| Rpruett said: Comparing the United States to Europe or anywhere is else is foolish. Different circumstances, different society, different culture. |
With that knockout argument you can avoid any comparison between countries if you don't like the result.
| Rpruett said: The United States widely being considered the 'top' country in the world... |
Yeah, widely considered as "the top" by US Americans ;)
It's a first world country... why should it be unfair to compare it to other first world countries?
| Rpruett said: ...while also having their hands involved in nearly every military conflict on the globe also makes them a target. |
They play world police by own choice.
| Rpruett said: Additionally, the United States has a drastically larger population than most individual European countries... |
So what? Then compare the US gun homicides or crime rates to the EU-average.
| Rpruett said: ... and several more large-scale cities and also borders more dangerous countries than a majority of Europe. |
Canada and Mexico... very dangerous countries. ;)
Middle Europe was the political dividing line between the NATO and the Warsaw Pact in a Cold War for half a century. Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo had their wars which could have spread to other European countries. Countries like Syria, Libya, Tunesia and Egypt aren't that far away from Europe either.
By the way... the EU has more large-scale cities than the USA:
9 "million cities" in the US: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas
17 "million cities" in the EU: London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Bukarest, Vienna, Hamburg, Budapest, Warsaw, Barcelona, Munich, Milano, Sofia, Prag, Birmingham, Cologne
| Rpruett said: The real issue at work here is simple and straight-forward. Do you as a human being, have the "right", the "freedom" to protect yourself and your family? In my opinion, that's the only question that needs to be asked. Everyone should have the right to protect themselves and should not be denied that. |
The real issue at work here ain't that simple and straight-forward. Do you want to live in a country where the probability to get shot by someone who "only wanted to protect himself" is 10 - 50 times than in other countries... just to keep your right to "bear arms" for the improbable possibility you get attacked someday? Do you want to be responsible for an accidental death caused by your panic? (the article with the 12 year old girl above could have easily shot her own mother or any other who wanted to help her). Where do you draw the line which weapons are still okay for defense and which ones are overkill for mere protection? Don't you have trained authorities to protect you so that you don't have to do it yourself?
