Americans: You have te right to bear arms

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

No, I think the question is valid. I would ask the same question to a man with 10,000 golf balls. I ask the same question to a friend of mine who owns about 50 cars (half of them real junk). I would ask the same question to someone with 11 TVs in their living room.

How many is a pretty valid question: How many guns do you need for self defence?

As many as I want. But every one of them can do the job, so what's the point of asking?
If I want to "share" my collection with you, I would.
But I find the question more akin to "How many Dollars do you have?"
Why are you asking? Do you want to rob me or something?

How many dollars Do YOU have? I think it's a "valid" question.

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

As many as I want. But every one of them can do the job, so what's the point of asking?
If I want to "share" my collection with you, I would.
But I find the question more akin to "How many Dollars do you have?"
Why are you asking? Do you want to rob me or something?

How many dollars Do YOU have? I think it's a "valid" question.

My dollars haven't killed anyone and have no potential to do it. So I don't think it is a very relevant question. As soon as you come up with a good use for a handgun that isn't "kill someone" or "threaten to kill someone" then we can start over.

[sarettah]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

As soon as you come up with a good use for a handgun that isn't "kill someone" or "threaten to kill someone" then we can start over.

It was ignored when I said it, so I will say it again.

Investment. Every one of my guns has gone up in value and in fact several of them have doubled and tripled in value since I got them. Gun value traditionally only goes up, never down.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

My dollars haven't killed anyone and have no potential to do it. So I don't think it is a very relevant question. As soon as you come up with a good use for a handgun that isn't "kill someone" or "threaten to kill someone" then we can start over.

How naive is that? Just because you don't know it, I'll bet your dollars killed someone, somewhere. Drug raid? Drug war? Robbery? Who knows.....could'a been any of those things.

And my handguns have never been used for those purposes. Look at it this way....my guns were purchased "used." I have removed them from the potential damage stream, so I'm a "steward" of the weapons, keeping them safe.

But you'll spend those dollars, and they might kill someone. How would you know if someone else makes a decision with them after you don't control them anymore?

[Nymph]

I was born an American, and as such, I am granted certain rights set forth by our founding fathers. Maybe they didn't know what this country would be in 10, 20, or 200 years from when they were written, but I sure as shit wouldn't trust any of the politicians today to sit down to write a new set.

[helix]

The gun argument is always an endless one. Same as religion and political arguments.
If you don't like guns, don't buy one. US residents have a constitutional right to buy - own firearms, and they will exercise their rights. You can even obtain a carry permit (ccw) if you can prove you have a reason to do so and are able to pass a review process (required) to grant you that privilege.

I live in a rural area and handguns as well as rifles are used for hunting, and varmint control. Although it isn't unusual for me to hear gunfire, especially around deer hunting season I don't have any of the gun problems you would normally associate with the big cities. I live in an agricultural area, not Detroit.

Keep in mind that there are stupid people in every country that use firearms to commit violent crimes, no exceptions for any country. Stupid people live in every country on every continent and there is always a "black market" to purchase illegal guns.

Lastly, please remember that not all of America is as depicted/reported on Fox News. After all, according to the press if we visit B.C. there is a good possibility we could have our feet chopped off and thrown in the bay. So.....using that logic we can assume that all of the B.C. Canadians must carry big knives and love to commit violent hack and slash crimes.....right?

Silly argument isn't it?

[DannyCox]

Originally Posted by helix

Silly argument isn't it?

It actually is, since the statistics fully back up that you stand a much higher chance of suffering from gun violence in the US than in any other "First World" country.

As I said earlier in my posts, I am not against firearms at all. I'm against the rational many people use for possessing those guns. I cringe whenever I hear "self-defense" as that rarely works out well for anyone.

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

How naive is that? Just because you don't know it, I'll bet your dollars killed someone, somewhere. Drug raid? Drug war? Robbery? Who knows.....could'a been any of those things.

And my handguns have never been used for those purposes. Look at it this way....my guns were purchased "used." I have removed them from the potential damage stream, so I'm a "steward" of the weapons, keeping them safe.

But you'll spend those dollars, and they might kill someone. How would you know if someone else makes a decision with them after you don't control them anymore?

If you really wanted to be safe, wouldn't it be better to grind them up and turn them into something useful? My dollars have endless practical uses, same as a knife or car or any other thing that might also end up being part of someone dying. But it has a useful purpose not related to killing. Guns don't have that, their purpose is kill or threaten kill, nothing more and nothing less.

As a side note, you are only "steward" of the weapon until it is stolen from you, used against you by a family member, or what have you. If you transport it ever by car, the chance that you get carjacked or your car stolen or broken into... there are plenty of ways for your gun to end up in the hands of criminals. You don't control it for life, only while it is in your hand.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

As a side note, you are only "steward" of the weapon until it is stolen from you, used against you by a family member, or what have you. If you transport it ever by car, the chance that you get carjacked or your car stolen or broken into... there are plenty of ways for your gun to end up in the hands of criminals. You don't control it for life, only while it is in your hand.

Keep hoping....It ain't gonna happen. Hasn't happened in the last 2 decades, ain't gonna happen in the next 2.
Just love you "doom and gloom" guys...wanting to blame the tools for your own shortcomings.