Gun Control

[TJ in Oregon]

I'm generally supportive of gun rights as long as we aren't trying to legalize something dumb like allowing guns to be brought into bars. I support gun rights even though I haven't shot a gun in years and even then I've only shot a .22 at boy scout camp. When I was growing up no one in my family had a gun, but my brother bought a handgun last year after getting mugged at his home in Toledo (and later getting it broken into). Since then, he's convinced my dad and uncle to take up shooting and my dad now has a rifle.

I feel kind of uncomfortable holding a gun and will probably never get one even though I live near some questionable neighborhoods myself. I don't want to have the ability to kill someone because I trust other people more than I trust myself when it comes to that sort of thing. All that being said, if someone (who isn't a convicted felon or mentally unstable) feels the need to have one to protect himself, then I feel he should be allowed to.

[courts]

I'm generally supportive of gun rights as long as we aren't trying to legalize something dumb like allowing guns to be brought into bars.

What, you mean in places like Virginia where the number of gun crimes in bars went down after they legalized concealed carry there?

[TJ in Oregon]

I'm generally supportive of gun rights as long as we aren't trying to legalize something dumb like allowing guns to be brought into bars.

What, you mean in places like Virginia where the number of gun crimes in bars went down after they legalized concealed carry there?

It dropped by a whopping eight crimes. I was unable to find the number for previous years before the 153-to-145 decline everyone is reporting but I doubt it's stastically significant. My opposition here is four years' worth of watching falling down drunks make fools of themselves. I don't want to picture people in that state of mind with guns.

[courts]

I'm generally supportive of gun rights as long as we aren't trying to legalize something dumb like allowing guns to be brought into bars.

What, you mean in places like Virginia where the number of gun crimes in bars went down after they legalized concealed carry there?

It dropped by a whopping eight crimes. I was unable to find the number for previous years before the 153-to-145 decline everyone is reporting but I doubt it's stastically significant. My opposition here is four years' worth of watching falling down drunks make fools of themselves. I don't want to picture people in that state of mind with guns.

Even assuming there was no statistically significant difference, doesn't that imply the law has no real justification since it didn't actually effect things much anyway? Shouldn't it be on the government to explain why it's absolutely necessary that something should be banned (at gun point, if it comes down to it), not on us to explain why it should be legal?

[TJ in Oregon]

We'll have to give it more time (and more states changing laws) to be able to determine this using statistics. A couple datapoints doesn't show much.

The government doesn't need to 'prove' why bringing guns into bars should or shouldn't be illegal; it just needs popular support for that point of view and a legislative majority to make that the law.

As for my personal position, until I see drunk people suddenly start acting responsible or we get a ton of data in agreement (at least 20 points) I will oppose changing this.

I would consider instead of banning guns in bars to just ban carrying a gun while under the influence of alcohol. If someone is in a bar and can blow under a .02, I'd be fine with letting them have a gun.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

While I generally am anti-gun... and think too many people in the US fetishise them... I don't think the solution to a higher homicide rate is to ban guns... if someone wants a gun, they can get them.

[Marokai Backbeat]

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.

I wonder where the nation neighboring ours with a very large border to us manages to find the guns they use in their criminal enterprises! Such are the mysteries of life!

While I generally am anti-gun... and think too many people in the US fetishise them... I don't think the solution to a higher homicide rate is to ban guns... if someone wants a gun, they can get them.

You're right, of course. I'm personally quite opposed to guns, but blanket bans are silly overreactions. There are certainly, however, plenty of places for sensible restrictions, which for some ridiculous reason the gun lobby still opposes. Restrictions on clip size, waiting periods, registration, serial number imprints, more rigorous background checks, closing gun show loopholes, etc. None of these things take away gun ownership and encourage selling of guns to much more responsible individuals.

[courts]

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.

I wonder where the nation neighboring ours with a very large border to us manages to find the guns they use in their criminal enterprises! Such are the mysteries of life!

The ATF?

[Marokai Backbeat]

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.

I wonder where the nation neighboring ours with a very large border to us manages to find the guns they use in their criminal enterprises! Such are the mysteries of life!

The ATF?

"How Mexican killers got US guns"

[Beet]

I'm generally supportive of gun rights as long as we aren't trying to legalize something dumb like allowing guns to be brought into bars.

What, you mean in places like Virginia where the number of gun crimes in bars went down after they legalized concealed carry there?

It dropped by a whopping eight crimes. I was unable to find the number for previous years before the 153-to-145 decline everyone is reporting but I doubt it's stastically significant. My opposition here is four years' worth of watching falling down drunks make fools of themselves. I don't want to picture people in that state of mind with guns.

Even assuming there was no statistically significant difference, doesn't that imply the law has no real justification since it didn't actually effect things much anyway? Shouldn't it be on the government to explain why it's absolutely necessary that something should be banned (at gun point, if it comes down to it), not on us to explain why it should be legal?

So you agree that using statistics and empirics can help us judge policies? In that case you should be against the NRA trying (successfully) to suppress studies using statistics and empirics in the spirit of free inquiry.

[Politico]

More people die from swimming accidents than from gun incidents. In fact, children are one hundred times more likely to die in a pool than from a gun incident. In other words, we should pass a gun ban after the pool ban is implemented, right? Do it for the kids, comrades.

[Cincinnatus]

Opposed.  Though, I don't necessarily oppose a waiting period ("cool-off period"), in which to obtain one.  Nor do I oppose those with a record of violent behavior being restricted.  I find my stance rather reasonable, but I guess that's subjective.

[Free Palestine]

And if we banned cars we'd have a lot less car-related deaths.

[Miles]

I'm generally pro-gun. I'm from a family with a lot of sportsmen and hunters, so I've never really had a problem with guns.

[Politico]

And if we banned cars we'd have a lot less car-related deaths.

Better yet: let's just ban death along with scarcity.

All of our problems are solved, comrades!

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I tend to oppose gun control with a few exceptions (not on airplanes, schools, campuses, and concealed requires a license, background check, limits on certain criminals and those with certain mental illnesses)

[Free Palestine]

I'm generally pro-gun. I'm from a family with a lot of sportsmen and hunters, so I've never really had a problem with guns.

Don't you know?  If you use a gun, no matter where you are or what you're doing, you're 75% more likely to kill a small child.

[RI]

In case you haven't noticed, gun control isn't exactly a winning issue on this board except among a few, mostly European, posters. Part of this is latent moderate heroism on the left... Gun control is an issue you can make yourself appear more moderate with pretty easily without giving a whole lot of ground, partially because it's a very jingoist issue to begin with and partially because guns don't particularly impact the life of the average white middle-class suburbanite teenager very much, which this forum is mostly populated with.

[Хahar 🤔]

I don't like guns, I have no use for guns, and I don't understand the obsession that people have with them. It's quite dangerous, much like guns themselves.