Quote Originally Posted by AgentCooper:
Bigvern, I'm sure if I asked some cops they would ADVISE me not to engage the intruder and instead let them do their JOBS. But that's not the point. I'm not saying that I would cower in the corner, I'm saying I would try my hardest not to engage, that's all.
And I AM taking responsibility for my own safety. I'm saying I only want guns in the hands of responsible people trained to use them. Not in the hands of the mentally ill, or criminals, or children. Isn't that what you want, too? All I keep hearing is "you're infringing on my rights" but no solutions. One novel idea might be to have a gun-free world, but since nobody wants to hear that (even tho Jesus would approve), what do you propose?
Agent Cooper:
Why would you ask a law enforcement officer what to do if someone breaks into your house? Do you think that if someone broke into the police officer's house he would call for help, or deal with the problem?
A gun free world would be thousands of times more violent than the world we live in today. In a battle for scarce resources, the minority would perish, and if you had anything worth taking, a mob would take it from you by way of physical intimidation and force.
God created all men, and Sam Colt made them equal. Guns enable a single man to defend himself and his family when the odds are not in his favor. This is important because even in defeat, a degree of mutually assured destruction is ensured. Guns are a powerful deterrent and play a major role in keeping peace and order.
That being said, when a person takes up arms to defend him/herself in our home invasion type of scenario, chaos will ensue, and anything can happen. Statistics may show that in these situations it is more dangerous for the person to defend themselves with guns; but for me, I do not choose to wait and hope that the police show up to save me. IF you go into the bear's cave, then you have to deal with the bear.
To answer your question, no, I do not think that kids or mental patients should be allowed to have access to weapons. Lock your guns up, and teach your children about firearm safety from an early age. Background checks take care of the mentally ill side of things.
As for criminals...good luck keeping them from obtaining guns. If criminals are generating revenue (drug cartels/Fast and Furious), then they will be able to secure armaments both in our country and outside of it. And an overall gun ban will do nothing but make the "violent armed criminal" a force 1000 times greater than he is today.
My suggestion on how to deal with the current situation is as follows: 1) Relax 2) Begin an examination of our culture as a whole in an attempt to find out why individuals are going off of the rails and shooting up public places 3) Be honest with what we find. If antidepressants and violent video games are having a negative impact on today's youth then we need to find out why.
One thing I saw last night that blew me away was on Piers Morgan's show. Piers was debating Larry Pratt of gun owners of America....Piers was the gun control advocate, and Pratt was the gun rights advocate. The debate was heated at times, but the very first commercial break was an advertisement for the new movie "Zero Dark Thirty"......a movie about a group of SEALS that shot Bin Laden in the face. The message there was pretty clear; Piers preaches stringent gun control laws, but is an advocate of shooting an "enemy of the state" in the face. The hypocrisy there is staggering.....hopefully the definition of an "enemy of the state" is never the American people.
We can talk at each other all day and never get anywhere here Agent Cooper. I don't have anything personal against you, but I will never see things your way...and I don't need to.
Never Make A Winner A Loser. Never.