Is it Time for the US Government to Ban Gun Ownership?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the question of whether the US government should ban gun ownership, particularly in light of incidents like the Virginia Tech shooting. Participants explore various perspectives on gun ownership, its implications for public safety, and the effectiveness of potential regulations.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that banning guns would not prevent criminals from obtaining them, suggesting that it would only disarm law-abiding citizens.
  • Others express skepticism about the benefits of gun ownership, questioning the necessity of allowing citizens to own guns given their potential for harm.
  • A few participants highlight that existing laws do not stop criminals from acquiring guns, indicating that a ban might not address the root of the problem.
  • Some contributions mention alternative methods of harm that could be employed if guns were banned, such as bombs or vehicles.
  • There are arguments for the utility of guns in specific contexts, such as farming, where they may be necessary for protecting livestock.
  • One participant cites Switzerland as an example of a heavily armed society with low crime rates, suggesting that high gun ownership does not necessarily correlate with increased violence.
  • Concerns are raised about the effectiveness of gun registries, with some participants noting that they can help law enforcement but may not deter criminals.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no clear consensus on whether gun ownership should be banned or regulated. Some agree on the ineffectiveness of bans in preventing crime, while others emphasize the dangers of widespread gun ownership.

Contextual Notes

Participants' arguments reflect various assumptions about human behavior, the effectiveness of laws, and the societal role of guns. The discussion includes references to specific incidents and statistics, but these are not universally accepted or agreed upon.

Should the public ownership of guns be prohibited in the US

  • YES

    Votes: 30 36.6%
  • NO

    Votes: 52 63.4%

  • Total voters
    82
  • #421
Anttech said:
So are you asserting that your owning of handguns is the mechanism that will stop a dictator taking over America?

Did I ever say people should only have handguns? Is it true thatp people only have hand guns?

Yes I know its the irresponsible owners that are harming society, so we agree that having guns available to the pubic does harm society?

No, we don't agree.

Of course the pubic is made up of both Irresponsible and responsible people.

So why don't you RECOGNIZE this fact instead of making generalizations that EVERYONE shouldn't be allowed to have a gun? Clearly, you DONT recognize this.

No I was not out of line that was a thread the same as this one debating the need of Guns in society with that awful event as a backdrop.

Yes, you were/are out of line.

YOU are out of line, by ad homming and letting your emotions get in the way of having a civil conversation. You never know you (as may I)might learn something from this debate.

How can I debate someone that does not LISTEN to what I tell them? Do I have to smack you in the face with the constitution as to the REASON why we have guns? Or are you going to argue non stop about how "there's no more reason for having guns, your not going to do anything like overthrow anybody with guns...etc etc etc".
 
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  • #422
Anttech said:
Yeah I get the picture, doesn't make any (read: absolutely none) sense to me, but I get the picture: You all want your guns, and guns and more guns :smile:

I just wish you would all admit that there is no social benefit to having them, its just you want them they make you feel good about (something)

I admit that I do want my guns. I won't say that there is no social benefit. Disarming citizens wouldn't work here. It works there, and that's great. There is a lot of history as to why we are so passionate about retaining our firearm rights. We wouldn't be America without them and we don't want to be oppressed by a government nor an individual who is armed while we are not. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.
 
  • #423
Art said:
Makes for a snappy catch phrase but is very overly simplistic. By the same logic nukes don't kill either so every country should have them and yet the US is adamant this shouldn't happen.

This makes for a better argument but is somewhat nullified by how easily Americans rolled over for Bush, trading freedoms for questionably improved security vis a vis The Patriot Act.

Agreed which is why it is galling to cynical Europeans when many Americans appear to believe their gov't acts on moral imperatives i.e. bringing democracy to downtrodden people when the rest of the world knows Iraq was about oil.

Yet the number of Americans killed through acts of terrorism are very small compared with either of the causes you have listed and yet look at the expenditure and freedom sapping practices the US public have accepted to avoid a repeat.

The US doesn't want people to have nukes because those countries are enemies of the US. So that doesn't really make sense, of course I don't want someone I'm enemies with to have the means to kill me.

The Patriot Act is an infrigement of rights yes, but it was passed in a state of panic. It will be removed.

An act of Terrorism is an act by FOREIGN nationals. If your uncle Ralph accidently shoots Uncle Tom, that's not as big a deal as if some person decides to kill Uncle Tom because they can.
 
  • #424
Sorry, but I see the same arguments repeated over and over. This thread is not going anywhere.
 

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