Trilby said:
Ah, I get you now. Well, knives aren't banned, and neither for that matter is pepper spray. You're just not allowed to carry knives over a certain length on the street. The point is, as you yourself pointed out, that while knives and other hand weapons are basically an extension of your own physicality, a gun can be used lethally at a good distance by a 90 year old grandmother.
Doh
I knew that it was carry, just wasnt thinking it straight
Regardless, if you dont fear someone, then you dont care if they are armed or not, so your original statement is flawed
The fact that they can be used by the weak is a point in their favor, not against them. I dont know about your criminals but ours are bullies, they dont attack strapping young fellows capable of defending themselves (at least not without overwhelming numbers, or for gang reasons) they attack the physically helpless. you have effectively legislated every law abiding person in your nation to being exactly what they appear, only your increased police powers and welfare state have prevented your nation from descending into a criminals paradise.
Trilby said:
As for the uses of handguns, I'm not denying that they have uses. I'm saying that unlike a shotgun, the primary purpose of which is blood sports, the primary purpose of a handgun is use against people. I realise that there are such things as hunting handguns, but to my mind those should be classified as hunting weapons, and treated as such. Also, I hunt and shoot regularly, but I would never dream of doing so with a handgun. I value an animal's suffering (or the lack thereof) above my gain in marksmanship. As for the snakes, I admit myself unacquainted with the serpentes of your pastures. In my sweet and pleasant land, the worst that nature can through at you wyrm-wise is an adder, which is easily dealt with without the need for a firearm. As for the point on marksmanship, do you mind if I leave that for a few more paragraphs? I intend to clear that up with another quote.
While I also do not hunt with a handgun, mostly because I dont fully trust my aim with one yet, I refuse to prevent others from doing so if they feel they are up to it. Some use it as a challenge, a handgun forces/allows them to sneak closer to the animal.
When I hunt I am only about meat on the table.
Very few handguns can be classified as hunting only, its a blurry line.
We have rattlesnakes here, big suckers and copperheads and more, a shotgun is the best way to deal with them, but its cumbersome on hikes.
Trilby said:
Mathurin said:
Not really, I have shown that a high proportion of firearms in a population != crime in that population, proving that guns != crime
Which begs the question: Why do we keep talking about guns, why dont we try to fix the real problems which cause crime.
Because a frequently lobbied argument by those opposed to gun control is that by having homeowners armed, the crime rates go down. Which, as we have shown to each other's satisfaction, is not the case. And also, to be a bit facetious, because that's a topic for another thread.
Thats not an answer, there is nothing about presenting that theory which prevents finding and solving the real problems, yet the common scapegoat becomes firearm availability.
Trilby said:
Mathurin said:
School shootings are a sign of more severe problems in our youth, those problems will not be solved by banning guns.
Maybe not, but without a gun they couldn't really happen. I'll admit that that's a weak point, and quickly divert attention from it by remarking that even so, a mentally unstable person should not be able to legally gain access to a handgun.
Also, as it has already been pointed out, the incident at Dunblane was not the work of a teenager, but a man only a score and ten off his allocated total.
Without a gun they would be school bombings instead, and possibly kill more.
The problem with testing mental stability is
A: definition, a higher bar creates a backdoor ban
B: Becomes registration, which we oppose as a precursor to confiscation
C: the american theory of rights states that you have a right until due course of law takes it away. Asking someone to prove their sanity before allowing them to exercise a "right" violates that right. There is case law to support this if you are interested.
Our rights system is less fluid that that of the UK (so I have been told) in the US we have innate rights against the state which cannot be taken away, only violated.
Trilby said:
Hawks_Pride said:
And if certain folks had their way, I'd have to find a new hobby? What if football (GASP! A Yank who doesn't call it soccer?! Yeah. Now go collect your socks.) were banned because of the football hooligans? Now tell me how the things are different.
Semi-unrelated rant, STOP!
Firstly, my point of view is that if you want to practice marksmanship, then go to a range, pick up a gun there, practice and then return the gun before leaving. If that facility is not available (I've only ever been to UK military ranges) then it should be. There is no need to take the gun home with you.
We have ranges here in kansas, but they are unmanned rural affairs in general.
Membership gets you the combination to the gate lock and use of the range and targets.
I never joined
Why?
I live on 65 hectares of pastureland, why should I be forced to go to a range when I can safely fire my own personal handgun in my backyard. (I go further than the backyard, just being figurative)
Trilby said:
Secondly: Guns and football hooligans? Oh dear. A gun is designed to kill things. It may be dressed up in pink and sold to Hello Kitty fangirls, but it's still a machine for killing things. The aim of a football hooligan (as a general rule) is not to kill things. I see your point though.
A gun is a device that throws rocks really fast, period, it may be designed to throw them really accurately, or reliably or whatever, but thats it.
My handguns have never killed anyone, nor shot at anyone, perhaps I am using them wrong.
Trilby said:
The thing is, I'm not saying ban guns because of school shootings. I'm saying that handguns, guns specifically designed to kill people as opposed to animals, should not be available to the general public for ownership. Trying desperately to steer this back in direction of the OP, a gun is a good tool to have in a household, as a tool. Where it is not good is when it's not just a tool. And unfortunately, it isn't.
EDIT: I omitted a "not" in the above paragraph. Oh good God.
Scalpels are designed to cut human flesh.
dental drills are designed to carve human teeth.
Fortunately we all realize that those are tools, valuable tools with important legal uses even if their design is can be phrased in a sinister manner.
Edit: fixed quote mistake