Do firearms make people dumber?

[PolishHeadlock]

People riot in Europe or the Middle East. And it's not like even the rioters in England won their war.

People in the U.S. are like toads in a pot of water that's been set to slowly start boiling.

They would bitch about it on Facebook for a while and then comply in the end.

Lol, whatever you say.

 

[Phreaxer]

People riot in Europe or the Middle East. And it's not like even the rioters in England won their war.

People in the U.S. are like toads in a pot of water that's been set to slowly start boiling.

They would bitch about it on Facebook for a while and then comply in the end.

The facebook bitching has already started with nothing being 'done' really from the govt. This is one of the few things Americans would fight for, figuratively and if needed, likely literally.

 

[Space]

ah, learned helplessness

although I don't think that's the US. Not the South at least.

It doesn't really matter where it is. I've lived on and off in Texas for a long time, and people there distrust government but a lot of those same people love cops (go figure).

If policeman Dan from down the street asked the Hank Hills of the world to give over their guns, they would not say "no". Some people would hide them away, but then what good are they to them, just collecting dust.

The facebook bitching has already started with nothing being 'done' really from the govt. This is one of the few things Americans would fight for, figuratively and if needed, likely literally.

I'm intrigued by this romanticized notion that the men on the block would rally together with their Glocks and hunting rifles to fight the police and U.S. military. Watching too much Red Dawn?

 

[Phreaxer]

I'm intrigued by this romanticized notion that the men on the block would rally together with their Glocks and hunting rifles to fight the police and U.S. military. Watching too much Red Dawn?

Never saw it.
Watching too much international history.

 

[Space]

Never saw it.
Watching too much international history.

As in past events in other countries?

I don't think that applies to modern day America much, not in this instance anyway.

 

[Phreaxer]

As in past events in other countries?

I don't think that applies to modern day America much, not in this instance anyway.

Yes Sir.
I believe it does. Events like:

In 1911 Turkey established gun control. Subsequently, from 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, deprived of the means to defend themselves, were rounded up and killed.

In 1929 the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, approximately 20 million dissidents were arrested and executed.

In 1938 Germany established gun control. From 1939 to 1945 over 13 million Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, mentally ill, union leaders, Catholics and others, unable to fire a shot in protest, were killed by the state.

In 1935 China established gun control. Between 1948 and 1952, over 20 million dissidents were rounded up and murdered by the Communists.

In 1956 Cambodia enshrined gun control. In just two years (1975-1977) over one million "educated" people (about 1/3 of the entire population!) were executed by the Reds.

In 1964 Guatemala locked in gun control. From 1964 to 1981 over 100,000 Mayan Indians were rounded up and killed, unable to defend themselves.

In 1970 the Ugandan dictator decreed gun control. During the next nine years over 300,000 Christians were murdered.

Over 56 million people have died, unable to defend themselves, because of gun control in the last century alone.

 

[Space]

Yes Sir.
I believe it does. Events like:

C'mon.

Uganda? Guatemala? Cambodia?

You're comparing those places to New York, Florida and Vermont?

Give me a break. We don't have warlords, guerillas and rebel armies in the U.S. anymore and won't until the post-apocaytpic Mad Max future. This is a civilized nation with a large population of pansies and law-abiding citizens.

Are you seriously making the argument that Obama will use this as an excuse to commit genocide?

Are you on drugs? The hell.

 

[KOCowboy]

C'mon.

Uganda? Guatemala? Cambodia?

You're comparing those places to New York, Florida and Vermont?

Give me a break. We don't have warlords, guerillas and rebel armies in the U.S. anymore and won't until the post-apocaytpic Mad Max future. This is a civilized nation with a large population of pansies and law-abiding citizens.
Are you seriously making the argument that Obama will use this as an excuse to commit genocide?

Are you on drugs? The hell.

sounds peachy
why worry about gun control then?

 

[KOCowboy]

its funny you think the problem is a gun

 

[Space]

sounds peachy
why worry about guntrol then?

There's also a lot of thugs, murderers and mentally ill people.

But they're a minority. If guns were to banned, they would slowly be taken away from these people, and I don't see how that's a bad thing. Again, you can talk about the erosion of rights but owning a rifle won't save you if the police state and its jack-boot thugs start enforcing martial law (I'm not sure why they would even do that to begin with but the conspiracy kooks seem convinced that it's a very real possibility).

 

[Damien Karras]

Yes Sir.
I believe it does. Events like:

Germany, Japan, and all other nations with strict gun laws are all being killed in the millions in the modern era, eh?

Your argument is invalid.

