The Supreme Court's Gun Ruling This Week - Not A Debate

[Reinbeau]

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That makes total sense on enforcing existing laws.

You're saying no one has gotten the one year term for a firearm in MA???
Here I am thinking I'd go to jail if I crossed the line with my little LEGAL 25c.

Yep, that's what I'm saying. Enforcement is key, when things go wrong everyone looks for more rules and regulations instead of checking to see if anything is already on the books about it. Legislators love to climb onto their high horses and make a big show when a high-profile case comes along, that way they can look like they're doing something besides picking your pocket

So they come up with yet another law that isn't enforced, until the next time, and so on, and so on.......In the meantime those of us who can take care of ourselves quietly go about our business.

 

[summerwindsfarm]

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Whenever a city like dodgecity made ppl leave their weapons with the lawmen upon entering town they *also* had a very high number of lawmen in that town who did *nothing* but keep the peace. There was one lawman for about every hundred ppl.

Chicago probably has one policeman for every 10,000 ppl, if that, and most of those are working traffic division.

The west wasnt tamed by taking ppls guns. It was tamed by enforcing laws that protected the innocents and punished the bad guys..and even then it wasnt an easy thing to do.

 

[chickenannie]

Ok, this is going to sound peacenik-ey to many of you, but I am someone who has lived 40+ years and survived just fine without carrying a gun or having a desire to carry one.

I am scared of guns, they frighten me. I used to live in downtown DC (11 years) and though I was mugged twice, I remained unhurt and it was not difficult for me to extract myself from the dangerous situation without owning a gun. Criminals are not the 'smartest' people. I saw other people (criminal types) carrying a gun in the city more than once and I heard constantly about people being murdered and mugged in the city all around me with handguns. Yet, I was never interested in carrying a gun to protect myself.

I'm saying all this because I don't understand the mentality of carrying a gun. Just because you carry a gun doesn't mean it's going to save you in a dangerous situation, and actually it can be used against you rather easily.

I'm not opposed to guns being used for utilitarian purposes, such as when farmers use them to kill a severely injured animal, or for control of the deer population.

If I was in a war zone, and my life was threatened daily, well I can't answer whether I'd carry a gun then. I have a feeling I still wouldn't. I have a lot more desire to learn karate and to be able to be nimble, strong, assertive, and outwit my opponent if need be.

Because I live in a rural area near a stream, hunters come around the neighboring properties every year and promise not to shoot toward the house. Every darn year they shoot toward the house. I've been walking in my yard and heard bullets whistling past my ear. I've had bullets shot of a corn field 200 feet away hit the maple tree next to my garden while I was gardening. Needless to say it really doesn't make me trust those hunters who can't seem to keep their guns pointed away from the house.

I guess the point of what i'm saying is that carrying a gun doesn't equal self-protection. It doesn't mean you can control dangerous situations. It doesn't mean you won't be killed. And not carrying a gun doesn't mean you're not protecting yourself. There are a lot of options out there besides carrying a gun.

Just one more opinion in the whole debate...

 

[seedcorn]

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On this we'll have to agree to disagree. Interesting to try and control the violence, that the lawmen did this first. They tried enforcing laws and that didn't work until they got the guns out of people's hands in the towns.

We have an epidemic in this country that we don't have enough jails to jail everyone. "minor" criminals aren't jailed because the jails are full, to house a new one, someone has to move out.

Again, the ? was about were guns our "right" in America. I agree they are unless you live in an area where the general population says NO. Then deal w/it. In our area, you can't carry guns around schools unless you have a legal reason to.

 

[1acrefarm]

I would venture to say the west was tamed by a combination of things.

The west became more populated and gained deputies and marshals so it was not as great of an area for the lawless to disappear.

The gold rush ended.

The noose ended a criminals career pretty abruptly. Kept the jail house less crowded too.

All the native americans were pushed on reservations so those wars eventually stopped. Edited to say please do not take this the wrong way. I feel this was very wrong.

More women went to the west so the men all of a sudden had other matters to tend to.

The west was not really quite as wild as tv made it to be anyway. Those towns were not highly populated. If they had daily shootouts in front of the saloon in every town as was portrayed they would have become ghost towns pretty quick. The laws in dodge city by no means "tamed the west".

 

[willheveland]

A firearm is only as good or bad as the person using it.No different than a hoe,shovel or axe.
As far as the 2nd Ammendment goes,it is the only ammendment that protects and truly guarantees the safety of the other ammendments.
If you feel safe where you live and enjoy your freedom and don't feel you need to own a firearm that is great.But don't forget that somebody did and still carrys one everyday just so you can feel that way.You may not see them where you live but somewhere out there is someone protecting you and your freedoms every day with a firearm.
Happy 4th of july -Independance Day- Will

 

[seedcorn]

ended a criminals career pretty abruptly. Kept the jail house less crowded tooThe noose . Agree there on jail houses less crowded.......

All the native americans were pushed on reservations so those wars eventually stopped. This is national shame.

More women went to the west so the men all of a sudden had other matters to tend to.

altho probably true........

 

[1acrefarm]

I agree it is a national shame.

 

[willheveland]

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Do you really think our jail houses (prisons) are less crowded?

 

[s6bee]

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What if "Elderoo" shot the wrong person?