Is it time for U.S Citizens to Relinquish the "right to own a firearm"?

[Megalos]

First off, I'm British so you may want to tell me to go to hell, but I simply can't ignore the fact of all the recent shootings in the U.S.

Mindless violence often used in the "heat of the moment" seems to occupy about 70% percent of the "shootings" stories I read, 15% by some mentally disturbed person, 5% gang related the other 10% going to various reasons including extremism, pre med murder and robberies etc.

Now looking at that (I'm not saying that is exactly how things pan out, just by news circulation in the media) the top two reasons could easily be avoided by taking away the right to own firearms, simply by making it more difficult to obtain firearms.

I'm not saying it won't ever happen again, but it's certainly food for thought.


Is it time Americans reliquinshed their right to own firearms?

[Chaigidel]

its been pretty crazy and will give the anti gun lobby alot of ammo-- but the fact is americans love guns far too much to ever let a few deaths affect thier right to bear arms.

I think its the responsibility of everyone who is sane to buy up as much guns as they can -- because you can trust yourself not to do this with a weapon, you can trust yourself to never raise it in anger or reprisal.

so collect them and hide them from the evil doers.

[Megalos]

I think its the responsibility of everyone who is sane to buy up as much guns as they can -- because you can trust yourself not to do this with a weapon, you can trust yourself to never raise it in anger or reprisal.

Are you being serious or sarcastic here?

Hell no, I love shooting deer and ..

Well we have a vetting procedure here in the UK for people who hunt, to gain a license for shooting. ALthough it's certainly not going to stop every shooting in the future it seems fairly effective.

[sdomi_cabsav@Hotmail]

Americans like there guns more as a counter for the government. Though i do dislike the gun culture where guns are seen as fun in which they are not, sought of how i don't like the drinking culture in Australia. The only problem i see with them is that its too easy for crazies to get access to fire arms.

[bigfootedfred]

well.

As the AK47 man proved with his fully auto rifle, even with a gun ban, people would still get them.
so you could argue people need the guns to defend themselves from loons with illegal guns..

But anyway, no i dont think the Americans would ever give up their right to arms.
If the US gov tried, they'd trigger a civil war, remeber, GUN BAN dosent just mean your not allowed to buy new ones..

[★Bandiera Rossa☭]

Hell no, I love shooting deer and ..

[George W. Bush]

Hell no, I love shooting deer and ..

Damn straight Slurricane! I would never give up my right to bear arms. I never made any of my citizens do it either. I'm sure Dick Cheney will back me up on this issue.

[C-Rob]

Go to hell. Did you know that just twenty years ago it was perfectly fine for a group of boys at my highschool to bring their hunting rifles to school, store htem in the janitor's locker, and go hunting that afternoon? Guns are tools and objects of entertainment. And they symbolize american individualism and freedom. Can't and shouldn't take them away from sane citizens. And besides, 15% of those gun deaths are unavoidable.

[Megalos]

Go to hell. Did you know that just twenty years ago it was perfectly fine for a group of boys at my highschool to bring their hunting rifles to school, store htem in the janitor's locker, and go hunting that afternoon? Guns are tools and objects of entertainment. And they symbolize american individualism and freedom. Can't and shouldn't take them away from sane citizens. And besides, 15% of those gun deaths are unavoidable.

What's stopping the sane people from going insane due to some inexplicable reason, grabbing their gun and going hell for leather with it?

GTH back at cha

[C-Rob]

What's stopping the sane people from going insane due to some inexplicable reason, grabbing their gun and going hell for leather with it?

GTH back at cha

What's to stop them creating homemade explosives or just poisoning a water supply or beating people with bats, or taking htem down with a knife in the back in the dead of night?

People kill people.

[Megalos]

What's to stop them creating homemade explosives or just poisoning a water supply or beating people with bats, or taking htem down with a knife in the back in the dead of night?

People kill people.

Sure, but going back to the opening post, where alot of the shootings are done "in the heat of the moment" (I suppose you could call it momentary madness?) those ways you listed would be alot harder to pull off without the person considering doing it "cooling off". I suppose you could argue the fact of the knife, but killing your five children (an example from today) with a knife would be alot harder to do than simply shooting (still horrendous, make no mistake) them no?

I'm British. I own multiple firearms. Making something illegal does not make something not exist.

I hope legally. Still, you don't hear that many shooting stories in Britain do you?

