Lucas Lightfeat wrote:
If all of the gun crime is commited by crazies with illegal guns,
Not all. Obviously there are crimes of passion where a legal gun owner gets mad at his boss or lover and kills but, statistically, that is the exception and not the rule. More importantly, there are laws that try to address that issue by asking for a wait period before purchasing a gun and doing background checks, etc. I support the idea of this 100% but it will never be a perfect system because studies have shown that crimes of passion are committed with what ever weapon is available, be it a kitchen knife, club, automobile or whatever. In fact, research has found that crimes of passion are typically "close event" scenarios because the killer is so enraged that they feel the need to personally inflict the damage on the person they are mad at and guns are used the least.
By contrast, far more unarmed people are killed by criminals with guns than the number of cheating lovers or offending office managers, even taking into account every form of weapon on the books combined that a jilted lover or disgruntled officer worker might choose from. Therefore, when you ask this question:
Lucas Lightfeat wrote:where do these guns, on the whole, come from?
It is really academic because they are here and there is nothing we can do about it. By the last official estimate I read, there are millions and millions of unregistered guns and they are not biodegradable. Hence, they will be around for a long, long time and it is most likely a fact that the bad guys will have them because, as common sense dictates, criminals do not give a rat's ass about laws that say they shouldn't posess a gun or use it in a crime.
Add to this lunacy the sheer size of the United States (relative to our paltry police force), it is apparent that the general public will have to deal with this for a very long time to come and it is not likely that any law we pass will affect, now or in the future, the criminal intent of those that mock the legal system for personal gain. These people have little or no regard for our personal well being.
To put this in better perspective: There are ALREADY laws on the books that say killing is a crime, regardless of the weapon. The last thing we need is another useless law that does more to impede the rights of the law abiding citizen and does nothing to address the activities of violent criminals. I don't like guns and have never owned one but I am not so silly as to think that the criminal element pensively sits on the edge of their couch, watching the news about firearm legislation and wondering how it will affect their livlihood.
Lucas Lightfeat wrote:
My failure to understand this defense of the right to bear arms is principally cultural. I am fortunate to live in a country that has very little gun crime.
But you do have your share of violent crime, yes? Must a gun be used for the problem to be worth addressing?
Lucas Lightfeat wrote:
I have never fired or even held a real gun, but I'll admit I can certainly see the attraction. I grew up on cowboy movies just like you.
I guess no one rode horses and carried a side arm in the UK during the 19th century? Pirates never had muskets and the rifles standing next to the guards in front of Buckingham palace are just for show? It is easy to overlook the role of guns in the history of other countries when talking about the problems in the U.S. but violent crime is everyone's problem, not just unique to America.
Lucas Lightfeat wrote:It's now illegal for anyone to own a handgun over here - five years you get for posession alone.
And it is against the law to illegally own a handgun here. Again, we could outlaw gun ownership but it would not address the larger problem of the criminal element that cares nothing about the law and would, statistically, leave law abiding citizens open to criminals that will still have guns. The problem isn't whether a law is in place but, rather, how well the law is enforced and if, in fact, it is enforcable at all. It is a very complicated problem.
Lucas Lightfeat wrote:We have hand-in amnesties every now and then. It works here and it makes us feel that America is "gun crazy" - sure. Perhaps in truth such measures wouldn't work in America, as the nation was forged on violence.
As was the UK, Lucas. The British didn't go around colonizing the rest of the world by politely asking others to join them. Mucho blood was shed in the name of the Empire and it wasn't all by sword (as if that would really make a difference here). I don't think that America has a violent streak more than any other country but we DO allow violence to appear in films and media more than others, it would seem. That creates the illusion that we are a more violent people when, in reality, our criminals are no more violent than any other country's.
Therefore, the real issue isn't about gun control but, rather, about enforcing laws that deter violence in all forms. Is that possible? Again, there are already laws on the books that say murder is illegal. In some states you get the death penality for it. Doesn't seem to help. I don't see a solution but I do agree with Michael Moore that the media and the govenment perpetuates the idea of fear and uses it as a method of control. Makes me tired.
And, finally, the Second Amendment IS about citizens protecting themselves from an oppressive government. There is nothing vague about it. Given today's political climate, it is something we should give serious consideration. Scary times.
Roger
