"There exists a law, not written down anywhere but inborn in our hearts; a law which comes to us not by training or custom or reading but by derivation and absorption and adoption from nature itself; a law which has come to us not from theory but from practice, not by instruction but by natural intuition. I refer to the law which lays it down that, if our lives are endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any and every method of protecting ourselves is morally right." - Cicero Got it from this essay entitled Social Obligation and Constitutional Right to Carry a Gun, by R. Boatman. Link: Social Obligation to Carry a Gun
Yes, everyone person has the right to defend themselves in the most effective way possible. Every citizen of every nation should also be able to take up arms against a government that has become tyrannical and has taken away the rights that are endowed in every person once they are born. The beauty of the second amendment is that you wont need to use it, until they try and take it away.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkWjDrNltSg&feature=related]TED NUGENT MAKES HIS POINT VERY CLEARLY - YouTube[/ame]
Yes of course. "The Beauty of the 2nd amendment, is that it will not be needed, until they try to take it away" - Thomas Jefferson
I support the 2nd amendment, however, like any constitutional amendment it should come with definitions and limitations.
Absolutely. The only form of gun control that I approve of is screening for mental health issues or past criminal activity.
[quote name='"lilro"'] "The right to KEEP and BEAR ARMS, shall NOT be INFRINGED." Seems pretty defined to me.[/quote] What about the well REGULATED MILITIA part? Well .. I don't really fuck with Americans and gun control, y'all are clearly going to keep doing your thing. I don't think you should be able to own high round mags, assault rifles or have a concealed gun in public. Own guns if you want as long as you're defending your home or using them for recreation.
Why? That's kind of the purpose of carrying a handgun, to protect yourself if something happens. Bad shit can happen anywhere, gun free zones are pure horseshit. Where you are doesn't matter, danger can strike anywhere, even in movie theaters as we've seen lately. There's no such thing as an "assault rifle" that you can get legally. The only way to get an automatic weapon is to get a license, and then buy one, they run 10k minimum. The term "assault rifle" was coined by the media to refer to guns that look scary, they are still semiautomatic rifles, the difference is that the teched out gun looks scarier.
I think people of both instances should be allowed firearms. Reason being, everyone should have the right to defend themselves. The only gun law I would ever support is having to prove you can operate whatever firearm you wish to purchase. For mental health, who decides what the threshold is? For criminals, when they get out of prison, give them ALL their rights, or keep them in prison. If a gangbanger goes to jail for armed robbery, and you let him out, no law or regulation is going to stop him from potentially doing it again.
It's a difficult decision to make, but there really has to be something done about the mental health of the owner. I don't know how it would work, but it's something we need to work on.
[quote name='"pliers"'] Why? That's kind of the purpose of carrying a handgun, to protect yourself if something happens. Bad shit can happen anywhere, gun free zones are pure horseshit. Where you are doesn't matter, danger can strike anywhere, even in movie theaters as we've seen lately. There's no such thing as an "assault rifle" that you can get legally. The only way to get an automatic weapon is to get a license, and then buy one, they run 10k minimum. The term "assault rifle" was coined by the media to refer to guns that look scary, they are still semiautomatic rifles, the difference is that the teched out gun looks scarier.[/quote] We have high Gun ownership rates and very low gun violence, I assure you if everyone had a weapon deaths would increase. I wouldn't want to be caught in the crossfire of old granny Smith popping off rounds at someone. If all you need is a permit, is that not legal?
The 2nd Amendment says, a well-regulated militia is needed to secure the state. This militia will obviously have guns. The PEOPLE (outside of the militia) MUST keep and bear arms to keep the militia in check. And what's the problem with high cap magazines? You don't see people complaining about high cap gas tanks, although most of us know we are killing people for more oil. And assault rifles? You don't see cars built to only go 55 mph, they usually go near 120. Just because it CAN go that fast, doesn't mean people WILL go that fast. And there are places where it's allowed to go that fast, in a controlled environment (race track/shooting range). You conceal a gun for the same reasons you conceal anything else. To keep it from view. Do you walk in public with your dick out? No? Why? Because it attracts attention. There are people that are genuinely SCARED at the mere SIGHT of a firearm. Open Carry causes a LOT of problems. From people being falsely detained, to firearms being stolen. If you carry a firearm to DEFEND yourself, you should not show it. It attracts attention. If you carry a firearm to try to SCARE PEOPLE away, then open carry makes sense. If concealed carry is made illegal, it makes it much easier for a criminal to case a spot. At a bank, they see the one armed guard open carrying. So they take him out first, and have free reign over the rest of the bank. If it's a location where concealed carry is prevalent, the criminal has no idea what he could be up against, possibly deterring him from the crime.
I think its bullshit that right swingers are sooooo scared of guns being regulated, but are totally cool with saying all men are equal doesn't apply to gays, or that the right of privacy doesn't matter because we must protect for the "good of all". And that due process doesn't apply to SUSPECTED terrorist Yet over 90% of Mexico's cartles guns are from the great USA. Whicch has resulted in over 50000 deaths in the past few years. Even the gun crime in America is out of hand, Something like closing the gun show loophole can help so much, but nooooo