HunterCA -> RE: ***Unmoderated Gun rights debate - Self Defense to 2nd Amendment *** (11/6/2013 1:55:05 PM)
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ORIGINAL: crazyml quote:
ORIGINAL: HunterCA quote:
ORIGINAL: crazyml quote:
ORIGINAL: BamaD It would help if other Englishmen didn't insist that we should just brush aside the constitution and do as we are told. Yep, I can understand why that would be annoying. It's worth pointing out that the only people that get to decide what the 2nd Amendment means are the people that sit on the USSC. It's also a huge leap for many Europeans to place themselves in a position where they can talk even close to sensibly about the gun debate in the states. I have the slight advantage of having lived in Concord MA for two years, in a house that was standing a couple of miles from the North Bridge, when your lot kicked their first Redcoat butt. I spend about a quarter of my year in the US. In the UK in particular, the general availability of firearms (both legal and non legal) is minute compared with the USA - so a complete prohibition is far more likely to be effective. I don't see how a complete prohibition could possibly work in the USA. I'm not all that interested in fighting over "how we got here" so this isn't a silly "europeanist" claim that we Europeans are ever so civilised or any bollocks like that - it's just where we are today. I can see, given the likelihood of encountering a criminal who is armed is much higher in the US, how c/c could have an impact on reducing crime, I can also see how it might result in an escalation too (criminals getting increasingly powerful/dangerous weapons)- So, I'll be reading the research you've pointed to with interest, and an open mind. I certainly don't believe that the correlation between gun ownership and gun crime that the anti gun lobby goes on about so much has been properly demonstrated. Even that commie bastard Michael White observed that gun ownership is higher in many parts of Canada where gun crime is a lot lower. Good thesis. Now with those thoughts in mind, yesterday, I believe Peon, said that in Britain that the government just decided unilaterally, with no input from the people, to abolish all gun rights. We're fortunate to be a democracy - So the notion of "Government" and "no input from the people" is nonsensical. The government is elected by the people, it is given a mandate to pass laws on behalf of the people. The (effectively) complete ban on handguns in the UK was enacted after the Dunblane massacre. To a large extent it was a knee-jerk, but there was very very little public opposition to it - Certainly far far less than there was to the ban on fox hunting. quote:
So, being true to this thread, if we don't discuss socialism as merely economic control but also control of the rights granted to citizens, how is that not socialist control? Can you please just look up the definition of "socialist"... it has a very specific meaning relating to government control of the means of production. Suffice it to say, there is just no actual interest in relaxing the very tight firearms legislation. We don't have a "hunting" tradition (being too small an island to have any of the amazing wilderness that there is in the states) and gun ownership has always been really very low - even prior to the ban. And, it's worth noting - it is possible to own firearms, shot guns are relatively easy to obtain, and even rifles can be licensed if you have a good reason (eg pest control) to own one. Despite what you may think, the British are very keen on their rights. When the Labour govt banned hunting with dogs (notably Fox hunting) close to 100,000 people marched through London to protest. My comment was a response to a paraphrase of what I think ( without looking back) peon said. He stated, I paraphrase and could be wrong, that such a change in your government should have gone to the people and didnt. He used that as an example of how easy it was for the government to circumvent the people and we yanks should do the same. I think if you went to...say...Cuba today and said socialism was merely economic control you'd be jeered. Or say China where the socialist government is currently really cracking down on decent of thought. Please don't tell me that you don't see a connection between what socialist do once in power and that form of government. I'm sure those in the grip of socialist repression would be agog at you saying its just central control of the means of production.
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