Probably the most valid argument against guns, particularly hand guns, is that 99% of them have only one intended purpose...to shoot somebody. A rifle or shotgun is generally a hunting tool...not many folks hunt with a handgun. At least not as effectively as with a rifle or shotgun. In a perfect world, nobody would need to own a handgun, but the world isn't perfect, and some places are more imperfect than others. However, once you pull the trigger on a gun that's aimed towards somebody, the odds are that they are going to be seriously injured or dead. And that decision/action took less than a second...and you can't stop it. It takes considerably more effort to beat somebody to death with a baseball bat, or stab them to death with a knife...at least a few minutes, and it's up close and personal. You've got a moment or two to realize what you're doing and perhaps stop. Generally speaking (there are always exceptions to every rule) the US homicide rate is higher per 100,000 than any other industrialized country, all other things being equal. And the homicide rate for certain groups in the US is WAY higher than certain other groups. There are a lot of reasons for those statistics, but one of them is surely the fact of gun ownership being more prevalent in the US. Some people will argue that point ad nauseum, but it's a fact that's pretty difficult to dispute logically.
Let me clarify something: I own 3 handguns, a double barrel shotgun, and a small caliber rifle. I like my guns, and I don't want anyone taking them away, or keeping me from owning them. But, I don't start foaming at the mouth and get my panties all wadded up from some group's perception than this or that person is going to ever be able to take guns away from US citizens. For one, there's just too many of both guns and people who own them. This or that law has been passed, by people on both sides of the political spectrum, but that stuff ebbs and flows with whatever event(s) happen to make people upset about the event, and do something to attempt it's prevention in the future. Not many have been successful in a long term strategy to solve "the gun problem". It is extremely unlikely that I'll ever have the need to use deadly force against another human being, and quite honestly, nobody except those who have been there/done that knows for sure what they would do if the situation presented itself. I THINK I would not hesitate if needed, but I can't possibley KNOW that beforehand. I hope I never have to find out.
Meanwhile, I'll just continue to enjoy owning my guns, shooting them whenever I feel I need the practice or fun, admiring the precision mechanics of the weapon itself, and keep one by my bed "just in case". But the odds of me ever having to actually use them for the intended purpose are astronomical.
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Topic: Do you carry? (Read 590651 times)