Does Gun Control Prevent Gun Crime?

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I come from England where we live by the rule that if the police carry guns then so will the criminals and thankfully it’s worked so far so I’ll stick by it.
 
goofyjim said:
It will only work if you take the guns away from everyone. When some continue to insist it is their right to own while denying others, such as someone with a mental illness, then discrimination comes into play and the one that claims sanity actually may consider it his option to use his gun against the other. Let’s get rid of all these weapons and really become a people of peace.
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When someone says to me, “Let’s get rid of all weapons,” I say, “Okay. You first, me last.”

I have been places where no guns are allowed – like Washington, DC. Somehow banning guns didn’t work out so well there.😛
 
vern_humphrey said:
When someone says to me, “Let’s get rid of all weapons,” I say, “Okay. You first, me last.”

I have been places where no guns are allowed – like Washington, DC. Somehow banning guns didn’t work out so well there.😛
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Fine. Permit everyone to carry guns except those with a criminal record. Don’t deny gun ownership to those with a psychiatric illness.
 
goofyjim said:
Fine. Permit everyone to carry guns except those with a criminal record. Don’t deny gun ownership to those with a psychiatric illness.
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That’s the way it is here in Arkansas.

When it comes to psychatric illnesses, I think we should look at the illness, not have a blanket policy. There are people who are not competent to own guns, drive cars, fly airplanes and so on.
 
goofyjim said:
It will only work if you take the guns away from everyone. When some continue to insist it is their right to own while denying others, such as someone with a mental illness, then discrimination comes into play and the one that claims sanity actually may consider it his option to use his gun against the other. Let’s get rid of all these weapons and really become a people of peace.
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I’ll make my own gun after you take them all. I’ve done it before, it’s not that hard 👍
 
goofyjim said:
It will only work if you take the guns away from everyone.
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They did that in Japan. Guns have now been smuggled into the country and there have been several high profile shootings there lately. Last month a politician was gunned down. This week a “mobster” went on a shooting spree, killed a police officer, shot many others. Japan doesn’t allow handguns. Banned and confiscated them years ago. It is an island, not easy to smuggle things onto an island. Even all that that doesn’t stop the criminals.
 
melensdad said:
Just my opinion, but some of these threads discuss crime, some discuss the theology of the Catholic Church as it relates to guns, some discuss the theory of gun control, etc. While there may be some overlap in discussions, most of these topics are individual topics that can stand on their own merit.
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All of them are about gun control. That’s the overlap.
 
melensdad said:
They did that in Japan. Guns have now been smuggled into the country and there have been several high profile shootings there lately. Last month a politician was gunned down. This week a “mobster” went on a shooting spree, killed a police officer, shot many others. Japan doesn’t allow handguns. Banned and confiscated them years ago. It is an island, not easy to smuggle things onto an island. Even all that that doesn’t stop the criminals.
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Not a good argument against gun control. Drugs still get smuggled in but I doubt whether anyone would abandon the drug control policy. It just needs to be implemented a little tougher.
 
goofyjim said:
Not a good argument . . .
It just needs to be implemented a little tougher.
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There is essentially an absolute ban. It is strictly enforced. How can you implement it any tougher? Fact is shootings in Japan, while pretty rare, are becoming more common. So how is it NOT a good argument? And for those who would apply a Japanese style ban on the US, I would ask a simple question: HOW WOULD YOU ACCOMPLISH IT?
 
melensdad said:
There is essentially an absolute ban. It is strictly enforced. How can you implement it any tougher? Fact is shootings in Japan, while pretty rare, are becoming more common. So how is it NOT a good argument? And for those who would apply a Japanese style ban on the US, I would ask a simple question: HOW WOULD YOU ACCOMPLISH IT?
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I suspect people who maker arguments like this one – “Gun control would work if we banned all guns and enforced it” – are descended from George Washington’s doctors.

He was sick, so they bled him.

