Poll: Guns and you!

[rapt0r22]

I think explosives should just be outright banned. there's no need to have explosives if you aren't in the army or maybe mining. Automatics and suppressors are ok with permits. Nothing else should be banned. Even semi automatic assault type weapons.

Reasons:

1) The little thing called the Second Amendment. If the government takes the Second Amendment away what stops them from taking the First or the Fifth?

2) Protection. If someone is planning to kill you do you think they really give a shit if their weapon is illegal? Life in prison for murder is a little more daunting than a couple years or a fine for owning a gun. A criminal isn't going to care about breaking a law to get a weapon, but the guy he murders probably didn't want to break the law and get a weapon to protect himself.

3) Right now I can legally go buy a handgun. So can a person who wants to murder someone. When the handgun is bought its serial number is registered. When the criminal kills someone and tries to ditch the gun and the cops find it that serial number gives them a suspect. Yes someone died but do you really think that a law against guns would stop someone from being able to get a gun? No it would just force them to do it illegally and then that serial number wouldn't be registered and the police wouldn't have a suspect.

4) First a clarification: you can legally own an assault weapon if it was manufactured before the date that the law banning assault weapons went into effect. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Assault_Weapons_Ban ). So now lets say the government banned sports cars like that (why not; after all speeding is against the law and could harm or kill others and sports cars force you to speed the same way guns force you to murder people). So you could still own and even sell a sports car that was built before the ban. Then the next year all cars got banned. You still want a car so you go to your friend who collected all different cars. Which do you buy: the station wagon or the Camaro? If all guns were banned and you went to illegally buy a gun which would you buy: the little 9mm handgun or the .50 cal rifle? It's going to be the same jail time or fine for either so why not buy the .50? Some things are excessive, so make them illegal. But don't worry about the other things.

5) GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE!!!! If someone shot me in the chest, in the moment I realize I'm dead I'm not going to think "that beretta just killed me," no I'll think "that asshole with the beretta just killed me." A gun in my hand doesn't shoot itself. I pull the trigger, I make the choice. If pulling the trigger is illegal it's not my gun's fault, it's mine.

If you really want to stop gun related violence then increase the punishments for people who use guns for violent crimes. When you get that guy in the courtroom for first degree murder with a handgun don't give him life in prison with parole after 20 years if he's good. Hell no life with to parole. If you're in Texas or some other state that still uses the death penalty remind him that each time he gets into a fight in prison you'll skip him ahead a bit in the line to that needle. Don't punish me because some guy in New York decided to shoot someone in a dark alley and take their wallet. I didn't make that choice. My gun didn't make that choice. Punish the guy who pulled the trigger. And if it's too hard to catch the guy then maybe the money going into passing the next gun banning laws should go into researching new methods of evidence collecting? A typical American citizen shouldn't become collateral damage because the government is either incapable or unwilling to fight gun crimes the fair and just way.

 

[icypain]

I want a howitzer in my backyard. Those kids on my lawn are looking pretty suspicious...

 

[Okuu_Fusion]

I don't mind guns... However, I think they should be banned where I live... at least, from being in public...

People here want it to be legal to carry a firearm in public... Under the condition that their gun is unloaded...

So basically people want to carry around a paper weight..? Some might say, "well, if someone trys to rob me, I'll whip my gun out and scare them off"... Which wouldn't work since they'd know your gun is empty... and in case it wasn't empty, and you shot them, you'd be the one who goes to jail... so whats the point...

So anyway... I believe, as long as you keep the firearms for protection/hobby or use for hunting, its totally okay...

 

[Uncreation]

I think i've said this before, so i might be repeating myself, but:
I don't like guns.
I really don't like guns.
I REALLY don't like guns.
I REALLY don't like guns.

So, while i might understand that some people like to have one for some reason, i would not like to live in a country where it's legal for most people to own one.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I'm always a little against guns because I find them a somewhat lazy and inresponsible way for a non-soldier to fight.
I do however think that self-defence is an important right, so would be willing to accept them as a compromise if we can't go back to everyone carrying a sword

if all guns are banned, you wouldn't have to defend yourself.

