Comments on: Lawyers, Guns And History

Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen On Recent News Over The Right To Bear Arms

[egresor]

why is this issue even being brought up in refernce to the 2nd amendment at all. the supreme court has (on every case) ruled that the 2nd amentment only applies towards the prohibition of making any laws that limit the rights of state militiamen to bear arms.

tho (at that time) it was considered a inherent right for the public to possess arms (for self protect). that being under english law---which we modeled after.

[edjohn66]

Unlike the NRA and most of the right-wingers on this board seem to think, gun control is NOT an either/or issue.

There is nothing wrong with banning some firearms and/or regulating the use of others. So what if D.C. banned handguns? There were many cities in the Old West that did exactly the same thing. It didn't seem to bring about tyranny back then, it won't now.

Just look at some of the anti-gun control arguments on this board! These people are nuts and getting nuttier! Humans have some genetic need for weapons? Violence in England is greater than in the U.S.? C'mon! At least use arguments that make sense or have some connection to reality!

[processor2]

Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun.

My GUN SAVED MY LIFE once when a would-be robber broke into my house one night.....Boy, did he get a big surprise

[mjv2944]

prcdr

Gun violence might be down, but violent crime against common citizens have gone up in England and Canada.

[prcdr]

Do you really think that if guns are outlawed, criminals are going to turn their guns in??? Never happened, never will...

If you want to increase the penalty for crimes commited with guns, sure no problem, but don't try to punish law abiding gun owners because you don't like guns.

[prcdr]

The statistics show that you are 12 times more likely to injure yourself or others by mistake or in anger than to use the firearm in the defense of yourself or family.

YOUR SO CALLED STATISTICS ARE WILDLY BIASED. THE NUMBERS THAT YOU CITE INCLUDE SUICIDES USING GUNS. APPARENTLY THOSE PEOPLE WOULDN'T HAVE KILLED THEMSELVES IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE GUNS...

"Intrestingly, countries that have made gun ownership more difficult--Canada, England all of Europe etc, have less gun violence and a lower murder rate--but we 'Americans' are addicted to the idea that we are still on the frontier. Wake up and smell the gunpowder!!!"

THAT IS ENTIRELY UNTRUE. IF YOU DO SOME ACTUAL RESEARCH YOU WILL FIND THAT VIOLENCE, INCLUDING GUN RELATED VIOLENCE IS HIGHER IN THOSE AREAS THAT YOU MENTIONED. ENGLAND SPECIFICALLY.

UNBIASED STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT STATES WITH CONCEALED CARRY LAWS HAVE LOWER VIOLENT CRIME RATES...

[rafterman1]

There's a school of thought that suggests the founding fathers left some of our Constitution and amendments purposely vague so that, as attitudes change over time, the document would allow for laws to be adjusted slightly to compensate, without the Constitution getting in the way. Our Constitution should have just enough wiggle room and not be a strait jacket asthe country geows over time.

[lfitts1]

The arguement goes that the second amendment guarantees the right of the individual to bear arms--for safety??? The statistics show that you are 12 times more likely to injure yourself or others by mistake or in anger than to use the firearm in the defense of yourself or family.

Intrestingly, countries that have made gun ownership more difficult--Canada, England all of Europe etc, have less gun violence and a lower murder rate--but we 'Americans' are addicted to the idea that we are still on the frontier. Wake up and smell the gunpowder!!!

[rafterman1]

As a lefty, I should be against guns :) And the truth is, I've never been a fan. However, after seeing the antics of the Bush administration the last six years and how precarious our civil liberties truely are, I believe that an armed populace is vital to retaining our freedom. The government can always push the limits, but they can never truely descend our country into a police state as long as the population can fight (and shoot) back.

[olgreyghost]

"If I exist, then I have the inherent right to perpetuate my existence."

All animals fight (or take flight) against being killed. Humans are no different. There are disparities amongs the species as to some being born with integral weapons that can be used to kill (fangs or claws) or defend by causing great pain (quills and shells). Amongst humans there is disparity of size and strength and there is always the danger of the mob. The human lacks integral weapons that the animals have, to a certain degree, so he must use his greatest weapon, his ability to think, to design and develop external tools for self-defense, amongst these being firearms.

To hope that gun confiscation laws will somehow reduce acts of gun violence is to hope against nature. There are 100,000,000 firearms in this country and only about 20,000 people a year are killed by other humans using firearms (this figure includes suicides and justifiable homicides) so to outlaw all firearms is a case of 312.5 pounds of prevention to an ounce of cure.

Since modern humans appeared on the scene about ten thousand years ago after the last Ice Age, he hasn't evolved much more. He's a little taller, a heck of a lot heavier, and he lives a little longer, but he hasn't outgrown his need for weapons and probably won't do so in the foreseeable future.

[mjv2944]

I don't own a gun but believe it is our constitutional right to be able to do so. Outlaw lawyers if you want to stop crime, they are one of the reasons crime is rampant, as they "get them off" or get them out to go back being the professional criminals that the are. Hard to believe, but there are people who are professional criminals and there is no rehabilitation. Those criminals who get turned loose by a judge or a lawyer and do the same crime again, those judges or lawyers should have to finiash their time with them.

[mrthornman]

Forget the constitution for a minute.

One of the basic rights for any man, anywhere, should be the ability to protect his own life. How can a law-abiding man do that, if guns are made illegal?

[random_radar]

I always like Andrew Cohen's column because he makes you think about new ideas outside the iconoclast popular views. He definitely thinks outside the box.

[processor2]

Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun.

My GUN SAVED MY LIFE once when a would-be robber broke into my house one night.....Boy, did he get a big surprise

[bluestardad]

Another devisive issue the Rove boys are coming up with to devide the country and get them back in power. Hope the Democrats are smart enough not to bite.