At the end of the day its all just a matter of opinion.

No hard feelings to the anti gun owners. if the shit ever hits the fan I will still protect you as you cower helpless in the corner.

Few right compared to who?

So if given the choice, you wouldn't swap it for another right then?

a gun is just a gun.
you can put it on a table, and it will just be sitting there on the table. it won't mug you in your sleep, or hold up a bank while you're at work.

that being said, I like firearms. marksmanship is an admirable skill, IMO.
like they say, gun control is keeping shots on target.

Its the 2nd amendment.
Out of all the rights you can have it came in the #2 spot for a reason.

Mainly because having a standing militia was absolutely vital in the revolution during the time of the drafting. I couldn't say the same for present day.

You truly believe there will never be another revolution in america? Or anywhere for that matter? No chance of war or an invasion into your homeland?

If there's one thing that history shows us is that it repeats itself. Everything changes. Sadly most major changes are violent. Have you ever seen a riot? Your normal life can go from total normality to complete chaos.

Anything can happen. I'm prepared.

Especially with 200,000,000 folk waving guns in the air!

Anything can happen, I do agree with that. I also believe being prepared is not at all unacceptable.

Yes, revolutions will still occur, I'm just not sure having a handgun in your drawer will accomplish much in the event of an foreign invasion or military takeover.
The gap of technology available to the general population and that used by the military has drastically increased since the 18th century.

This is the main issue I have on the topic: all the justifications for owning guns. Self defense, hunting, civilian rights, crime deterrence....
Guns are fun toys, and when people want to take your toys away, you naturally resist. This includes taking the attitude that, hey, "this is my right, this is my responsibility, you should be glad I own a gun and can protect you."

People like guns and it is easier to have the opinion that they are vital than to admit putting such firepower in the majority of the population's hands could be a bad idea. I don't care how much training and gun education is spread, humans will remain the impulsive creatures we are, and guns can be an extremely dangerous catalyst. I simply think it is a step in the wrong direction.

I could be very wrong, but I feel very strongly that a peaceful progression within humanity will be much less likely in a system placing high importance on firearms rather than mutual trust.

This is my opinion:

1. Guns are weapons.
2. Weapons have been with humanity since the beginning because they are necessary for survival.
3. In order to survive one has to be prepared for threats, whether they are animals or other humans.
4. Guns in particular and weapons in general are dangerous and may cause tragic accidents.
5. These accidents are less likely to occur if the owner is trained and mentally stable, but they can occur nonetheless.
6. A man should have the right to posses certain weapons for hunting and self defense.

I don't posses guns or firearms because

• I haven't had an experience that would motivate me to own one.
• I'm not properly trained in the manipulation of firearms.
• I don't like them.

Obviously, this is all just based on my experience. Maybe someday I will think I need to buy one. I hope that day doesn't come.
Maybe someday I will be dead because I didn't own a gun. Maybe someday I will be dead because I owned one. Who knows?

On the separate cultures comment, I think it would be great if you could buy both guns and entheogens in both the Netherlands and the US!

And hell yeah guns are phallic symbols! They're the ultimate phallic symbol! That's one reason I like them so much.
Not that I need to compensate, but I love the phalloi (not into cars, though).

It's true a handgun won't help much in the event of a foreign invasion... but an AK will, as has been proven recently.

@Crystalito: i agree with your examples, and your comparisons of guns vs. knives, etc, in addition to the cultural background shaping a person's belief is quite accurate.

don't get me wrong, im sure target shooting can be very fun, just like paintball shooting; i just meant that i didn't feel the need to (yet). i in no way oppose it.


i very much agree raga. i had actually not perceived this subject from this stance, and you make a very valid point. and now that you mention it, i feel like if i was living in a relatively unstable/unpredictable/dangerous society, then i'd be forced to own a gun. but the situation in most parts in our current societies are very much different from such a scenario.

another very valid reasoning. i agree with you that the govt should have enough power to take control of dangerous situations, but it shouldn't be powerful to the point where civilians become its slaves. considering this, civilians should def be allowed to own guns so as to maintain the balance of power, due to our current dream state of humanity...but i would like to see a world where such power games are seen as childish.
however, i personally do not trust the current govt and its agenda, so legalization of guns is far better than gun prohibition.

spot on!

you're correct in this regard, and it comes down to the proper balance of power among the govt and its people. i'm sure people living in such 3rd world countries are terrified by the injustices that prevail in an unstable environment. a friend i knew a while ago had lost his entire leg in afghanistam because some random gang entered his house with guns and shot him when he was only a baby, along with his other relatives

very true, and thus i'm anti-gun, but pro-gun legalization (but that's only because this is the best choice that can be made in our current state).

