03-06-2008, 08:27 AM
Quote:Removing civilian rights to own guns would do nothing but make it even easier for the criminals. Criminals will have access to guns whether they're legal or not. At least you can fight back or even prevent it from happening if you have a gun of your own.
I think this is a common misconception. In e.g. Holland, a burglar will 99 out of a 100 times not bring a gun and maybe 90 out of 100 times not even a weapon. If you are a burglar in a country in which it is easy to own a gun you are more prone to bringing a gun with you for 'defence' , increasing the overal rate of shootings.
Apart from this I would like to see some numbers of people that 'saved' themselves from being killed because they had a gun themselves. You are right if you say that a shopkeeper that owns a weapons has more chance of holding of a robber but then we are only talking about the contents of his cash register and not his life. And I am sure a robber (often young inexperience criminals) is far more likely to use his gun out of nervousnes because he knows the chance is very high that the shopkeeper has a gun as well.
So as it surely increases ones feeling of justice it doesn't necesarry save lives when guns are legal. And than I am not even talking about inexperienced users.....in most cases the 'criminal' will shoot faster and more accurate than the victim. And I know people like Occhi and Pete will come up with there guns stories and about how fine shooters they are.....fine, I know this guys, but that is not the point here.
In Holland it happens almost never that a 'criminal' shoots an innocent civilian. Most murders are between criminals.
Of course there is a big difference in culture about this stuff...I mean I have never in my life seen a real gun (aparts from in museums)