Firearms???

[Athorn4941]

I dont think so we have the 2nd admendment. what is going to protect you from the government. the bridge between combat with sticks is far greater against guns then it is against swords like the okinawans had to deal with.

[Iron Arahat]

What do you need guns to protect yourself from the government for? Sounds a little parinoid.

 

You don't think for one second that if the US government had an internal issue that required action, that they couldn't flatten them. Look the Gulf war and the current conflict. I think if there were active revolutionaries within the US they would get wiped out, guns or not to defend themselves.

 

The second amendment if that is the passage about the right to bear arms, I think presently it has been taken a little out of context. Rember the US had a revolution of sorts against the British. The right to arms was to protect self government. No so any raving looney can have a gun.

 

Guns should have a limited role in everyday society...

[Withers M.A.A.]

Iron Arahat- I totally disagree with EVERYTHING you said. First off Canada has WAY less people than the U.S. so that statistic doesn't work....

 

As a civilian I have access to the same training as law enforcement officials. Courses are offered that teach combat handgun techniques etc.

 

Why shouldn't we be able to defend ourselves with firearms???

 

Also if it wasn't for average citizens owning firearms then we would be considered England right now because the Revolutionary war was won by citizens who owned firearms.

 

As for banning guns... well Maryland has the highest handgun crimerate in the U.S. Well guess what??? They also don't issue liscences to carry firearms.... that tells you something.

 

Also, England banned firearms completely and since they did their crime has increased DRAMATICALLY!!!

 

The people committing crimes with handguns are not legal gun owners. In MA you need to take a safety course, interview with the police dept. and have an FBI background check done and if you have any criminal history you will be denied. Having passed all those requirement I deserve the right to defend myself and my family with my firearms...

 

Have a nice day!!!

 

 

 

[Sinbad]

This firearms issue is tricky because a lot of people esp in the USA believe VERY strongly in their right to carry firearms. So it is hard to have an open minded discussion about it. I'm not going to get drawn into this argument but just wanted to ask Withers how the fact that gun possession laws were tightened up a few years ago in England could possibly have affected national crime rates since well over 99% of thepopulation never had a gun anyway?!

 

Let's not make spurious claims to support our arguments

[ckdstudent]

If you get a big enough tank, no one's going to try and stop you.

 

 

[Crucio]

first of all, if you want to continue with the stupid tank scenario. then i say gimme some nuclear weapons, or worst case, some neutron bombs

 

second, i dont see carrying a gun as all that cool. I mean, i have lots of friends who want guns and stuff, but how can you REALLY use a gun for self defense. Ofcourse if the other person has a gun, it is a stalemate till someone gives up or dies.

 

if the other person doesnt have a gun, then youre going to get your ass kicked or yourself killed, because if its self defense, then you wont pull the gun till either the person has hit you, or untill the person is close enough range to break your neck.

 

Third. most people get very intense and unfocused during a fight, which means, unless the person is an incredibly good shot and has a very cool head, which most gun carriers dont (not pros, just carriers), then the other persons gonna wind up dead. I mean, in martial arts, you can knock out the guy. With a gun, im guess you could shoot someone away from a main artery in the butt or shin i guess, but thats a ver difficult shot.

 

next, theres the problem most people get a gun for, low self-esteem or low physical shape. Again theres going to be that little problem of man-slaughter

 

lastly, i have a question.

 

can you get a weapons permit for a concealed weapon so that you could carry a sword or knife or even knunchukus? not that i would, but just curious. I would take a sword over a gun definetly (a LEGAL gun, not a freakin uzi or something)

[Withers M.A.A.]

Well I have 16 years of martial arts experience and I'm in incredible shape so that isn't an issue. I also don't have low self esteem so that isn't one either. I would never use a firearm unless it was the absolute last resort. If I was being attacked by multiple assailants or someone with a weapon then you can bet I will use my firearm. However I would NEVER pull it if someone merely started an argument with me. I have a strong interest in firearms and I treat them with respect and don't go flaunting it at all. What I'm saying with this topic is that a firearm is the best weapon for self defense.

 

 

[Iron Arahat]

The United States has a homicide rate involving firearms of 3.72 per 100,000, Canada has a rate of 0.76 per 100,000, The United Kingdom has a rate of 0.11 per 100,000. Notice the rate goes from loosest to stricter firearm controls. The U.S. has a high gun murder rate, whereas a country like England with strict gun controls has almost no gun murders, and a very low murder rate to boot. (FBI Uniform Crime report 1999).

 

Withers stated "As a civilian I have access to the same training as law enforcement officials. Courses are offered that teach combat handgun techniques etc."

 

It costs alot of money for the training, and as for the same I can guarantee it isn't. Civilians are civilians. I have a hard time believing that you could get a group of civilians through a tac course. It's not the same.

 

And back to the American Revolution and the 2nd amendment...again a modern day civil revolution in the US would be comical it would be crushed. Just because it was written in the constitution the NRA has *******ized the meaning so Joe Trailer Park has the right to have a gun, and I'm sure that is what your fore-fathers wanted, drunks with guns killing their wives, robbing 7 elevens, gang warfare, because it is their so called constitutional right. I think they wanted to protect the democracy of America from an outside threat.

 

 

[Withers M.A.A.]

If you ban firearms the criminals will still have them so crime will not decrease.

 

 

[Iron Arahat]

If you regulate firearms there will be less homicide.