I wonder what the statistics are for those who get shot by bad guys because the person did not know how to use the gun, or was afraid to, etc, and their own gun got taken away from them and used by the bad guy to shoot them? You don't see those kinds of stats, but I'd bet there are significant numbers where that is the case. My opinion is that people should have SOME kind of training, or demonstrate some knowlege, in how to properly handle a potentially deadly weapon. Times are different than when some of us grew up...I learned gun safety from my Grandfather, and he was serious about it. But there are MILLIONS of people who haven't got a clue. It wouldn't hurt anything for them to learn some fundamentals...how best to do that? That's a complicated proposition.
The argument about "well, if they killed the people with an axe, does that mean we should outlaw axes?" is really not a rational argument FOR gun ownership. There is one fundamental purpose for firearms, no matter what kind: To Kill Living Things. All other purposes are just layers added on. Yes, it is fun to shoot cans, bottles, watermelons, targets, etc...it is fun for some people to shoot in competitions. All those things do not supercede the fundamental purpose.
I am NOT pro gun control. I don't understand why somebody really needs a 50 mm rifle, but if that blows their skirt up, and they have a few thousand dollars to spend on it, they can own it. If a co-worker of mine in a large office goes nuts for whatever reason and decides he/she wants to off his boss and several other folks for whatever perceived reason(s), I'd a hell of a lot rather take my chances with them walking in with an axe in their hands than walking up to me and pulling a gun out of their pocket and ending my life in a fraction of a second. I would likely have an opportunity to dodge the axe, knife, pick axe, baseball bat, etc. If a person points a gun at me and pulls the trigger...I'm very likely to at least get injured. The fundamental purpose of all those other objects is not to kill living things, though they can do so in the right (wrong) situation.
So, all of those dogs won't hunt. The fact is that the majority of people in this country think it's our right to own guns, and I happen to be one of them. But, in supporting that, I am also very much aware that people that should not have guns are going to have them, because they can. That includes criminals. But, please do not support your position against gun control by making statements comparing guns to any other object. It ain't logical, and it has the opposite effect.
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Topic: Do you carry? (Read 590687 times)