Gun Control

[hawkeye59]

In my opinion, we should ban all guns except for hunting purposes, and I would also limit hunting.
Banning guns/strict gun laws work
Examples:
USA- lax gun laws 15 people killed by guns per 100,000 a year
Switzerland-lax gun laws-6 people per 100,000
Uk-bans guns- 0.49 for England/Wales per 100,000, 0.6 for Scotland
Hong kong-bans guns 0.19 per 100,000
Japan-bans guns 0.07 per 100,000
South Korea-bans guns- 0.13 per 100,000
If we banned guns, we would have a lot less gun-related deaths.

[hawkeye59]

So what does everyone else think? I hope this will be a civilized discussion.

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Gun control certainly works when it's coming to reduce gun-related killings. Even moderate, after all, Brady Bill saved thousands of lives.

However, I wouldn't agree with you that guns should be limited to hunting only. What about shooting as a sport discipline? I think that category, regulated carefully as well, should be included too (I enjoy shooting to the targets myself).

[hawkeye59]

Gun control certainly works when it's coming to reduce gun-related killings. Even moderate, after all, Brady Bill saved thousands of lives.

However, I wouldn't agree with you that guns should be limited to hunting only. What about shooting as a sport discipline? I think that category, regulated carefully as well, should be included too (I enjoy shooting to the targets myself).

I forgot that. Yes, that would also be allowed, but limited. But not for non-sporting purposes.

[Thomas D]

I don't like guns. I don't own one myself. And I think automatic weapons should be banned. But if someone wants to keep a handgun in their nightstand for protection I don't think the government should stop them.

[J. J.]

I'm generally opposed.  Some adult that is without a record and sane should be able to buy an carry a gun.

[Likely Voter]

I have always thought the 2nd amendment was an anachronism and more to do with the era. I dont think we should ban guns, but it shouldn't be so easy to get them either. Not sure exactly how and where to draw the line. After the shooting in NV last week and the shooting in Tuscon in Jan shows that there needs to be some way to keep crazy people from getting guns, but not sure how you do that.

[crypto-fascist superhero]

Lying sure is fun!  Unfortunately, claiming that the US has more gun-related homicides than the total homocide rate in Mexico (which bans guns!) just makes you look retarded.

[shua]

In my opinion, we should ban all guns except for hunting purposes, and I would also limit hunting.
Banning guns/strict gun laws work
Examples:
USA- lax gun laws 15 people killed by guns per 100,000 a year
Switzerland-lax gun laws-6 people per 100,000
Uk-bans guns- 0.49 for England/Wales per 100,000, 0.6 for Scotland
Hong kong-bans guns 0.19 per 100,000
Japan-bans guns 0.07 per 100,000
South Korea-bans guns- 0.13 per 100,000
If we banned guns, we would have a lot less gun-related deaths.

Where did you get these numbers? There's no way Switzerland is higher than UK, much less 10x higher.

[Jbrase]

Opposed.

People have a right to defend themselves. For those who stayed awake in their history classes, if they even mentioned it, I am sure you would recall that the Armenians were forced to give up their firearms to the Ottoman Empire shortly before the Armenian Genocide. And we all know how much safer the people in the Soviet Union were after they imposed gun control.

[Username MechaRFK]

Gun control... I'm moderate on. Weapons such as hunting rifles I'm okay with others as long as there is background check to make sure the individual has never committed any crimes in regarding to guns and other weapons.

Guns such as AA-12... there is no reason for someone to own such a dangerous piece of weapon. I mean, do you honesty believe someone should go around the street and carrying this? If you do believe the individual should go around the street and blowing people heads off away until some corrupt cop comes out of his car and kills the individual with the AA-12... you have mental problems.

[Senator Napoleon]

The statistics you present do not make your argument for you. It is a logical fallacy. What is behind the gun related deaths? Self-defense during a home invasion? Homicide by an already illegal firearm? What you have presented actually has nothing to do with your topic. I read that and I think "So what?". There has to be something more.

[white trash heroes]

The statistics you present do not make your argument for you. It is a logical fallacy. What is behind the gun related deaths? Self-defense during a home invasion? Homicide by an already illegal firearm? What you have presented actually has nothing to do with your topic. I read that and I think "So what?". There has to be something more.

