RedPhoenixxx wrote:
The Great BrownDuck wrote:
First, the war on Iraq had very little to do with 9/11. You and I and everyone else knows that. And generally speaking, educated Americans never really supported the war on Iraq. It was a stupid president with a one-tracked mind and his mindless colleagues who convinced a small minority of people that it was a just cause. You cannot pin that mistake on the general public and certainly not me, so it really bears little relevance to my stance on gun ownership.
That's not quite true. The propaganda worked amazing well. I remember polls in 2003 were saying that over 60% of Americans believed that Saddam was involved in 9/11. It certainly wasn't a minority.
I do agree with your argument that making something illegal doesn't make it go away if there's enough demand for it regardless of legality. But it's also worth noting that by making firearms illegal, simply carrying a weapon becomes an imprisonable offence. Which means that anyone caught carrying a gun can go to jail. It makes life for criminals that little bit harder, and it makes life for the average citizen that little bit safer.
I don't think this debate is a question of education or intelligence, but of sensitivity. Some people can't see past the fact that most guns have only one purpose which is to kill other human beings, while others can't see past the fact that ultimately it all depends upon the individual to pull the trigger.
Having said all that, I still can't quite believe it's legal to take your 8 year old kid to gunshow in the US. Someone shows a nipple on primetime TV and half the country is in shock, but taking 8 year olds to see Uzis and Assault rifles is just fine. There are some things in the US I'll never understand, I think...
First, thank you for being reasonable. It's more than I'm getting from some others. As for the polls, well, I think they were exaggerated, but for the sake of argument, even if they weren't, I'm willing to concede that the majority of Americans are gullible at best. Of course, that was back in Bush's first term when everyone was still on the patriotism kick, so it was more a matter of Bush's government preying on the vulnerable minds of an uneducated public. Nobody had any real clue whether Iraq was involved or not, but they had shown aggression in the past, and it wasn't much of a stretch to believe what was being presented. I personally never took the bait, but I can't speak for the majority.
In regards to carrying a weapon, it's already illegal in most states, and the majority that allow it require a special permit granted by the government only after some pretty thorough background checks. The exceptions are at legally sanctioned gun clubs/ranges and on state approved hunting grounds or private property that lies outside the jurisdiction of municipal entities. So basically, banning guns outright would only serve to make recreational shooting and hunting illegal. The scenarios in which guns are often misused are already illegal - the law just doesn't stop a determined criminal, not now, or ever.
As for the 8 year old at a gun show - I believe the article stated that it was permissible in that state with parental approval and licensed supervision in the form of trained and authorized personnel, both of which were applicable to the scenario in the story. It was an unfortunate accident brought about by poor judgment, and not, IMO, an example of where the law failed to properly control gun use.