We are indeed moving in circles, Alex. I think two of the points you may be missing of mine are that (1) most of the guns used in crimes are stolen from law-abiding gun owners, and (2) statistically it is more likely that your gun will be used against you than that you will be able to defend yourself with it. So I guess I am questioning the usefulness of guns on a more primal level than you may think.
Later I was going to go on and discuss the evolution of the N.R.A. and why I pointedly ask people whether they believe hand grenades and assault rifles should be legal (you will notice no one has ever responded to my question).
In the meantime, I am trying to access an article at a web page that is under construction, because I would like you to read it and then tell me what you think. So we need to continue this more seriously after the web page is again functional.
There is in my mind absolutely no excuse for any child ever being shot at school. So I get really uncomfortable when we are discussing odds. I have zero tolerance on this issue.
On the question of instituting sharp gun controls in the U.S., I think we would see the per capita incidence of gun violence drop dramatically. If you will once again refer to the url with the table regarding gun violence in various western democracies, you could perhaps get an idea of what it is in countries with stricter gun control laws. Obviously, any specific percentages would be just a guestimate on my part.
I haven't really seriously thought about what gun controls I would want, because I think it is sort of a hopeless situation. I know this differs from your opinion! I guess I would start with:
1. an escalation of gun buy-back programs in all fifty states, which do take some guns off the streets
2. mandatory trigger locks
3. the requirement that gun owners either pass an extensive written test on gun use and safety, or take a course, before they can purchase a weapon
4. more serious penalties for unlicensed gun possession
5. confiscation of any guns in the possession of anyone who is charged with domestic abuse
6. mandatory classes for children on gun safety, starting at the preschool level
7. mandatory classes for children on non-violent conflict resolution, starting at the preschool level
8. stronger criminal penalties for the possession of military-type weapons
9. stronger laws on what kinds of weapons can be manufactured or sold in America
I don't really believe these laws are sufficient to stem gun violence, but they would certainly be more reasonable than the ones we have now. I also believe that all gun laws should be federal in nature (I am sure I will hear from the states rights' people on this one), because the patchwork of gun laws is confusing and so full of loopholes that an elephant could jump through them. |
