Gun Control in practice....

If we could control arms-dealing and secure our borders properly against illegal materials entering the country, then gun-control would be a good option. As it stands however, the United States is the largest arms-dealer in the world sending more guns to "trouble" spots such as africa then any other country, with the other five members of the security council close behind. We are also the largest importer of drugs... Also, the question "In which country would you feel safest as a tourist?" is a very biased comment, one has to take into account that our law-enforcement are much better then those of south america(no offense).

Let me rant for a few minutes ( A very long but very informative post) Part 1

The second amendment of the Constitution of the United States reads.............................

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people, to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed". (Honestly, I don't know if the comma after the word "people" is grammatically correct or not)

I have a few questions about this 27 word ideal.

1) What is the definition of "a well regulated militia"? Is it something similar to or different than "the whole body of able bodied male citizens of a country declared by law as being subject to military service"? (A combination of a few definitions in a recent edition of the Merriam Webster's dictionary)

Well, then if it IS similar to that then don't we already have that with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard? (and what is the definition of a police force, sheriff's department or state trooper unit?)

2) If the definition of "able bodied MALE citizens" is accurate then does the second amendment pertain to FEMALES at all?

3) In the second amendment above.. what is the definition of "a free state"? Would that definition include your car? Or a sale at a local WAL-MART? Or a 15 dollar bag of drugs (illicit or prescription?)?

It gets really good here..............

4) In 1789, when the second amendment was WRITTEN....."blacks" were not considered to be "people" by most colonists as much as they were considered to be "property".

Does the second amendment now include "blacks" of either gender or any age? What if we look through ALL of the revisions of the Bill of Rights and we find NO examples that now include blacks?

What will we do as a nation at that point? Remove every black in the country from every job they hold that requires that they carry or wear a gun?

5) Does the definition of "people" differentiate between those who were BORN in this country (and are therefore legal citizens of the Unites States starting that very day) and those who are LIVING in this country but have not yet taken the oath of citizenship?

6) Does the definition of "people" include those who are under the age of 18? What about 14? Or maybe 10?

Let's say that at the present time that definition of "people" does not include anyone below the age of 10.

How many summer camp programs that include supervised firearms training must now be stopped?

(I personally had never fired a gun at anytime in my life before I went to SPEERS-ELJABAR on Rt.206 in the Poconos of eastern Pennsylvania during the summer of 1975 when I was 11. That summer we had 5 or 6 days when we fired .22 caliber rifles at targets a few dozen feet away. We were handed 1 bullet at a time and told not to load it until we were laying prone on our stomachs and then the adults who were supervising us still stood behind us until we had all fired our weapons and then opened the chamber)

What punishment should be handed to parents who take their children hunting if it is discovered that the child is under the legal age limit?

And last but not least............

7) What is the definition of the word "ARMS"?

If I was to walk into my local police station and ask for a permit application to own a "gun", could I sue the F.B.I. (or any other relevant or participating agency) for violating my second amendment rights if my request to own a LAWS rocket is turned down?

What if I want to own a flame thrower?

Or a RPG launcher? (rocket propelled grenade launcher)

In the 1780's when the second amendment was written how many bullets of any shape or caliber did any one gun of that time hold before that gun was empty? 1? Maybe 2? And what amount of time was required to reload a gun of that day?

What year was it when the first cartridge encased bullet was introduced?

What year was it when the first 6 shooter was introduced? 1840 something?

Is the definition of "arms" specific only to "GUNS" and nothing else (like baseball bats or bows and arrows or knives or nun-chucks etc. etc. etc.)

Is an AK-47 a weapon that should be in every household in the country?

Is it reasonable to believe that if you can't protect sufficiently with a 10 shot weapon and 2 extra clips in your belt you're not going to be able to sufficiently protect yourself with a .50 caliber assualt rifle?

If you were to compare the power of the weapon between a firearm of the 1780's (when the second amendment was written) and the weapons of today and include the size comparison as well I would believe that most people would think that there has been a major change in the way the weapon has evolved and so that there may need to be a change in the evolving of the second amendment.

The second amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America reads.......................

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people, to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed".

A few more questions about these 27 words.

Was Eric Harris a member of a well regulated militia? NO??????

