Should Americans be unarmed?

No the second amendment guarantees that we can bear arms so if the government became too powerful it could be overthrown. This is what happened in germany in world war two. Think about it. what if the government started rolling down the street in tanks and demanding 'chinese' for example to be turned over to be put in concentration camps or executed. How would you stop them? Throw rocks at tanks and people armed with machine guns? This is how Communist countries and tyranical regimes stay in power, if the citizens were armed do you think they would be at the whim of the government? think about these things and then ask yourself should guns be banned.

1. Should all guns be banned to America citizens? If so what kind? Why or why not?

-No. Banning all guns really isn't neccesary, besides it would never happen. Too many people would resist.

2.Do you think assault weapons should be legal? Why or why not?

-No they shouldn't. No one needs assault weapons to hunt. Trying to "defend your home" with automatic weapons might get kind of messy too. For those who think it'll help them fight off NWO stormtroopers or whatever crazy militia nonsense....they don't realize that they could have all the assault rifles in the world and still be outgunned. As far as I know you can't by attack helicopters, tanks and smart bombs.

3.Do you think crime rate would increase, decrease, or stay at an equilibrium if guns were made illegal? Why or why not? Would you feel safer if all guns were banned? Why or why not?

-Franky, I have no idea what would happen if all gund were banned (besides an armed insurrection by the NRA). If I had to guess, I'd say the crime rate would stay the same. The murder rate would probably drop slightly because people world resort to using knives and other less lethal weapons during crimes of passion.

4. What kind of problems in society do you think would arise if guns were banned?

-Underground gun sales would skyrocket. Also, like I mentioned before, militas, the NRA, and fringe groups would try to take down the government because they felt threatened.

5. Do you feel safe with, or without a gun? Why or why not?

-I don't feel any safer with a gun. It seems like it would be more trouble than it's worth. Also, those things are dangerous...might shoot my eye out.
I'd just feel like an ass carrying a gun around anyway. Besides I've got my large collection of swords to protect me...

6.Do you trust in the Federal Government enough for protection without owning a gun? Why or why not?

-There's very few situations in which I feel physically threatened. A gun can't protect me from financial fraud or something else that I worry about in the real world.

7. In what situation would you shoot someone?

-First of all, I'd have to have a gun. Secondly, if they were trying to kill me. Someone verbally threatening me without a weapon is not a good enough enough reason to shoot them. Or to even brandish a weapon.

8.Would you shoot a stranger in your home that you felt threaten by?

-I assume you mean an univited stranger. In that case, the answer is probably. I'd worry about the bullet going through the wall and hitting someone else though. I wonder how many times a person has shot their kid either because they thought they were a burglar or because the bullet went through the wall?

9.Should you be allowed to carry a gun wherever you go with a permit? Why or why not?

-Hell no. It's not the freaking Wild West. The thought of everyone packing heat scares me. I don't think everyone can be trusted to use a gun only when they're threatened and to use it properly. That's just what we need running gun battles instead of fistfights. And in the case of civilians vs criminals, that's just what we need.....crossfire.
Leave the gun battles to the cops. Speaking of cops, can you imagine what it'll be like for them if they go into situations knowing everyone is probably armed? They'll be just as likely to shoot a civilian trying to be a "hero" as they will the criminal....

10.Would you be willing to give up your gun, if all guns were banned? Why or why not?

-Moot point.

11.What kind of gun/guns do you own if any?

-None.....well, my family has an old revolver in the closet. It would just as likely to blow up in my face as shoot.

12.What do you feel like is the appropriate age group to own a gun?

-21 plus

13. Similar to question 9, should you be allowed to carry a gun with you in a bar? Why or why not?

-Ahahahahahahahaha!!! That's funny....really it is. I guess you decided to lighten the mood at the end.

14. Add any other comments you would like to add.

-If people absolutely HAVE to carry a weapon around with them at all times to feel safe....first of all, something is wrong with society. Secondly, I suggest they get a taser or stun gun. They have tasers with some nice range these days, and I hear they're working on ones that deliver electric shock without wires.
While your at it, take a martial arts class. I'm sure it's more gratifying to kung fu the crap out of a mugger than to shoot him.

.
Most Americans are unarmed,

from the neck up.

No. People should have the right to keep and bear arms.

That way they can fight off the aggression from the other people who are also unarmed from the neck up. Some out there are even less armed from the neck up than they are.

[edit on 28-4-2005 by slank]

I have read only the opening post and no further. This is my only input:

If anyone has any questions as to whether or not Americans should be armed, one need only to read the Federalist Papers and see why we have the constitutionally protected right to bear arms.

