Posted on 12/31/2012 5:26:33 PM PST by sagar
Happy new year! And my rant follows:
Guns will never be "safe", neither are they designed to be. They are designed to kill, safety switch notwithstanding. My right to own gun is so that I can kill those who dare to take away my rights. That kind of power gives me, a mere individual, the power to defend myself and those dear to me. The "bigger" the gun, the bigger protection I have against those who wish ill on me.
This might be controversial, but...
A fully automatic weapon gives me a chance against a dozen of those who wish to take my rights away.
A handful of grenades give me a chance against multiple hordes of those who wish to take my rights away. A grenade launcher gives me a chance against multiple of those groups that are far away.
A turret will give me a fighting chance against a small army of ill doers.
I just cannot think of how guns or other infantry weapons are bad. Those misusing the guns are bad, so why not tackle the source?
1. Lock up the violently mentally ill. These people need to be quarantined from society. This include those who could "snap" at any moment. They usually have long history, so nobody is asking for a witch hunt.
2. Do not parole those who have already murdered. They have demonstrated what they are capable of. Let them rot.
3. Implement a very strong psychological evaluation of children who are transforming into future murderers. The little monsters grow up to be murderers. Stop the growth. May be even correct them, if possible. True "correctional institutes" are required here.
4. Get rid of current "correctional institutes" and introduce life-time hard labor for all violent criminals. Let companies use the labor, so no need to outsource low-skilled manufacturing to communist china.
The way I would put it is that it fairly and justly raises the potential cost in personal danger to anyone who wants to deal with you unfairly or by force. This is true for all comers, from card sharps to bullies like Curly Bill Brocius, one of the meaner and nastier customers in the Old West. (He eventually got his.)
There was a recent book that argued that prison labor became a secondary workforce, and employers were always pestering prison officials for more workers, incentivizing sheriffs to put people in prison (mostly itinerant or poor blacks, in the South -- the author didn't expand his scope to include thrifty, moralizing New England or the industrial North) and keep them there for minor infractions --- very much as Chinese prison labor is kept busy today and used to benchmark all Chinese wages (by sapping and undermining them).
When the Supreme Court forbade employers to exploit prison labor in this way, a well-known Atlanta brickworks went broke in less than two years, although the proprietor's family, having made their pile, continued to be prominent in Atlanta society down to this day.
To FR “gorush”: Let’s give credit where credit is due. A quick Google word search on the internet before you posted that brilliant 2007 essay would have led you to the author - Marco Kloos:
http://munchkinwrangler.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/why-the-gun-is-civilization/
I found it some time ago on the JPFO (Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership) website, properly credited to the author.
True. Saw a perp on a show accidently shoot himeself in the head by handling a weapon with no respect for what it could do - one for the good guys. My butt still hurts from a lesson my Dad gave me when I was 10 years old. He sqautted down and showed me how to field strip a 1911 Cold .45. He put it togehter and handed it to me so i could try. I squatted down, started pushing on the spring plug and my butt hurt, followed by my nose as it hit the carpet. I was smokin' miffed and he calmly told me he didn't care what I thought I saw, I hadn't checked the weapon to ensure it was empty and thereby endangered myself and others in the house. 50 years ago and I remember it and heed it as the cardinal rule: Every gun is loaded and ready to shoot, the safety is off, and it has a hair trigger.
I invite you to see post #’s 11 and 30. My ISP failed in my first attempt to post it.
And, regarding the dead Grandmother...the kid should be put to death for murder! El Pronto.
Instead he was only convicted of manslaughter, released after 19 yrs., murdered his sister and 2 firefighters and left a note saying “do what I like doing best, killing people”.
guns are designed to kill? they are designed to hurl a projectile. whether that deters, protects, recreates (ass in hitting a target) or kills depends upon the situation
A swiss army knife has multi purpose. A gun’s purpose is to kill. Didn’t you know that you do not point your gun at somebody you do not intend to kill. You do not point your gun at somebody to “hurl a projectile”.
the purpose of my guns are traqining and target shooting, withpersonal defense inthere somewhere. killing is the absolute last resort. stating that the purpose of a gun is simplyto kill understantes and oversimplifies the issue. kinda like saying that the purpose of an automobile is to bure=n gasoline
“stating that the purpose of a gun is simplyto kill understantes and oversimplifies the issue. kinda like saying that the purpose of an automobile is to bure=n gasoline”
I would have said that the purpose of an automobile is for “transportation”. I don’t think that is oversimplification. Similarly, gun’s purpose is to kill, rather than hurling projectiles and spending money on ammo.
i see you’ve been conditioned well. my guns only get pointed at targets. their purpose is NOT to kill. to think that killing is the only purpose of a firearm is ignorant,and dangerous. you should probably not own a firearm if this is your viewopint. should you influci your viewpoint upn others? that makes you no better than nancy pelosi
automobiles kill far more than guns do, it that their only purpose. allowing that a primary use of guns is self protection, means that the guns hardly need to be brandished, let alond aimed and fired. in fact, (Kleck study ) the vast majority of self defense gun uses do not involve discharging the firearm.
so inthe vast majority of cases, killing is not required in order for the gun to be useful. it is far more efective as a deterrent then a weapon.
“automobiles kill far more than guns do, it that their only purpose.”
Nonsense. It is like saying Titanic’s purpose was to hit the iceberg, break up in half, and sink at the bottom of the ocean. Just because automobiles kill more people do not mean automobiles’ intent is to kill... guns are killing machines, while automobiles are transporting machines. Period.
As for the rest of your points, I do not disagree at all. You have a good evening.
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