yacjuman said: edited.

Perhaps you should check the rules of the forum before you fall off the deep end.

I notice a lot of people now switching to compare guns to drugs.

first off, the only issue I, and most other people, have is the abused use of drugs and guns. Different rules need to be implemented for each, because there are entirely different methods by which they are abused.

To say that making guns legal is the same thing as making drugs legal is ridiculous. I can't stop a mugger by sticking a needle in my arm. I'm not about to expect to overthrow a failing government by snorting a line of coke.

One other thing I will point out, is that putting a gun in someone's hand doesn't make them unable to coherently perceive the world around them. My reasoning skills are unchanged. Injecting yourself with a drug, quite usually DOES influence and debilitate your reasoning skills.
It is not guns that are the danger to society any more than video games are, it is the lack of responsibility and intelligence, things which drug often does directly correlate with.

So no, I do not consider drugs to be something that should be put on any equivalence to guns.

I see that fear is directly linked to wanting/owning a gun (as in for self-defense purposes). Doesn't more guns create more fear?

here guns are illegal without a permit which is not easy to acquire. People don't have to purchase one either. I had numerous walks trought the city (which is capital of my country) at times like 1am-6am without any fear of getting killed/injured. Personally, i would like it to stay that way.

since our TV channels lately are filled with series like CSI and so on, i can see the "culture of fear" in USA, and i sometimes say to myself "thank God i don't live there, the fear would always haunt me, gun or no gun". I'm not saying that the series show realistic picture of living in america, but they pump the fear. Always murders, mass murders, kindapping, terrorism, extorsion blah blah. That or sitcoms. nothing in between.

Hundreds of lives were lost on 9/11/2001 and no guns were used.

You keep pushing the idea that someone needs a gun to do serious harm. It's simply not true. You can kill more people with a city bus or your car than you can with a firearm.

Andir said: Hundreds of lives were lost on 9/11/2001 and no guns were used. You keep pushing the idea that someone needs a gun to do serious harm. It's simply not true. You can kill more people with a city bus or your car than you can with a firearm.

Yes, but city buses have primary use of transportation. Primary use of guns is injuring/killing people. So, there is a BIG difference between the two.

Besides, hijacking a city bus requires a gun, or physical strenght (to use a knife or remove the driver) or vehicle stealing skills. But the main tool, or the easiest one, is usually a GUN.

Actually no, fear stems from lack of knowledge, and the sensation that power is in an uncontrollable source that will attempt to use it to oppress you. Hence what gives us the most fear is that the only guns out there are in the hands of the government and criminals (and sometimes, there isn't much distinction between the two) Owning a gun, having the knowledge of how to use it properly, and having the knowledge that your freinds, neighbors, and other citizens also have this as well can be incredibly theraputic for these issues.

Have you heard the expression that "There's never a cop around when you need them"? There's a reason for this, and it's because A) The number of police officers that the government is willing to invest in is always only barely high enough to keep the criminal activity within that city in check, if even that, and B) Police officers have to wear uniforms and generally can be easily spotted while patroling.

When you and the citizens in your community are the people with the guns, YOU are the ones who are capable, if neccesary, of protecting yoruselves and others from these circumstances. Is it often nothing more than a placebo? Perhaps, but it is a placebo that can WORK when circumstances require it.

And as I've said before, there is also the symbolic point of owning guns, as it represents the fact that our government is serving US. We are the ones who create and manage it for the purpose of handling the difficulties that are beyond the scope of individial communities, and if it isn't doing its job, we are capable of using force to fix that issue. If a government is the only place in which armament can be found, then there is no way for the citizenry to object to an improper government.

Oh wow Mods edit your opinions here, way to go.

