Gun Control Thread- Should we?

[Daseal]

As mentioned previously, we've had this discussion before. Personally, I think there should be a form of gun control. I think the idea of localized gun control makes sense. I see no need for assault rifles to be legal and little need for hand guns to be legal. I enjoy shooting guns. I'll go out and shoot trap or go to the range from time to time. I enjoy it as an activity for entertainment. However, these are tools for killing other humans plain and simple.

To be honest, my real issue with it is the ease at which someone can purchase a firearm. While assault rifles and handguns are more strict. At 17 me and 4 friends were able to buy a rifle, at walmart, with ammo within 20 minutes. Oh yeah.. we were all drunk. To me, there's an issue with the ease at which I purchased a firearm. Many of those things were not legal and the oversight was not there to keep it from happening.

Yes, people will find ways to get guns. However it puts them in precarious situations, will become much more expensive, and difficult to obtain for those not in tune with the criminal element. To me, fewer guns is better than more guns. Just because someone goes through a couple hour class about gun ownership doesn't give them the training, understanding, or ability to operate the gun in a stressful situation. I have two friends with conceal carry and it makes me nervous. They hear a loud noise and they start to reach down. They're just waiting to be a hero.

For every study one side shows the other side can counter. You can twist and contort all sorts of numbers and make them work to your advantage. Every article I see on it is slanted to their way. Imagine that, gunowners.org has numbers to say how much safer we are because of gun ownership. Oh look! hippiesagainstguns.org have numbers that counter those numbers. All I know is that a majority of violent crimes are commited with firearms. Would that change with a ban, probably not. Would the number drop? Hopefully.

Finally, in regards to the tragic situation in Colorado. Saying someone being locked and loaded is going to save the day is a hard pill to swallow. No required combat training, dark theatre, tear gas, chaos, etc. Hell, I doubt many military folks have training on a situation like that. I heard the same thing about the guy in the tower with a sniper rifle -- somehow someone with a handgun would have stopped him! Doubtful.

What happens if one of these concealed carry guys kills someone while trying to kill the shooter? To me, that is cold blooded murder and they should go to jail for life or have the death penalty. In situations, such as this one, there is absolute chaos. People running everywhere. It's not as if there's a clear path. Would it be possible for that person to stop the threat? Maybe. Personally, I'd rather make it more difficult for psychos to get out there. Will it still happen? Of course. Would it limit these occurrences? I believe so.