[Preechr]

Originally Posted by Chojin

Uh huh. If someone's so fucking determined to get into your house and arm themselves while doing so, chances are they'll be coming for you long before you gear up for battle like in the intro to Operation Wolf and step into the foyer to take the law into your own extremely capable hands.

I don't ever anticipate having to shoot someone in my home. As I said, I bought the gun because I was leaving a woman unattended there during the daytime, and I didn't like the idea of her having to defend herself from an attacker with a lamp in a worst case scenario. Just shooting the floor would likely scare away an intruder.

As for your scenario, it's pretty simple the way I see it. If someone breaks into my house in the middle of the night, I can either have a gun to protect myself and my family, or not. To not have one is to place a higher priority on the intruder's life than my own. Living alone now, I can take that risk and give my gun to my cousin.

You try to make it sound like anyone that chooses to own a gun is some sort of unhinged idiot. I'm trying to explain to you that responsible gun ownership can be a logical and practical option. If I had kids, I'd factor that into my decision of course. I survived 30 years without the need to play Rambo. I don't fit in the catagory you'd like to place me in. While I know people that do, I'd like you to consider for a moment that many people own guns for other reasons than those you can easily dismiss.

Originally Posted by Chojin"

Uh huh. Guns don't kill people, people kill people, am i right guys. Thing is? When you want to hurt someone and you have a gun, chances are that at least one of you won't be able to hurt anyone again.

We obviously view criminals from a different point. To me, a law abiding person, a criminal is a threat... not just to me but to society in general. Any man that would break into someone else's house is either extremely stupid or high, and I don't trust those people to make responsible decisions regarding me or my family, or even my stuff, once they've committed themselves to intruding upon my home. If I see someone like that on the street, I might pity them or wonder what led them to where they are in life. In my home, all I care about is that I have no idea what's on that person's mind other than he's clearly prioritizing my safety lower than whatever it is he's after.

I see no need to give the criminal an advantage over me.

He may have a knife or a boomerang. I want a gun.

Originally Posted by Chojin

I don't know how you'd enforce an import ban, and I get the feeling that you don't either. The notion that people would suddenly become incredibly curious hobbyists concerning guns the moment they're illegal is silly at best, and retarded at worst. I'd also think that someone's Colt PVC .Potatoe caliber rifle would be at least somewhat less effective than the real deal. If it wasn't, why wouldn't we all be making this shit in shop class?

I don't believe an import ban can work in America. It hasn't worked with drugs.

I picked a potatoe gun because it's easily found on the internet and about the simplest weapon to build. The point is that while you and I, as responsible citizens, have to go to work every day and do other responsible stuff, a criminal has nothing better to do but sit around and figure up new and better ways to get what he wants by force. If we somehow successfully collected all guns from the world, a criminal would still find a way to threaten decent people, and I'd still want a gun to protect myself.

Originally Posted by Chojin

Well, shit, let's just throw down and urinate on the goddamn constitution! It doesn't matter anymore, boys! The police know and understand that we Americans are genetically pre-disposed to thwarting authority - which I am to understand is a direct cause of our propensity to unload a clip on anything that can bleed - and really, come on, did they expect us to follow all these fucking laws they keep passing? As an American, I have a right to pick and choose which laws I follow and which ones I DISMISSIVELY TUMBLE DOWN A MUDDY EMBANKMENT AS A RESULT OF ME NEVER, EVER BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR A SINGLE ACTION IN MY LIFE SINCE WE'RE ALL SUCH NE'ER-DO-WELLS ANYWAY!

Saying that you shouldn't prevent people from doing bad shit because at some point someone's gonna break the law is like saying you shouldn't drink water because you're eventually gonna have to urinate. Use some common sense and try to cry less about how someone's trying to silently maneuver past your guards, checkpoints, and ball pit in a premeditated effort to slit your fat mom's throat.

Sorry. Kinda got caught up in the moment there.

No problem... You're funny when you get mad. We apparently also seem to be at odds when it comes to the Constitution. Where I come from, the Constitution is a set of limitations to the power and scope of government, not me. My rights are born within me, not granted by the state. The Constitution is my agreement with the state that I will be a good citizen as long as we keep this understanding: Here is a list of things you should do for me, Uncle Sam, and here's a bunch of stuff you can NEVER do.

"The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves in all cases to which they think themselves competent (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved), or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of the press."
--Thomas Jefferson to John Cartwright, 1824.

See? TJ agrees with me that the right to bear arms is just as important as all that other crap. He even calls it a DUTY, and I couldn't agree more. Yes, the times have changed since then and we are no longer a frontier... but criminals are much more common now than Injuns, bears and cougars ever were. Governments have also learned new tactics of fascism and totalitarianism that were unheard of at the time but luckily not unforeseen.

I feel like I'm repeating myself, so I'll quit trying to explain this to you. It's obvious that you, FS and kahl didn't look at that link I gave you. You should, unless you want to go on believing all that made up crap about the dangers of an armed citizenry. It's all footnoted and stuff. You'll like it.