Should America ban guns?

[Miguel Batista]

It worked in Australia and we don't have these kind of issues in Europe. So yeah, gun control saves lives.

Anyone who defends the status quo has no data to back it up. So, if you like to have facts on your side, gun control is something that needs to be enforced.

But like lord Melchet said, "if nothing else works, pig headed stubborness and the inability to look facts in the face will see us through."

[Miguel Batista]

http://www.gunfacts.info

Many myths and misconceptions laid out on this site about firearms and gun control. Most of the statements are also cited and can be looked up from other sources. It's important to be informed no matter what personal beliefs you might have.

Even being a gun owner myself, I would respect the opinion of an informed anti gun person over an uninformed pro gun person.

Ps: that websight is terrible. From cherry picking data to poor graphics presentation to lack of reliable sources (like quoting supposed studies that don't exhist and not presenting their sources clearly). I looked at that website two days ago and it made me cringe. If that is your opinion of well informed is that, you are not well informed.

[Miguel Batista]

Not a lot actually.

If you were to eat 2 of the chlorine capsules that you put in your pool, you would die.

What an idiotic comment. Sorry but you are spewing trash. You are comparing ingesting 2 concentrated chlorine tablets to pumping a building with dispersed chlorine which tends to stick together due to density AND has a low lethality rate. Wanna know how I know? Because of WWI! Chlorine gas was not that deadly. More people died by machine gun fire at Verdun then those that were killed by chlorine gas in the entire WWI period. Bullets are better at killing than bombs or gas period. They are cheap, pretty much untraceable andcause a whole lot of internal damage which is a bitch to recover from. Especially if they are assault rifle caliber. In the Portuguese army, most soldiers still use 7.62 mm G3 rifles. They have a saying:

"The G3 doesn't kill if it hits bellow the Elbow."

everywhere else you are sure to rupture something important. The entry hole of a 7.62 is small. The exit hole is the size of a tangerine.

Heck. If they use the Russian 5.45 it is even worse since the bullet is made so it tumbles on entry going through your body sideways...

I don't understand this sheer aversion to proper gun regulation... Its like completely absurd. You start with regulation, limiting access and in ten years time you can push further. You had two shootings in a week! A week. People who had no clue died because it is so easy to get guns. And these perpretators aren't gang members or criminals. These were "good" law abiding citizens that just have access to a lot of firepower.

I can't understand what the f is happening inside your brains. Its like complete denial...

Ps: I love guns. I used to go to a firing range to shoot at targets and I miss it alot! Still I was able to do so in a country with strict gun regulations (some of them are too strict imho) so you wont miss much. But do you need to keep 20 assault rifles, and 50 handguns your house?

[Dredgy]

2 words.

 

Black market.

 

Have you seen blackmarket prices in countries with strict gun laws?

Paying $10k for a pistol is the main factor in me not (succesfully) committing suicide years ago. Most assault weapons that you can buy cheaply in the US cost over $50k here. Enough to stop your average nutjob from acquiring them. While the US's blackmarket will be highly saturated at first, high prices will start to take effect in time. It won't stop organised crime syndicates and gangs from buying guns, but your mass shootings aren't caused by organised crime syndicates or gangs.

 

Blackmarket sellers also are very difficult to find and do not sell to just anyone, if they think suspicion will fall back on them. In ways it's a more thoroughly vetted buying method than say a gun show.

 

As mentioned by many, outright banning might not be the way to go - people should be able to obtain guns for sport, farming and hunting - but you can do that in most countries (including here) easily without everyone having access to guns.

[stconquest]

 

What an idiotic comment. Sorry but you are spewing trash. You are comparing ingesting 2 concentrated chlorine tablets to pumping a building with dispersed chlorine which tends to stick together due to density AND has a low lethality rate. Wanna know how I know? Because of WWI! Chlorine gas was not that deadly. More people died by machine gun fire at Verdun then those that were killed by chlorine gas in the entire WWI period. Bullets are better at killing than bombs or gas period. They are cheap, pretty much untraceable andcause a whole lot of internal damage which is a bitch to recover from. Especially if they are assault rifle caliber. In the Portuguese army, most soldiers still use 7.62 mm G3 rifles. They have a saying:

"The G3 doesn't kill if it hits bellow the Elbow."
everywhere else you are sure to rupture something important. The entry hole of a 7.62 is small. The exit hole is the size of a tangerine.

Heck. If they use the Russian 5.45 it is even worse since the bullet is made so it tumbles on entry going through your body sideways...

I don't understand this sheer aversion to proper gun regulation... Its like completely absurd. You start with regulation, limiting access and in ten years time you can push further. You had two shootings in a week! A week. People who had no clue died because it is so easy to get guns. And these perpretators aren't gang members or criminals. These were "good" law abiding citizens that just have access to a lot of firepower.

