Gun Control

[Severan]

Yes, I'm back again. I keep going inactive and coming back for some reason.
Anyways, I've been increasingly involved in debate and discussion over politics, and the thing that intrigues me the most is firearms. How can a group that claims to be so fervently "pro-life" become pro-death when it comes to any sensible firearms legislation?
I love how the Australian comedian Jim Jeffries absolutely destroys any argument for guns. You should go watch it on YouTube.
His points can be summarized as follows:

1. Nobody really cares about home security or self defense, they only like guns. None of them buy new high-tech padlocks or install secure doors or find efficient non-lethal methods of protecting themselves. They just like guns. It's not about defense, it's about these fun little machines that look cool but can kill.

2. More guns will not solve gun violence. More guns will mean more gun violence. Adding more problems in no way will lead you to a solution.

3. The government has weapons far beyond what any citizen can access legally. They also have trained forces who have killed and will kill again. Using your little AR 15 to stop a cruise missile aimed towards your head is completely futile.

4. Gun control worked in Australia. In the 10 years before they banned the guns, there were 16 massacres. Since then (1996) there hasn't been a single massacre.

So why do these people decide to stay indoctrinated? The NRA is one of the scariest lobbyists out there. The NRA not only has donations from crazy paranoid conservative nuts, they also get money from firearms corporations.

Anyways, I would personally argue that firearms only instill fear and make it feel like a war zone. Any civilized intelligent human being would use rational discourse to solve a problem. These are not civilized, not intelligent, and their ability to have empathy is far from human. Just think about it: these people would rather have children die at schools than have their toys taken from them.

Sick inhumane bastards.

[Mudhammam]

So... what are you proposing, that guns become more regulated so that maniacs have less access to them? That's not really that controversial, is it?

[Chas]

4. Gun control worked in Australia. In the 10 years before they banned the guns, there were 16 massacres. Since then (1996) there hasn't been a single massacre. 

Except that's not really true.

19 December 2014 – Cairns child killings – The bodies of eight children aged between 18 months to 15 years were found stabbed to death in a home in Cairns Queensland.

There were many multiple killings in Australia, some by firearm, some not.

[*Deidre*]

I think Japan's near banning on firearms, shows how it can be effective if enforced properly. But, Japan is a very different type of culture, very unified way of thinking, unlike the U.S. where most everyone is rather fragmented.

[Minimalist]

Is "fragmented" a polite way of saying "fucked up?"


I don't know, Chas.  The Aussies seem to have the right idea.

Firearm-related death rate per 100,000 population per year


Australia

0.86 (2011)

United States

10.30 (2011)

Now I'll grant you that they probably have more people killed by horny kangaroos than we do.  Can't argue that one but they seem to have knocked the gun thing down to manageable proportions.

[pocaracas]

Just for the purpose of this thread, this video popped up, today:

[Brian37]

I hate the term "gun control" that was not a well coined phrase and it stupidly scares the shit out of gun owners. They are the first to claim guns are not toys so we can undermine that stupid fear by calling it "gun safety". But, at the same time even that switch the NRA and makers will look for a way to call that fascism too.

[Minimalist]

Great video, Poke.

Too bad the guns nuts won't accept it.

[Brian37]

RationalPoet......I do not blame gun owners as much as I blame the bad climate of marketing the makers and NRA use. You sell fear and entitlement to gullible people that makes you irresponsible. I blame the makers and the NRA the most.

[Thumpalumpacus]

1. Nobody really cares about home security or self defense, they only like guns. None of them buy new high-tech padlocks or install secure doors or find efficient non-lethal methods of protecting themselves. They just like guns. It's not about defense, it's about these fun little machines that look cool but can kill.

False, in many cases.

Anyways, I would personally argue that firearms only instill fear and make it feel like a war zone. Any civilized intelligent human being would use rational discourse to solve a problem.

Try doing that with a dangerous  animal when you live out in the country like I do.

These are not civilized, not intelligent, and their ability to have empathy is far from human. Just think about it: these people would rather have children die at schools than have their toys taken from them.

Misrepresenting a sizable swath of those who disagree with you is rarely a good argument.