OT: i believe all guns should be banned. not weapons though, as "weapon" is just too vague. a baseball bat can be used as a weapon, when you do an unarmed martial art, you ARE a weapon.
no guns = no stupid people with guns = less retarded accidents involving guns.

I've seen too many groups of chavs relying on numbers alone or knives to be dangerous to think that no guns = no risk. Besides, I feel that it is easier for a free individual to make their own safety than it is for a safe individual to make their own freedom, so some level of self-defence is always going to be a concern of mine.

I agree with that comment about the uses of the word "weapon"

 

[Socius]

Gun controll in Norway works exellent, very few deaths are caused by guns.
everytime someone gets shot the murderer is arrested, due to the few guns in the country.
we've never had a schoolshooting ever!

You hear that? Monarchy, free healtchare, liberal sexuall visions, socialism and gun control!
hell yeah!

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

Some of it should stay how it is now. All types of guns (even automatics if one carries a special license for one) should be legal when sold by one with a permit allowing him to sell said guns. Guns should not be sold to ones with a criminal record involving violent behavior, you must be 18 to be allowed full access to a firearm (strong parental guidance when younger).

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I'm always a little against guns because I find them a somewhat lazy and inresponsible way for a non-soldier to fight.
I do however think that self-defence is an important right, so would be willing to accept them as a compromise if we can't go back to everyone carrying a sword

Swords are hard to make and very cumbersome, also they require a good amount of training and concentration to wield so you don't end up cutting yourself. Imagine if we only carried swords, when the mob gets involved with importing illegal weapons a sword isn't going to do shit against a machine gun, if the cops were using swords and the mob got their hands on guns they could literally take over the entire town. But then on second thought, a sword would be total bad ass and it would encourage people to go outside and train with them reducing the overweight population.

Police having guns is still fine in my books. I'm in the UK, so gangs having guns isn't as large a problem as it seems to be elsewhere (it's just the gangs themselves that are the problem )
The expercise part of using them is one of the main reasons that I find swords so cool.

 

[Verp]

Well, I quite like how things are now in my country. You cannot own a gun for self-defence, you must be able to offer proof that the weapon is used for the purpose it was acquired for, and the types of guns you're allowed own are very tightly regulated.

I think that people should be able to have guns for jobs that require their use, hunting, collecting, and sports. Owning a gun for security isn't justifiable here -- if you think you absolutely need one for defending yourself, you need help because you are either incredibly paranoid or you yourself are a criminal who's gotten themselves into trouble with, I dunno, the Russian mafia or something.

 

[kickyourass]

I think a ban, or at least heavy restictions, of certain weapons (Such as explosives or full auto guns) is prefectly reasonable, I mean unless a horde of orcs or something is coming after you, you really don't need anything beyond a basic hunting rifle or a pistol.

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I'm always a little against guns because I find them a somewhat lazy and inresponsible way for a non-soldier to fight.
I do however think that self-defence is an important right, so would be willing to accept them as a compromise if we can't go back to everyone carrying a sword

Depending on the sword things could get *very* messy. 'specially if they're not cared for.

Nearly any form of self-defence could get messy. At least a sword can parry

 

[DanDeFool]

I imagine that situation would have been very different if that student had been carrying a .45 Glock.

I can tell you what would have happened! The glock would have exploded in his hand because glocks are complete crap and he would have ended up shot and missing a hand.

Odd. Pretty much everything I've heard about Glock has lead me to believe that they make some of the best handguns in the world. What makes you think Glock's handguns are poor quality?

 

[loc978]

I imagine that situation would have been very different if that student had been carrying a .45 Glock.

I can tell you what would have happened! The glock would have exploded in his hand because glocks are complete crap and he would have ended up shot and missing a hand.

Odd. Pretty much everything I've heard about Glock has lead me to believe that they make some of the best handguns in the world. What makes you think Glock's handguns are poor quality?

