Should America scrap its gun policy?

Question

Judging by the rising crime figures on guns?
It'll stop some crime, unfortuneately it will not stop all gun crime. but i still feel America needs to be more aware of selling guns as anyone could walk into a store and buy one.

Again i dont want Pro-Gun people going all ape over this so remain calm and anwser in a mature way.

Wow! A mixed bag here, well i should point out a few things :

Im not talking about wars here, i talking normal social life, to say we dont need guns for war is just silly.

Someone mentioned about the Terrorists in Scotland and banning cars...well the thing is that was bombs PLANTED in a car and as i said above its silly to say that

I know it would make things worse if your laws got tougher, here in the UK you guys must think weve got it tough!! Quite the contrary, we have got that notion of Big Brother watching but we are definately not as "tied up" as America thinks. We have got freedom and we are very proud of that.

We are a law abiding country and very proud. Guns are more barbaric to me, and in the wrong hands can create such tragedy. Bakground checks are all well and good but take a look at Columbine, Virginia Shooting and those Sniper attacks just a few years back. We have had our own tragedies too. But the point is couldnt all of these tragedies been avoided?

Answer 1

America has a gun policy?

Answer 2

What policy exactly are you talking about? I thought gun laws depended on the state.

Anyhoo, are you asking that America scrap gun control policy, or that America install more gun control?

IMHO, more gun control laws will *not* help. All they will do is strip protection away from law-abiding people and give criminals an advantage. It's pointless to try to reduce crime by outlawing guns; criminals will just buy a gun on the black market-- and often for much cheaper than in a firearms retail store.
And criminals will prey on people whom they know *cannot* shoot back. A gun control law will ensure that most people (mostly law-abiding citizens) will be unarmed, and thus easier targets for the few criminals who *are* armed.

For the record, the debate about the 2nd Amendment-- whether the "right to bear arms" is meant for civilians or milita/military-- has valid points on both sides. Me personally, I'm not sure exactly whom the Founding Fathers intended that Amendment for when they wrote it, but if they were alive today, I think they would want to make guns available to civilians, at least for self-defense.

Just the same though, I also think there should be some sort of regulation before one can purchase a gun-- like a license proving that the person passed firearms training and safety courses.

*edit* about Virgina Tech and Columbine: I believe that if the staff had carried firearms, there would have been far fewer casualities. It's easy to shoot up a crowd of people when no one is shooting back. But if you know someone is armed and ready to defend themselves... well, that does put a hamper in your plans.
Also, those two boys at Columbine planned to blow up parts of the school with homemade bombs. Obviously, they didn't succeed. But if they had, it would have resulted in far, far more casualities than the people that were killed via firearms. Does that mean we should put legislative control on household products that could be made into bombs?? No. If you use your imagination, you'll see that there are plenty of ways to kill people. A gun is merely a tool (one of the most effective, to be sure) to achieve that end. As one other answer said, the problem isn't the gun, it's the social ...stuff... (dang it, I can't think of the appropriate word) ...behind it.
About the DC Sniper: Well, like I said, he could have gotten that sniper rifle off the black market. A law banning rifles probably wouldn't have stopped him.

Answer 3

Yes, America should scrap its gun policy. That is, we should get rid of our gun control laws. Gun control laws only leave law abiding citizens unable to defend themselves from criminals who don't care one way or another about the legality of their firearms or how they use them. No, the "crime figures" on gun crimes are not rising in the United States. No, not anyone can walk into a store and buy a gun either. Any felons or people who have been committed to a mental institution are not allow to buy guns. Handguns require extensive background checks and a ten day waiting period. It is also illegal to carry a gun without a permit in most states, and the permit is very hard to get. According to you, the current laws should stop nearly all gun violence. Criminals don't seem to mind the laws, though.

A better armed society would significantly reduce crime, and statistics clearly show this. I suggest you look at other countries with higher gun carrying rates than here in the US to confirm this.

Answer 4

No. There are laws which prohibit "just anybody" from going into a gun store and buying a gun, and in the European countries where guns were banned gun crimes have INCREASED and in the states where concealed carry laws have been passed crime has DECREASED. I'm not a fanatical member of the NRA, but reality is reality - the changes in the laws you propose would probably only make things worse. Also, you don't need guns to kill people - the terrorists in Scotland were trying to kill people with a vehicle, so should we outlaw cars? This isn't as simple as we would all like it to be.

