I've mentioned this before... And I understand your reasoning for thinking that you should own guns, but......
The ease which you can get guns could be the problem.... We have gun crimes but they are few and far between, because we can't just go and buy guns... And we are limited to the type of guns we can own.... Plus we have to have a valid reason to own a gun and somewhere to shoot the gun....
In a modern society is there any reason to have umpteen guns?
I know you are going to come out with the right to bear arms, but that was written years ago when the people had a chance of defending themselves against troops being placed on the streets.... But unless you can afford a stealth bomber, the 'enemy' can now easily out gun you, so that amendment is really obsolete now...
And we haven't even mentioned nutters who get hold of guns yet.....
So has "crime" been reduced in your country or only "gun crimes"? How about in Great Britain and Australia, where relatively recent gun bans have been implemented? Has overall crime been reduced, or just "gun" crimes? And please explain to me how that makes things better for them.
As for "modern society" being a reason to claim there should be less guns, I beg to differ. From what I can see of "modern society" there is far more reason to be MORE suitably armed, then less armed. And that is only taking into consideration the citizen members of that "modern society" who apparently don't give much stock in the value of another's life and their retention of their property.
How many "modern societies" have been victimized by their own government throughout history? Would those outcomes have turned out differently had the populations not been disarmed earlier? In some instances certain factions were nearly exterminated unless they escaped, simply because they had NO means to fight back to protect themselves. THAT sort of thing is why the founders of the USA wanted the citizens to be armed. Do you think those other populations above beforehand thought, "Heck THAT can't happen HERE!" Do you think they were told about the ultimate goal of disarming them?
And yes, you do bring up a point about the widening disparity between the weaponry that the citizens can own and what the government has at it's disposal. Quite frankly, this is directly contrary to the letter and intent of the Second Amendment. That amendment was put into place explicitly to try to prevent such a thing from happening and thereby putting the entire populace completely under forced control by their government. Unfortunately, we allowed this to happen to ourselves.
Of course the question will arise as to whether or not our forefathers, if being able to foresee the destructive power of weaponry today, would have STILL amended the Constitution such as they did with the Second Amendment. Perhaps it is instructive to note that private citizens of that day were not barred from having the most destructive weapons of that day at all. So certainly that question likely arrose in debate over the amendment, don't you think?
But even aside from that likelihood, should the First Amendment be any less weakened or ignored by our present law makers because of the technological improvements today in the capacity for the people of this country to exercise their freedom of speech using that technology? Technology that certainly could not have been foreseen neither when that amendment was drafted? Is that amendment also obsolete now? "Freedom of Speech" should be entirely limited to only what can be exercised using the technology of the day that document was drafted? I think one only has to answer to the question of what the PURPOSE of those amendments was in an honest and knowledgeable manner to come up with what might be an uncomfortable conclusion to some.
Tell that to a 9 yo girl who met a nutter, who had his right to own a gun upheld.....
This is one thing that Brits will never get their heads around....
If you gave up guns, within a generation your country would wonder what the hell you were thinking of when you thought they were a good idea.
So how many people have been wrongfully killed via other means? In many cases in far greater quantities than incidents with firearms? Heck, just look at the number of deaths caused from medical "misadventures". Shouldn't doctors be outlawed for the safety of the populace? How many children have drowned in swimming pools? Does anyone really NEED a swimming pool? What about dog attacks? Are they really necessary in a modern society? Do I even really need to mention automobiles? Do you understand the concept of "FREEDOM"? I mean REALLY understand what that term means?
Sorry, but I completely disagree with your last statement above. Which probably doesn't surprise you, I am sure. If we all willingly gave up the means to defend ourselves, within a generation our children would be cursing OUR generation and spitting on our graves for being so foolish. Can anyone truly and honestly look at the actions of their own government and say unreservedly that they have the citizenry's best interests absolutely in mind and at heart? My belief is that our founding fathers took a lot of time and effort to research the governments of countries around the world both presently for their time, and in past history, and thereby concluded the necessity of the Second Amendment. They KNEW the hearts and minds of men get swayed and warped by power. They KNEW that the power had to be within the populace to protect themselves from such people when they came into such power and abused the citizens accordingly. I seriously doubt that this country, perhaps even the world, has ever seen a more intelligent, compassionate and foresightful group of people since that group formed this country.
Excuses for not changing are all too common....
Guns are only scrape metal, and you deal with that daily...
And a wind down as opposed to an out right 'give up' would be easier in mopping up the excess....
I can see that some want a rifle to hunt or a small arm for target shooting....
Rich z on the other hand had 5 Barrett .50 calibre.... Whats he planning on hunting, Dinosaurs...
Make them illegal and bring in an amnesty to surrender them... Then use the weight of the law to cane people who don't play ball.
No, not quite. I have three of them. Why? Because I WANT them. They are all different models and each interesting in their own right. I haven't shot them for years, and have in fact sold off many of my guns to finance other interests, but I STILL like them and find they are interesting to collect and have, even if not presently USED for anything. They are NOT just scrap metal as you infer. They are in some cases works of art in a mechanical sense, somewhat like a fine swiss watch. And the better made ones the epitome in craftsmanship to make a device that can throw chunks of lead accurately and with repeatability at targets far distant from the shooter. They can be used to test the skill of a shooter to endeavor to put five projectiles through the same hole at 1,000 yards. A mastery whereby the quality of all the components is absolutely necessary to even come close to that goal. An obvious insanity that can only be explained by being purely a hobby that demands perfection.
Quite frankly, guns are fun to collect and fun to shoot. That coupled with the simple fact that a gun CAN save your life, the life of loved ones, and your possessions if you become unfortunate enough to be placed in a position where a forcible defense proves necessary. Sure most people will probably never be placed within that position. But I damn sure would rather be ABLE to defend myself, if needed, rather than to just stand by helplessly and beg an assailant for my life, being COMPLETELY at the mercy of whatever whim passes through their mind at the moment. No sir, I prefer having those kinds of decisions under my OWN control if at all possible.
I AM sorry that you live in a country where your government has apparently convinced you that they are doing YOU a huge favor by not giving you any effective right to make any difference whatsoever in your own self preservation. We still have our rights, although greatly diluted and weakening every day. Please excuse us if we value the freedoms we HAVE moreso than you value the ones you have already lost.
