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Lutherf · 27-08-2018, 15:56

The Constitution was not enacted so that the government could manage the people. It was enacted so that the people could manage the government. The fundamental principle of American is (or at least was) that individual liberty must be preserved. Among the rights necessary to preserve individual liberty is the right to self defense. That is why the 2nd Amendment is so fiercely defended.

Any weapon which can be used for self defense can, naturally, be used offensively as well. The question, therefore, is how substantially do we want to restrict the very fundamental right of self defense in an effort to mitigate the possibility of an offensive attack. The answer to that question for a great number of Americans is "not very much".

With more than 300 million citizens and a rate of gun ownership around 25% one would think that if guns are the problem then the US homicide rate should be astronomical. It isn't. It's roughly 4 times as high as the homicide rate in the UK but if you look a little deeper you will also find that a limited number of metropolitan areas [and limited neighborhoods in those metropolitan areas] account for the vast majority of that rate. Cities like New Orleans, Baltimore and St. Louis have astronomical homicide rates while other cities have much lower rates. Even in the same state there are dramatic differences. San Diego, California has a homicide rate not that different than the UK while Los Angeles has a murder rate nearly 4 times higher. The same gun laws apply in both cities. Both cities heavily restrict gun ownership. Why then is the homicide rate so different?

If you really want to discuss the relationship between guns and homicide that difference between San Diego and Los Angeles needs to be part of the discussion. Likewise, it would need to be explained why Baltimore, in a state with draconian gun laws, has a homicide rate 5 times higher than Phoenix, in a state with nearly no gun laws. Basically, it isn't guns or gun ownership rates that determine homicide rate. It's something else or, likely, a combination of many things. Blaming homicide rates on guns is simply lazy and leads to laws which restrict the right of law abiding citizens while doing little to impact people inclined toward criminal activity anyway and/or crazy people.

27-08-2018, 15:56	#9
Lutherf cf.member Join Date: Aug 2018 Posts: 51	Re: Another day, another mass shooting The Constitution was not enacted so that the government could manage the people. It was enacted so that the people could manage the government. The fundamental principle of American is (or at least was) that individual liberty must be preserved. Among the rights necessary to preserve individual liberty is the right to self defense. That is why the 2nd Amendment is so fiercely defended. Any weapon which can be used for self defense can, naturally, be used offensively as well. The question, therefore, is how substantially do we want to restrict the very fundamental right of self defense in an effort to mitigate the possibility of an offensive attack. The answer to that question for a great number of Americans is "not very much". With more than 300 million citizens and a rate of gun ownership around 25% one would think that if guns are the problem then the US homicide rate should be astronomical. It isn't. It's roughly 4 times as high as the homicide rate in the UK but if you look a little deeper you will also find that a limited number of metropolitan areas [and limited neighborhoods in those metropolitan areas] account for the vast majority of that rate. Cities like New Orleans, Baltimore and St. Louis have astronomical homicide rates while other cities have much lower rates. Even in the same state there are dramatic differences. San Diego, California has a homicide rate not that different than the UK while Los Angeles has a murder rate nearly 4 times higher. The same gun laws apply in both cities. Both cities heavily restrict gun ownership. Why then is the homicide rate so different? If you really want to discuss the relationship between guns and homicide that difference between San Diego and Los Angeles needs to be part of the discussion. Likewise, it would need to be explained why Baltimore, in a state with draconian gun laws, has a homicide rate 5 times higher than Phoenix, in a state with nearly no gun laws. Basically, it isn't guns or gun ownership rates that determine homicide rate. It's something else or, likely, a combination of many things. Blaming homicide rates on guns is simply lazy and leads to laws which restrict the right of law abiding citizens while doing little to impact people inclined toward criminal activity anyway and/or crazy people.