Answer 5

It is part or our rights in the country to own a gun ( I do however believe that any convicted felon should be barred from this) Our founding fathers saw it fit to give us the right to bear arms for our protection as citizens. They had to fight to overthrow British rule (their current government) in order to get there freedom and they understood that there might be a point in time where that needs to happen again and we as citizens have to be armed.

I understand the fear guns cause I was the same way for a long time. Lets look at a little scenario here that I saw on Penn and Teller BS. Lets say every woman in this country gets a gun ( government hands them out there all Bright pink because its sexy and a man might feel funny about carrying a pink gun and also its sexy) The women also learn to shoot the gun properly. Now even if half of the women in this country choose not to carry the gun. Now who would want to rob or rape a woman when there is a 50% chance, a coin flip on your life that shes packing heat and can use it?

Answer 6

Firearms in the right hand can and have stopped criminals and crazy people from killing innocents. How can an inanimate object be barbaric?

The Supreme Court has declared that the police don't have to respond to a call. Then the average response time for the Los Angeles Police Department to respond is 15 minutes and in my state it can be upwards of 45 minutes. If a person's throat is slashed they can bleed out in 30 Seconds.

We have a history of self-reliance, mainly with how the British treated our Forefathers. So, the idea of cameras every five feet is repulsive to our nature, but there again we are citizens, not subjects.

If the fact we are citizens rather than subjects bug you so much stay in Great Britain.

Answer 7

I find it funny that people are directing you to Bush when it's the Democratic leadership that has been saying this for quite a while...AND THE PUBLIC AGREES WITH THEM! Your points are completely correct. WE invaded. WE removed the government. WE need to stay in until it's resolved. However, WE are not punching bags. WE are not private security for Iraqi parliment. Even you must agree that a parliment month long vacation while OUR troops are building schools is bogus. It is American. The polls show this. Over 80% wanted to invade in 2003. Now 70% want us out now. It's BS and looks horrible. However you attack the wrong group. It's not the 30% that agree with the war that is your problem. It's that 50% that switched over because it's soooo hard. It's a political party playing games with the dead....it's a media too much focussed on Vietnam.

Answer 8

For the record, I do not own a gun nor do I want one. That being said..

You don't understand our gun laws at all. Anybody cannot just walk into a store and buy one. There are laws restricting those who are allowed to own guns.

Further, the guns used in crime are VERY often not legally owned anyway.

Additionally, are you aware that there has been a 40% increase in gun crime in the UK ( which has some of the toughest gun laws in the world ) over the last 10 years? While the rate in the US has declined during that period? To me, that would seem to indicate a complete failure of the anti-gun policy you're suggesting we adopt.

As for the columbine shooting. The weapons they used WERE NOT LEGAL. To get them they had to break existing laws, it seems naive to believe that additional laws would have made them change their minds.

Answer 9

Do you realize there are 160 million gun owners? Do you realize they were the reason the Japanese didn't try to invade the west coast? Are you really against people defending themselves? Do you realize that V-tech was a "gun free" zone leaving all unable to protect themselves? Look at Switzerland where every household must not only have a gun but must qualify in it's use. Probably the freest and safest country on earth! Now look at England where the people are virtual slaves of the state with a armed cop and camera on every corner. The population doesn't pose a threat to the government so all their liberty is slowly being taken away. We would be just as bad except the government does fear its armed population and it must be this way for us to remain free!

Answer 10

There is no evidence to support that restricting law abiding citizens access to firearms will reduce offences involving firearms.
With that said, America like every other nation has social problems that need to be dealt with. Governments often look for a "quick fix" to tackle these complicated issues.
The people who murder & break the law will not heed any new law imposing a restriction on any firearm. Again we need to address the social issue's & not objects, such as firearms.

Answer 11

What? are you drunk?! America needs its guns, as stated by the Constitution to stop the King of England from entering your home and pushing you around!

seriously though, america depends on its arm dealers because it is it's most profitable market. They ship out to all over the world, especially the middle-east, and then they act surprised when they find a local in iraq with a gun. America would not be the bully of the world withouts its arms trade.

So yes it should, but not in a million years is it gonna happen.