No, America is a pretty stable country, So its not likely that guns would benefit someone who has a very, Very specific intent to murder others when he couldnt have got it anyway. And more freedom and rights is generally a good thing, Especially becaus even when these crimes happen they tend to be punished or unpunishable (and not just "not be punished at all")

It's not about punishment ( I don't think anyway) what about all the innocents and victims that just happen to be in the way? They aren't breathing any more. Is that fair? No punishment handed out by men will ever be punishment enough for taking somebody elses right to live away.


I just can't get into the mindset of guns being "fun". Sorry, but they are meant for killing.

[Tiberius Tosi]

Sure, but going back to the opening post, where alot of the shootings are done "in the heat of the moment" (I suppose you could call it momentary madness?) those ways you listed would be alot harder to pull off without the person considering doing it "cooling off". I suppose you could argue the fact of the knife, but killing your five children (an example from today) with a knife would be alot harder to do than simply shooting (still horrendous, make no mistake) them no?

We have a waiting period on a gun for this exact reason, so you can't just go to your local store, but a gun and then murder someone. You have to wait three days and for a sane person, you will usually settle down by then.

Also, there may be more guns in America than people, but not the majority of people in America own guns.


You can ban guns in the US, but getting people to give them up is going to be one major headache and then you won't know who has guns and who doesn't have guns afterwards.

[Duke_of_Bavaria]

What's to stop them creating homemade explosives or just poisoning a water supply or beating people with bats, or taking htem down with a knife in the back in the dead of night?

People kill people.

Thing is you can do way more damage with a gun than you can with a bat...
I'd like to see a dork try a school massacre with a bat, he wouldn't last 2 minutes.

It's gonna be hard to ban guns now though when there are already so many on the move in the US.
You'll have the problem that only the bad guys have guns if you take them away now.

[Fingon NL]

What's to stop them creating homemade explosives or just poisoning a water supply or beating people with bats, or taking htem down with a knife in the back in the dead of night?

People kill people.

The ways you describe there are the things a terrorist would use, not somebody with a quarrel with his neighbour who grabs a gun in the heat of the moment and kills him.
The longer it takes to kill somebody, the more time you have to retreat from it.

Besides that, I am for very strict laws on guns, not for a total ban.
Especially the gun laws on replicas are very annoying here, if you get caught with an AEG that looks like a real gun you are seriously punished, and that's rediculous.

[seal]

The ways you describe there are the things a terrorist would use, not somebody with a quarrel with his neighbour who grabs a gun in the heat of the moment and kills him.
The longer it takes to kill somebody, the more time you have to retreat from it.

It doesn't take long to kill someone, with or without a gun. Murder, as you described it, can happen with many tools.

[MaryPoppinCaps]

Go to hell. Did you know that just twenty years ago it was perfectly fine for a group of boys at my highschool to bring their hunting rifles to school, store htem in the janitor's locker, and go hunting that afternoon? Guns are tools and objects of entertainment. And they symbolize american individualism and freedom. Can't and shouldn't take them away from sane citizens. And besides, 15% of those gun deaths are unavoidable.

And 73% of statistics actually aren't true.

I'm an American and I am completely against guns. But how can we defend ourselves against a tyrannical government without them? This is the only argument I cannot refute as a person who is against guns in America. I am in favor of greater restrictions but to take them totally away would be to take away the freedom of the American people.

Plus, everyone loves their guns too much. I'd like you to try and take someone's guns away here and see what happens I hope you are wearing body armor or are just fast as hell.

[BNS]

Ha, a Brit. Go to hell.

[Chaigidel]

I am being absolutely serious ; I despise hunting, I dont like the noise that guns make, but I have well over 100 rifles.

collectors items, hakeems, garands etc

I own very few modern firearms but I do own them, and if it werent for a fire I owned 2 mg42s 3 full auto thompsons( one was used by the israelis in 1947), 2 british stins etc all of them saw the war, I lost tons of history there

I love guns I think they are an art form and totems of some of the most important events in modern history, guns are where law was born, guns are how order is kept, the power of death is the power that men understand.---- but I would let a man kill me I think if he wanted, I have no reason to raise my hand against the flesh.

[Georgy Zhukov]

I disagree, guns should not be taken away. Regulated? Sure. But we shouldn't give up our right to bear arms.

[roy34543]

No, America is a pretty stable country, So its not likely that guns would benefit someone who has a very, Very specific intent to murder others when he couldnt have got it anyway. And more freedom and rights is generally a good thing, Especially becaus even when these crimes happen they tend to be punished or unpunishable (and not just "not be punished at all")