What does gun violence really COST

Discussion in 'Politics' started by nitro, Jun 18, 2015.

  1. Nitro the main problem with reducing freedoms and constitutional rights, because of the actions of deranged criminals, is that eventually you will have no rights left. Why should law-abiding gun owners give up their second amendment rights every time one of the crazies goes on a rampage? What happens when a deranged criminal with two of those "3 rounds only, small caliber smart guns" goes somewhere and shoots 6 children? Will you then make a call for single shot only guns?

    Semi-automatic rifles and shotguns have been labeled "assault weapons" in recent years simply in an effort to get them banned. They are not true assault weapons, which are capable of select fire and have been under the NFA since the 1930s and the 1986 ban on new machine guns for the civilian market.

    There are an estimated 270 to 300 million firearms in the United States. How do you plan to get them out of civilian hands? Do you think that mass arrest would work? Do you think there is any realistic and workable confiscation plan? Years ago my great fear was that some fool politician might one day try to do something similar to that and really kick off uncontrollable civil unrest.

    Since the Heller decision, the US Supreme court has ruled that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right and therefore the legal justification for everything that you are calling for (with the possible exception of the smart guns) is unconstitutional. Its just not going to happen. Therefore the best remedy is to allow law abiding citizens to defend themselves and let law enforcement focus on targeting violent criminals and getting them off the streets, along with the mentally ill. This will not eliminate all shootings, but it is much better than focusing on taking away the rights of the people who have not committed any crimes and use guns responsibly.
     
    #11     Jun 20, 2015

  2. Hitler did it best:
    1) Make everybody register their valuables or do 10 years in jail [guns are valuables]
    2) Take away the guns
    3) Take away the rest of the valuables
    4) Off the victims
     
    #12     Jun 20, 2015
    tom2 likes this.
  3. nitro

    nitro

    I understand this argument, and it is nearly impossible to contradict. It is why that lady wants to paint all sorts of goofy symbols of Muhammad, reasoing being that if she gives in, what happens when more of these Muslim "no-no's" begin to encroach on other freedoms. Very tough. I also understand that taking people's guns away only helps the bad guys, although that has been at least put into question by scientific studies, for example, read the article I posted above. You can see that I understand where you are coming from.

    But you are taking what I am saying and making it extreme. I am not saying take away people's guns. I am saying take away the militant type guns away, or at least not allow any clown to go to a gun show and have one in ten minutes.

    I also believe that three rounds is plenty for self defense. Of course there are situations where having even 10 rounds may not work. I claim those are statistical 6-std events. In other words, they cannot direct common law.

    Does that make sense?

     
    #13     Jun 20, 2015
    futurecurrents likes this.
  4. wjk

    wjk

    I'm waiting for you to address the drug issue I mentioned a few posts ago regarding gun ownership. It's always swept under the rug, or so it seems.

    I'm sorry to harp on this, but everyone wants to take gun rights away, but no one wants to address the issue of parents letting shrinks dope their kids up to a point where they no longer know the difference between reality and fantasy, possibly because the parents are too lazy to be parents. When did we start doping kids because they had "too much energy"? We can start there. And if you really want to get into the weeds, we can talk about giving mothers money to have children when there is no chance of a father being around. That will begin to address the street murder, which gets no mention in comparison to the mass murders (doesn't fit the agenda of the left, does it?). And the list goes on.

    It almost seems one could make an argument that the violence perpetrated by the afore mentioned failed policies makes it necessary for one to have the ability to defend one's self in the very way you want to do away with.
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2015
    #14     Jun 20, 2015
    Clubber Lang likes this.
  5. nitro

    nitro

    Where is this? In this thread?
     
    #15     Jun 20, 2015
  6. wjk

    wjk

    #16     Jun 20, 2015
  7. Nitro how would you take away the guns that you think of as "assault weapons"? Just for example I have about 8 of them. Many of my family and friends have 2 or 3. They are not registered with the federal or state government. Do you think that we along with millions of other Americans will just walk into the local police station and turn them in? There are an estimated 6 to 8 million AR-15s in civilian hands. Do you think that the US government is ready to do the incredibly harsh things it would need to do, to its own citizens, to take those "militant type guns"? Do you believe that the US government should only be bound by the Bill of Rights when it wants to? Did you know that what you call "assault weapons" or "militant type guns" are used in less than 1% of shootings?

    Statistics are a useful tool for trading and investing, but if 4 or 5 violent criminals start attacking you, they will not be of much use while you are getting your head kicked in.

    I do not understand why your first focus is on eliminating a freedom of the law abiding gun owner, with a broad and unconstitutional restriction on them, without first even proposing something aimed at existing violent criminals.
     
    #17     Jun 20, 2015
  8. wildchild

    wildchild

    Because of guns, society no longer has to deal with predators like Travon Martin and Mike Brown. Having these two animals taken off the streets permanently is a huge benefit.
     
    #18     Jun 21, 2015
  9. Tsing Tao

    Tsing Tao

    Ok, let's go through this again.

    Nitro, let's discuss. First, which rifles are you calling "assault rifles"? Please describe what you mean?

    Second, as Trader7 asked, how would you go about removing all "assault rifles" from circulation?
     
    #19     Jun 22, 2015
  10. Step One: Don't make any more of them available to the public? Every journey begins with the first step.
     
    #20     Jun 22, 2015
    futurecurrents likes this.