Saturday 21 July 2012

No Guns, Less Dead People.

People without guns can't shoot each other, can they? Am I naive for looking at this from such a simple perspective? I mean, the law of averages suggest that the more guns out and about the higher the probability of shootings. I just don't think this is open to question.
There is much I admire about America. It's laxity of the control over firearms is not amongst the list. It seems plain bonkers to have a culture where owning a firearm is such a normative thing. Could such a way of life ever make the streets safer?
Once again the debate over gun ownership will rage. And once again the same old arguments will resonate. The right to bear arms will be front and centre, a philosophy deeply ingrained in the American psyche. With all we know about the harm such weaponry can inflict I can't help but wonder why this frontier mindset persists? Plenty of other nations have violent history's yet carry no such desire to brandish arms. What is it about America that makes it so unique amongst developed nations? I do not pretend to know, and I certainly do not pretend to understand. From my libertarian English perspective the thought of carrying a weapon of any kind makes me very uneasy. Heck, I'm even averse to sharp kitchen knives. Surely though, no guns on the streets would reduce the number of shootings? Is there even a discussion on this point?

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