VA Tech Shootings

[Bro. Curtis]

Banning guns would make America safe within 10 years ?

Here's a good question. I have an NRA sticker on my front door, and on my truck. Would you put a "gun-free household" sticker on your home ?

 

[amity]

As part of a concerted program, yes we could make guns VERY hard to acquire (and therefore expensive) within 10 years.

Why would I want to put a "gun-free household" sticker on my house? That ought to be the norm. If one has a gun in the house, where does one keep it, in order to have it handy when needed, but also where children cannot have access to it?

I might put a "ban guns" bumper sticker on my car, though!

 

[James_Newman]

If getting rid of guns is truly the answer, what went wrong in the UK? Why the preponderance of knife violence? The next step of course is knife control. Then stick control. The problem is not that guns turn people into homocidal maniacs, the problem is that there are always going to be homocidal maniacs and the police cannot protect you from them. If guns are outlawed and my family is attacked by a knife weilding assailant, I'm still going to shoot him.

 

[amity]

If getting rid of guns is truly the answer, what went wrong in the UK? Why the preponderance of knife violence? The next step of course is knife control. Then stick control. The problem is not that guns turn people into homocidal maniacs, the problem is that there are always going to be homocidal maniacs and the police cannot protect you from them. If guns are outlawed and my family is attacked by a knife weilding assailant, I'm still going to shoot him.

Well, that would make you a criminal at that point, wouldn't it?

When we are talking about banning bows and arrows I will be a good bit less concerned! Nothing else makes murder nearly so easy and convenient and clean as a gun.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Well, once again, airplanes & fertilizer were used in the two biggest mass murders in U.S. history. And armed citizens would have greatly reduced the amount of deaths in the first case.

 

[James_Newman]

Well, that would make you a criminal at that point, wouldn't it?

When we are talking about banning bows and arrows I will be a good bit less concerned! Nothing else makes murder nearly so easy and convenient and clean as a gun.

And what would allowing someone to hack my family to pieces make me?

 

[amity]

Well, once again, airplanes & fertilizer were used in the two biggest mass murders in U.S. history. And armed citizens would have greatly reduced the amount of deaths in the first case.

How many people were killed by airplanes and fertilizer last year? versus how many by guns? And the whole point is that other things that can be used as a weapon do serve some useful purpose. What purpose is served by guns?

I think the odds of someone attempting robbery at knifepoint are relatively slim. If you had a choice, would you rather be threatened with a gun or a knife? Take the knife any day.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

I see that you are just dodging, like the other thread where we await your promised responses.

I stated my views, backed them up, the constitution is on my side. Guns have been a very good thing. It'll take more than a day on the baptistboard to change my mind.

 

[amity]

I see that you are just dodging, like the other thread where we await your promised responses.

I stated my views, backed them up, the constitution is on my side. Guns have been a very good thing. It'll take more than a day on the baptistboard to change my mind.

You haven't checked the "other thread" (the one on Sharia) in quite awhile, have you? I answered it before I answered this one. And I think my answers in both ought to be good enough. I'll let them stand.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

I saw yer ten words, and you were asked several questions, so I stand on my statement that you dodge things that you don't want to answer.

Curtis out.

 

[amity]

I saw yer ten words, and you were asked several questions, so I stand on my statement that you dodge things that you don't want to answer.

Curtis out.

Ten words? What are you talking about? It was half a page! Read before you shoot your mouth off.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

First, let me apologize for missing your post.

Second, I'm done in this conversation, but will address your post in the other thread.

 

[JFox1]

How many people were killed by airplanes and fertilizer last year? versus how many by guns? And the whole point is that other things that can be used as a weapon do serve some useful purpose. What purpose is served by guns?

I think the odds of someone attempting robbery at knifepoint are relatively slim. If you had a choice, would you rather be threatened with a gun or a knife? Take the knife any day.

Are you sure about that? That is one of the mistakes people make about weapons: "I'll be afraid if somebody pulled a gun on me, but I wouldn't be afraid if somebody pulled a knife on me." WRONG! A knife can be a very formidable weapon and can cause more damage than a bullet. Guns need reloading. Knives never do. It is possible to disarm someone with a knife, but it's not as easy as it appears in the movies.

I've had self defense training. Part of it was handling knife attacks.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Sorry about the U of Chicago link. It worked a year ago, and I have the printed form somewhere. I'll try and run down at least excerpts online.

Suffice it to say that Lott and Mustard (the authors) were surprised at what their research concluded. But hopefully I'll find that so you can see.

You can download the paper from this site...scroll down & click on one of the links.


http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=161637

 

[amity]

Are you sure about that? That is one of the mistakes people make about weapons: "I'll be afraid if somebody pulled a gun on me, but I wouldn't be afraid if somebody pulled a knife on me." WRONG! A knife can be a very formidable weapon and can cause more damage than a bullet. Guns need reloading. Knives never do. It is possible to disarm someone with a knife, but it's not as easy as it appears in the movies.

I've had self defense training. Part of it was handling knife attacks.

Oh, yes, no one is denying that knives can kill, but if given a choice between an attacker armed with a gun and one armed with a knife, your chances are much greater with the latter.

 

[Alcott]

What purpose is served by guns?

Ask the police. They carry them.

 

[amity]

Ask the police. They carry them.

Very funny. No one has raised the issue of police being armed.

 

[Alcott]

But you did raise the issue of "the purpose served by guns." So ask those who carry them most conspicuously.

 

[amity]

Here is the post again, folks, just to clear up the confusion.

So are you saying that bearing arms against the federal government would be a legitimate reason for the public to be armed?

This reasoning is not working for me any longer. I really cannot think of a single legitimate reason for ordinary citizens to be armed at this point in our history. At one time much of the populace hunted to put meat on the table. That is not the case presently. What other legitimate reason is there to keep a gun? Self-defense would hardly be a valid argument if a single glock suddenly cost $5000 on the black market.

 

[Andre]

Well, once again, airplanes & fertilizer were used in the two biggest mass murders in U.S. history. And armed citizens would have greatly reduced the amount of deaths in the first case.

Anecdotal. This is no more of an argument against gun control than the Virginia shooting is, as an event unto itself, an argument for gun control. It is the "statistics" that count - not individual events.