Are Guns Okay?

[Belumoth]

It gives us a means of killing. What is the most used weapon in a robbery? Certainly not a knife, and most certainly not a fist. How about murder? Drug related killings? Gang wars? Guns are a cause of violence because of how easy it is to get hold of them (depending on which state). Had they not been invented, don't you think it would be a more peaceful community?

umm no.

http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=43

 

[70i]

It'd be better if guns never existed. Guns shouldn't be outlawed because then then the only people that would have guns are criminals.

 

[xtrement]

If guns were legal for all people , I don't think most of the people will use it for "Self defence" or if his house is getting "Robbed".

 

[Ow 3 Hit]

Guns are okay, people are the problem.

Spoons don't make people fat, it's the same argument.

 

[BGlave]

Guns do kill people. I'm tired of seeing, "people kill people".

Most people will shoot because they have a gun. You won't see many people beating someone to death over the little things, with a gun it makes the job easier.

I'm in favor of keeping guns, but cut the bullshit.

 

[nodnarbusn]

NtRo

Guns do kill people. I'm tired of seeing, "people kill people".

Most people will shoot because they have a gun. You won't see many people beating someone to death over the little things, with a gun it makes the job easier.

I'm in favor of keeping guns, but cut the bullshit.

Lol. You said guns kill people then "a gun makes the job easier" well which is it? Do guns kill people or are they merely a tool for PEOPLE to kill others more "easily".

Behind every mass shooting lies a deranged human , not some crazy gun that goes around shooting people.

Violence, murder ect didnt start and wont end with guns. People kill people, its fucked up but its been a factor since day 1 and it doesnt seem to be changing.

To the OP. Im all for more thorough backround checks and whatnot, even from a firearms enthusiast standpoint I feel its far too easy for anyone to buy weapons without so much as being id'ed at gunshows. I mean its awesome from a legitimate users standpoint bypassing fed taxes, wait time ect buying from idividuals at gunshows, but looking around at the people at some of these things is unnerving to say the least, at any large gunshow you can expect to see a handful of gangbanger looking guys and dozens of guys you are convinced are serial killers or future serial killers. Theres also always one lady looking at big ass pistols alone, and you think " I just know shes going to kill her husband". Its all fucked up.

 

[SuF]

Of course guns are ok. Criminals are going to get their hands on them anyway.

 

[Resde]

It's people that kill people, not guns.

I can name many other weapons that can kill you just as quick as a gun can, and they aren't in this conversation. Besides, even if they do take action against guns, most of the people causing problems with them got them illegally so it wouldn't really change anything. I read an article that said that only 3% (guessing, somewhere around those lines) of murder with guns were under that persons name.

Therefore, I think guns are okay.

 

[wuperr2]

The estimated rate of private gun ownership (both licit and illicit) in Iceland is 30.31 firearms per 100 people

In Iceland, annual firearm homicides total

2007: 1
2006: 1
2005: 1
2004: 0
2003: 0
2000: 1
1996: 1

In Iceland, the annual rate of firearm homicide per 100,000 population is

2007: 0.32
2006: 0.33
2005: 0.34
2004: 0.008
2003: 0.00
2000: 0.36
1996: 0.37

Then we take USA:

The estimated rate of private gun ownership (both licit and illicit) in the United States is 101.05 firearms per 100 people

In the United States, the annual rate of homicide by any means per 100,000 population is

2011: 5.118
2010: 5.27
2009: 5.48
2008: 5.86
2007: 6.10
2006: 6.22
2005: 6.13
2004: 5.93
2003: 6.11
2002: 6.13
2001: 7.13
2000: 5.96
1999: 6.05
1998: 5.19
1997: 6.7
1996: 7.3
1995: 8.1
1993: 9.93

 

[SocialDude]

Then we take USA:

Guns for actual protection is okay, but saying that could result in someone using it for other purposes. We will never find an answer.

In some aspects, it is OKAY, but in others it is not okay.
Examples being - Okay for hunters, and self protection
Not okay, murders, crime.

