03-03-2004, 07:12 AM
Quote: still refuse to accept that the answer is more, bigger guns for the police. The bank robbers in question will find, acquire, and use whatever weapons they can, so long as the gain is greater than the cost. Now, were I a bank robber planning a heist, one of the first things I would consider is "what kind of weapons will I be up against?" The better equiped the police are, the bigger the guns they will face.
You would make a lousy bank robber. A smart bank robber thinks "if small is good, big is better". A bank robber is not out for a gunfight, they are out to intimidate people to load a bag of money, fast. You won't do this as well with a little 9mm pop gun as you will with a large assault rifel that can leave a hole in someone the size of a basketball. Gun size has little to do with police. A bank robber hopes to be gone before they get there.
Quote:Consider England, were the local equivalent of "beat police" do NOT carry guns. Consider how rare it is to hear of an armed robbery in England. That's more than just coincidence.
It's always "consider England" the argument against guns. A country surrounded by water smaller than many U.S. states. Get out your globe and look at england. Now swing it around and look at the USA. See a slight difference in size? Consider how many police per square mile is required for "safe" living conditions, what this would cost, and the potential for exploitation. The U.S. is not surrounded by water. We already have a flood of illegal immigrants and drugs we can't stop. The last thing we need are illegal gun shipments only going to people who would use them to break laws. England just doesn't apply.
Quote:As to the well armed citizen and how his high powered handgun saved the day: what would have happened if everyone in the bank and nearby had such a weapon in their hands? The bank robbers would most likely have opened fire into the crowd at whatever opposition they see. So I don't buy that as an argument for why the american need to own guns makes the population safe.
No the bank robbers would have been shot dead a lot sooner. You have to be a complete moron or suicidal to rob a bank where everyone is armed. There is a reason the guy who tried to hold up the gun store made it into the Darwin awards. :P
Quote:Guns don't make people safe. Not in the hands of bad guys, not in the hands of the cops.
Idealogic drivel. By this logic we should just unarm all police and that will fix all gun problems. Just because you don't like guns don't let that blind you to the fact that the good or evil that comes from a gun depends on who is holding it. <_<