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Originally posted by T. A. Gardner:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Stefan:
[qb] Are you trying to say that the British are slaves?
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No, the British are Zombies haven't you seen
Shawn of the Dead? [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>[/quote]Hey, I resemble that remark! Some of my best friends are zombies
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No more flawed than suggesting that the presence or lack of police do the same. The question to ask is: Has crime per capita gone up, down, or remained the same in Britain (or elsewhere) when gun laws are changed or ownership restricted?
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We have had gun control for a fair while and from what I recall crime with stolen or legally held guns has indeed gone down, gun crime has gone up in line with other crime rates however. On the other hand, accidental shootings of family members, innocent bystanders and so on have dropped significantly since gun control was introduced and I'd regard that as pretty important (worth noting actually, statistically speaking guns kept for self defense are far more likely to wind up hurting a family member than to be involved in preventing a crime).
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On a singular basis, yes. As a society, no. If society deems something a right then it is regardless of what that may be.
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I'd disagree, taking onboard the idea of natural and inaliable rights (as discribed in your own constitution). I would say the right to gun ownership is as you discribe, able to be removed by society. I would however argue that some truths are self evident, that all men are created equal and that they have certain rights that exist beyond the control of society (like the right to life). But let's leave that one as it's a philosophical quagmire