Comments on: Taking The Second Amendment To Court

The Supreme Court Prepares To Examine DC's Right To Ban Handguns In The Context Of The Constitution

[usbrit-2009]

Finally re gunownerdan - amazingly I usually agree with his posts. We simply differ on this subject - maybe over-zealous would have been a better choice than hysterical. Apologies to you and Dan.

[usbrit-2009]

jbaker - Finally a gun supporter who admits the gun death rate is higher here than in other countries!! I thank you for you honesty. My apologies for forgetting about another 100,000,000. Two quick points. 1) You say "Most deaths are due to criminal activity by repeat offenders, who are legally prohibited from possessing firearms, which is where we need to concentrate our efforts". I couldn''t agree more. How exactly are the NRA and legit gun owners such as yourself trying to effect this? 2) I agree that a large number of gun deaths are suicides. I agree this is a National Tragedy. I personally have been depressed enough in the (distant)past to at least conteplate this act. I do not mean to belittle suicide or to incur anyone''s wrath by saying this, but I also feel that had I had a gun at that time I would have been more likely to choose the downward path compared to using other methods such as sharp instruments or poisons.

Re the other comment - I was merely trying to point out that liberals being bashed for wanting bad news out of Iraq would be like accusing conservatives of wanting a high crime rate to keep their guns. By the way - should the crime rate miraculaously drop to zero (a rhetorical question, obviously) would you get rid of your guns, keep them for hunting, as an interesting collection?

[jbaker314]

USBrit,

To suggest that one favors a high crime rate in order to justify gun ownership is outrageous.

Are you accuse gunownerdan of histeria???

[jbaker314]

USBrit,

Actually, a 2004 study estimates the total number of privately held firearms in the United States at more than 270 million, making the United States the most heavily armed nation in the world.

I can''t locate it right now, but a more recent study suggested that the number of privately held firearms in the United States may exceed 300 million.

The number of deaths, other than suicide, due to legally held privately held firearms is low, though admittedly higher than in many other countries. Most deaths are due to criminal activity by repeat offenders, who are legally prohibited from possessing firearms, which is where we need to concentrate our efforts.

Deaths by suicide are tragic, but will continue regardless of the availability of firearms. They will just make use of a different means.

[usbrit-2009]

Another point; I assume most gun "enthusiasts" are conservative in nature. Now I have read on numerous occasions the right battering the patriotism of the left because their thesis on the Iraq War - that we need to get out - depends on constant bad news. Does that not lead to the conclusion that all gun "enthusiasts" are in favor of high crime rates to prove their thesis that guns are neccesary?

[usbrit-2009]

Gunownerdan - I understand that you are somewhat hysterical on this subject, but could you please stop referring to a) speeches by all the key despots in history; - irrelevant to here and today, unless, of course you know something about our current government that you''re not telling us. And b) please stop referring to speeches made by the fore-fathers; again, irrelevant to today''s situation, as Kansas is no longer inhabited by armed hordes, nor is New England under immediate threat of being retaken by Olde England as far as I know.

[usbrit-2009]

Since, unfortunately, nothing is going to make 200,000,000 guns in this country magically disappear, and since the presence of 200,000,000 guns in this country results in the fact that anyone is 200 times more likely to be killed by a gun than anywhere in, say, Europe, I guess it does make sense for one to have the ability to own a gun for defensive purposes.

If, on the other hand, strict gun laws had always been in place in this country, such as say, most of Europe, there''d a whole lot less killing to go around.

BTW, for those who wich to point out that "gun crime is way up in the UK since they banned guns" as I''m sure somebody will say, I will counter "yes, it''s way up from 48 killed in 2005 to 56 in 2006." This translates to 0.5% of the number per capita in this country.

[gunownerdan]

Dr. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate to earn an A+ rating from Gun Owners of America.

[gunownerdan]

"Tyrants from Hitler to Mao to Stalin have sought to disarm their own citizens, for the simple reason that unarmed people are easier to control. Our Founders, having just expelled the British army, knew that the right to bear arms serves as the guardian of every other right. This is the principle so often ignored by both sides in the gun control debate. Only armed citizens can resist tyrannical government."
-- Congressman Ron Paul, June 27, 2006
ronpaul2008.com

[gunownerdan]

"It''s a nasty truth that those who seek to inflict harm are not phased by gun control laws. I happen to know this from personal experience."
- President Ronald Reagan, 1983