Assuming those were real statistics they don't really take into account regional or racial differences either, which skew the crime rate statistics a lot in general for the US. Also:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/03/national/main576422.shtml

[hawkeye59]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

[Senator Napoleon]

1/2 suicide? A gun is probably the least of their issues.

[Communists For McCain]

1/2 suicide? A gun is probably the least of their issues.

And Switzerland?  A vast majority of those firearm related deaths (let me see here 5.61/6.4*100=87.65625%, since I'm an honest user of statistics) are suicides!
Yeah, lax gun laws in Switzerland are sure making them murder crazed psychopaths.

Want a civil debate?  Well you can start by being a little goddamn honest.  6 people per 100,000 in Switzerland aren't killed by guns, 5.61 per 100,000 in Switzerland kill themselves with guns!
Like Americans, the Swiss apparently have major depression issues.

[crypto-fascist superhero]

One might also note that the US suicide rate is below average - the highest suicide rates in the world are found in Sweden and Japan.

[hawkeye59]

Still, countries with less strict gun laws tend to have more murders than countries with stricter gun laws. Fine, I'll do murders.
Even just with murders
Us-7.07
Switzerland-0.58
England/Wales 0.07
Scotland 0.2
Hong Kong 0.12
South Korea 0.04
Japan 0.02

[shua]

Still, countries with less strict gun laws tend to have more murders than countries with stricter gun laws. Fine, I'll do murders.
Even just with murders
Us-7.07
Switzerland-0.58
England/Wales 0.07
Scotland 0.2
Hong Kong 0.12
South Korea 0.04
Japan 0.02

Just note that you're talking about homicide by firearms. Also some of the figures in that article are nearly two decades old. If you look at overall more recent murder rates (not just guns), Switzerland is lower than the other countries you listed.

[Fmr. Emperor PiT]

     Gun violence is really a cultural thing. Switzerland has really liberal gun laws & a very low homicide rate. For that matter, so does Vermont. To say that banning guns reduces gun murders misses the issue that people in the countries where they are banned in many cases never used guns much anyway, hence why they were banned there when attempts in the United States & Switzerland have been less successful.

[hawkeye59]

Still, countries with less strict gun laws tend to have more murders than countries with stricter gun laws. Fine, I'll do murders.
Even just with murders
Us-7.07
Switzerland-0.58
England/Wales 0.07
Scotland 0.2
Hong Kong 0.12
South Korea 0.04
Japan 0.02

Just note that you're talking about homicide by firearms. Also some of the figures in that article are nearly two decades old. If you look at overall more recent murder rates (not just guns), Switzerland is lower than the other countries you listed.

The issue here is gun control, correct?
Also, I didn't want to ban guns, I would ban all but for hunting/sporting purposes.

[CathKhan]

I've never owned a gun, and I'm neither a hunter nor someone who would find a gun useful in case they got mugged on the way to school, so I never really felt the connection to guns that other Conservatives might have. That said, when I turn eighteen, I fully intend on using my right to bear arms and own a gun. In case of the zombie apocalypse, collapse of government, dictatorship, burglar in my house, etc., I plan on owning a gun. Therefore, I believe that at least some guns should be legal, though my opinion isn't as formed on things like assault rifles (but hey, who wouldn't want one? Hell, once I start exercising my right to bear arms, I might get one!).

[dead0man]

You Gun Control people should be happy that the people you vote for have dropped this issue.

[hawkeye59]

You Gun Control people should be happy that the people you vote for have dropped this issue.

Yeah, I agree that it's a vote-loser. But sometimes, the things you think are right must be done, not saying this is necessarily right, just that I would because I think it is.

[shua]

Still, countries with less strict gun laws tend to have more murders than countries with stricter gun laws. Fine, I'll do murders.
Even just with murders
Us-7.07
Switzerland-0.58
England/Wales 0.07
Scotland 0.2
Hong Kong 0.12
South Korea 0.04
Japan 0.02

Just note that you're talking about homicide by firearms. Also some of the figures in that article are nearly two decades old. If you look at overall more recent murder rates (not just guns), Switzerland is lower than the other countries you listed.

The issue here is gun control, correct?

Yes, but I don't really see how being killed with a gun is worse than being killed any other way.