What does everyone think about gun control? Just read an interesting article, but this is way too radical in my opinion:

Guns were invented to kill people. Isn't it time for us to move upward on the ladder of civilization and admit that we are better off without them? Hand guns have the advantage of being unnoticed in a crowd until the last minute. Rifles are so accurate that the victim doesn't have a chance. Assault weapons are the same as rifles with the added feature of being able to kill more people faster. The old ploy of gun lovers is that they need guns to protect themselves from other gun lovers. Gun clubs exist to allow them to hit their targets better. Not having guns in the house would save the lives of thousands of people, many being children.

Of course, facing reality, we know that guns wouldn't disappear over night, even if the right legislation were passed. But a ban on the sale and private ownership of hand guns would be a start in the right direction. I concur that rifles could be useful to the police in a situation where lives were at stake, as when a crazed killer is on the loose. But I can't think of any place guns have in the lives of teachers, students, music lovers, and the rest of the peace loving world. I abhor war as much as anyone, but I believe that when criminals use force, ignoring the laws of the land, to harm innocent people, then it leaves the authorities no recourse but to eliminate these killers any way we can, including using guns.

Two hundred years ago citizens used guns to kill animals for food and to protect themselves in a wild, lawless country where danger was a way of life. The somewhat unclear portions of the Constitution that gives people the right to bear arms is believed by many knowledgeable historians to refer to mercenaries and volunteer soldiers, not anybody. There are many problems connected with the removal of guns from the populace. One method used by many communities is an offer by the police department to buy outright any guns brought in without penalty to the 'owner'. This program has proved successful but only partially effective. (Allowing only one week of the year for this opportunity may have something to do with it.) I think that the price offered is much too little to attract those people with guns who are afraid to bring them in for fear of reprisal. Laws could be passed to restrict the sale of rifles to duly appointed authority and a ban placed on the sale of hand guns to the general populace. Just my opinion.

Comments welcome.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Guns&id=85354

Sorry, but I don't think it's too radical at all. I'm pretty much totally against gun ownership in general, but I will concede that some limited form of gun use needs to be allowed for those who hunt (although personally I can't understand how hunting is considered a sport -- to me it would be a sport if the two opponents were on equal terms -- for example, if you are deer hunting, instead of hiding in a stand all day and waiting for a deer to come along so you can shoot it is hardly a sport ... instead take on the deer hand-to-hand ... naked! The deer doesn't have orange blaze or camoflauge or a gun!). I know that last statement is going to get some people angry but I just don't like hunting.

But to get back to the more general topic of gun control, the only use for handguns is to kill people. There is no other use and given that, handguns and assault weapons I think should be illegal. The "right to bear arms" was written in a time when people lived in conditions where they needed to hunt for their food and needed protection from hostile people roaming around -- we may still need protection from hostile people roaming around, but that's why we have police forces, IMHO. If the police aren't doing that job correctly, that's a whole other issue, but doesn't justify people taking the law into their own hands.

I admit it ... I'm a geek and I'm damn afraid of guns

Now that I've got that off my chest, I'll try to be serious. I hate the fact that 2/3 of my friends already have handguns of their own or know where/how to access their parents stash. A lot of my friends are starting to get into hunting with their dads and I just have no interest in it. Maybe I'm a wimp, but I like my meat packaged in the grocery store. I don't get the thrill of the hunt ... if I'm gonna hunt anything, it'll be for the next "Google" so I can retire by the time I'm 30. I don't particularly hanging with some of my friends when I know they've got a gun in the car, but it seems like almost everyone does ... maybe I'm just hanging with the wrong people, but they seem pretty normal.

The Columbine shootings really affected me and made me feel that gun control has got to be strengthened in this country. Bowling for Columbine is one of my favorite movies - how outrageous can we get when you get a free rifle for opening up a bank account! I think we need to amend the constitution to reword the "right to bear arms" thing - way out of date with reality.

Where I live, you need to have a gun (too many wild animals around still), but I have a rifle and it's used for hunting and protection when I'm out in the woods. I don't want to have to go through a million hoops to register my rifles and pay more money that I already do to stay legal with my rifles.

But handguns and automatic weapons? No way would I let those in my house. My kids know that the guns are off limits and I make damn sure they're kept in as safe a location as I can (no one can be 100% sure that a kid can't find a way to defeat your system, but at least you better have one in place that's as good as it gets). But I also believe that my kids need to know how to use a rifle and as soon as they are old enough, I will teach them.

I hope my son will want to hunt with me, but even if he doesn't, if he's as outdoorsy as I am, I don't want him out in the wilderness without protection and wind up mauled to death by a grizzly.

The whole point of the second amendment is to make sure that we're allowed to have guns. It was always treated that way before 1960's revisionism - "the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed," and a sentence in there explaining why doesn't change that. Automatic handguns, guns, whatever - the point of having guns is to be able to resist the government if it ever comes to that. The best quote I've seen on this:

"The prospect of tyranny may not grab the headlines the way vivid stories of gun crime routinely do," Judge Kozinski noted. "But few saw the Third Reich coming until it was too late. The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed -- where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once."

If you don't like guns, fine, don't own them. But the constitution is there for a reason, and you don't get to pick and choose - if you want to take away people's firearms, you need to amend it rather than just deciding that you don't like other people's freedoms.

Yeah, but realistically what is the likelihood of the government trying to eliminate the constitution and enslave everyone? And even if they do, how are you going to stop them with an assault rifle? They've got nukes - it's just not a level playing field. If there's ever anybody in charge who really wants to sieze control, they can just nuke Denver or someplace and say "Who's next?" The better check is just the fact that no one in the military would listen to a president who tried to do that. We don't need machine guns and grenades and assault rifles to stop tyranny here.

What does everyone think for or against owning guns about Bush being the first president in 22 years to lift the ban on massive assault weapons. Not a weapon anyone would own for protection or hunting. Its only used to kill a massive amount of people quickly. The NRA used to be a group protecting the constitution it is now militant wackos sending lobbyist to DC to pay off politions to lift bans on these type of weapons. Of course other presidents republican or Dem could see the danger. Not old "W" with a wink at a big $ contributor to the republican party he lifted a ban on these weapons that would only be desired by someone wanting to murder a lot of people. Think of a disgrntled teen in a school or a terrorist in a mall. Thats Georges way of protecting us!!!!

I don't see why we would even need assault weapons. What possible purpose can they have? They're designed for killing other people, and it's a shame that we let the ban get lifted. It's the job of the government to try to increase safety in our lives, and letting people have devices that are created solely to kill as many people as possible is shameful. How many kids have to die in school shootings before we're going to get serious about having common sense gun laws instead of laws written by the NRA?

Well it`s looks like I`m the only pro-gun person here.Please allow me to point out that marksmanship is an Olympic sport.My wife and I belong to a local club that has both Olympic style rifle and pistol leagues.To me it`s no different than bowling,we shoot 3 targets for a possible score of 300 points.Everytime I shoot I try beat my previous score.It`s how I relax.When I`m on the firing line I don`t have a care in the world.
Now as for for the AWB,the letter I wrote to the President/congress just before the ban expired is linked below.I hope you find it informative.

Lies Deception and the Assault Weapons Ban
Address:http://community-4.webtv.net/Politic...ceptionandthe/ Changed:6:55 PM on Friday, April 8, 2005

Here where I live hunting is a necessity.Deer cause extensive crop damage and traffic accidents.They must be hunted to keep their population thinned out.Deer in this area have also suffered from chronic wasting disease due to over population in recent years.
We also have trouble with coyote attacking live stock and pets in our area,hunting is the most logical solution.
By the way Venison is delicious.

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