Thoughts About Handguns

The more I see of the political ruckus over health reform, the more disappointed I become in people's grasp of Debate. So I'm starting to make more of a point of cheering at people who do it right, regardless of the topic or side they've chosen.

>>The "right to bear arms" implies doing so in a military context <<

That's part of the intent, for sure, but part was for personal protection and hunting -- and frankly, part was to ensure that the violent overthrow of the government was possible should it become necessary. Those documents were written by people who'd just had to do that, after all. Of course that part has gotten throttled down since.

>>Handguns are all but worthless from a military point of view.<<

Handguns have played an important role in many military engagements. They're awesome for personal protection at medium range. Ideally, you want a long-range weapon and something for closer work as a backup. I'd be happy with, say, a rifle or grenade launcher to keep enemies at a distance, a handgun to pop the few who got too close, and a knife for after I ran out of ammunition. What you don't want is people relying on the handgun, because it's not an efficient way to whittle down an army and it's only useful as long as you have ammo for it. I have an old soft spot in my heart for those early shotguns that could be loaded with gravel if that's all you had.

>>Small, light, plastic...?<<

That depends on the gun. Some are heavy, deadly-feeling things.

Plastic ... well, it's a magical insulator and doesn't hold energy much. I wonder if that contributes to insulating people from the sense that "this is a live thing that wants to kill people" (an effect of guns described by many people who have touched one, including otherwise quite ordinary folks).

>>Handguns, on the other hand, are not used for hunting.<<

Ideally, no, but in a pinch they can be used for that. It's just harder, and somewhat limiting as to what you can bring down, depending on your ammo.

>>I also have strong feelings about arguments for owning handguns for self defense. <<

The problem there is, civilization is only as safe and sensible as human beings, so ... not very. Humans do dumb things with cars too, and we regulate those instead of banning them. There are places where owning a handgun is likely to make the difference between walking securely and getting harmed or killed. I'm in favor of working towards a society where personal weapons are no longer needed, but we are not there yet.

On the other hoof, there are places where handguns don't belong; bars, for instance. Recently a law was passed allowing handguns in bars. Bet their homicide rate goes up a bit. Guns and alcohol are a bad combination.

>>I believe all guns, regardless of function, should be outlawed utterly, and the second ammendment repealed. <<

You are entitled to your opinion, although no society has succeeded in putting that genie back into the bottle. That would require a total transformation of society in a peaceward direction, which would be laudable, if anyone knew how to accomplish it.

>>Allowing guns is completely outdated because there is no longer a valid reason in the USA to have or use a gun. We get all our food from the grocery stores, and anyone who hunts and says they eat what they kill is lying. The only reason people want to keep their guns is so they can kill things to hang on their walls or to shoot each other for stupid reasons. Anyone who says otherwise is at best lying to themselves, and at worst is just plain lying.<<

This section contains factual errors and personal attacks, which are not permissible in this venue. You may support your opinion with examples, but they must be true ones.

I know many hunters who hunt for the kitchen, especially in this economy, some of whom are sharing their game with people who can't afford to buy much meat. Also there are many places in America that are dangerous to live in, where a handgun can protect people from being killed, robbed, or raped; and I know a few folks who have used one for that purpose (with or without having to fire it). Members of both such groups are in this audience, and are as much entitled to their viewpoint as you are to yours.

Folks, I'm happy to host a discussion about guns, but let's stick to the established rules of reasoned debate, please.

>>I find it utterly astonishing that you could buy a gun without being required to have a gun safe.<<

Part of that may simply be that Americans are highly mobile, which means many of them rent a home, and landlords take a dim view of carving up a wall for a safe. Freestanding safes are more conspicuous and in the way.

Also, a gun locked in a safe is not available for immediate self-defense. If you only needed it outdoors, by all means lock it in a safe once you're home. But if your home is not proof against enemies, then keep the gun within your reach.

I should add that I believe a gun is its owner's responsibility and you must be in control of your gun at all times. The gun owner is at fault in all accidents except those where the gun was properly stored and someone got into it (i.e. by breaking or picking a safe, or stealing the key). I don't actually own a gun but I did pick up a bunch of the rules from friends and relatives who hunt.