Gun Control

[Richard]

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, and Chicago cops need guns.

2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.

3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."

4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.

5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.

6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.

7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.

8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.

9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense -- give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p.125).

10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.

11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seatbelts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.

12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.

13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.

14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arm" refers to the state.

15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution.

16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.

17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons", but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles", because they are military weapons.

18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, finger printing, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and1960's, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.

19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.

20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.

21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.

22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."

23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.

24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.

25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.

26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."

27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted.

28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.

29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self-defense only justifies bare hands.

30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.

31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.

32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition.

33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.

34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over hand guns that private citizens can never hope to obtain.

35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self-protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.

36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.

37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police need assault weapons. You do not.

38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good.

39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon.

40. Handgun Control, Inc. says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands." Guess what? You have the wrong hands.

[Alcon]

I am against gun control, but I'm afraid this list sucks.

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, and Chicago cops need guns.

Uh?

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Where exactly did you get these statistics from? Washington, D.C.'s is 46, and Indianapolis 14. At the same time, Indianapolis's has always been lower. Some cities have higher crime rates than others. I'm sure I could find a city with no gun control with a higher crime rate if I tried.

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Sort of hard to argue with a statement that only applies to hypocrites, which both sides have.

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What is to say that they weren't declining naturally and this help them to keep climbing?

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Actually, yes, in many cases. In robberies, honest to God, it is safer to just give over the stuff. You never know who's a better shot.

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They'll get incapacitated by all three. But in a struggle, it's better to get your own pepper spray used against you than your own gun.

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Why would someone think this?

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Yes. Unless they are trying to hurt you, it is better to lose property than to risk death. Is a few hundred dollars really worth the chance?

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What? If they are looking into gun-related medicine, sure. That has less to do with guns than it has to do with medicine. This is a bad metaphor.

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This one makes no sense.

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This is a fundamental difference in today's culture less than gun control.

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Although I don't disagree this is stupid, I must point out the NRA has released some propeganda in their history.

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An automobile requires a test to drive for a reason.

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I think this has less to do with women being less capable as it has to do with the potential for anyone with a gun readily available to get a gun at a moment's notice.

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This is just stupid. I'm not sure how to explain how it is stupid, yet it is.

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Don't dare equate these. Popularity, I agree, is not a reason for something being right. However, do NOT equate these.

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The argument is that if they don't abide by them, they can be punished for it.

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I support the ACLU on many of its cases, wish it would not bother on many, wish it would persue some it doesn't, and wish it would never touch a few. The NRA, on the other hand, seems to frequently do things in truly awful taste. Both are poor organizations.

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They have to be trained.

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Police stations are some of the most dangerous places to be.

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Do they have a contract with them? That seems fair.

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You're right. I left my other pair of hands at home, though.

[J-Mann]

Some of that was good...some was odd, and some incomprehensible.  But actually, I thought #11 was the most poignant of all of them.  Perhaps in a bit of poor taste, but poignant nonetheless.

[Jake]

I liked most, #28 was very good.

[TX_1824]

Good job. I'm not a gun owner but I defend the right for people to own guns just like I despise hate groups but defend their right of free speech and assembly. I don't believe that cities, like San Francisco is considering, have the right to overstep the supreme law of the land, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and band handguns even if the majority in that area are in favor of it. The right to bear arms is protected by Constitutional law and cannot be changed without an amendment. If the people of San Francisco want to band handguns, then they should proposition their representative to present a bill to the floor of the House. Besides, how can San Francisco enforce such a law? Will they search every house in that area looking for guns violating the Fourth Amendment of those very people who voted for that ban? If a suspect breaks into a home, robs the place, kills a family member and then gets killed himself with a handgun by another family member, is that family member at fault? Will they be prosecuted for murder when they were defending their home and their surviving family members? I know that this scenario is extreme but not impossible. The idea of people willing to give up their rights to the government is a troublesome idea indeed.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

I hope this is a joke, those really arent your opinions are they?

look at number 8......
morally superior my a**, another rapist kicks the bucket, theres nothing wrong with that

[J. J.]

12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.

13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.

I agree with most of these, and think they are quite excellent.  These two I do disagree with, however.

There were state militias that existed at the time that the Constitution was adopted.  The NG, when not federalized, is under the command of the state.

There were court rulings (Presser v. Illinios, 1886) to support that the states had regulatory rights.

[Wakie]

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, and Chicago cops need guns.

This logic is ridiculous.  In war zones we have been known to disarm the public but we allow our own troops to carry weapons.  Do you think we should never disarm the general pop in a war zone either?

2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.

Examine the poverty rate of these cities.  That is more telling.  Gary, IN has a murder rate of 79.4 per 100,000.  I guess that lack of gun control isn't working there.

3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."

What's the saying?  Lies, damn lies, and statistics.