If you trust the government to protect your right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, you are naive.

If I have the choice to believe what the Founding Fathers believed and what any dissenters believe, I'll go with the Founding Fathers.

To make it perfectly clear to those who do not get it; when the right to keep and bear arms, so that we might take back our country from a tyrannical and arbitrary government, is taken away, the rest of the God-given rights will be stripped from us.

If you still don't understand, no amount of words will make your mind comprehend the truth, so there's no reason to try.

I wish I could applaud you TC.


You have said it much better than I could have so there is really nothing more for me to add.

Originally posted by Amuk
I wish I could applaud you TC.


You have said it much better than I could have so there is really nothing more for me to add.

I wholly agree. That post was brilliant TC. Short and to the point. It's too bad that the fair majority of people will not read the Federalist Papers or even attempt to change thier minds on the topic.

I'm glad that people haven't gotten confused confused about the right to bear arms though. Just to avoid any further confusion, this is NOT what the Second Amendment means:

1. No! Second armendment saids we have the right to bear arms. if second armendment is taken out then there will be war between the people and government.

2. Yes, but they don't have to be, cause i don't think you need assault weapons to defend yourself.

3. i think in fact would increase because every bad boy out there know, hey he/she won't have a guy so i don't need to worry about getting shot and more crimes would follow.

4. Civil war would follow, you will have at least 80 million angry americans in your hands. and that is one hell of a army.

5. i feel safer with a gun

6. No, the Federal Government don't give a jack about you. they just like your taxes. They don't do much in protecting you.

7. When defending myself

8. Of course, my life is at stake, either i die or he/she dies.

9. Why not? Most dangerous stuff are outside your house.

10. No, they better bet i will try and kill the idiot people who pass the laws of banning guns. any type

11. I am not old enough to own a gun

12. 21, cause most are mature at that age and *know what they are doing.

13. No, too much drunks in the bar, too dangerous.

14. it's a right to own a gun not the person in the whitehouse choice.

[edit on 28-4-2005 by ulshadow]

[edit on 28-4-2005 by ulshadow]

1. Should all guns be banned to America citizens?

NO! For all the great reasons already posted.

3.Do you think crime rate would increase, decrease, or stay at an equilibrium if guns were made illegal?

Banning guns would not decrease crime. Criminals would still get
the guns and private citizens would be left without defense. Just
look at DC. No private citizens are allowed to own guns, and that is
where the sniper chose to go on a shooting spree.

6.Do you trust in the Federal Government enough for protection without owning a gun?

Absolutely not. That's why we are multiple gun owners.

7. In what situation would you shoot someone?
8.Would you shoot a stranger in your home that you felt threaten by?

#8 answers #7.

9.Should you be allowed to carry a gun wherever you go with a permit?

With very few exceptions for security reasons - public buildings, airports,
things like that. It's too much work for the security there to keep up with
people bringing in their own firearms.

10.Would you be willing to give up your gun, if all guns were banned?

No. It's my constitutional right and my God given right to self defense.

11.What kind of gun/guns do you own if any?

I have a 9 mil glock. My husband has a 45 short glock.
I was in the Army. My husband was in the AirForce.
We both know how to shoot and maintain weapons.

12.What do you feel like is the appropriate age group to own a gun?

Depends. Different people and different situations. A 14 year old
on a farm in Kansas should be able to own and shoot a rifle just fine.
A 14 year old in an apartment in NYC? Doubt that he needs a rifle,
but you never know...

Before looking at the dogpile that's sure to follow, I'll just respond to the OP here.

Originally posted by LiquidationOfDiscrepancy
1. Should all guns be banned to America citizens? If so what kind? Why or why not?

No. None. Because there is no compelling reason to completely ban firearms. The primary reason given, when one is supplied, for a ban on firearms is that guns, while not causing violence, do enable it. That's true, guns do enable violence. So too do alcohol, excessive team loyalty (or any other type of excessive tribalism), baseball bats, and martial arts lessons. Yet there is not the call for a blanket ban on any of those things, largely because guns are the boogyman du jour and these others are not.

Note that this response is my default response to any question along the lines of "Do you think the government should restrict/ban $foo?" Although a proud liberal, I'm of the opinion that the best government is the least restrictive possible government.

2.Do you think assault weapons should be legal? Why or why not?

Yes, though I am willing to support restrictions on their possession if the restrictions are well thought out and will be effective in curbing (or, more likely, punishing) violence.

What I don't support is a sensationalistic ban on scary looking guns.

