Can you defend the right to bare arms after Virginia Tech?

Question

I am an Australian living and working in the United States, I love it here and the people but I don't love the gun laws. I think it is a bigger problem then many Americans realize.

Any fruitloop can walk into a Walmart and buy a guy and then go shooting innocent people. With weapons being so easy to get isn't anyone else worried about the addiction Americans have to bare arms as a right????

Answer 1

Yes, I am very worried. Will it change? Not likely.

Both countries Oz and NZ have a no gun policy. It works there but the money bags people here, in my opinion won't back down or monitor the dreadful things. Aloha mate. God bless.

** You drew a great crowd. It's an argument that nobody wins. Just listen to the ones that say they want to conceal weapons amd VTech would have been different if? It's maddening. Few get that a stricter monitoring system may save their life one day. Until someone you know is gunned down they will continue to preach the same argument. (Lost a childhood friend in a shooting in San Francisco it was a big news story in a law firm)
Shall I inform the one dude that Australia was a penal colony where England sent prisoners. Their crime rates are drastically different regarding violence with guns involved. If your Police don't garnish weapons why do we feel we are any better or worse?? How about Gang violence here in the US on the rise? At any time a stray bullet may strike an innocent victim?
Few listen to anything but popular opinions and complain when they are not really up to date with current events in my opinion. When it's their child they'll say oh sh*t and it will be too late. Mahalo for your time.

Answer 2

This is not my thought only, but maybe if Tech hadn't been a "gun free zone", and someone else there had had a gun, pursuant to a concealed-carry permit, the gunman would've been taken out before all that carnage happened.

Remember the shooting in that shopping mall a couple of months back? The shooter went to a "gun-free" mall. If the off-duty cop hadn't been there with his weapon, that incident would've been even worse.

Although perhaps not every "fruitloop" (love that, btw) can legally buy a gun, there are restrictions, although I do believe there should be more thorough checks. Like for misdemeanors involving violence, for one.

But still, people having no business owning guns can still get them. Go to any gun show and check out the action in the parking lot. Also, my house was recently robbed, and all my guns were taken. I'd bet my bottom dollar, someone/s having no right to own guns have them!

Answer 3

I'm Learning that you can but You have be at least of a Soundmind if Buy or Purchase a Gun, The laws in some States to Tougher their Guns Laws, some like Texas they only Give guns to any Lawful member of the Community a Gun, but Mentally Ill NO, You see If that law-byting Citizen has Friend or Family Member with Mental Illness its up to the Gun-Owner to be Tough and Say NO, and always keep the Guns out thier hands.

Answer 4

Yup. We have a constitutional right to bear arms. Period.

The fruitloop who did the VT shootings did buy the weapon legally.

And if you did make them illegal under any circumstance (for a private citizen to bear arms), it only makes the black market larger. A criminal with intent will obtain his weapon of choice, be it a gun, his fists, a knife, a broken bottle, a homemade bomb. A fruitloop doesn't give a rat's butt about the law when it comes right down to it.

I live in Ohio. We have conceal and carry laws in place here. I feel private citizens should retain this right--to protect themselves or to hunt. We don't have an "addiction" to bear arms. It is a right given to us by our constitution and our people exercise their right when they choose to own a gun. Period. How can this be an "addiction" which is a mental illness?

Answer 5

Everything has a positive and a negative. This is not to downplay what happened at VT, but allowing certain liberties to our citizens means that everyone has to assume some responsibility. That is why we have laws to punish individuals so all of society does not have to pay for the actions of one lone psychopath.

There should not be more control on how guns are obtained. Illegalizing guns would just increase the amount of guns being sold on the black. We need tighter economic control on guns and ammunition. That way, most people will not be able to get one unless they really want one.

Answer 6

I'm not saying I am a pro guy wacko, but the issue may be a little more complicated than you think. I guess I don't know how Australia broke away from England, but the concept of a local militia is more than just history here, it symbolizes a proactive and indominable spirit that is intrinsically American. Giving up the right to own a gun would be a symbolic surrender of the the power of the idividual. Right or wrong, that's just how things tick here.

Answer 7

you cannot buy a hand gun until 21 either. If we outlaw guns only outlaws will have guns. I personally like to be able to shoot back. I KNOW your not telling me Crooks don't use guns in Europe? It is sad that this crazy person did this, really sad and i feel bad for all the people killed, however if anyone of those other people who also can get a gun had one then it could have been stopped far earlier. A person can buy a brand new car legally and purposely plow threw a kindergarten play ground and kill that many people , but would you blame the car? or say it's to easy to get a car?

Answer 8

We Americans are shallow people that don't even understand our own U.S. Constitution. The "right to bear arms" is meant to protect us from a tyrannical and oppressive government. It does NOT mean that any nut cake should be allowed to walk into a WalMart and buy an Uzi sub-machine gun with which to kill anyone (s)he so desires.
The same goes for "freedom of the press" and "free speech". Cretins like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh scream about their "right" to say anything they damn well please over the airwaves. That's not what "free speech" and a "free press" is about: it's about being able to speak out against our government when we don't agree with it.
The Fourth Estate used to protect citizens by exercising its freedom of the press and, thus, uncovering much of the sinister activities of government. Now the media is far too cozy with the federal government, and the 'feds' have learned how to use, exploit, manipulate and intimidate the press.
Thomas Jefferson once said: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." THAT'S what "freedom of the press", "freedom of the press". and "the right to bear arms" is all about. It's sad that under-educated Americans take those "rights" and "freedoms" far too literally.
Isn't pathetic that we spend billions of dollars on "Homeland Security" to protect ourselves from unseen 'terrorists' - yet, we expend precious little time, money or energy on trying to keep our government leaders from squandering taxpayers' dollars on an unconstitutional, illegal murderous 'war' in Iraq that has absolutely no moral justification whatsoever. Perhaps some of our politicians should read the Constitution and understand what it really is saying. -RKO- 04/20/07

Answer 9

According to the 1997 Survey of State Prison Inmates, among those possessing a gun, the source of the gun was from -

a flea market or gun show for fewer than 2%
a retail store or pawnshop for about 12%
family, friends, a street buy, or an illegal source for 80%

Answer 10

Don't need to defend it, it is an unalienable right for us in the USA to own guns.

No not any fruit loop can walk into Walmart and buy a gun. Most Walmarts don't sell guns anymore. Anybody that wants to purchase a gun in our country has to pass a background check. Most states also have waiting periods when purchasing.

My right to self protection with the weapon of my choice precludes the gov or societies wanting to take them away.