Guns make it easier to kill people. Debunking the “Guns Don’t Kill People, People Kill People” Myth | Armed With Reason
And just as you think you have solved the problem, the world builds a better idiot. Where do you draw the line?
I believe gun ownership is a right in America because the constitution states so. However I personally don't believe guns make society safer, rather the opposite.
It is. In America it was so important it was in our bill of rights as our second amendment, right after free speech/religion/assembly. People like to reinterpret things or take modern views on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, but there are many reasons the right to bear arms is there. We are not England, we are not their territory. Much of the second amendment was there because of England and other oppressive monarchies of the time. To ensure that we not exist under a government of tyranny, we need to means to overthrow an unjust establishment.
Per the FBI: For every instance of a civilian using a handgun for self-defense in 1998, there were about 50 homocides committed with a firearm. We're talking about 2% of all instances of a firearm related death here. The more guns in a country, the higher the homicide rate goes in that country.
Gun ownership is a privilege, not a right. Now, I think that owning firearms are ok, as long as they are owned by responsible people. If you look at the annual Big Sandy Shoot in Arizona, they have people from all over bringing machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, artillery pieces, and tanks to shoot and have a good time. 99.99% of the attendees are responsible people. What's needed, in addition to better vetting for gun owners, are programs aimed at educating people on gun safety, increased attention and help towards those with mental illnesses, and programs in schools to divert kids that are at risk of growing up on the wrong side of the law. I feel like I need to add more or that I'm missing something, but I have school tomorrow and I should be asleep.
That's probably because those people that were killed didn't own a gun bc it wasn't there cup of tea.
You really have to prove a statement like that, you know. Without actually knowing much about the issue, a contribution isn't particularly helpful. Homicide | Harvard Injury Control Research Center | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health This link contains a very simple overview, but the sources are quite respectable. Gun rates lead to higher rates of homicide; non-gun killings do not decrease in the presence of guns, but lower rates of gun-ownership do decrease the overall rate of homicide by helping to cut out a large chunk of killings. Furthermore, suicide rates by other means do not tend to increase by any significant amount where guns are rarer; gun possession obviously results in higher rates of firearm-related suicides as well as suicides overall. Much like moving from bottled pills to blister packs had a surprisingly large impact on the rate of deliberate and accidental overdoses, an exceedingly obvious notion, that of reducing the number of guns to reduce deaths, is actually quite an effective one. From Guns & Suicide: The Hidden Toll | Magazine Features | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Magazine Features
Karl, even if they do ban guns there is still ways to get them. Like in Chicago the gun laws are still bad and people still have them though also in New York the laws aren't well but people still get shot. Now im not saying all homicides involving guns happen because the victims didn't have guns but even if they were banned people could still get them in other ways.
For the record, while having a gun makes it exponentially easier to commit suicide, that is not reason to restrict them. It's a reason for a person to master themselves and seek solutions to their problems that don't involve bullets in them. I own a gun and have in the past considered the possibility using it in that way. But I owe it to myself and countless others to live, and I am thankful for my rational weighing of the situation.
Yet many others with such easy access to guns do not end up choosing life, as the figures I posted show. I am firmly of the opinion that theoretical liberty does not trump practical reductions in suicide. On top of that, the ideas of reducing guns as well as providing and encouraging the use of better services for those in need are not even slightly incompatible and together work to save lives.
Well I've got no argument against this. I wish I had a better compromise for the suicide problem other than "Don't do that." And the value of "theoretical liberty" vs. practical reduction in violent deaths is one without an objective right answer. Unfortunately it depends wholly on who you ask. :/
@Argentwing @Aussie792 - yea if guns were banned then people won't commit suicide that way. However there's still many ways to kill yourself whether its with pills or hanging yourself. Suicide I agree is very sad and every 18 minutes someone commits suicide in the world. Other then that I agree with argentwing no argument against this compromise for the suicide problem.
I feel the same as my colleague from MI, for his views for citizens at large as well as for him/me personally. I have battled with depression and don't want it my home for the same reason. +1
No, I'd rather see all guns banned. :icon_bigg I think that guns are for those who are skilled enough to handle it, and 'need' it for their job (such as people in the army).
The previous owner of the house I live in shot himself with a hunting rifle. There's no place where he could've hung himself and no pills to kill himself with. What he did have was a rifle and something tells me that if he didn't have that rifle readily available for a quick kill, he would not have killed himself. And I don't think he's the only one that applies to.
The poll asks a question as to your thought if gun ownership is a right or not. Sadly, it seems that many think the constitution does not afford this right. Then to, many think the same as to freedom of expression. The real deep rooted issue is the absolute lack of personal responsibility. There is an inherent requirement to wield liberty in accordance with the tenets of the belief that all men are created equal in the eyes of their creator. To be an American means they are a citizen of the greatest country on earth. No national race, creed or religion, but free to celebrate inclusion AND diversity. The hypocrisy of some to demand restrictions of some rights while insisting that their rights not be infringed displays absolute intolerance of any dissenting point of view. Can someone please tell me why anyone has the right to enter MY home without my permission? When someone enters a home that is not their own without the families permission, they have broken the sanctity of a families domicile. Being burglarized although well below rape and sexual assault, leave many with the feeling of being violated on a very deep level. The bugler has broken the basic tenet of being a responsible citizen of the community. In other words, they take no responsibility for their actions. I am so tired of the victims being accused of the crime. The government is not the answer with more regulations, personal responsibility IS! When a person fails, THEY need to be held accountable. Sadly, laws requiring mandatory prison time for crimes committed with a firearm have been struck down by the court as unfair. But many feel it OK to administratively enact “controls” on what might happen. Many advocate mental health requirements prior to ownership. Who makes the determination? Because of the community mental health acts since the 1960’s, the “rights” of the insane are more important that any victim. The extreme indifference of the government at all levels in funding the community mental health has been criminal and we are reaping the benefits of an over worked and under supported system. Hope about if we actually address the ROOT issue of non-criminal gun violence in America. If we would spend even a fraction of the dollars that both the NRA and the Brady group spend on “gun-control” we could make an enduring impact on everyone’s lives in this country. I may not agree with your point of view, but I will defend your right to express it.
I believe in responsible firearm ownership. Means you have to pass mental health tests, provite reason for ownership, and have a gun safe in your home so that it wont fall into anyone's hands but your own.
