[Anonymous]

Blanco: I think the fundamental thing you fail to understand is that I personally don't care if you have a gun. Telling people on a case-by-case basis to not have weapons is silly because the availablity is still there. As long as you are able to legally own a gun, go nuts with planters Peanuts. I don't think people SHOULD be legally allowed, but since they are, it certainly may come down to a 'necessary evil' to own one, if for no other reason than increasing your chances of survival by 1%. I don't think it'll do much good, the only reason I'd get one is to shoot at targets on a range or to use as a prop in movies. And again, as long as I have that right, I'm going to go ahead and exercise it, whether or not I think it's a good idea for everyone else to.

But through all of this talk about how you're the safest guy in the world to buy a handgun to protect your girlfriend and so on and so forth, you aren't the American I'm worried about. It's the average american, with their average IQ of 100, that concerns me with deadly weapons.

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.

I think your view of criminal behavior shares a little too much in common with the 'life of crime' career in The Sims. Most criminals aren't career criminals, and most that ARE wouldn't bother themselves with rifling through your belongings.

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.

I've been coming to this site since 1999 because I like to make fun of people to blow off steam. If I were honestly upset by your meandering emotional responses, I'd have bust an artery after trying to talk reason with Vince a few times.

Okay, so, not the constitution. Laws. It's a lot easier for the purposes of a joke to pretend all laws come from a single document, and I'd figured you'd have either picked up on that or seen it as a golden opportunity to be hilarious - Sadly, the outcome was neither. A criminal is no different from a citizen except in the fact that they choose to break the law. This doesn't make them any more dangerous than you. Criminals have rights, too, and while they don't have the right to break into your house and kill your family and dog, they do have the right to a fair trial, which is exactly what they'd get if you popped a cap in them and didn't 'finish the job'.

I looked at your link, and will tell you for the third time that it doesn't make sense. For me to believe whatever facts it's going to throw at me, it has to first appeal to my common sense. Otherwise, I have no reason to believe it. Canada is in no way a more violent nation than the United States. To think otherwise is unfathomably ridiculous.

Originally Posted by Pantitude

The 17 states and the District of Columbia without concealed-carry permits enjoy an 81 percent higher rate of violent crime.

If you're going to take away weapons, it has to be a national effort. Otherwise, it'll just become an opportunity.

Originally Posted by MetalMilitia

Wtf i think if terrorists from other countries wanted to buy AKs it would be somewhat easier to get them in places like iraq ect and cheaper too.

If you'd read the thread before applying your valuable input, terrorists don't only come from little sandy nations and wear garb otherwise seen in Disney's Aladdin. There are plenty of terrorists right here at home to whom going abroad to get weapons would be a bigger pain than getting them here. You might have heard about these people, considering it's the entire rationale behind the Patriot act. After all, if you're actually planning to terrorize the US, there isn't a better place to do it than from within the US.

Preechr: Fantastically accurate and thought-provoking image, Preech. Here are some stats you probably already know, being the extremely profound child prodigy you are.

Japan
Area: 377,576 Sq Km
Population: 126,994,100
Annual gun-related murders: 15

UK
Area: 244,103 Sq Km
Population: 58,991,500
Annual gun-related murders: 30

US
Area: 9,372,608 Sq Km
Population: 271,290,000
Annual gun-related murders: 9,390

Gun Murders per 100,000 Km (in 1997)
Japan: 3.97
UK: 12.29
US: 100.19

Gun Murders per 10 million citizens (in 1997)
Japan: 1.18
UK: 5.08
US: 346.12

Is that a little more illuminating? The US is 38 and 1/3rd times larger than the UK, yet has 313 times the amount of gun-related annual deaths. But they are more likely to nick your school lunch card, so really, which is the bigger evil am i right guys.