Quote:
Originally Posted by Daseal
Skinsguy, you're right. Guns have other purposes. It was wrong for me to insinuate there was a single purpose. Let me rephrase, they are designed to kill. When guns are invisioned, most of them are designed to kill people or animals. I'm sure there are some designed for target practice, etc. That said, I don't believe those are the weapons we're having issues with in this country. However, the point of my original post stands, people are grasping at straw man arguments to defend it. You're grasping at banning cars, knives, and baseball bats. No one is saying violence stems from a single form, but firearms are the easiest and most efficient. Secondly, all of the above are not being used as intended, where assault rifles are being used as intended.
Switzerland is certainly the exception to the rule. However, let's be clear. Each person that owns a gun there also has military training to go along with the gun. They have very few automatic weapons, only active militia personnel are given access to automatic weapons. They strictly regulate all ammunition. If you need ammunition you are forced to get it from the military armory in the event of an emergency, except the ammunition sold at the shooting range which has strict regulations on using that ammunition at the range. Finally, to carry a gun in public you must get a permit which you have to justify your need to carry a firearm and pass an exam. So, all of your folks talking about how utopic Switzerland is... I agree. Let's enact their system. I'm fine with it. I'm guessing most of the pro-gun crowd isn't though. So how about we stop using Switzerland as an example.
What about a bit of a compromise, what about the laws Japan has in place? To buy a shotgun or an air rifle (handguns/assault rifles banned) you have to: - Take a class and exam.
- Skill test at shooting range.
- Pass a drug test.
- Comprehensive mental evaluation.
- File your firearm with the police, who run a background check.
This ensures only qualified individuals own a firearm. Japan had 11 gun-related homicides last year. It brings mental health into the picture as an equation. It causes someone who wants a gun to clear multiple hurdles to get a firearm. That's enough to deter those who don't deserve a gun.
When it really comes down to it, if children getting slaughtered by a crazy man with an assault rifle won't convince you to change your stance, nothing I can type on a football forum would change that stance.
LINKZ:
Gun politics in Switzerland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Getting a gun in Japan – Amanpour - CNN.com Blogs |
Daseal:
I agree 100% with your points you have made in regards to the prerequisites one would have to meet in order to obtain a firearm. I think many places require such prerequisites already, or something very similar before someone can carry a concealed weapon. So, maybe just explain that out to all weapons one purchases.
However, that's just the tip of the ice burg, and it's really just a small precaution that doesn't hit on the root of the problem. We can have the most strict gun laws in the world, but that alone won't prevent mass murders from happening. In fact, some of the worst murders in the history of this nation didn't involve guns. It comes down to treating the behavior before it even has a chance to manifest into something much worse. For instance, often times, a sign of someone with homicidal tendencies can start when they are young. The kids who thinks its funny killing dogs or cats with fire crackers or throwing them in microwaves, and etc...and then getting some sort of high or rush from watching these animals suffer. This can be a very big tale-tale sign that there is something very wrong with this person.
I can go on and on about other aspects, but the point is, people have gotten so wrapped up in arguments that really tend to become very insignificant band-aids on the problem. If we all realized that the focus and attention first goes on the behavioral health aspect, and maybe stricter gun laws once the first aspect has been reached, then we'll find real progress.