"Just a Piece of Paper"

[English assassin]

The 2nd was written to create a last resort safeguard against tyranny.

That is not impossible today

CR, you SERIOUSLY need to upgrade your ideas of what a modern tyranny would look like.

These threads are so damn pointless. For crying out loud CR stop bringing the subject up!

I don't agree. Over the years I have changed my mind on this issue. (where's the drummer smilie gone?) The argument that if the government is going to deny you a means of self defence, they are under a duty actually to defend you seems to be a strong one. Given that the UK police do not in fact defend you, by what right are they saying that self defence is not an acceptable "good reason" foir a firearms licence? I can't see any good argument, anymore, for why (eg) a handgun should not be available on licence, subject to the existing UK FAC checks, to be held ONLY within your own house, or to and from a home office registered range for practice.

This is of course not what the Rabbit wants, but it would be very different to the existing UK situation too.

I still don't think I'd want one myself, but I think I should be allowed to choose.

[Slyspy]

CR, you SERIOUSLY need to upgrade your ideas of what a modern tyranny would look like.



I don't agree. Over the years I have changed my mind on this issue. (where's the drummer smilie gone?) The argument that if the government is going to deny you a means of self defence, they are under a duty actually to defend you seems to be a strong one. Given that the UK police do not in fact defend you, by what right are they saying that self defence is not an acceptable "good reason" foir a firearms licence? I can't see any good argument, anymore, for why (eg) a handgun should not be available on licence, subject to the existing UK FAC checks, to be held ONLY within your own house, or to and from a home office registered range for practice.

This is of course not what the Rabbit wants, but it would be very different to the existing UK situation too.

I still don't think I'd want one myself, but I think I should be allowed to choose.

Yes but you are in the minority by changing your mind (and frankly I doubt whether these threads are what actually changed you mind). I'm in a minority by simply not caring about American gun control. I don't care for the ignorant Euros who are unable to see how deeply the gun is a part of American culture and I don't care for the gun lovers who fetishize the weapons or equate guns with freedom.

If they we legal here I would probably own and fire, for fun, a historical weapon or two. But they are not (with a few exceptions) and I don't really care.

It simply annoys me to see so many of these threads cluttering up the forum and causing bad blood for no real gain. I remember when gun threads were routinely closed. Now thats tyranny for you!

Now get off my lawn!

[Husar]

Well slyspy, why don't you use your freedom of choice and just don't look at gunthreads anymore?

[Banquo's Ghost]

Yes but you are in the minority by changing your mind (and frankly I doubt whether these threads are what actually changed you mind).

I can't say I have had my mind changed to any significant degree but I have certainly learned a lot about US ideas on the 2nd Amendment and the role of guns in the American view of things. CR and Don in particular have made good points that deserve reflection on several occasions.

It simply annoys me to see so many of these threads cluttering up the forum and causing bad blood for no real gain. I remember when gun threads were routinely closed. Now thats tyranny for you!

Ah but now all the moderators are fluffy bunny leftists* who wouldn't dream of curtailing the free speech of the liberal revolutionary anti-government erm, conservative gun lobbyists. BTW "Causing Bad Blood for No Real Gain" is the motto of the Backroom - T-shirts are available for very reasonable rates.

(Anyway, without gun threads we'd just have Evolution and Squid. )

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

*DevDave told me this so it must be true. And of course, the generalisation doesn't include Kukri, who has recently been revealed in the Politics thread to be Chinggis Khan's angrier cousin.