 

[Xier0]

This is the best explanation I've seen so far

California has the strictest gun laws in the US, so one would assume they have the lowest number of gun-related deaths. However, they actually have the most in the nation. What about the UK? They have really strict gun laws....right? Turns out their homicide rate involving guns has been going up steadily since the 1960s.
http://www.deseretnews.com/top/1428/10/California-10-states-with-the-strictest-gun-laws.html
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011
http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

"What if we banned assault weapons?" you may ask. Well, here's the deal: assault weapons aren't used to kill people. Of the top ten weapons used in crime, none are rifles of any sort. One is a shotgun. The rest are pistols. Secondly, the term "assault weapon" did not exist until 1989 when it was used as part of a scare tactic by anti-gun lobbyists.
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,320383,00.html
http://www.assaultweapon.info/

While sales for firearms have reached record highs, deaths attributed to them are at lows. Why is this? It doesn't have to do with banning guns, clearly.
http://news.yahoo.com/firearms-statistics-gun-control-advocates-don-t-want-194040384.html
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/08/us/study-gun-homicide

As a strange fact, more people die each year from hammers and clubs than from rifles.
http://www.politifact.com/texas/sta...bbott-says-according-fbi-more-people-are-kil/

 

[nodnarbusn]

Heres a little phrase I heard the other day " the only thibg that stops a badguy with a gun is a good guy with a gun " .

Well attempting to take guns away from anyone who would give them up would just mean criminals are the best armed aside from police (often times they are outclassed as well) and military. Thats fucking scary. People have these silly utopian ideas that gun control will eliminate gun violence, like the people perpetrating these crimes would say "oh, guns are illegal guess ill turn them in".

 

[Anton1997]

Yeah of course they're okay, as long as you only use it for self defense, or as a hobby in the proper place (shooting range). If you were to use it for violence/crime, then no, its not okay.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Ummm...studies show guns protect more than kill. :lol:

 

[SuF]

This is the best explanation I've seen so far

People are more worried about mass shootings than anything else. Which are still a very very very very very very small part of the death count.

 

[Emperor Nero]

I support owning firearms. I love to shoot for sport and fun. I do believe there are too many loopholes though. The Gunshow loop hole needs to be closed, there needs to be a waiting period, and a thorough background check. A gun enthusiast shouldn't have to worry about waiting 5 - 7 days to pick up their weapon or a background check.

People are more worried about mass shootings than anything else. Which are still a very very very very very very small part of the death count.

Also this. A lot of the violent crimes are bred into the culture like gang violence and such. Guns are American like nothing else. It is part of the culture.

 

[BGlave]

NtRo

Lol. You said guns kill people then "a gun makes the job easier" well which is it? Do guns kill people or are they merely a tool for PEOPLE to kill others more "easily".

Behind every mass shooting lies a deranged human , not some crazy gun that goes around shooting people.

Violence, murder ect didnt start and wont end with guns. People kill people, its fucked up but its been a factor since day 1 and it doesnt seem to be changing.

To the OP. Im all for more thorough backround checks and whatnot, even from a firearms enthusiast standpoint I feel its far too easy for anyone to buy weapons without so much as being id'ed at gunshows. I mean its awesome from a legitimate users standpoint bypassing fed taxes, wait time ect buying from idividuals at gunshows, but looking around at the people at some of these things is unnerving to say the least, at any large gunshow you can expect to see a handful of gangbanger looking guys and dozens of guys you are convinced are serial killers or future serial killers. Theres also always one lady looking at big ass pistols alone, and you think " I just know shes going to kill her husband". Its all fucked up.

Are you saying guns don't kill people? For example, if you're facing a bear or a tiger and you have a gun, you're going to shoot rather than run away. It does make the job easier which gives people the incentive to use it. It's not like a knife where you need to be mentally capable of using it to kill someone. Gun violence is around and makes up for a lot of murders. I'm not saying having guns is a bad thing, but it's a dangerous weapon that will kill someone when given the opportunity.

 

[nodnarbusn]

Humans are terrible illogical beings at best. History has shown that we are incapbale of making sane decisions, regardless of the situation. Fun fact, in the thousands of years the world has been around and has been inhabbited by human beings, there has only been 200 years of total peace.