I can't understand what the f is happening inside your brains. Its like complete denial...

Ps: I love guns. I used to go to a firing range to shoot at targets and I miss it alot! Still I was able to do so in a country with strict gun regulations (some of them are too strict imho) so you wont miss much. But do you need to keep 20 assault rifles, and 50 handguns your house?

 

Brainwashing. 

 

My cousin likes guns.  He recently bought an 1911 and an AR15.  We get into discussions about guns and America.  One day he shows me a graph (on his phone) showing some crap, I think it was related to home invasions.  I asked to link it to the source and he says it is a picture someone sent him.  I had to then explain that without a source for the data, it should not be trusted.  If bad information flows freely like this, the illogical rationalizations to promote any idea (right or wrong) will be more and more common.

 

No offense to the guys here, but they talk about all the guns they have in the bedrooms to make them feel safe.  I respond by mentioning that I do not lock my front door at night as a joke, but it is true.  I live in a city of over 3 million others and I usually leave my front door unlocked.  I have been doing it for 15 years now.  <<<That makes me feel safe.  All they know is violence, to a degree.  Gotta be the hero and heroes have guns.    I know this last part is slightly aggressive, it has not sat right since I posted it.  Note that I understand that it is a generalization and is partly emotionally driven. 

 

Back on topic:  The people that are in the media (from politicians to news reporters) have their hands in the money gained from gun sales and they too will skew the meaning of good data to serve their "donators".  Throw in a mixture of pride, fear and sometimes hate, and the average citizen will see whatever truth they wish to... as long as it keeps them well armed.

 

Anyone with a good brain knows that enforcing gun regulations does not mean a ban.  You can still have your guns.

[GoldSrc]

Banning things doesn't work.

Making it harder to get a gun is the best idea, not every idiot can get a gun in the black market, at least is not as easy as going to Walmart to buy a gun.

 

Also, I don't see a reason for why any normal person would need assault rifles, give them a musket lol.

[Miguel Batista]

snip

Yes. I enjoyed your post about not locking doors. I feel the same. If I ever own a gun it would not be for self defence. And for that might as well go to the shooting range and rent one there.

Frankly policemen with guns scare me as if one flips over there is nothing you can do about it...

And I also agree that the constant spewing of hatred by fox & friends has a direct impact on these cases.

In the end I don't buy this guns are safety bullshit because they are not. Want an equalizer, go learn brazilian jiu jitsu. Big guy brought dawn by scrawny dude with glasses.

[SansVarnic]

I used a hyperbole. I said basically can, because I like to exaggerate for no particular reason

 

Come to think of it, why am I involved in the post? I don't care about gun control either way really    

*drops keyboard and leaves*

That is a bad way to have a discussion. Hyperbole in a discussion such as this will get you to one place. Untrustworthy in future discussions and ignored.

[KarateHottie93]

you can ban them, and make the problem worse, or you can regulate them, and make the problem better and profitable

Firearms are too damn reglated as it is. I couldn't get one until I paid off bad checks from years ago that were a complete fuck up on my bank's end and already paid off. It was only $80 damn dollars too and I had to spend two weeks tracking down the source of my failed background check.

A motherfucker who fakes anxiety to get a free check and pills can go grab a goddamn gun just like that. The more things get regulated in the US, the more it helps the bad and hurts the good.

[KarateHottie93]

Also Sandy Hook was fake and is now pretty much widely acceped by everyone as a hoax.

[slightlyjaded]

I'm Australian. While I would prefer that America bans guns, it is also hamstrung by it's constitution, America literally cannot ban guns, as when the constitution was written America did not have a standing military, and relied on it's militia, which required that not only the citizenry be armed, but also that they be allowed to practice (bit like the welsh and the longbow, for all you history buffs)

 

To quote an Aussie comedian..."We had port athur, and a politician said....Maybe we had better ban automatic weapons....To which Australia responded....Okay, fair call"

 

BTW, start restricting guns as a federal matter, and Texas will suceed....Just saying... America needs the states to actually work on this, as the federal government is almost powerless in this issue.

[melias24]

Yes everything but air rifles and BB guns. 

[DigitalHermit]

Yes they should, but they should legalize open carry of swords. We need to focus more on the lost art of swordplay.

The gun law is fine as it is right now imo... Better to have more armed civvies to fight off criminals...

Edit:

More tracking and licensure might be in order...

[stconquest]

Also Sandy Hook was fake and is now pretty much widely acceped by everyone as a hoax.

 

Nice fantasy world you live in.  Kill a bunch of school children to what?.. gain support for stricter guns laws?  Wow... like that is necessary with an average of 1 mass shooting per day and roughly 100 homicides involving guns each day in the USA.