He got worse, so they bled him some more.

He got even worse, so they bled him even more.

He died – and left them claiming that if they’d been able to take all his blood, he’d be alive today.😛
 
Some people don’t want to hear any side but their own. I can live with that. I’ll do the same and vote my conscience.
 
goofyjim said:
Some people don’t want to hear any side but their own. I can live with that. I’ll do the same and vote my conscience.
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You do understand that, since the right to keep and bear arms is in the Constitution, the only legitimate vote on this issue would be in the event of an attempt to repeal the Second Amendment?
 
vern_humphrey said:
You do understand that, since the right to keep and bear arms is in the Constitution, the only legitimate vote on this issue would be in the event of an attempt to repeal the Second Amendment?
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Absolutely. But if enough people were for it then that’s what I mean by the Constitution not being written in stone.
 
goofyjim said:
It will only work if you take the guns away from everyone. When some continue to insist it is their right to own while denying others, such as someone with a mental illness, then discrimination comes into play and the one that claims sanity actually may consider it his option to use his gun against the other. Let’s get rid of all these weapons and really become a people of peace.
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Accepting your premise, how do you propose to take all the guns away? How would it work?
 
mary_bobo said:
Accepting your premise, how do you propose to take all the guns away? How would it work?
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I am not in the position of power to know how to implement it. I do know that if we sit back and do nothing gun crimes will continue to rise and more people will die. We’re certainly not going to prevent them from getting into the hands of potential criminals because we don’t know who is a potential criminal. We only can deny the sales to those with a past history. And even they somehow keep getting them.
 
goofyjim said:
I am not in the position of power to know how to implement it. I do know that if we sit back and do nothing gun crimes will continue to rise and more people will die. We’re certainly not going to prevent them from getting into the hands of potential criminals because we don’t know who is a potential criminal. We only can deny the sales to those with a past history. And even they somehow keep getting them.
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Idealistic idea, but naive. Not every American will turn in guns if they own them, I dare say most will not. And as you say, criminals certainly will not. IMHO, it is just not possible. The Constitution would have to be amended and no such effort has ever worked.
 
goofyjim said:
I am not in the position of power to know how to implement it. I do know that if we sit back and do nothing gun crimes will continue to rise and more people will die. We’re certainly not going to prevent them from getting into the hands of potential criminals because we don’t know who is a potential criminal. We only can deny the sales to those with a past history. And even they somehow keep getting them.
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The only way we, in the US, will ever be disarmed, is if the UN, the Military and the Police turn theres in and I mean all of them and they are melted down. If even one of those refuses to disarm then thats the end of it. If the UN wants to police the world with US citizens disarmed, it can do it with billie clubs.
 
Then I guess there is nothing to do to stop gun crimes. Drive by shootings in the cities will continue with young children getting caught in the crossfire. What a tragedy but I see noone offering any solutions so I guess we have to live with it.
 
goofyjim said:
Absolutely. But if enough people were for it then that’s what I mean by the Constitution not being written in stone.
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But it can be changed only by amending the Constitution. Pretending the Second Amendment doesn’t exist, or pretending it doesn’t mean what it says, or ignoring it leads to chaos – if one right can be ignored or shunted aside, all rights can be treated the same way. And suddenly we have no more rights.
 
goofyjim said:
Then I guess there is nothing to do to stop gun crimes. Drive by shootings in the cities will continue with young children getting caught in the crossfire. What a tragedy but I see noone offering any solutions so I guess we have to live with it.
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Actually, there is something that can be done to reduce violent crime. It is to pass “shall issue” laws, where any citizen of good repute can apply for a permit to carry a weapon and – if they take the course and pass the background check – the permit must be issued.

In state after state (and some 37 now have such laws, with two more requiring no license at all) dire predictions were made when such a law was being debated. And when the law passed, in state after state, the dire predictions did not come true, and violent crime dropped.
 
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