|
LadyEllen -> RE: Effective Gun Control in England (3/24/2007 8:15:36 AM)
|
Of course guns are deadly weapons - as Homer Simpson said, indicating the barrel, "this is the end you point at what you want to die".
But that edition really showed I think, the difference between responsibility and irresponsibility with guns, and by extension with everything in life.
A ban on me owning a gun doesnt tell me that society is any better than ever it was, but it does tell me that I am untrustworthy, irresponsible and have to be cared for by a nanny state for my own good, as I clearly dont have the good sense to know right from wrong, good from bad. Same with many other things here.
Say for instance, I owned a gun and I wanted to murder someone. Would I use the gun? No. Much too loud, much too much attention attracted, and much too much possible police attention in particular. If the gun were legal, I'd be doing a life sentence before my feet touched the ground too. Almost any alternative means of homicide would be superior in terms of me getting away with it.
Say for instance, I owned a gun and I was crazy enough to fancy running amok - which is the situation which led to the ban over here in the first place. Firstly, being crazy (as the two guys clearly were who prompted the ban), I should never ever have been granted any weapon licence in the first place, but lets assume that because of police incompetence I have been issued with one (as happened in those two cases). Naturally, I'm going to go on my rampage and shoot loads of people - but this means that the procedure for issuing licences was wrong, not that gun ownership is wrong.
Say for instance, I owned a gun and wanted to kill myself. Again, my mental state should have been a contraindication to the issue of a licence in the first place, and certainly should have been an indicator for my weapon to be withdrawn by the police as soon as it came to the attention of my GP - as happened with regard to my musket. Assuming again though, these failings in procedure, then I could likely blow my head off quite successfully - but then, I could if my intent was that clear, have hung myself had the weapon been removed.
So, in the case of me possibly murdering someone, the gun is a poor choice. In the case of me being crazy, passively or aggressively, then I should not have a gun at all. What this tells me, is that there is no problem with legal gun ownership by sane and responsible citizens, but rather that it is the blundering incompetence of the police and government which requires the ban, because for all their bluster, it is they who are irresponsible and untrustworthy.
E
|
|
|
|
