Ban handguns? Supreme Court taking a new look

[SlowwHand]

That's a very good point. You never know.

[bc1871]

Open Carry Laws, and the Castle Doctrine put a large dent in crime!

[Felch]

...because, when the government rolls an Abrams tank down my street, I can take it on with my .22 caliber rifle.

No, you take out the guy refueling the Abrams with your rifle. You hit an enemy where they are weak, not where they're strong. It's common sense.

[a.kitman]

if i didnt feel safe going out the first thing on my mind would be moveing, not getting a gun.

[ricketyclik]

I know it's been said before, in this thread and in others, but you people in the US really ought to lift your eyes to the horizon.

Countries with strict gun control laws have far fewer murders. Far, far, far fewer. It's simple.

Oh, and criminals get their guns from non-criminals who have guns.

[Felch]

I just posted the link to stats. Try buying a gun in South Africa. They've got gun control. Also a lot more murders than the US.

[Lorizael]

Oops?

[ricketyclik]

I just posted the link to stats. Try buying a gun in South Africa. They've got gun control. Also a lot more murders than the US.

So the US has a lower murder rate than SA. Well done US! A lower murder rate than one of the most murderous countries in the world. Now that's something to aspire to!

[SlowwHand]

I know it's been said before, in this thread and in others, but you people in the US really ought to lift your eyes to the horizon.

Countries with strict gun control laws have far fewer murders. Far, far, far fewer. It's simple.

Oh, and criminals get their guns from non-criminals who have guns.

A) I know I've said it before, but some people need to mind their own business.

B) Have you read a book or a paper citing that criminals only get weapons from non-criminals? Because I have to tell you, it's a load of horse****.
The only part on which I'm unclear, is whether you just read horse**** or made it up all on your own.

[ricketyclik]

A) I know I've said it before, but some people need to mind their own business.

B) Have you read a book or a paper citing that criminals only get weapons from non-criminals? Because I have to tell you, it's a load of horse****.
The only part on which I'm unclear, is whether you just read horse**** or made it up all on your own.

It is my business. The guns in Australia are here because there are gun manufacturers, who exist because there is a market for guns, generated primarily by legal demand, a huge proportion of which is in the US.

I didn't say criminals only get their guns from non-criminals, but it is one obvious source. If there weren't a massive market for guns generated by non-criminals, would it be worth manufacturing the damned things in the first place?

It has been demonstrated that the majority of civilian gun fatalities and injuries in the US result from guns kept in the victims' homes. If that doesn't lead you to any rational conclusions regarding gun ownership, then there's no hope for you and you deserve what you get. Unfortunately you also inflict your misery on other innocents.

I scraped the horse**** off your head, you know, because of where it's been.

[SlowwHand]

Read your post, and then go worry about Australia.

Oh, and criminals get their guns from non-criminals who have guns.

I didn't say criminals only get their guns from non-criminals, but it is one obvious source. If there weren't a massive market for guns generated by non-criminals, would it be worth manufacturing the damned things in the first place?

Do you lie so much that you can't keep your story straight, or is your memory that bad?

You're an idiot, just like loinburger. Are you in his dickgirl club? Are you actually a dickgirl yourself?

[Felch]

So the US has a lower murder rate than SA. Well done US! A lower murder rate than one of the most murderous countries in the world. Now that's something to aspire to!

Why is it the most murderous country in the world? They've applied your solution of banning guns. They're not a poor country. What are they doing wrong?

My point isn't to aspire to be South Africa. My point is that you haven't really got any evidence that taking away guns makes people safe. South Africa takes away guns and people get murdered. Switzerland distributes guns and it's an Alpine paradise. Closer to home, Washington D.C. had a gun ban for a couple decades, and it did absolutely nothing to prevent violence.

Obviously guns are not the sole factor in these situations. You have to take a nuanced approach to law enforcement to get real results.

[Felch]

Oops?

It would be impractical – not to say unethical – to randomly assign volunteers to carry a gun or not and see what happens. So Charles Branas's team at the University of Pennsylvania analysed 677 shootings over two-and-a-half years to discover whether victims were carrying at the time, and compared them to other Philly residents of similar age, sex and ethnicity. The team also accounted for other potentially confounding differences, such as the socioeconomic status of their neighbourhood.

We all know that correlation doesn't mean that there's any causation. I think it's reasonable to believe that the people who were carrying guns were involved in risky business, business that couldn't rely on traditional law enforcement for security. They mention that in the article, but quickly change the subject to "gun = empowerment = violence."

As a side note, I doubt very much that any of these shooting victims were properly equipped with a shotgun.

[SlowwHand]

I am.

[ricketyclik]

Read your post, and then go worry about Australia.

Do you lie so much that you can't keep your story straight, or is your memory that bad?

I do worry about Australia. Despite our strict gun control laws and low levles of murder, there are still guns out there, and an increasing amount of them. In the hands of young volatile men they are extremely dangerous. Where do they get their guns?

I'll repeat it: I said criminals get their guns from non-criminals. This is true. Where else would they get them from? Are there criminal gun manufacturers? I think this is a sore point for you because I have implied that you possessing a gun is being part of the problem, and deep down you know it's true.

You're an idiot, just like loinburger. Are you in his dickgirl club? Are you actually a dickgirl yourself?

I can't compete with this level of erudition. You are clearly the better man.