I'm aware this is an age-old debate, but selfishly I just wanted some personal interaction with others regarding gun laws and whatnot. So even if this is retreading infinitely covered old ground, fresh debate rarely leads to increased ignorance - it'll be an elucidating discussion for all. Hopefully.
Anyway, my question (and, it has to be said, it goes out mainly to Americans) is simple. How can you justify owning a personal firearm? My personal point of view is that violence begets violence, and the problem is a reactionary, reciprocal one. Between the police, gangs and deranged rednecks, pissing contests over who has the biggest weapon (intentional AND hilarious) lead to people owning M-16s and shit like that. If no-one had these guns in the first place, no-one else would feel the need to go get one for themselves. I know it's a naive position to hold, but if purchasing guns - based on the assumption that a nationwide armistice is impossible - was better controlled, then we wouldn't see the kind of things that are freakishly common in the states.
This leads me on to my second point: massacres. Just go to Wikipedia and look up the "2006 School shooting outbreak", and articles on Columbine, Virginia Tech... the list goes on. If these kids hadn't been able to get their ammo at the fucking supermarket, maybe the thought wouldn't have crossed their minds. How many times have European schoolkids got a little pissed off at the world and killed 30 peers and teachers? That's a rhetorical question.
Anyway, I'm not trying to pretend that I'm being original or groundbreaking or even clever by bringing this up, it's just something I'd like to see discussed in a manner I can take a personal interest in. And on a forum for a video-game in which you shoot people for fun, it's an interesting backdrop to such a question.
Anyway, go wild.
Anyway, my question (and, it has to be said, it goes out mainly to Americans) is simple. How can you justify owning a personal firearm? My personal point of view is that violence begets violence, and the problem is a reactionary, reciprocal one. Between the police, gangs and deranged rednecks, pissing contests over who has the biggest weapon (intentional AND hilarious) lead to people owning M-16s and shit like that. If no-one had these guns in the first place, no-one else would feel the need to go get one for themselves. I know it's a naive position to hold, but if purchasing guns - based on the assumption that a nationwide armistice is impossible - was better controlled, then we wouldn't see the kind of things that are freakishly common in the states.
This leads me on to my second point: massacres. Just go to Wikipedia and look up the "2006 School shooting outbreak", and articles on Columbine, Virginia Tech... the list goes on. If these kids hadn't been able to get their ammo at the fucking supermarket, maybe the thought wouldn't have crossed their minds. How many times have European schoolkids got a little pissed off at the world and killed 30 peers and teachers? That's a rhetorical question.
Anyway, I'm not trying to pretend that I'm being original or groundbreaking or even clever by bringing this up, it's just something I'd like to see discussed in a manner I can take a personal interest in. And on a forum for a video-game in which you shoot people for fun, it's an interesting backdrop to such a question.
Anyway, go wild.