.

Self-Ownership explained

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muHg86Mys7I