Grey Acumen said: Actually no, fear stems from lack of knowledge, and the sensation that power is in an uncontrollable source that will attempt to use it to oppress you. Hence what gives us the most fear is that the only guns out there are in the hands of the government and criminals (and sometimes, there isn't much distinction between the two) Owning a gun, having the knowledge of how to use it properly, and having the knowledge that your freinds, neighbors, and other citizens also have this as well can be incredibly theraputic for these issues. Have you heard the expression that "There's never a cop around when you need them"? There's a reason for this, and it's because A) The number of police officers that the government is willing to invest in is always only barely high enough to keep the criminal activity within that city in check, if even that, and B) Police officers have to wear uniforms and generally can be easily spotted while patroling. When you and the citizens in your community are the people with the guns, YOU are the ones who are capable, if neccesary, of protecting yoruselves and others from these circumstances. Is it often nothing more than a placebo? Perhaps, but it is a placebo that can WORK when circumstances require it. And as I've said before, there is also the symbolic point of owning guns, as it represents the fact that our government is serving US. We are the ones who create and manage it for the purpose of handling the difficulties that are beyond the scope of individial communities, and if it isn't doing its job, we are capable of using force to fix that issue. If a government is the only place in which armament can be found, then there is no way for the citizenry to object to an improper government.

 

So, you're saying that you own a gun not because of fear that you might get assaulted/robbed (presumely by a person carrying a firearm), but  ____________?(fill the blank)

 

 

Using your post, I would assume you would outlaw bodybuilding next because with bodybuilding a knife can be a deadly weapon? And there's really no purpose to bodybuilding except making yourself stronger than someone else and thus able to kill?

Also, by your explanation of a reason to ban guns, then we must also ban swords as they are killing tools. Daggers, slingshots, crossbows, bows, any axe over a certain size, hammers of more than a certain weight and boomerangs. Everything I mentioned was designed to kill at one point or another in history. Another thing that was designed to kill is nuclear reactors, rockets, and bombers. You should also place razor blades on a "watch list" because they can be tied to a tongue depressor and be used to slit the throat of a victim (Shiv, a weapon designed to kill with no other use.)

Oh, and I forgot, the root of all killing devices. A pointy stick.

BTW, guns are used for target shooting, clay pigeons, collecting, and most recently to shoot t-shirts into the stands at football games. Yes, those are air powered guns and could be loaded with potatoes or rocks and do some serious damage as well.

joora said: Grey Acumen said: Actually no, fear stems from lack of knowledge, and the sensation that power is in an uncontrollable source that will attempt to use it to oppress you. Hence what gives us the most fear is that the only guns out there are in the hands of the government and criminals (and sometimes, there isn't much distinction between the two) Owning a gun, having the knowledge of how to use it properly, and having the knowledge that your freinds, neighbors, and other citizens also have this as well can be incredibly theraputic for these issues. Have you heard the expression that "There's never a cop around when you need them"? There's a reason for this, and it's because A) The number of police officers that the government is willing to invest in is always only barely high enough to keep the criminal activity within that city in check, if even that, and B) Police officers have to wear uniforms and generally can be easily spotted while patroling. When you and the citizens in your community are the people with the guns, YOU are the ones who are capable, if neccesary, of protecting yoruselves and others from these circumstances. Is it often nothing more than a placebo? Perhaps, but it is a placebo that can WORK when circumstances require it. And as I've said before, there is also the symbolic point of owning guns, as it represents the fact that our government is serving US. We are the ones who create and manage it for the purpose of handling the difficulties that are beyond the scope of individial communities, and if it isn't doing its job, we are capable of using force to fix that issue. If a government is the only place in which armament can be found, then there is no way for the citizenry to object to an improper government.   So, you're saying that you own a gun not because of fear that you might get assaulted/robbed (presumely by a person carrying a firearm), but ____________?(fill the blank)

I personally am not afraid of anything, but I also recognize the fact that if the situation did come up, that I wouldn't necessarily be able to dissuade an attacker with my bare hands alone. It is actually my wish to avoid any conflict I can and cause as little harm as I can to those around me, but as part of that, I need to make it clear beyond any doubt to my potential adversary that I am UNQUESTIONINGLY capable of causing them serious harm. Otherwise, they might think they should risk the chances, in which case, I might have to use my bare hands or any object I have to induce concussions, break bones, and otherwise damage my opponent in a way in which he is forced to disengage from his attack.