Gun Control in the US

[cityStatic]

Statistics show that nearly all modern, first world countries where citizens do not have the right to bear arms and strict gun control laws are widely enforced have a much lower crime rate than the US and in particular much lower homicide rates

According to data from Time magazine only 1% of gun deaths in the US were found to have been in self defense, therefore it is reasonable to assume that gun deaths in the US will decrease by 98-99% should the right to bear arms be revoked.

 

[AquaTeen]

Stricter gun laws may be needed, but people will find their way to get ahold of guns legal or not. The legal gun owners should have stricter classes and be required to pass followup's later down the line.

You are naive if you believe that any amount of law would stop gun crime. It would just make the criminals with illegal weapons more powerful and take any sense of protection away from the store clerk who has their weapon legally.

 

[cityStatic]

It's not like, if stricter laws were put in place, someone could walk into Wal-mart, then walk out 10 (or however long the local law is) days later with a fudging shotgun then shoot a judge in the head

 

[AquaTeen]

Yes but anyone who wanted a firearm could find one.

Right now the current system allows for at least some information to be tracked. Background checks and a form 4473 allow for there to be some discretion to be taken before handing a gun over to someone. It's not that just anyone can purchase a gun, and though the checks are obviously not fool proof... it's a heck of a lot more than when someone buys an illegal weapon in an alley.

 

[Deleted member 1609]

Gun laws do work, but it takes time. For example, in Norway, gun violence went up slightly for a few years after their gun laws went into effect. After that, it went literally straight down to nearly the lowest rate in the world.

Here's an ironic tidbit: the police in the USA are heavily armed, and the police in many European countries don't carry guns at all; yet the countries where the police don't carry guns have far less crime than the USA.

 

[MissTake]

I've said it for years, the US is far to liberal with their gun laws, I remember having this debate before with Saruman in this thread ....

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=49384

In the UK, guns are virtually illegal other than in gun clubs, the majority of police do not "carry" ...yes we have a small gang culture with firearms but shootings are very rarely heard of, one or two a month maybe?

 

[Deleted member 1609]

I've said it for years, the US is far to liberal with their gun laws, I remember having this debate before with Saruman in this thread ....

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=49384

In the UK, guns are virtually illegal other than in gun clubs, the majority of police do not "carry" ...yes we have a small gang culture with firearms but shootings are very rarely heard of, one or two a month maybe?

The UK also has far fewer homicides and far less crime than the United States, so there is far more evidence in favor of gun laws than against them.

 

[MissTake]

While it's very true we have to remember that the US is massively larger so the figures should be multiplied to reflect the true comparisons 😉

The problem is once you give someone that kind of freedom it's very difficult to take it away again 🙁

 

[Deleted member 1609]

While it's very true we have to remember that the US is massively larger so the figures should be multiplied to reflect the true comparisons 😉

The problem is once you give someone that kind of freedom it's very difficult to take it away again 🙁

I meant that the UK has fewer homicides and crimes per capita. 😉

 

[MissTake]

Ah sorry my apologies....😉

it would probably take several years for the guns to be taken out of circulation, or to get down to controllable numbers, how many would hand them over in a gun amnesty willingly? the gangs most certainly wouldn't :lol:

 

[Deleted member 1609]

Ah sorry my apologies....😉

it would probably take several years for the guns to be taken out of circulation, or to get down to controllable numbers, how many would hand them over in a gun amnesty willingly? the gangs most certainly wouldn't :lol:

Right. That was my thinking as well. Once many of the illegal guns are out of circulation, gun control laws start to show their effectiveness.

It's not like, if stricter laws were put in place, someone could walk into Wal-mart, then walk out 10 (or however long the local law is) days later with a fudging shotgun then shoot a judge in the head

It's two days if you live in some states. 😉 In other states (e.g. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana), you don't even walk into Wal-Mart; you just check your dad's glove compartment.

 

[MissTake]

I'm pretty sure on just accidental deaths alone it would make a huge difference?

 

[death180]

I don't care what happens in the future I will continue to own a gun for the rest of my life whether it is legal or not.

 

[Caedus]

The U.S could outlaw guns and it wouldn't matter. People will still find a way to get them. Look at the Prohibition in the 30's for an example.

I stand by that guns don't kill people, people kill people.

 

[Nebulous]

Well we dont have that many stabbings in the USA whereas in other countries its more popular. Both can be fatal but from what Ive heard, a non-fatal stab wound hurts more than a non-fatal gun shot wound.

😛

 

[Deleted member 1609]

I stand by that guns don't kill people, people kill people.

If you look at the raw statistics, you realize that guns do kill people.

Well we dont have that many stabbings in the USA whereas in other countries its more popular.

The USA has a huge lead over most developed countries in intentional homicides of any kind.

 

[Caedus]

I stand by that guns don't kill people, people kill people.

If you look at the raw statistics, you realize that guns do kill people.

Well we dont have that many stabbings in the USA whereas in other countries its more popular.

The USA has a huge lead over most developed countries in intentional homicides of any kind.

You can't point at a gun and tell it to kill someone and expect it to do it. A person has to operate a gun for it to kill someone. So in reality, it is that person who killed the other person.

 

[Deleted member 1609]

I stand by that guns don't kill people, people kill people.

If you look at the raw statistics, you realize that guns do kill people.

Well we dont have that many stabbings in the USA whereas in other countries its more popular.

The USA has a huge lead over most developed countries in intentional homicides of any kind.

You can't point at a gun and tell it to kill someone and expect it to do it. A person has to operate a gun for it to kill someone. So in reality, it is that person who killed the other person.

Guns don't literally kill people, but they do metaphorically kill people due to the fact that western countries with gun control tend to have far fewer intentional homicides than the United States.

 

[SilverWolf]

Well, metaphorically, a damn box-cutter won't kill a person either, but by your logic, Snobo, we should ban box-cutters because they killed some 3,000ish people on 9-11. So let's get together and ban box-cutters too! Lets ban knives as well. Let's ban ropes, since you can hang someone. See my point here?

Besides, as a United States Citizen, I don't necessarily WANT my country to be more like non-western countries. No offense to any other country out there, but I value my civil rights--and it is in our constitution that citizens of the United States have the right to bear arms. I value that right, and I value the constitution. So just because every other country is doing it, doesn't mean I want the country I live in doing it.

 

[cityStatic]

Well, metaphorically, a damn box-cutter won't kill a person either, but by your logic, Snobo, we should ban box-cutters because they killed some 3,000ish people on 9-11. So let's get together and ban box-cutters too! Lets ban knives as well. Let's ban ropes, since you can hang someone. See my point here?

The only difference is that box cutters have a practical purpose other than killing people and animals. Guns were designed for the hunting of animals [and somewhat the hunting of people], not to chop down a tree