Gun control
So I'm probably the 87 millionth person to bring up gun control this week.
I thought CNN.com did a respectable job of presenting the two sides of the issue with two columns: this column is in support of getting rid of all guns (except for certain hunting or sports clubs), and this column is in favor of mandating that everyone carry a gun (written by Ted Nugent, which, despite having practically opposite ideals than I do, I always enjoy hearing or reading his thoughts because his passion for his beliefs is quite amazing.)
The issue of gun control is really complicated, but some things always bug me about the debate. First of all, I will never buy an argument that begins with "the founding fathers intended..." The Constiution originally allowed slavery and denied women the right to vote. Constiutional amendments have been passed to outlaw alcohol, and then repeal that prohibition. The fact is, things change over time. Our government is supposed to be the "great experiment." If we don't learn from our mistakes, the experiment is bound to fail. I believe this to be the case for all parts of our Constitution, not just certain amendments. The Constitution is there to prevent spur-of-the-moment governmental changes that would derail our society. It is not there to prevent us from developing a better government as time goes on.
Secondly, I don't buy the argument that no one will shoot anyone if everyone carries a gun. I am willing to listen to the argument that mass killings would *probably* become practically extinct if everyone carried a gun, because as soon as someone started going ballistic they would be stopped. But I do believe that random, heat-of-the-moment crimes would increase. People get mad and do irrational things. People get drunk and do stupid things. People don't pay attention and cause accidents. Increasing the chance that a simple accident could turn into a fatal one is not a good idea.
But beyond that, things get really confusing. The one thing that I keep coming back to is that in my imaginary, ideal world, guns don't exist. But in the real world, guns do exist, and somewhere, someone will have them no matter what governmental laws are in place.
Sometimes I wonder how Supreme Court Justices are able to handle the weight of their positions.
posted by Jim @ 3:06 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Society would be far better off with zero guns. Give everyone a pair of Nerf boxing gloves instead.
I don't like guns. They scare me. However, having learned to shoot at the the age of 7 (and how to clean and maintain a gun) I am still not comfortable with my right to bear arms being taken away from me. I don't know what the answer is here. Guns make it easier to kill people - of that, I have no doubt.
I heard you say recently that you admire Ted Nugent's ability to articulate his pro-gun stance so eloquently. Were you referring to the article to which you provided a link? It really seemed to me his main argument consisted of name calling and inflated chest pounding. He even brought up the "non-American" race of the Virgina Tech killer while not once mentioning the race of the killers and would be killers cited in the rest of his article. He offers no evidence to support his claims other than some well chosen incidences where guns were used to perpetuate violence and bring an end to the situation with similar gun violence.
I have to disagree with you on Ted Nugent's supposed "eloquence" based on this article.
Interesting that you wrote on the subject. A friend told me, & of course I couldn't easily verify via some CA law for spooge heads, that in CA, a person who has been placed on a 72 hour psychiatric hold, aka police code 5150, that said person must go before a judge to seek approval to purchase a gun. Hmmm, the what if paradigm makes you go "What if that law existed in Virginia or even at the national level?" But then there's the underground & black market crud that will always exist.
Bill Maher was on Tonight Show recently. He mentioned something about how people are more interested in & want to have meetings & numerous discussions about Imus & the racial comments he made. What if all who did so, instead met even more & poured forth more effort & energy to discuss gun laws & gun control? It takes a Virginia Tech or Columbine for people to chat about it. Yet nothing ever changes because the politicians want/need the votes of the nra. Must have the preciousssssss. We needs it. We wants it.
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