Confucy, do you really think this ?

[Rox]

Originally posted by confucy@Sep 13 2003, 12:18 AM
If there were absolutely no guns, I would feel free to take my nightly runs on the beach. I would feel safe going into Hollywood and downtown LA at any time of the day.

I'm not being an idealist. I just want to live in a safe world. I don't want to have to take my shoes off at airports or have to undress for body searches because I fit some kind of profile. I want a little love in this world. Take the damn guns and weapons of mass destruction, and stop the madness!

Confucy, sorry to hear about your friend. His being beaten and robbed is fucked up, whether the thugs had guns or not.

God knows I'd prefer a peaceful world where people weren't killing each other, but the reality is they do. And for some of the stupidest reasons: a little bit of cash, a piece of jewelry, or most ridiculous of all, in a frenzy of "my God's better than your God."

Banning guns is not a viable answer, and in fact, I'm inclined to go to the other extreme and wish that anyone who wants a gun and qualifies should be issued a concealed carry permit. Why should the criminals be secure in the knowledge that they're the only ones who're armed? They'd think twice about committing crimes if there was a good chance their intended victims were ready, willing and able to blow a hole in their ass before the thug could rob them. I think that having law-abiding citizens be unarmed while criminals remain free to keep an illegal arsenal would just be wrong.

As an American I have the right to defend my life, liberty and property. Should any of those be in peril, I'd be justified in sticking a knife in whomever posed the threat, or beating them with a stick... but I'd much rather have a firearm at my disposal since it overcomes the disadvantage of being smaller and/or weaker than any attacker; not to mention being a threat that might be taken far more seriously when it's stuck in a criminal's face. Chances are they'd still try to wrestle a club or knife out of my hand, but facing the barrel of a gun changes things altogether -- as your unfortunate big, strong friend knows firsthand.

I'd like to feel safe, too, but I much prefer to take the responsibility upon myself than to count on the government to do the job. They've proven they're not up to the task -- more so in the past two years than ever. I don't know about you, but I feel less safe today than I did on September 10, 2001; and I most definitely feel less FREE.