...I doubt he's ever held one.
http://www.theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90
http://www.youtube.com/user/schapman43

Yes, they are the probably most reliable handgun on Earth. Many people find them uncomfortable to hold... some others think modern composites melt or deform like a child's plastic toy. Those others are poorly educated.

Spoiler: I take mine everywhere I go...

I take mine everywhere I go...

 

[nofear220]

Don't ban anything.
Guns are awesome.

how bout a mental exam for people before they are allowed to have guns though?

But the criminals would still get them by going around the stystem.

There is nothing special about guns, they are a weapon like a sword or a butter knife. Its not like murder didn't exist until the gun was invented.

Yeah, but it would just increase the street price of a gun further

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

I imagine that situation would have been very different if that student had been carrying a .45 Glock.

I can tell you what would have happened! The glock would have exploded in his hand because glocks are complete crap and he would have ended up shot and missing a hand.

Odd. Pretty much everything I've heard about Glock has lead me to believe that they make some of the best handguns in the world. What makes you think Glock's handguns are poor quality?

The extreme finicky-ness of it. The ability to literally explode on you with reloaded rounds (yes, all guns can explode with reloads, it just happens more for glocks) The extreme light weight means more recoil. If you've ever held one, the grip weighs probably less than a pound, all the weight is in the slide. The lack of an external hammer. I hate the trigger safety, I'd much rather go with a decocker. I don't like how it feels... Pretty much the only good thing I can say about Glocks is that they run very well when they're dry. You don't have to lubricate it at all. I personally like my P226 over my Glock 17 (inherited, not bought) but I have to keep it wet. It's much like the AR, AK argument in that an AR will beat an AK, but it just has to be well cleaned and oiled.
Oh, there's also the whole "upward barrel tilt" thing. I never understood the usefulness of that.

 

[xdom125x]

I think private citizens should be allowed to own and carry guns for defense against attackers and in case their government becomes tyrannical. Although I can't think of many guns ,that are legal for private citizens to own, that would help put up much of a fight against a government controlling fighter jets, tanks, and much worse.

 

[CaptainKoala]

Don't ban anything.
Guns are awesome.

how bout a mental exam for people before they are allowed to have guns though?

But the criminals would still get them by going around the stystem.

There is nothing special about guns, they are a weapon like a sword or a butter knife. Its not like murder didn't exist until the gun was invented.

Yeah, but it would just increase the street price of a gun further

Most criminals of all types are in it for the money anyways. And generally, they have plenty of it. So getting guns wouldn't be a problem regardless.

 

[CaptainKoala]

That makes no sense. They would have firearms even with the ban. Why is this so hard to comprehend? Weed is banned yet you can still get it, as with child porn (and not just over the internet) and a whole host of other banned substances.

Way to counteract your own argument.

You can still get child porn even though it is banned, so why ban it? Just let everyone have access to it.

Making child porn harms children. Making guns does not.

The whole freaking argument over banning guns is that doing so will prevent bad people from using them.

It won't and there are legitimate uses for a gun (none with child porn or murder).

The argument that banning firearms will have no effect because they will just get them anyway is absolute rubbish. If you are a criminal, it would be sure as bloody hell easier to obtain a firearm and kill someone where firearms are legal than if they were illegal.

Not necessarily. Most of the guns will be sold by stores required to do background checks.

And seriously, whoever used the woman raped in an ally way, get a life.

Because women never need to fear being raped? It still happens you know.

Sure it's a sob story that gets people worked up (mostly reactionary idiots), but don't you need a special licence to carry a weapon out of your house? and that it has to be concealed? and that you can't get it in all states? I could be wrong.

Yes, but they're not impossible to get or anything.

Allowing civilians to use guns with little or no training is ridiculous. If you hand guns out to everyone there is a very high chance that a nutcase is going to have a whole bunch of them.

And that can happen regardless of the laws. The Columbine boys got their guns illegally.

There's also the 2nd amendment right to rise up against any tyrannical form of government.

Oh please... the American population as a whole is far too stupid to realise when their rights are being abused. Patriot act anyone? As long as it doesn't cost them any money they won't give a shit.

Nobody's interested in your psychic predictions you pulled out of thin air.