Was Dylan Klebold preserving the security of a free state? NO????

What part of the second amendment was being preseved when 2 bank robbers went on a 1-1/2 hour shooting spree with the Los Angeles Police Department a few years ago?

And do you think that we had a problem with what we had allowed to happen in this country over a 10 year period of time before this day when it was revealed that the police were outgunned "100 to 2" ??

And how is it that there were probably so many guns owned by the citizens of the immediate nieghborhoods in that area and I've seen NO REPORTS that those people came to the defense of the police department in their own backyards???????????????????

I now look back on this situation and think how easy it would have been for a foreign military to INVADE the United States with troops ON THE GROUND knowing how outgunned we would have been even though we have almost as many guns in this country as we have people.

I can see it now, if Mexico had assembled 5,000 troops and crossed the California-Mexico border we probably would have had to surrender the entire state without even firing one shot.

Another situation that deals with the definition of "arms".

Considering the physical science properties of a flying bullet how far can any adult human throw a baseball bat? How about an 8 inch BOWIE knife? Or a 3 foot section of 2 inch thick mariner's rope?

Now consider how far a bullet flies regardless of who is holding the gun.

A bullet can travel through a hollow wood door. Sometimes a bullet travels through a steel door. I've seen stories on the TV news about how a victim got shot to death by a perpetrator who was outside in the street while the victim was sitting on their couch watching tv.

Have you ever heard of a story where someone was beaten to death while sitting inside their bedroom while the attacker was in the living room of the house across the street?

And I know that a bullet can travel through a chain link because there was a story on the TV news a few years ago about how a 14 year old girl in Chicago was shot to death by an 11 year old boy who was shot dead himself a week later. I believe that there was a full size basketball court between them and that they were standing 70 YARDS APART.

Could that 14 year old girl have been strangled to death by that 11 year old boy if they were standing 70 yards apart?

Let's take a look at bows and arrows now. An arrow shot from a bow that is of high quality can and does fly 100 yards or more.

But how many arrows can ONE master archer shoot from one bow in a period of 1 minute. Maybe 6? What does that convert to.....1 arrow every 10 seconds?

How good would a non-archer be able to complete that feat? Could anyone in this country that is under the age of 10 shoot an arrow 50 yards under any condition?

And have you ever seen an archer walking down the street with a bow and fully loaded arrow stock while looking for the guy that stole his bicycle? I haven't.

Think about it this way...........

Would Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold have done anywhere near as much damage as they did if they had walked into that high school with 4 nail infested baseball bats?

Would Colin Ferguson have killed 7 people on a Long Island Railroad platform if he had walked onto it with a bayonet taped to both ends of an 8 foot long broomstick?

Would John Hinckley Jr. have done as much damage as he did to President Ronald Reagan, his Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and Washington D.C. Police Officer Walter Gregory if he had been standing on the street corner throwing rocks with a slingshot?

It is easier to kill a human being with a gun than it is to kill them with any other weapon because there are people in this country that can be shot to death and paralyzed for life by shooting them that cannot be damaged anywhere near as much with any other weapon because they would be able to defend themselves against any other weapon.

It is neat to be wering a suit and tie and carrying a gun around, I have had 6 gun fights with both of us in suits and ties, I won one I watched him slowly Die and I lost 5 of them but it feels cool and i get a hard on getting shot in the chest and lying on the ground slowly bleeding out I want to die this way and I will soon

I was about to respond to this so obviously bias poll on guns then found nudist0885 had covered all the angles better than I could have done. So I will try to mention issues outside the US constitution.

You suggest guns keep muggings down and Brazil gun controls rules encourageing crime because muggers know you dont have a gun. The fact the American police are better funded and better trained has nothing to do with it?

Now what about the UK where muggings do happen but the crime rate and death rate is low?

nudist0885 line "It is easier to kill a human being with a gun than it is to kill them with any other weapon.......because they would be able to defend themselves against any other weapon."

General opinion among UK gang members "It would be great if guns were easy to get hold of like in America."

(me asking teenaged thug) "If everyone had guns wouldnt you be afraid of mugging someone then?"

(Thugs responce) "Naa cos then I'd just get a gun and I'd just shoot him first."