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The NRA Statement on Newtown
Message
From
01/01/2013 15:27:53
John Ryan
Captain-Cooker Appreciation Society
Taumata Whakatangi ..., New Zealand
 
 
To
30/12/2012 09:39:32
General information
Forum:
Politics
Category:
News
Miscellaneous
Thread ID:
01560402
Message ID:
01561022
Views:
61
>>Thanks so much for providing a nice argument against Walter's POV.

My intention was to show an example where gun control is not the answer- because the problem doesn't exist. There is a reason why some nations have a much larger violent crime problem than others. Find that reason and you're on the road to fixing the problem rather than the blame. So, what is different between the Swiss and US to explain such a difference? For example, healthcare funding is a big difference between the US and other first-world nations. I wouldn't, but you could mount a credible argument that this sort of difference explains violent crime in the US and it wouldn't be easy to rebut on logical grounds. Switzerland also has a clique of extremely wealthy people like the US and with relatively open borders, poor illegals can sneak in quite easily. So what else could be the difference? Maybe it's because most Swiss are multi-lingual and have traveled? Anyway, people proposing gun control are at least taking a crack at the issue, so those who want to block it should be proposing a more credible explanation and solution.

Also FWIW, "gun control" covers a wide range of initiatives. Many nations require police approval before you can hold a firearm. Even US states require a cooling down period before you can take away a newly purchased handgun. Some jurisdictions allow all sorts of weapons, but require them to be properly secured, e.g. in a gun safe. Some require ammo to be secured in a different location from the firearm. Some places allow semi-automatic weapons, but disallow handguns unless for competitive shooting as a member of an approved gun club who has attended sufficient training and competitive events in the last year. Most of these places have lower violent crime rates than the US.

Some people may present control as an infringement on rights, but we all wear seatbelts when we get into our cars and accept the higher cost of airbags and other safety features (including for pedestrians) in a new vehicle whether we like it or not. So infringement on rights should not be the main focus: the issue is whether gun control is what is needed to prevent innocent kids being shot up.
"... They ne'er cared for us
yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses
crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to
support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act
established against the rich, and provide more
piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain
the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and
there's all the love they bear us.
"
-- Shakespeare: Coriolanus, Act 1, scene 1
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