Guns and the Controlling of Them
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:37 pm
Alright, I'm starting this topic out of pure interest. Keep it clean and mature. No insults or trolling.
My views? First, let's establish that I am Republican leaning libertarian. I do not believe the government has a right to control what we do with our lives, nor should they regulate economic activity or promote foreign intervention unless the nation is a direct threat to our security. So, you'd think I'd be against gun control, right? Well, although I do favor a small government, I do believe our government has a very sole purpose: protect citizens from physical harm. With that belief is where I justify my support for bureaucratic departments such as the FDA and, of course, pro-gun control laws. Yes, citizens have a right to bear arms, but the government has an inherent duty to make sure those arms do not sacrifice the safety of others. It seems a bit paradoxical, since some of you will argue that loose gun control with in fact keeps us safer since we can defend ourselves. I'd argue otherwise. It seems to me that a majority of people who want guns want to defend themselves against criminals with guns. Wouldn't you say though that stricter gun control would prevent many of those villainous people from obtaining guns in the first place? One who is not in a right state of mind surely wouldn't be able to gain access to fire arms easily under a well-regulated system. Yes, there will be those people who find ways around the law, but the loss of insane people buying guns legally won't be proportional to the gain of insane people buying them on the black market. Let's say hypothetically that under a new system with stricter regulation, 9 out of every 10 people with bad intentions who could have bought a gun under the old system could no longer do so. Then only 3 of those 9 go on to buy their guns illegally. That's still 6 people who will not become an endangerment to society.
I admit I know little about using a firearm, therefore I'm not too sure how regulation could be reformed. However, if somebody like James Holmes can access all of his equipment legally, I believe some change is in order.
My views? First, let's establish that I am Republican leaning libertarian. I do not believe the government has a right to control what we do with our lives, nor should they regulate economic activity or promote foreign intervention unless the nation is a direct threat to our security. So, you'd think I'd be against gun control, right? Well, although I do favor a small government, I do believe our government has a very sole purpose: protect citizens from physical harm. With that belief is where I justify my support for bureaucratic departments such as the FDA and, of course, pro-gun control laws. Yes, citizens have a right to bear arms, but the government has an inherent duty to make sure those arms do not sacrifice the safety of others. It seems a bit paradoxical, since some of you will argue that loose gun control with in fact keeps us safer since we can defend ourselves. I'd argue otherwise. It seems to me that a majority of people who want guns want to defend themselves against criminals with guns. Wouldn't you say though that stricter gun control would prevent many of those villainous people from obtaining guns in the first place? One who is not in a right state of mind surely wouldn't be able to gain access to fire arms easily under a well-regulated system. Yes, there will be those people who find ways around the law, but the loss of insane people buying guns legally won't be proportional to the gain of insane people buying them on the black market. Let's say hypothetically that under a new system with stricter regulation, 9 out of every 10 people with bad intentions who could have bought a gun under the old system could no longer do so. Then only 3 of those 9 go on to buy their guns illegally. That's still 6 people who will not become an endangerment to society.
I admit I know little about using a firearm, therefore I'm not too sure how regulation could be reformed. However, if somebody like James Holmes can access all of his equipment legally, I believe some change is in order.