Gun rights - for or against?

I appreciate your forthright honesty - with yourself - and, with all of the rest of us...

It is alright, I don't mind disagreeing with other people. I don't mind being outside the norm in some of my opinions. I actually learned something in talking to people in this thread. I learned that I am against carrying guns in public. So, it has been eye opening to me about my own opinion that I was not aware that I had.

Interesting...

An issue not yet too deeply delved into -- and, a newly formulated opinion / view?

Galatea, would you mind summing up the standard you use to determine whether carrying should be legal?

Here is what I am reading. Tell me if I'm off:


I (Galatea) do not believe I am responsible enough to own a pistol.

There must be people who are as irresponsible as I am who want a pistol.

Therefore, I wish to ban said carrying of pistols in public places.


I say this without basic knowledge of modern firearms, their operation, maintenance needs, and other factors that would inform my understanding as to the level of care needed on the part of the carrier.

Wow GaryA, I wish I read your post comparing guns to cars before writing. Superb. Very comparable factors indeed.

In fact, I trust people with guns more than I do cars. Never once have I gone to the range and almost got killed because some guy in the next lane was texting while operating his Glock.

It's not just the guns per se. It's a Constitutional right Americans have. What would happen if they took away our guns? It's somehow checks and balances. What would happen to states rights if gov't started to remove Constitutional rights?

I have used a car analogy on several occasions to respond to people...

"Guns are dangerous"..... CARS are more dangerous when used improperly. Look at car-related deaths/gun-related deaths.

"Nobody needs a semi-automatic weapon/high capacity magazine, etc.."..... Nobody NEEDS a car that goes more than 40 mph, or that costs more than $10,000.

"Think of the children that are endangered with guns"..... Do a search on injuries and deaths of children by/in cars. Studies have shown that injuries in car accidents are dramatically reduced or eliminated with a reduction in speed. If a Federal law was passed, banning the manufacture or possession of any car that can exceed 40 mph, thousands upon thousands of lives would be saved. Think of the children. Isn't it worth a little personal inconvenience to ensure the safety of the children? Certainly nobody could be against that. Let's put it to a vote.

Final thought.... owning and driving cars is NOT a right... it's a privilege, and a convenience.

Correct.... if the 2nd amendment is removed, NONE of the other amendments are worth the paper they are written on. 1st amendment would be gone in a heartbeat, followed closely by all the rest... the 2nd amendment is what ensures the others are not eliminated.

You're are the one that brought up reading his book.
Why should I want to read a book of an unamerican draft dodger?
And why should I tell you how he dodged the draft?
The information is out there if you really cared to look for it.
Why don't you tell me what's in the book instead of having me read it?

I'm not going to get into a urination contest with you.... YOU brought up Nugent, not me.

I'm just saying.
The wonderful Nugent is on your side.

Guns be like ''blame it on me, everybody else does "

DEMI!! Good to see ya.... I thought you had left...

Where is EmNats? This subject is her bag.

I get it though. I'll bow out for months at a time.

Yeah, right. I'll see your Ted Nugent, and raise you Hanoi Jane Fonda..... SHE'S on YOUR side....





GAME, SET, MATCH....

She's not been on as much. I'll occasionally get a PM from her but she hasn't really been posting in the forums.

I reckon, Jane, that if you knew communism, you would be on your knees, praying to get rid of it.

Pretty much spot on. However, I have been around one person who was irresponsible and dropped a gun which DID go off and could have struck another person. So I know guns can be dangerous in the hands of irresponsible people.

It's not ONLY that, though. I also am leery of people who might be very knowledgeable about guns and gun safety, and might THINK they are helping stop crime but actually harm a bystander or completely innocent person. I don't think the guy who shot Trayvon Martin thought to himself "Let me shoot a black kid," I think he thought "That kid just broke into someone's house and is getting away."

I am leery of people being overzealous in stopping crime.

Not that I think that EVERYONE who carries a gun would be quick on the draw, but some people would be.

I think I probably already had this opinion against carrying guns, but it was subconscious- not something I consciously thought about at all. So, talking about it and thinking about it has brought it to the surface.

Trayvon Martin is a bad example to use also.... Zimmerman didn't shoot Martin because he thought Martin just broke into a home, Zimmermann shot martin because he was getting his head pummeled into the ground.