What are your thoughts on gun control?
What should the government do about guns in light of what has happened this past year, but at the same not violating the 2nd amendment?

Second Amendment:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

There has already been another school shooting and we aren't even two weeks into 2013 yet so there's no denying something needs to change.

Personally when I turn 21 I want to purchase a handgun as a self defense measure. Just a 9mm probably, something light and low recoil.
I honestly feel that I would be safer having one. I plan on living on my own by then and I am absolutely terrified of the thought of someone breaking into my home and I am also insecure about my ability to defend myself in a dangerous situation.
With all that said, I do support the government mandating extensive background checks on every purchase of a firearm, banning high-capacity magazines, and also banning assault rifles. For no apparent reason the Republican Party and the NRA oppose these measures.

Thoughts?  

if you have a gun, it's more dangerous. People won't break in your home if you are there. if they do and their a group and you point the gun on them, they will immediately shoot you. my uncle got shot because of it.
hes not dead btw.  

They made these amendments when there was actually a need for such guns. It is entirely outdated IMO

"In 1791, the United States had recently battled England for its independence; France owned the vast Mississippi watershed; and another war with England loomed. Yet, even in 1791, this right to bear arms was deemed conditional." (The Seattle Times)

"The 2nd Amendment (the right to bear arms) was meant to give civilians power to form militias and overthrow corrupt entities that took over the US government by force. In this day and age, no amount of armed civilians could ever feasibly hope to depose a tyrant who gained control of the US government with the US military forces under his control.

If the 2nd Amendment were to remain applicable for this day and age, shouldn't it be expanded to include the right to maintain tanks and rockets too?" (http://www.quora.com/Second-Amendmen...s-it-necessary)

I mean, the common argument for having a gun is for protection. Protection from what? A robber? There have been steel baseball bats for ages. Another person with a gun? Ironic isn't it? And who is protecting everyone else from you if you have a gun? So should everyone have a gun in their back pockets? Do you live so uncertain of your safety that you are willing to take another's life because of it?

Another reason is for sport. Shooting clay pidgins or hunting. Things like this could be made where you RENT a gun to do these activities on hunting grounds and have to return the product before you leave. A gun is a tool for killing. Period.

Of course there will always be crazy people, guns or not, that will do you harm. Knives, pushing onto a train track, etc are always going to be there if you take guns out of the equation. However, it's quicker to just off someone with a gun. These are my personal opinions, so you can disagree and that is fine, but I do like listening to other sides of the argument, so for lack of a better term, shoot.  

Until all guns are banned indefinitely, yes I would feel safer if I owned a gun.  

you would feel, but not be.  

Posted by Rexx

Until all guns are banned indefinitely, yes I would feel safer if I owned a gun.

Even if all guns were legally banned, criminals would still find ways to get them illegally.  

Banning guns won't do anything, many of these psychotic criminals get guns illegally anyways, however I agree with some of the propositions they are proposing. Requiring background checks for all gun owners and banning large magazine clips/assault rifles is a good start.  

Has anyone realized that it's been the unstable, mental people that snap? There must have been signs or initial bouts of insanity. Were attacking the wrong problem. We need to give people mandatory psychological evaluations throughout their early lives and keep track of who is unstable.

Maybe even increase the "therapy" that could be offered to them, since the people in their lives aren't being good influences. I mean, one of the shooters had a mom who looked like she didn't care (I say this because she knew how he was and ignored the fact that guns and ammo were being bought.

In my view, many parents out there are either too young or don't want to be parents, and their offspring suffer. Then we have an army of ignorant do nothings who are emotionally unstable and unhealthy. Even if these unstable people attain high status, they still snap at some point.

Anyway, gun regulation will help, at first... But it'll be like putting a band aid on a deep gash. It'll be harder to get guns privately (which I don't mind), but those people who are being left unchecked will continue to spawn, solving nothing.  

Posted by Rezon

Banning guns won't do anything, many of these psychotic criminals get guns illegally anyways, however I agree with some of the propositions they are proposing. Requiring background checks for all gun owners and banning large magazine clips/assault rifles is a good start.

All the countries with ban on guns have significantly lower violent crime rates than the U.S.
James Holmes, the Aurora Colorado shooter, bought his guns legally including an AR-15 assualt rifle. Adam Lanza who shot up Sandy Hook simply took his mother's guns that she had bought and owned legally.

Saying that a ban on guns wouldn't do anything is complete ignorance.  

Posted by Rexx

All the countries with ban on guns have significantly lower violent crime rates than the U.S.
James Holmes, the Aurora Colorado shooter, bought his guns legally including an AR-15 assualt rifle. Adam Lanza who shot up Sandy Hook simply took his mother's guns that she had bought and owned legally.

Saying that a ban on guns wouldn't do anything is complete ignorance.

A ban on guns would take guns away from people who can stop those mass shooting. Let's say guns were banned prior to the shootings, I'm sure they would have found a way to obtain them illegally. I agree with Shock here, we need mental health care reform not a ban on firearms.  

I heard now Biden is gonna talk to big gun game companies (such as activision) about how he thinks that COD is causing the shootings  

Posted by NCJohn

Even if all guns were legally banned, criminals would still find ways to get them illegally.

There is no prefect solution. No one is saying a ban on firearms completely is a good idea, but taking a few steps to make it harder for these shootings to occur is all that is necessary (smaller clips, illegalize assault weapons, etc.), just like drunk driving fatal car accidents have gone down due to stricter regulations.  

i dont see why people consider firearms as necessities..no one in my country owns a gun and so far we've had no accidents involving guns (the last 15 years anyway)

it might be a different case in the US though..since the population there is much bigger. i still think a ban in gun ownership is the way to go..id really feel unsafe if i knew my friend owned a firearm  

Posted by NCJohn

A ban on guns would take guns away from people who can stop those mass shooting. Let's say guns were banned prior to the shootings, I'm sure they would have found a way to obtain them illegally. I agree with Shock here, we need mental health care reform not a ban on firearms.

I dont understand your logic.
Nobody was there to save those 27 kindergarten children from getting blown away, if guns were banned that man wouldve never had those guns to commit the massacre.  

Posted by Rexx

I dont understand your logic.
Nobody was there to save those 27 kindergarten children from getting blown away, if guns were banned that man wouldve never had those guns to commit the massacre.

I wasn't specifically talking about that shooting. I was speaking in a more general sense of self defense. Either way banning guns entirely isn't the solution. Stricter gun regulations, improved mental health care, and a crack down on the illegal sales of guns is what will will make a difference.