 

You can respond to this but I will not comment on this line of stupidity any further.

[Real_PhillBert]

Because it is pertinent to this discussion, US Senate rejected several proposed gun control measures this morning.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/12/03/senate-democrats-to-force-gun-control-votes-in-the-wake-of-the-san-bernardino-shooting/

[Guest]

Because it is pertinent to this discussion, US Senate rejected several proposed gun control measures this morning.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/12/03/senate-democrats-to-force-gun-control-votes-in-the-wake-of-the-san-bernardino-shooting/

This is a prime example of why most people are not happy with the government or at the very least do not believe it is working for the people.   If you wanted a prime example of government sitting on their hands and doing nothing, this is it.

[stconquest]

This is a prime example of why most people are not happy with the government or at the very least do not believe it is working for the people.   If you wanted a prime example of government sitting on their hands and doing nothing, this is it.

 

When you start digging, you will find money from the gun sales market lining the pockets of politicians.  That could have a major effect on votes like these in government.

[KarateHottie93]

Nice fantasy world you live in. Kill a bunch of school children to what?.. gain support for stricter guns laws? Wow... like that is necessary with an average of 1 mass shooting per day and roughly 100 homicides involving guns each day in the USA.

You can respond to this but I will not comment on this line of stupidity any further.

Okay follower.

[Calavera]

In Europe banning guns worked.

In America it wont work, why? Because Americans cant handle it.

It's a fact that shit will hit the fan once guns are banned.

 

In Europe it has always worked that once civillians dont have guns, and guns are mostly banned, the price of them will skyrocket, only the really rich people will be able to obtain them, and guess what, they're not the ones who rob a supermarket and shoot a cashier once she presses the alarm button.

 

Again, American can't handle it, but calling it stupid is downright ignorant.

 

Europe isn't a free-game for criminals, although Americans would think it is since guns aren't allowed here.

[Calavera]

I might catch a ban for this but...

 

I've tried to convince Americans so many times that if you take away the guns,drain the market and have the police do their job (this won't be easy, much easier to have this done from the start) then guns will skyrocket in price and thugs won't be able to afford them anymore.

 

Regardless, each time I get people getting super pissed off at me, bearing names like "Americanpatriot1984" "Donttakemyguns91" and "Winchester1Gun" coming up with stupid arguments and what not.

 

Each time I read the news about another mass shooting where a mental idiot shoots up kids through their skulls, causing a blood bath - I think "Told ya"

 

It's like trying to convince your brother that stepping on that bike with no brakes will cause him to scrape his knee on the road  because he can't get it to stop, but him not listening and yelling "Hey this bike is perfectly functional"

 

You can only warn someone so many times until it nearly becomes funny.

 

Each and every time I feel sad, then I start smirking. Not because of the poor souls that died, but because of the ignorance of the country as a whole.

[Slash003]

Simple Fact is summed up in these pictures.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/empMaWob3fR5hBcbxOsLNeBf8xaOH9_qeksfI16hgkiz5UqGFUDOsvLKDjnkk-lXCRlTNHOm_FGgrCp54UnCiLik5EAgT2rRXB7KupBJs2fPERMZO796VrT3

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/db/8e/cb/db8ecbe6fe3815a76a66fb128a150209.jpg

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/61011996.jpg

https://progressivecynic.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/31764089.jpg?w=812

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/63068550.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/23/71/6e/23716e8e456cdfc247b551cbfb47e1ab.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/54/b0/a3/54b0a3b9d73b539c15b47c8b4dee3d18.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/49/88/a3/4988a30d5e97a315639656c85f4384c3.jpg

[Jack.EXE]

This is basic politics, guys.

The Gov doesnt really believe that banning guns will help crime rates. Hell, the FBI's own statistics indicate otherwise. What they do believe is that it will hurt the conservative states, in hopes of securing the democratic party in power. After all, a party's goal is simply to gain the power, and keep it.

However, a ban on guns will result in nothing less than civil war. It wont be pretty either. We may have one of the strongest militaries in the world, with 2 million soldiers, but we also have THE STRONGEST militia in the world, with around 50 million REGISTERED gun owners, with countless many more.

[potoooooooo]

The US should ban guns, just like they banned drugs, right guys?!

Also, the supreme court would never allow a blanket ban to happen

[AresKrieger]

I have a question to anyone still following this thread, How many mass shootings has america had this year? I wonder how you'll answer.

[stconquest]

I have a question to anyone still following this thread, How many mass shootings has america had this year? I wonder how you'll answer.

 

Depends on the definition (killed or shot), but about 1 per day on average. *Various news sources.