The Obama Presidency

[Fe 26]

Believe it or not... this did not make me feel safer!

lets be honest, a lot of things wouldn't make you feel safer. Army men could be walking around with bazookas and it probably wouldn't make you feel safe. I mean, seriously, some people become uncomfortable around any weapon, regardless of who's using it because they sit around and think about all the possible ways they may die intentionally or accidentally.

Isn't the real issue that modern weapons make you paranoid and you'd rather have them completely removed from every area of your life? Just get up, go to work, come home, eat some nice food, fuck, play some games, maybe fuck again, go to bed, wash repeat? Everything outside of that, bothers you?

[Diff-chan]

I just look at NYC which goes out of its way to make sure people don't walk around with guns, and it is somehow the safest big city in the USA by far. Cops are so bored there they are now just shaking down random kids for weed bags. We don't need more people with CCWs there. I don't want a bunch of yahoos from Texas walking around strapped in Times Square. No good can come of it. It won't make the place any safer.

I've walked around late at night in Newark NJ and never felt the need for a gun. I've done community service in Watts and didn't feel in danger. I'm no psychologist but I wonder about these people in nice houses living boring middle class lives who feel they need to carry 24/7 for "protection." I've even read blog posts where people admit they walk around their house with their gun on their person in case "anything happens." I feel bad for that family.

I'm not against gun ownership, I'm really not. I just don't see how adding more guns to a country already awash with them and rife with gun violence will make it safer.

[Yoshi]

Who is proposing more guns? Obama has done more to help gun makers bottom lines than anything they could have dreamed up. If you threaten to take something away, people are going to want it more. Hell, that's what sold several TNLers our hardware BC PS3s.

[Diff-chan]

Obama has never once threatened to take anything away. Anyone who thinks that really is living in an alternate universe.

[Diff-chan]

Who is proposing more guns?

John Cornyn reintroduced a bill that would force states to honor other states' CCW permits, so the thing I mentioned about Times Square is on the table right now. And, by the way, that Pratt guy in Drew's link proposes exactly that - more guns.

[Fe 26]

I just look at NYC which goes out of its way to make sure people don't walk around with guns, and it is somehow the safest big city in the USA by far.

To be fair, NYC wants to be safer. They wanted this result. People think it is caused by the absence of guns, but its probably a dozen other things. Like pricing real estate out of the hands of anyone that is poor or stupid. Or changing how they deal with criminals. Or how they changed their policy on drugs. Or improving education. Or a dozen other things that improved the quality of life of the average person.

I don't want a bunch of yahoos from Texas walking around strapped in Times Square.

This is really the root of your stance. You don't want it. It makes you feel bad.

No good can come of it. It won't make the place any safer.

Probably no bad can come from it either. I can't think of a single instance where anything bad came of someone legally carrying a gun with them.

It probably wouldn't do anything. Good or bad. But you worry about it just the same. Of all those guns out there.

I've walked around late at night in Newark NJ and never felt the need for a gun. I've done community service in Watts and didn't feel in danger. I'm no psychologist but I wonder about these people in nice houses living boring middle class lives who feel they need to carry 24/7 for "protection." I've even read blog posts where people admit they walk around their house with their gun on their person in case "anything happens." I feel bad for that family.

So because you don't have one or feel that you would need one and that they don't make you feel safe, then the feelings of people who feel differently are invalid?

I just don't see how adding more guns to a country already awash with them and rife with gun violence will make it safer.

I suppose they act like a deterrent. Like having nukes so people won't nuke you. You make it not worth their time. Which works to some degree. It doesn't stop theft or crime, but criminals tend to rob places when no one is home. In the UK, after they got more gun legislation, there was a surge of home invasions and burglaries while people were still home. They didn't care, there was no longer any threat to them. Do it while they were home or gone, what are they going to do? Hit you? Go in a group.

[Fe 26]

Obama has never once threatened to take anything away. Anyone who thinks that really is living in an alternate universe.

except for gun rights. His ideas amount to making them a privilege.

Which would take the right away from everyone, and take guns away from specific people depending on how the bureaucracy felt that day.

[Yoshi]

Obama has never once threatened to take anything away. Anyone who thinks that really is living in an alternate universe.

I agree, but perception is reality in this case.

[Diff-chan]

This is really the root of your stance. You don't want it.

I don't know what your point is. Like everyone else, my opinion is rooted in part on personal experience. Like I said I am not against people buying guns if they want to. I find the "gun culture", where every problem can be fixed by having more guns, to be completely insane and completely divorced from reality, however.

I suppose they act like a deterrent.

This is one of those NRA power fantasies. There's little proof of this, and even less proof that it outweighs the increased incidence of gun accidents.

except for gun rights. His ideas amount to making them a privilege.

Which would take the right away from everyone, and take guns away from specific people depending on how the bureaucracy felt that day.

This hardline stance sounds good but is pretty worthless. Every constitutional right is limited in some ways. Including the 2nd Amendment. Look at the beloved Heller decision if you don't believe me.

[Bacon McShig]

In the UK, after they got more gun legislation, there was a surge of home invasions and burglaries while people were still home. They didn't care, there was no longer any threat to them. Do it while they were home or gone, what are they going to do? Hit you? Go in a group.

There was also a precipitous drop in gun deaths. Which tend to be a bit harder to recover from than theft.