3.Do you think crime rate would increase, decrease, or stay at an equilibrium if guns were made illegal? Why or why not? Would you feel safer if all guns were banned? Why or why not?

That depends, are you going to count the "unreconstructed gun owners" among the criminals after the ban? If so, yes, probably.

Would I feel safer? Nope. I live in the country in Iowa, a rural state. I'm surrounded by gun-toting hunters pretty much from September on every year, and yet I haven't had a problem. This is because, by and large the gun-toting-maniacs (read: hunters) respect their weapons.

4. What kind of problems in society do you think would arise if guns were banned?

In the short term, as I said, there would be a lot of resistance on an individual level to such a ban.

Longer term...well, I'm not going to go into the NRA "only criminals will have guns" scare tactic, I don't think you'd see a significant long-term reduction in violence, you'd just see the violence move to other forms (beatings, knife, etc).

5. Do you feel safe with, or without a gun? Why or why not?

Yes to both questions. I feel safe with a gun because I have taken the time to learn about them and to respect them. I feel safe without one because, well let's face it: I'm a white, middle class guy living in the middle of Iowa. Not exactly a bastion of violence against me

Beyond that, I feel safe either way because while I may see a gun as a useful too in a self-defense situation, it is far from being the only such tool available to me.

6.Do you trust in the Federal Government enough for protection without owning a gun? Why or why not?

No. Because most states (including my own) have not said that the police are responsible for my own, individual, protection. The police are responsible for the protection of the community at large, but cannot guarantee my own, personal, protection.

I understand the reasons they cannot guarantee this, but I will take the steps I feel as necessary for my own protection in lieu of adequate protection by the State.

7. In what situation would you shoot someone?

Were I to feel that my life, or the life of someone around me was unlawfully threatened.

8.Would you shoot a stranger in your home that you felt threaten by?

It would not be my first choice, but if I saw no other viable alternative I am prepared to do so.

9.Should you be allowed to carry a gun wherever you go with a permit? Why or why not?

Yes. As I said, I believe that the best government is the least restrictive government that's practical.

That said, I also support the right for locations to refuse service to those carrying should they desire to do so.

10.Would you be willing to give up your gun, if all guns were banned? Why or why not?

Currently, I do not own a firearm, having recently lived in several apartments where it was impractical to adequately secure one. Were such a law to be passed, however, I would likely purchase one.

11.What kind of gun/guns do you own if any?

None, currently. Circumstances and finances have conspired against me. I do plan on owning in the future, though.

12.What do you feel like is the appropriate age group to own a gun?

My first reaction would be somewhere in the 9-12 year old range. At that age you're generally physiologically developed enough to handle a firearm, and have the mental development to understand the respect required towards your firearm.

13. Similar to question 9, should you be allowed to carry a gun with you in a bar? Why or why not?

This is a tricky one. Idealistically, yes you should. I understand the reasons that this is disallowed, though. To me, this is one of the small battles that I'm willing to put off until we have the big stuff taken care of.

14. Add any other comments you would like to add.

Most of all, I want to say that while I'm for no gun restrictions in an ideal world, I understand that ours is not, in fact, such a world.

To that end, then, I most want gun control laws that are well-thought out and effective. Unfortunately most of the gun control laws are emotionally-based, sensationalistic pieces of PR that ammount to little more than "Oooo! Guns are scary!" at best. At worst, they criminilize trivial behavior while doing nothing to address the real problems.

sorry , not to be too flippant but

my gut instinct was

oh sure, just what any gov't would love. unarmed citizens it can steamroll over

if you think that those horror stories of kids shooting kids in schools[ and other similar type nightmares ] are covered , the way they are, [ very biased IMO ] by accident, think again.

we're being played....again...


with freedom , comes responsibility and acceptance. [ but it seems like responsibility has been replaced with finger pointing and fake solutions ]

don't be suckered by the players..cuz,

".when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns."
, it's not just a cute saying...

I will only answer #11

10mm Glock
380 auto
50 cal varmit rifle
338 varmit gun
270 deer rifle
UZI
mini-UZI
Walther PPK
1911-45
30-30
3006
308
9mm Glock
9mm S&W
357 Dan Weson
8mm Mag
7mm mag
303
9mm HK
Ruger 223
35 rem
38 special
Mac-10
22
22-mag
22-hornet

and a great big smile when I kill possums

1. Should all guns be banned to America citizens? If so what kind? Why or why not?

No. Reasons given below.

2.Do you think assault weapons should be legal? Why or why not?

