The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Bob Adkins wrote:
Eeyore wrote:

Draw your own conclusions. Guns don't make you safe. And where legal guns exist it's
that much easier for illegal ownership too.


There's an old saying here that "guns make a polite society".

It all depends on who carries the guns. If nice people carry the guns,
it makes society safer. If thugs carry guns, it makes society more
dangerous.

We have this stupid politically correct view that everyone has the
same rights. If we don't want convicted felons to carry guns, then we
foolishly take away everyone's right to carry guns. That punishes the
good people in order to punish the bad. Phooey on that. Everyone
should have the right to bear arms until he proves that he is not
worthy of that right. We do have the right to discriminate against
thugs and outlaws.


Its solved here by making handguns totally illegal - though that is a
shame, as single chamber target guns would be OK..and rifles and
shotguns only available to those who can demonstrate they need them for
hunting.

Automatic weapons of all types are totally illegal.

This makes it easy. No one can claim they need a gun for self defence as
no one can legally use one against them. Anyone caught possessing a
handgun is de facto criminal. Likewise automatic weapons.

Sadly ammunition is not so well regulated. Its harder to make ammo than
it is to make a gun to use it. Especially if you start from a semi
functional repro gun.

Peol;e who use guns here, are subject to yearly visits to teh police to
renew licenses, and somne very strict guidelines in their use. Breach of
those means no license and firearms confiscated. One of the chief
conditions is lockable gun cabinets. Ad no weapons to be carried in cars
except out of reach.

Ok this is a small island, and anyine banging off a gun at anyy pojt
above teh horizon is likley to have a good chance of hittng DSOMEONE. So
it makes a bit of sense.

The USA though - far too casual. There is no excuse for allowing
citizens to carry anti-personnel weapons without license or limitation.

If the right to bear arms was limited to rifles only, and shotguns,
things would be a lot safer.

Sounds entirely rational to me. It is indeed the handguns that are the problem and there
can be no valid reason for those as anything other than an anti-person weapon.

Graham