tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post5474197589024366323..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: Gun ControlAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-11736420613916730702013-01-31T07:07:29.043-07:002013-01-31T07:07:29.043-07:00Appreciate the effort at both sides of this issue....Appreciate the effort at both sides of this issue...You made the comment "There are countries that have outlawed guns that have lower rates of violence then the United States" but you failed to mention there are many many countries that have outlawed guns that have higher rates of violence than the US...<br /><br />And although mental health issues is occasionally mentioned in this debate...it should be top of the list. We do not have a system to handle the mentally ill once they reach the age of 18 and can no longer be legally handled by their parents or society. We have all known mentally ill people in our lives that scared the heck out of us. Until they do kill someone or harm someone, there is nothing legally we can do about them or for them. If we are so bent on protecting their privacy/rights at the expense of our safety, then this problem will not be solved with any kind of gun control. Karennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-31603608475919627532013-01-29T04:56:42.818-07:002013-01-29T04:56:42.818-07:00I find you did brilliant solution when you came up...I find you did brilliant solution when you came up with this theme of this blog article over here. Do you mostly make your entries on your own or you work with a writing partner or a helper?Nicole the writerhttp://silkysecrets.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-75664379962041531562013-01-28T11:22:59.721-07:002013-01-28T11:22:59.721-07:00"Guns do not kill people. People kill people...."Guns do not kill people. People kill people."<br /><br />That's almost equivalent as saying: "toasters do not make toast, people do"Devynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-49008514701260248672013-01-24T00:20:36.266-07:002013-01-24T00:20:36.266-07:00This gun controversy is two-fold; do americans WAN...This gun controversy is two-fold; do americans WANT their government to change the gun laws now, or not. And if the former, do americans want their government to RELAX those rules or TIGHTEN them up. Or a nuanced combination of both.<br /><br />As the OP points out, there's plenty of divisive rhetoric from gun lovers and gun haters.<br /><br />However, it seems odd to critise either camp for hurling forth their emotive arguments and half-truths. That's how to garner supporters. Even if it upsets others. Or results in the majority losing interest in the debate.<br /><br />Obama's announcement seems rather safe if gun haters outnumber gun lovers by as much as I suspect they do (or is that naive?). <br /><br />Regardless, fear of having a gun pointed at you will drive americans to continue this debate forever.@bhttp://twitter.com/blamernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-40835922539478433172013-01-23T14:40:13.250-07:002013-01-23T14:40:13.250-07:00Nice post - a few additional points.
* Why is t...Nice post - a few additional points. <br /><br />* Why is the debate always phrased as guns or no guns? I am not a US citizen so I have limited involvement - but as I understand it the most likely proposals are preventing the sales of certain types of guns and magazines, enforcing background checks, and allowing research into the links between guns and violence in the USA. Similar laws are already in place for vehicles (there are laws about what vehicles are allowed on the road, who can drive them, and research into road safety is encouraged) - why not guns?<br /><br />* As well as directly limiting access to guns, gun control laws may go some way to creating a non-violent culture. You sort of said that - but not explicitly. So in this was gun control may make people less violent.<br /><br />* A country that relies on armed citizens to protect themselves to keep violence under control has essentially lost control of law and order. <br />Mark Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07117994136165938870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-13148823426351451022013-01-18T09:43:24.219-07:002013-01-18T09:43:24.219-07:00We at Table 54 concur with much of what you've...We at Table 54 concur with much of what you've posted here. Our discussion today will revolve around the University of Toledo, OH, where Young Republican members are asking the Ohio legislature to pass a law allowing all students to carry concealed hand guns to classes for their protection. We can not help to feel that the more guns you place in the hands of ordinary people, the more gun violence there will be. Accidental shootings and confrontations between armed students will take place. There is a reason towns in the old West restricted carrying hand guns within town limits. Common sense needs to be applied at some point or our country, which already sees more gun related deaths than the rest of the world combined will see such violence increase exponentially.<br /><br />-YLunch at Table 54http://table54.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-29003896791261142782013-01-17T19:37:20.750-07:002013-01-17T19:37:20.750-07:00The fact is that gun control does work (see the NF...The fact is that gun control does work (see the NFA). It doesn't prevent guns from being acquired, but if the civilian population is having a difficult time acquiring guns, then the criminal population (who aren't manufacturing their own) will have a similarly hard time getting guns.<br /><br />There is a reason why the armed forces use firearms and not knives and late-model sedans in order to murder people - it's because guns are great a murdering biological organisms. Let's consider tighter regulations on rocks and knives when you can kill 30 people with one, while standing still, as they run from you in all directions.<br /><br />I have an AR15, and a variety of rifles, pistols and shotguns. I don't think making them outright illegal is necessary, but the bar to owning effective, offensive weapons like semi-automatic center fire rifles should be MUCH higher.<br /><br />It may not reduce VIOLENCE, but it can reduce FATALITIES.Justinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-71871070043297182772013-01-17T16:04:46.531-07:002013-01-17T16:04:46.531-07:00Joshua,
Build a bomb...heck I showed the Royal Ra...Joshua,<br /><br />Build a bomb...heck I showed the Royal Rangers the basics lighting a council fire for you guys one time. I bought everything I needed at Walmart, common chemicals and with no effort at all instead of a fire I could have blown up a building....just saying it is not rocket science it is very basic chemistry. Timothy Mcvey...bomb, not a gun...and it was not to difficult.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371115134540306400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-65147898711762304082013-01-17T15:21:00.373-07:002013-01-17T15:21:00.373-07:00Excellent post. I do have one quibble, though. You...Excellent post. I do have one quibble, though. You say the following:<br /><br />"We will not, in fact, be safer simply by reducing access to one culturally preferred tool for doing harm. As long as there are people who want to do harm, we are at risk. If they do not have guns, they can find something else."<br /><br />This is rather like saying, "Well, a determined criminal can find a way into your house even if you have a burglar alarm and lock your door. So burglar alarms and locks don't make your house safer." In fact, burglar alarms and locks <i>do</i> make our houses safer because they make it harder for criminals to get inside our houses. When it's harder to rob your house, the less determined criminals are less likely to try it.<br /><br />In the same way, violent crime may, in fact, be reduced by greatly limiting access to guns. It would take much more planning and determination to carry out mass murder if you had to learn to build a bomb than if you could just borrow your mom's gun. It's harder to do on a whim or in a moment of rage. Does that mean that no mass murder will ever happen if there are no guns? That we will be completely safe? Of course not. But we will probably be saf<i>er</i>.Joshua Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08556300019968902190noreply@blogger.com