> - If guns were made completely illegal (which I gather is your preference > from the "I don't want ANYONE to carry guns" statement), do you think that > would keep them out of the hands of criminals? >
Actually, I do not want to completely criminalize guns. I think people who hunt or target practice, or serious collectors, for example, have legitimate reasons to own guns. They also tend to be much better at keeping them safely than people who simply crow about gun rights. When I say I don't want anyone to carry guns, that's more an abstract wish than a policy statement. It's a trend I'd like to see us heading toward, knowing that it may and probably can't be fully achieved. It isn't full criminalization I'm after, but reasonable restrictions to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them. That probably can't be achieved either but we're not even really trying to do it at all. Arguments that "an armed society is a polite society" are bullshit: the Old West was heavily armed and was not polite at all. Neither was the 17th Century. Polite societies are polite societies. (And, oh yes: Texas does not have less crime than other states.) Guns are dangerous and should be restricted. Want to have one? Prove that you know how to handle it and are willing to do whatever it takes to keep it safely. Otherwise, I'm afraid you may be acting out some immature macho John Wayne fantasy. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last." - Dr Jerry Pournelle _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
