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Originally posted by Milu
Do you feel that the police are able to protect you on the streets or in your home? If not, what is your real world solution?
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Yes, I feel that by-and-large the police are able to protect me. Knock on wood, during 41 years of my life I have never been in a situation where I wished I had a gun (other than scenarios that I willingly inserted myself into, and during those the last person I wanted to see was a cop).
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How will strict/stricter gun laws take guns away from the criminals?
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It's a numbers thing. Less guns available means less guns available. You stop the production and import of cheap handguns. You make severe penalties for using or possessing a gun. Of course none of this will really do anything until perceptions are changed. Among many, owning guns is "cool", and brings a source of power. Until you change that, you'll have a tough time with anything else.
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A firearm is a great equaliser. If your aged grayhaired mother lived in an isolated house 30 minutes from the nearest law enforcement would both of you feel more comfortable if she owned and could competently use a firearm?
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No, because in part I doubt the competency of my grandma or most other civilians. I'd be pretty upset if we're going to visit grandma and she mistakes us for burglars, shooting my son. Alternatively, a criminal breaks in and grandma *doesn't* pull the trigger, then said bad guy gets the gun. I don't like that scenario either. The problem is the pro-gun people envision the best-case scenario (grandma gets the gun and protects herself). The anti-gun people envision the worst-case scenario (criminal takes the gun and kills grandma, or grandma kills a family member, or grandchild finds the gun and accidently kills his sister). I think all scenarios are possible, but the most probably outcomes are in the "bad" camp.
I'm curious...what were the circumstances of your gun use? If used during military or police service that doesn't really count for this argument.