Originally Posted By: sinij
Do you think that availability of illegal guns correlates to availability of legal guns? All guns start as legal guns.

My stance is still - if gun goes above and beyond self defense weapon and into implements of war, risk of it eventually falling into illegal hands by far outweighs marginal, if any, increase of self-defense benefit over a regular gun.


Of course they do. Those who cannot obtain a weapon legally will find a means to obtain it. Typically through the use of a straw purchase or other methods. That's very bad news for the rest of the folks who DO follow the laws as they will have no recourse to counter it.

You're talking about punishing the legal owners and users of a device for the infractions of a few. A computer can be used to download all sorts of illicit material, yet no one is talking about banning them because, in the average users hands, they are merely a tool. The user decides how it is used.

Would you be willing to give up your system to ensure Evil Bill doesn't download clown porn or information that is considered 'illegal' by the governing body of the country he lives in ?

Cars, alcohol, fast food, hell just about anything can be abused to the point of being detrimental to society as a whole. History shows us how well prohibition did. Trying to ban all firearms would likely have a similar outcome.

Firearms are not the root of the problem here. They are, however, easier targets to ban when the other alternative is going after the criminals themselves.

A long, but interesting video for your viewing pleasure:

http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_van_uhm_why_i_chose_a_gun.html