Yes. The spirit of the 2nd Amendment is so that one can protect himself also from an oppressive government. It wasn’t designed to protect the right to hunt, that’s a given.

3.Do you think crime rate would increase, decrease, or stay at an equilibrium if guns were made illegal? Why or why not? Would you feel safer if all guns were banned? Why or why not?

Increase. If you banned guns, only criminals would have them (and the police of course). With the threat of an armed citizen gone, you’d have a severe increase in carjackings, burglaries, etc. by armed criminals. Guns are already readily available, and criminals do NOT exactly buy theirs from reputable gun shops, etc. So no, I would not feel safer.

4. What kind of problems in society do you think would arise if guns were banned?

Answered above.

5. Do you feel safe with, or without a gun? Why or why not?

With. Because I can neutralize a potential target at a distance, and if the target is armed, well at least we’re then on even footing.

6.Do you trust in the Federal Government enough for protection without owning a gun? Why or why not?

No. The feds aren’t exactly going to have a soldier outside my house 24/7 protecting it. That’s MY responsibility.

7. In what situation would you shoot someone?

If they endangered my life or those of my family’s.

8.Would you shoot a stranger in your home that you felt threaten by?

Yes, but if they were unarmed, I’d go for a leg shot.

9.Should you be allowed to carry a gun wherever you go with a permit? Why or why not?

Sure. It is expected that there are some conditions to meet for such a permit, and criminals will think long and hard when the potential target is armed or could be armed.

10.Would you be willing to give up your gun, if all guns were banned? Why or why not?

Wouldn’t have a choice, would I? But I’d actively campaign against it.

11.What kind of gun/guns do you own if any?

Just a shotgun at present, though I’d like something more precise, eventually I’ll get a nice pistol.

12.What do you feel like is the appropriate age group to own a gun?

Once an adult.

13. Similar to question 9, should you be allowed to carry a gun with you in a bar? Why or why not?

That should be the bar’s decision, whether to allow armed patrons.

14. Add any other comments you would like to add.

Only that once guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns…not a great idea…and it’s far too late in the process to realistically expect to round them all up.

Originally posted by Trustnone
No the second amendment guarantees that we can bear arms so if the government became too powerful it could be overthrown.

How can you americans be so naive or have you been brainwashed by the NRA ?
Do you really think any rogue government is going to fight on equal terms with you?
There not even going to bother turning up on your door step on airstrike and its goodbye.
What use will your guns be then ? In case you havnt figuered it out none.

Whats up with non-americans, they seem to want us unarmed....

Planning something?

[edit on 28-4-2005 by C0le]

So basicly you're saying Americans shouldn't have the right to have firearms because the US government is going to bomb us all?

Originally posted by PeanutButterJellyTime
So basicly you're saying Americans shouldn't have the right to have firearms because the US government is going to bomb us all?

Lol its basically the same crap they post saying

"Americans shouldnt have guns because a criminal (Could) steal them"

Originally posted by xpert11

Originally posted by Trustnone
No the second amendment guarantees that we can bear arms so if the government became too powerful it could be overthrown.

How can you americans be so naive or have you been brainwashed by the NRA ?
Do you really think any rogue government is going to fight on equal terms with you?
There not even going to bother turning up on your door step on airstrike and its goodbye.
What use will your guns be then ? In case you havnt figuered it out none.

too bad the people who's going to bomb will probility bomb their own mom, dad, sis, bro etc.

Originally posted by PeanutButterJellyTime
So basicly you're saying Americans shouldn't have the right to have firearms because the US government is going to bomb us all?

You missed the point if you were a general in a rogue government and you want to deal with an armed population would you
A) Fight on equal terms.
B) Use Airpower ,tanks or other means to wipe out the armed population.
The general would choose option B now how is a hand gun or a so called assualt weapon going to destory a tank or save you from WMDs?

too bad the people who's going to bomb will probility bomb their own mom, dad, sis, bro

I dont think those people would care who they kill.

I think every child in America should carry a gun when they go to school. To defend themselves from other children who carry guns to school. "Recess" should be renamed "Gunplay". They should remove all metal detectors and police officers from American schools, and instead they should have a checkpoint that makes sure each child has an adequate number of rounds to get them through the day. Tactical shooting competitions using life sized Frankie Muniz targets should replace cheerleading and football. Level III body armour should be picked up by The Gap etc. and incorporated into the latest overpriced fashion trends. Ballistic physics should be taught in science class from 7th grade. All teachers should be required to patrol the school grounds armed with box fed minimis, particularly when enforcing punishment for misbehaving students such as shell casing pick up duty.

Please keep posting, this is very interesting