5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.

Well, I'm not in favor of removing ALL weapons but I certainly think there are some which should be restricted and any reasonable person would agree (who wants privately owned nukes).  That being said, when a deranged lunatic has gone on a shooting spree how often is he stopped by a private gun owner?

6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.

If you own a handgun I'm ok with it.  A bazooka .... not so much.

8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.

Has anyone ever said this?

9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense -- give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p.125).

Actually this is the advice that police give.  Cooperate with the criminal (unless in a rape/murder scenario) or get away and call the police.

10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.

Ok, elaborate on this one.  I'm sure the New England Journal of Medicine probably has some great info on how best to deal with a bullet wound.

11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seatbelts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.

Yet we trust an actor to be a legislator.

12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.

Actually I believe it refers to state militias with single shot rifles.  I don't see where it says a private citizen shall have the right to guns.  But it does seem to indicate that the state of Rhode Island can own a nuke if it wants one.

13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.

Yeah, America has changed quite a bit.  When founded it was much more like the current EU.  Each state was basically its own nation.  Wanna go back to that?  In that world California and New York keep their economies and don't have to go to war when Texas wants to.

14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arm" refers to the state.

Actually it reads, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."  Those first 4 words are what seem to indicate that it refers to the state, not the public.  If you want to hold that it applies to private individuals, then private individuals have the right to own nukes.  I'm sure some oil sheiks would be very happy to hear that.

15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution.

I do not favor "banning and seizing" all guns.  I do believe that background checks and certain restrictions are necessary though.

16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.

Red Dawn was a movie.

17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons", but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles", because they are military weapons.

What?

18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, finger printing, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and1960's, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.

Times they are a changin'.  With those changes comes a need for increased security.  Look at how airport security has changed.  In the old days the searches were minimal.  Then some nutcases crashed a couple of planes into the WTC.

19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.

Both are worthwhile efforts to keep guns away from kids.

20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.

For the most part guns are easy to use.  But some basic instruction makes them safer to use.  For example, make sure there isn't a round in the chamber when cleaning it.

21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.

Refer to #20.

22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."

What?

23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.

What?  You're really reaching with some of these.  You make me want to say, "without guns there would an anarchy and mass genocide".

24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.

Guns prevent violence.  Which is why there is never a violent crime committed with a gun.

25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.

Do you honestly believe these are the same thing?

26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."

Ok, enough of this ... gun control isn't about eliminating all weapons, it is about finding the balance between necessary and unnecessary.  Most of us are in favor of private ownership of some weapons but are opposed to excesses (like nukes, grenade launchers, flash suppressors, collapsable stock, etc).

More than anything, I don't understand why the NRA resists simple background checks and waiting periods.

[J-Mann]

I hope this is a joke, those really arent your opinions are they?

look at number 8......
morally superior my a**, another rapist kicks the bucket, theres nothing wrong with that

You guys - some of these were heaped in sarcasm.  Word for word the aren't Richius' opinions, but they represent an ironic take on the modern world and gun control.

[Gabu]

Where exactly did you get these statistics from? Washington, D.C.'s is 46, and Indianapolis 14. At the same time, Indianapolis's has always been lower. Some cities have higher crime rates than others. I'm sure I could find a city with no gun control with a higher crime rate if I tried.

I don't know of a city with no gun control and a high crime rate, but if you want an example of the other kind of example that doesn't follow that scheme, there's a fairly high level of gun control here in Victoria and we had, to my knowledge, one single murder in 2004.

I personally don't care one way or another regarding gun control (I don't want a gun, but if you do, and you're not a criminal, okay), but that's nevertheless a fact.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Implying that it is someones own fault for being raped and murdered is vile

[Colin]

To all of you who think these are his actual positions I think that he was using satire and irony to convey the message the Gun Control is bad for the individual and increases crime. He was being ironic so to blast the "liberal" position on Gun Control stating hypocritical statements. I am sure these are not his positions.

[bushforever]

Very good.  You deserve a lot of credit for actually taking the time.

[David S]

Two comments;
1) I agree completely.
2) You are even more sarcastic than I am!

[AuH2O]

The best way to decrease crime is to increase the disincentive against it.

The police are not that valuable because criminals generally think they are smart enough to get away with their crimes. However, if their intended victim resists, that's a different story.

It's all pointless anyway. Every single expert-- every single crime expert in the entire world so far as I have been able to tell-- admits gun control does not reduce crime. I don't mean some HS educated inner city police chief, I mean people that study crime.

No informed person supports severe gun restrictions. Period.

[Alcon]

Very good.  You deserve a lot of credit for actually taking the time.

Anyone who thinks that it's Richius who isn't getting the credit he should might want to take a trip to Googleville. And Richius may want to consider indicating in the future what he has written and what he has not.