Should it be the right of a citizen of a country to own a gun?

Question

In Australia, after the Port Arthur Masacre, our Prime Minister decided t toughen up gun policy and buy back all guns owned by citizens, except those that have a special licence. Greatly increasing the safety of citizens in Australia.

Should the gun lobby in the USA have have so much power? Is it time to confiscate guns in the USA? Would as many people have been killed today if average citizens were not able to own guns?

Answer 1

The Port Arthur massacre was a one off and hopefully we will never see the likes of that again in our country.
I would hate to compare our country to America, our culture and gun laws would hopefully prevent that sort of thing becoming a common practice. It's so very obvious that America does not hold it's people as a priority. It not only has a bad gun policy, it's health policy is equally appalling. America puts billion into it's army and neglects it's people. I'm so very glad I was born into a country that cares about it's people.
The guns should have been taken away a long long time ago but now they all need them to protect them selves, or so they believe. I would be interested to know how many shooting occur every day in America, I think we would be horrified.

Answer 2

Do not think it would have made much difference.
Where there is a twisted will there's a way.
Confiscation laws or not it is too late & impractical to change the situation.
For every legal firearm in the US there are as many that are not properly registered.
The nuts & criminals will not surrender their arms & will continue to be a problem.
Canada has a similar gun policy as Australia does.
Though they do not have the the gun related crimes , their murder rate is the same as before gun control.
They just do it by hand.
Have friends in the UK & get the sense that there are many guns "up the chimney" or reported lost in the lake.
I live in NY state which has very stringent gun laws.
I legally own sporting arms & honestly do not believe their surrender will make anyone safer.
Also,I do not support the gun "lobby" or any group that tries to buy or otherwise influence government in their special interest
I believe the best tool to have a constitutional amendment enacted is the vote.
Prohibition did not work & that amendment was repealed because it did not reflect the will of the people.
In no way comparable to gun control, but how do you think turning Australia into a "dry" country would go over?
Sure thing. fewer heads would get cracked if there were no more after work pints.
Ok, poking a little fun , but really?
Not being insensitive to this horror at all, Its just that government (esp. now with dumbshit George still around ) scares me more than guns.
I abide by the laws as they stand & would legally resist abridgement of any ( capital any) of my rights.
You asked... & thems my thoughts.
Best regards

Answer 3

The right to own guns is granted by our Constitution (note, while militia is mentioned the right is specifically granted to the people & if one prof, staff member, or student had a weapon the massacre most likely would have been a lot less severe). The anti-gun lobby tries to pass laws but refuses to do it properly by constitutional amendment. In fact, a recent federal court ruling recognized the fact the right is granted to the people and not some nebulous fuzzy concept of the militia.

We as citizens have the right to petition i.e. lobby our government. That is, what is wrong with the gun lobby (or other lobbying groups) having the power it does?

To those who say this never happens anywhere else. What was Beslan?

Answer 4

Libya's freedom from a dictatorship became into began via voters with weapons. Does that count variety? there is no longer an endemic Of gun deaths in usa, it basically seems that way because of the fact the media jumps on those thoughts. i'm no longer a extensive gun recommend, cat for the existence of me understand why a semi-computerized and 15 around clips are necessary, even though it incredibly is the type of massive, splashy reason that our interest is diverted from different, much less splashy ones. Like below the impact of alcohol using, which kills extra human beings than weapons. Like combating pupils from falling by the wayside of faculty, or having little ones too quickly, the two one in all which help help the line violence that ends up in a superb type of of the gun deaths.

Answer 5

Well now i know what country to go to so i can rob convenience stores and banks... If it is illegal for people to own a gun then only the people breaking the law will have that power. I only hope that one of the gun wielding freaks doesn't go into your home while you are sleeping and decide to make you his booty ho... i do think it would be very ironic however if that was the case with your "Prime Minister"... any who, thank you for letting me rant about how idiotic it must be to hide behind the fact that a gun shot the bullet when we all knew that some crazy human was the one to make it work that way...

Answer 6

I think guns, among other things, should be banned from the earth.

But I also think that the more you try to control the events of a society from the outside in, the least likely you are to succeed. Law makers and politicians RARELY have a good understanding of how the "real people" live, what their motivations are, what their living conditions are, etc. Taking guns away will only drive them underground, reinforcing criminal activity and creating more problems than there were before.

You'd need to actually find a way to convince real people, individual people to STOP SHOOTING PEOPLE. I understand this is never going to happen, but it's really the only way people are going to stop getting shot. And this includes war.

Look at the history the government has had on eliminating undesired behaviors by making them illegal. Prohibition in the United States, drugs, prostitution, gambling... All that has happend is that people that engage in these activities are now criminals, and much more likely to engage in other criminal activity. Convince all teenaged girls to stop selling their bodies for sex, and get them off of the drugs they need the money for, and voila! No more prostitution.

Never gonna happen, though.

Answer 7

I'm not smart enough to debate this issue, although I wish I was. But there has to be some law to keep a gun out of my hands. My uncle whose in the NRA & doesn't believe in gun control also thinks that people like me shouldn't have guns.

Answer 8

It might, and I stress might, stop crimes of passion where someone has a weapon and then snaps and kills loved ones or random people. On the other hand, it probably would not stop violent crimes such as drive by shooting or other gang/drug related violence. These will still occur as the criminals have access to illegal weapons - they are not using legal ones now - and have no qualms about obtaining them.

But to be fair, most people, espcially in urban areas, don't need to have a firearm.

Answer 9

In Canada guns are illegal. We have a very low homicide rate due to that. It's just too easy to kill someone in a moment of heated anger or whatever with a gun..I feel safer here, I know that many Americans think that we are foolish not to want guns..but it more than works for us.

Answer 10

the context is all that matter. for example, In RSA citizen are free to have guns. the issue is now, crime, suicide, robbery and raping using firearm is uncontrolable. it is bad and a hell of a thing here.
then we sit and evaluate the gun possession, is it for good or bad? for deffence or for destruction?
finally what would be my stand: honestly is not good at all. lets find better means for security. also production of guns should be reduced if not prohibited at all