I'm just going to end this now:
Father Time is right.
Educatedfool is not educated at all, but is still a fool. Here's why:
There is NOTHING special about guns, they are just as much of a weapon as a baseball bat or a toaster or a sword. If citizens couldn't get guns the criminals still would, therefore the citizens can't protect themselves. And even if criminals somehow couldn't get guns, do you think that would stop them? I guess I wasn't aware of the fact that there was no such thing as murder or armed robbery until the invention of the gun.
If a bank robber cant get a gun, he'll use something else. Bottom line.
So if criminals can get them, citizens have a right to defend themselves against said criminals in a fair fight, where both sides are armed, and not just one.
And you're right, with the right to bear arms comes the possibility of wierdos having a hundred of them and killing people. But if guns weren't invented yet, that same wierdo would be collecting something else and killing people with those. We can't make laws to restrict things that criminals use because the criminals don't follow laws in the first place.

 

[Gilhelmi]

Do not ban anything. Full-auto is a wast of ammo and really would not kill more people (you can do more damage with a revolver if you know how to use it), full-auto is more for enemy suppression then killing, so I would not buy one, but they should be legal. Assault Rifles are good for home protection, that is what I keep by my computer. I am not going into handguns, I will just point to multiple Supreme Court rulings saying they are legal. I really do not care if anyone thinks I am crazy, it is my right as an American to have them, live with it.

Besides, I need that Howitzer to go duck hunting. (This last one is a joke, but dang, it would be fun to do)

 

[CaptainKoala]

That makes no sense. They would have firearms even with the ban. Why is this so hard to comprehend? Weed is banned yet you can still get it, as with child porn (and not just over the internet) and a whole host of other banned substances.

Way to counteract your own argument.

You can still get child porn even though it is banned, so why ban it? Just let everyone have access to it.

Making child porn harms children. Making guns does not.

The whole freaking argument over banning guns is that doing so will prevent bad people from using them.

It won't and there are legitimate uses for a gun (none with child porn or murder).

The argument that banning firearms will have no effect because they will just get them anyway is absolute rubbish. If you are a criminal, it would be sure as bloody hell easier to obtain a firearm and kill someone where firearms are legal than if they were illegal.

Not necessarily. Most of the guns will be sold by stores required to do background checks.

And seriously, whoever used the woman raped in an ally way, get a life.

Because women never need to fear being raped? It still happens you know.

Sure it's a sob story that gets people worked up (mostly reactionary idiots), but don't you need a special licence to carry a weapon out of your house? and that it has to be concealed? and that you can't get it in all states? I could be wrong.

Yes, but they're not impossible to get or anything.

Allowing civilians to use guns with little or no training is ridiculous. If you hand guns out to everyone there is a very high chance that a nutcase is going to have a whole bunch of them.

And that can happen regardless of the laws. The Columbine boys got their guns illegally.

There's also the 2nd amendment right to rise up against any tyrannical form of government.

Oh please... the American population as a whole is far too stupid to realise when their rights are being abused. Patriot act anyone? As long as it doesn't cost them any money they won't give a shit.

Nobody's interested in your psychic predictions you pulled out of thin air.

I'm just going to end this now:
Father Time is right.
Educatedfool is not educated at all, but is still a fool. Here's why:
There is NOTHING special about guns, they are just as much of a weapon as a baseball bat or a toaster or a sword. If citizens couldn't get guns the criminals still would, therefore the citizens can't protect themselves. And even if criminals somehow couldn't get guns, do you think that would stop them? I guess I wasn't aware of the fact that there was no such thing as murder or armed robbery until the invention of the gun.
If a bank robber cant get a gun, he'll use something else. Bottom line.
So if criminals can get them, citizens have a right to defend themselves against said criminals in a fair fight, where both sides are armed, and not just one.
And you're right, with the right to bear arms comes the possibility of wierdos having a hundred of them and killing people. But if guns weren't invented yet, that same wierdo would be collecting something else and killing people with those. We can't make laws to restrict things that criminals use because the criminals don't follow laws in the first place.