[Skunk]

The United States is a very special case when it comes to gun controls. No-one knows precisely how many guns are in circulation; conservative estimates put the number as approximately 1 gun for every two people in the country.

That's a lot of guns - and criminals will always have easy access to them. Having said that, I believe that we should control gun-ownership as much as possible and that there is really no 'self-defence' reasons for possessing an MI-16. Law-abiding citizens should also not be fearful of paperwork and controls that govern the possession and storage of their firearms, providing that they still have a right to posess hand-guns (for self defence) and rifles for hunting.

Originally posted by Faceman: However you argue that a gun has another purpose too, defense/protection. I have already stated several time that there are non-lethal protection weapons (Tazer guns, HighVoltage shockers, Tranquilizer Guns,...)

These weapons are pop-guns when faced with an intruder is armed with a gun or is simply more physically powerful or in a 'crack' frenzy.
A tranquilier gun will not stop a doped up attacker quickly enough to prevent him reaching you, where he might end up killing you long before the drug kicks in.
Tazer guns are one-shot weapons, if you miss or the darts fail to penetrate heavy clothing, you are doomed. There is no reload. And even if you do hit him, what then? You will only temporarily disable him for a couple of minutes - and then he is up again (and don't kid yourself that you can tie up someone who is violently shaking). You could run - but what if he had entered your home? Are you going to run from there and leave him to take what he wants or escape and come back a few days later with a gun and a mind for revenge?

As I say, I don't like gun-ownership, but one has to be pragmatic with regards to the United States as it *is* a special case by virtue of the sheer number of guns on the streets and the relative ease of access to them that criminals have.

[ 11-14-2003, 08:47 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]