Gun possession

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That we should all go on shooting rampages? Are you a psychopath?

i think in Australia we should AT LEAST be able to own Airsoft guns, maybe not anything that can be modded to look real or more intimidating like an AK Airsoft, seriously im sure you can have alot of fun with bbs that doesn't involve shooting each other, i really wish they made it legal

but guns, well America is FLOODED with them, and now they are in the hands of citizens they will always have guns if they really want to, i do support legalizing gun ownership but to an extent, although i'd love to own an AK i dont think anyone should own one legally, in Australia i'd like to see one handed firearms to be legal, handguns i mean, not uzi's n crap, just for the extra protection, i believe older or vulnerable people should have more access to firearms for their own safety, but for others maybe alot more rules, like Medical background and Police checks, half yearly or random checks to see if the firearm is being stored properly, gangsters and criminals if they really wanted a gun they would get one, so it makes sense that the innocent people who CAN be victimized by them should have the right to own a gun, i reckon Australia is doing fine as is but maybe another rule can be age, so if your 20 to 80 you can own a handgun/pistol, if your 25 to 80 you can own 1 (ONE) rifle, of course some things could be changed for hunting purposes, but seriously shooting in hunting would get boring IMO i'd prefer stalking the boar and knifing it to death ha ha I've never hunted before but it makes sense, even a kid can kill an animal with a gun, but it takes someone more higher up, to get up close and knife it IMO

Guns are fun. That's pretty much it, I think. Anyone who has spent a day at a shooting range gets it. Those who have never been exposed to guns do not get it.


The only things better are cross bows and ballistae.

ruveyn

There's a lot of things that are fun...none have the lobby of the pro-gun. Other than the Israeli lobby...but they aren't much fun other than the awesome wine.

We wouldn't need that lobby if the anti-gun people would leave us alone, believe me I'd rather use the money I give to the NRA to buy more guns and ammo, but for all their faults they do a great job protecting us politically, so they get my checks. As I pointed out in my previous reply in this thread, most other fun things don't have armies of disingenuous zealots doing their damnedest to have them outlawed, damn right we need a strong lobby to protect us. Are we expected to just do nothing and allow our rights to be taken away?

Most other fun things don't kill or injure innocent bystanders.

How often does lawful gun use result in death or injuries to bystanders? It's people misusing firearms that causes problems, sort of like people misusing cars, which incidentally results in FAR more deaths and injuries than guns ever have. Target behavior, not inanimate objects that have no inherent morality to them. If it was really about saving lives, these people should be protesting drug prohibition, that causes more misery than guns ever have or ever will, but I suspect that the anti-gun movement has other goals than preserving life.

Most other fun things do, actually.


Only difference is none of them are guns.

What's your point? Many of my favorite things (smoking, drinking, videogames, graphic TV etc) have some group somewhere opposed to them, but aside from the anti-tobacco people it's the anti-gun ones who seem the biggest threat to me. If I thought the people opposed to some of my other hobbies had any sort of chance at all, I'd be giving money to their enemies as well, but the anti-gun people have been quite adept at using misinformation, loaded language and fear to further their agenda, so it's they that I'm the most concerned with countering. Criticizing us for having a powerful lobby is sort of like criticizing someone who lives next to a den of thieves for locking their doors, all we want is for us and our guns to be left in peace, crack down on criminals all you want but leave us out of it.

edit: fixed quote

Last edited by Dox47 on 06 Oct 2009, 4:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Where do most illegal guns come from? I see that most start off as legal products that are stolen or fall off the backs of trucks (so to speak). Is that accurate?

So what? No one is making guns specifically for the criminal market, so it follows that all guns used in crime started off as legal guns, that's still not a legitimate reason for criminalizing guns. Prosecute the misuse of guns, trying to restrict access by lawful citizens will only create a giant black market and the associated crime (see alcohol prohibition), not to mention enough political backlash to bring our government to a screeching halt. As a progressive, you ought to know by now that regardless of how you personally feel about the things, they are a hell of a wedge issue that thwarts some of your more important political agenda, and dropping gun control as a party plank would be a great start to making progressive politics more appealing to independent swing voters such as myself. Right now, I'm forced into holding my nose and voting more conservative than I care to because I won't tolerate gun control, the ultimate example being the 2004 election. Just some food for thought.

What about penalizing those who misuse and neglect?

I know I had someone come into the store here before who had her car broken into (getting a new phone) and said her gun was stolen too and she didn't report it to the police. She should be locked up in jail just for her pure irresponsibility rather less not reporting a stolen handgun immediately (dumb rednecks).

Penalizing people for misuse is a big part of the gun rights agenda, but neglect depends on specific circumstances. Mandatory reporting of stolen guns is not supported by gun rights groups because it has been used as part of gun confinscation schemes in other countries in the past.

Reporting of a stolen gun is common sense safety and responsibility to the community.

Mandatory reporting of stolen guns would undermine a constitutionally protected right. Those that would give up liberty for safety or anything else for that matter don't deserve liberty. Benjamin Franklin said something to that effect too.

How does it undermine the 2nd amendment to require someone to report that one of their weapons has been stolen?

Are you someone who doesn't take care of their firearms and so this threatens you?