Comment Re:Why just guns? (Score 1) 264
Exactly. If, instead of reducing lead, the government had simply banned guns, and we still had lead in gasoline and paint, how well do you think that would have worked out? With people still having behavioral problems, and using knives and baseball bats instead of guns, do you think that the 49% drop in the murder rate would have still happened. Thank you for proving my point. Crime is a symptom of a deeper problem, and guns are NOT the cause of the problem, they are just tools that criminals use, but they are used MUCH MORE by honest people.
If guns had actually been removed, I believe the murder rate would've dropped a bit, because guns make it a lot easier to kill people. There's a lot more effort involved when using a baseball bat. Unfortunately, you've got that particular tiger by the tail, and the guns are unlikely to disappear unless there's a mass community movement to do it, like there was in Australia.
And what do you expect? The honest gun owners are very much AGAINST crime, just like all of the honest non-gun owners, but how are gun owners supposed to "put a lid" on crime. If I have a gun to defend myself, do you expect me to put on tights and be "Super Shooter Dude" running around saving the city by myself? Then I would be called a "vigilante," which is generally frowned upon.
I wasn't expecting honest gunowners to be vigilantes - I was expecting them to condemn the more out there pronouncements of the loons.I'm not seeing that happen at all, which makes me think that perhaps they agree with the nutters. Not good for peace of mind.
By the way. I am not a "prepper" or a "survivalist." At least not much. I have been through a couple of hurricanes. I know what it is to be completely without power and water for a week or so -- and it is not fun. After any disaster it may take the government a few days to a week to come to your rescue, so you need to be prepared to meet your own needs for up to a week. That is just common sense. I am not preparing for the end of the world.
Didn't think you were one of the nuts - you appear to be able to consider evidence and make reasoned arguments.
In my case, I just want my children (yes, I have children) to know and love the freedoms that I grew up with. And, if some scumbag wants to attack one of my daughters, I plan on teaching them how to defend themselves. I would rather have a scumbag wind up being shot than one of my daughters wind up being raped. I also do not like people telling me what to do for NO GOOD REASON. There is a speed limit on the roads -- that makes sense, so I happily obey (well, mostly). I believe in being nice to other people. But, telling me that I cannot own a rifle when I have not hurt anybody and have no plans to hurt anybody is just plain stupid.
In violent agreement here - although in my daughter's case, she took up martial arts. Australia isn't the gun desert that people imagine - there's a gun club about 20 minutes drive from where I live. It's right next door to a Defence training area, so there's plenty of loud bangs from time to time.
