Quote:
Originally Posted by ssgp2
Guns are tools, they do not assault or kill
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That old chestnut. Sure they're tools - designed to kill.
Yes it takes someone to pull the trigger, but make no mistake if they do then the gun does exactly what it was designed to do.
Ladders kill people, but they're not designed to do it.
Don't get me wrong, I've got no issue with gun ownership, and have enjoyed the odd shoot since I was a kid doing it at school. Indeed I've long considered getting a pistol license and gun as the few times I've done it OS I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I just question for how long, so I haven't made the leap yet.
But I tell ya what, anyone - farmer, me and the rest - everyone should have to jump through a ton of hoops to justify getting one.
We're fortunate in Australia - as much as they should, the US can never go back. Yet when there's 284 'mass shootings' (4 or more people) in 290 days, something has to be done.
When a bloke, discharged from the navy for mental health issues, with a known history of gun violence can walk in and legally get a gun - even if the shop keeper knows all that, then something is wrong.
Seriously wrong.
And of course, let's not forget the irony that's missed by too many in the US. Don't dare touch their guns or their gun rights or expect background checks on 2nd hand guns as that's an invasion of privacy and the laws are in the constitution, despite killing over 32,000 in 2011 alone.
Yet , there's no problem with the US invading everyone in the world's privacy (or countries) because of terrorism - which killed around 3,000 in 2001 with 9/11. To put that in perspective, over 71,000 dies from diabetes, 29,000 from guns, and over 13,000 from drunk driving.
Between 1999 and 2010 the figures for US terrorist deaths isn't much over 3k. 360,000 died by guns.
IMHO you want a gun, go for it. But there should be all sorts of hurdles between you and that trigger. We should never, ever want to be a a country where companies make a kid's first gun in pretty pink, which then gets left loaded in a bedroom to kill a kid's brother or sister.
EDIT - please don't take it that as a rant against you, it's not - purely my thoughts on the first question and issues in the US, which I sadly know too well and too closely with a mate living over there.