 

[Fury]

It sounds like Obama and the Democrats are already moving on it and, in the wake of the Newton shooting, have disregarded the notion that enacting more gun control laws would affect their chances of being elected:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20766051

This isn't changing the constitution. You can restrict specific guns without totally banning guns, they are mulling a likely whack at bringing back the assault weapons ban and magazine capacity limits. I don't think any more than that will pass.

Actually I kind of doubt that will pass but you never know. They are all trying to say the right things now but the original law pass with a democratic majority in both the Senate and the House as well as a Democratic President.

Once the walking on egg shells period regarding guns, due to the incident, is over...you'll see alternate opinions. Feinstein will draft something and propose it on the 5th...it'll get battered around in committee...it may get voted through or not when it actually comes up but it's not going to be nearly as drastic or impactful in it's final state as they will make it seem.

 

[Phreaxer]

There's also a lot of thugs, murderers and mentally ill people.

But they're a minority. If guns were to banned, they would slowly be taken away from these people, and I don't see how that's a bad thing. Again, you can talk about the erosion of rights but owning a rifle won't save you if the police state and its jack-boot thugs start enforcing martial law (I'm not sure why they would even do that to begin with but the conspiracy kooks seem convinced that it's a very real possibility).

Good idea. After all, when they banned drugs, the drug use in this country stopped too... :redface:

 

[Fury]

Welcome to the Libertarians.

Is Libertarian code for no party or forms own opinion?

I swore it meant political hipster this year.

 

[Phreaxer]

Germany, Japan, and all other nations with strict gun laws are all being killed in the millions in the modern era, eh?

Your argument is invalid.

Invalid, or just not absolute? There are exceptions, but when you outlaw guns, you create an enviorment where you give former-lawful gun owners the option of either surrender their feelings of self-protection, or becoming a criminal no better than a street thug...

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

Firearms are here to stay. Also, I just realized a lot of these anti-gun sentiments I've read on here are from non-Americans.

 

[Damien Karras]

Invalid, or just not absolute? There are exceptions, but when you outlaw guns, you create an enviorment where you give former-lawful gun owners the option of either surrender their feelings of self-protection, or becoming a criminal no better than a street thug...

The biggest problem with owning a gun is the false sense of protection it gives its owners. Criminals will only become smarter about how they attack their assailants. There are benefits to owning guns in terms of protection, but I look at Scandinavian countries and think to myself "Now that's a peaceful part of the world where I wouldn't feel like I constantly have to look over my shoulder or carry a gun. THAT'S freedom"

The feeling of "needing" to own a gun comes from the fear and paranoia that permeates throughout the nation which, in my estimation, is sympotmatic of wide income disparity among the people. But if we created an environment where the fear and paranoia is largely removed, then there wouldn't be as much of a need to own guns.

The one argument that gun enthusiasts stump me on is the whole thing about being vulnerable against the government. It's not as crazy a thought if we looked at historical occurrences but I think that there are more gains from limiting the amount of guns in circulation than there are in the potential of the government enslaving its people.

 

[Damien Karras]

Firearms are here to stay. Also, I just realized a lot of these anti-gun sentiments I've read on here are from non-Americans.

Well there are a lot of hunting rifles in Canada. Not so much hand guns although purchasing them is legal provided you have the right paperwork and licensing.

Forget about assault rifles here.

People just feel naturally safe here. People own guns largely for their own leisure and not for their own protection. It's very much a cultural issue.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

The biggest problem with owning a gun is the false sense of protection it gives its owners. Criminals will only become smarter about how they attack their assailants. There are benefits to owning guns in terms of protection, but I look at Scandinavian countries and think to myself "Now that's a peaceful part of the world where I wouldn't feel like I constantly have to look over my shoulder or carry a gun. THAT'S freedom"

The feeling of "needing" to own a gun comes from the fear and paranoia that permeates throughout the nation which, in my estimation, is sympotmatic of wide income disparity among the people. But if we created an environment where the fear and paranoia is largely removed, then there wouldn't be as much of a need to own guns.

The one argument that gun enthusiasts stump me on is the whole thing about being vulnerable against the government. It's not as crazy a thought if we looked at historical occurrences but I think that there are more gains from limiting the amount of guns in circulation than there are in the potential of the government enslaving its people.

It's not paranoia. America has always been a violent country. There's a graph showing estimated violent crime rate in the US since its inception and the US has always had many times more violent crime than when compared to England or other Western European countries.

Our police here is also much more prone to using violence even when it's not called for and these recruits are screened with a fine tooth comb in order to join the force. It just reflect thats America, in general, has a culture that leans towards violence.

With that said, violent crime is steadily decreasing. During the course of American history, it has never been safer and there are more Americans with firearms now than ever before.

 

[Phreaxer]

Holy crap WoW, an actual post that wasn't trolling? There may be hope for you afterall... lol