Guns are a menace, and should be accessible only to law enforcement establishments.

Honestly do you think for a second that there has been a single fucking DAY of "peace" since the start of mankind?? If you do then you are deluded. Not every murder, war or violent act made it into the history books. Peace is a concept not a reality. Its NATURE of all or most beings to be violent. Some dogs just irrationally hate eachother and will fight on sight often to the death, are they incapable of making "sane" decisions. Id love to hear how you came up with this 200 years number, my bet is you are talking out your ass since the known history of mankind pretty much began with the invention of writing. That and people are murdered every day all over the world.

Also kind of funny how you mentioned man has been violent since his existence, yet guns are a relatively recent (in the grand scheme of things) advancement in technology. Just goes to show guns have little to nothing to do with the matter.

but it's a dangerous weapon that will kill someone when given the opportunity.

Not sure what kind of guns you are familiar with but of the 7 I own and dozens and dozens ive handled none are sentient beings just biding their time to blow someones head off. My guns have every oppurtunity to wild out and kill people while I am at work and dont do so.. because they need a HUMAN to take them out of safe, load them, aim them and pull the trigger to be deadly.

Not all of this is directed at you BGlave.

A gun doesnt kill anything until someone pulls the trigger. End of story, guns arent inherently malicious or "bad". You are conflicting yourself saying "guns kill people" and then saying they are a "tool to make

Gun violence and violence in general is an issue with mankind. It doesnt start or end with guns or any other weapon for that matter.

This whole thread is redundant as fuck and mostly filled with unrealistic utopian ideas. "Banning" guns just leaves the criminals with guns (Its not as though they follow any other laws lol). If it werent guns used by these spree/mass shooters it would be another weapon. As sellerman said, humans are and have ALWAYS been violent.

 

[SuF]

Are you saying guns don't kill people? For example, if you're facing a bear or a tiger and you have a gun, you're going to shoot rather than run away. It does make the job easier which gives people the incentive to use it. It's not like a knife where you need to be mentally capable of using it to kill someone. Gun violence is around and makes up for a lot of murders. I'm not saying having guns is a bad thing, but it's a dangerous weapon that will kill someone when given the opportunity.

Violent crime has no correlation to the availability of guns.

 

[BGlave]

Honestly do you think for a second that there has been a single fucking DAY of "peace" since the start of mankind?? If you do then you are deluded. Not every murder, war or violent act made it into the history books. Peace is a concept not a reality. Its NATURE of all or most beings to be violent. Some dogs just irrationally hate eachother and will fight on sight often to the death, are they incapable of making "sane" decisions. Id love to hear how you came up with this 200 years number, my bet is you are talking out your ass since the known history of mankind pretty much began with the invention of writing. That and people are murdered every day all over the world.

Also kind of funny how you mentioned man has been violent since his existence, yet guns are a relatively recent (in the grand scheme of things) advancement in technology. Just goes to show guns have little to nothing to do with the matter.



Not sure what kind of guns you are familiar with but of the 7 I own and dozens and dozens ive handled none are sentient beings just biding their time to blow someones head off. My guns have every oppurtunity to wild out and kill people while I am at work and dont do so.. because they need a HUMAN to take them out of safe, load them, aim them and pull the trigger to be deadly.

Not all of this is directed at you BGlave.

A gun doesnt kill anything until someone pulls the trigger. End of story, guns arent inherently malicious or "bad". You are conflicting yourself saying "guns kill people" and then saying they are a "tool to make

Gun violence and violence in general is an issue with mankind. It doesnt start or end with guns or any other weapon for that matter.

This whole thread is redundant as fuck and mostly filled with unrealistic utopian ideas. "Banning" guns just leaves the criminals with guns (Its not as though they follow any other laws lol). If it werent guns used by these spree/mass shooters it would be another weapon. As sellerman said, humans are and have ALWAYS been violent.

Anything can pull the trigger, even animals and someone could die from that. I'm saying that the weapon is dangerous in the hands of anyone or whatever pulls the trigger. Accidents happen even with the proper care.. Guns are more used for the offense than the defense. I never said I was in favor of taking away guns, that being said, my opinion still stands.