this is indeed a major psychological factor determining the person's decisions about their security. i believe if i was brought up in a place where guns were no big deal, then i wouldn't mind owning one. but my upbringing was different, and so my views are different. however, eventually we do get to the point where we become mature enough to step aside from our baggage of upbringing, and make our own choices. upbringing will always have an effect, but with understanding, its power diminishes, so that we can chose right from wrong, for our own selves.

totally agree with everything written here Eden. resorting to a gun for defense while preaching peace is not something any of the spiritual teachers would have done, and following their footsteps is the better path.

ofcourse it all comes down to the owner benz. but a table with a gun sitting on it will most likely worsen the situation in the hands of a mad man, compared to a table without a gun. and after all, the collective madness exists in all of us to some degree. Earth is proof enough of that
and as for marksmanship..thats a different use of the gun than the intention with which i posted this thread. for marksmaship, other less dangerous guns could also be used; a real gun with real bullets is not necessary.


what tools in our current age promote such wars and invasions? if history repeats itself (which it does), then guns=more guns=even more guns=...
but i also dont think theres anything wrong with self-protection. its just that fear of "what if's" keep us trapped within a hypothetical loop, and convince us that we need something, and that living without it is "risky business"..

p.s. copy pasting these quotes felt like a bitch. but i'm again humbled for all your replies and inputs<3

How comes nobody mentioned the industry? Buying gun = giving money to gun industry.. I dont know about you guys but to me the arms industry is one of the nastiest industries ever, and that is definitely NOT where I want my money to go to.

Im curious about something: Is any of you people who own/defend guns vegetarians ? Or, do you gun owners/defenders try to be conscious consumers or do you feel it makes no difference what you buy/consume in the overall world situation or in your conscience?

"IMHO, no where in this world do people have more freedom, more liberty, and more rights than in the USA"

Canada

I would have to second that.

To answer the question posed by the OP, I don't particularly like guns. Accidents can happen too quick and can really destroy lives. That said, I am an avid collector of knives. So I'm not against weaponry in it's entirety. It's just that some weapons are more dangerous than others.

To kill someone, or seriously harm them, with a knife, you have to be pretty adamant in doing so. Consciously make a choice to go after them and plunge the blade into their flesh. With a gun, your fear can take over, you can hear someone entering your home at night, in the dark, and you can pull the trigger out of fear. Killing someone you did not intend on killing. I guess that could also be said for throwing knives...

I guess what I'm saying is that guns are far too dangerous for me. Knives/swords are something that remind me of the past, of simpler times. I do not collect them for any other reason than as show pieces. I doubt I would ever think of using one in a combat-type situation. I'd probably grab my aluminum bat if someone broke into my house at night

Being the soul possessors of armaments would be quite the upper-hand. So many people already have a larger arsenal available to them than would ever be practical to allot their local police force, yet most of these people will never use them against the police or ever feel compelled to unless they happen to already be violent criminals or part of some warped militia. The police already have the distinct advantages of organization, backup, training, and legal protection.

Personally, I'm more worried about yahoos like this having the upper-hand over me than any body of the government currently. You think the far-right is ever going to give up its guns in the US? Don't be fooled by organizations like this and their expressed unwillingness to to take up arms against the populace, these are the ones that would have you up against the wall or driving a jackboot into your skull if you fit the profile (wrong race, wrong political views, etc.). The left's aversion to firearms is far too convenient for the ambitions of the right.

This is the best we could be aiming for in my view: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Switzerland

I don't think gun's are the ultimate phallic symbol. That would be having a tiger as a pet, taking it for a walk every now and then on a leash, Making nonchalant comments to people passing by in a casual way like: "oh, don't mind the tiger, it can smell fear, but if you don't stare at him he isn't likely to bite you most of the time". Now thát is what i call a phallic symbol.

Ill put my 12 gauge or my smith and wesson 500 up against your tiger any day. Lol

Also it didnt make sigfreid and roy very manly. If anything it made them less manly.

I don't think a smith and wesson would have made them look manlier than a tiger.
See, the thing with tigers is: when you're standing face to face with one it's always a little more intimidating than seeing one on discovery channel.
Besides, if a tiger listens to you when you say "sit", i think you realy dó radiate some authority.

Imagine that!

I must defer back to the sigfreid and roy example. They made tigers do all kinds of stuff. They are far from being someone that woyld intimidate me.

Ps . Do you know what a smith and wesson 500 is? Its one of the biggest caliber hanguns on the market. You don't wanna stare down the wrong end of that barrel