It's Just Abbey

I agree and disagree. They should ban automatic weapons. The average idiot doesn't need a belt-fed 240g medium machine gun. The funny part is, that's already illegal. The "assault rifles" they are trying to ban are the single shot civvie models. Yeah, it has a 30 round magazine, but what does that matter? Reduce my clip size and I'll just carry more. I can reload the thing. Maybe it's a question of muzzle velocity and armor penetration? Possibly. Even the civvie model of an M4 with basic ball ammunition will punch clean through a cops vest without a thought, as was evident in the LA bank robbery back in 97.

So what is it then? Think it'll lower crime? Hardly. Numbers show that after they banned handguns in DC violent crime went up. Is that a far sketch for the whole country? Probably not. Just because one place reacted badly doesn't mean every place will. The conundrum though, is taking away guns from the average American, of any caliber or kind, isn't going to stop the criminals from getting everything from old WW2 Lugers to Russian RPG-7s. It's why they're criminals in the first place. They don't follow the laws.

I guess my point is that all they're going to pull off is disarming me and making me less capable of defending myself in certain situations. I will agree, the odds of a heavily armed mob hit squad with kevlar and trauma plates coming in to kill me are slim, but in today's world, I wouldn't be shocked. Gangs like the infamous MS-13 send their members out to the military to learn to fight and come back to teach their fellows. There's a video on youtube of a MS-13 members mowing down 3 police officers using text book urban combat tactics I learned in the Marines.

We've managed to piss off most of the Arab world, not to mention that everyone is STILL falling out over dumb shit. Darfur is a great example. Wrong tribe? Now you're murdered. As well as your tribe. Any by-standers too. Across the world, right? Not our problem? Who's to say something can't happen on our shores? Be it a radical group to a full out military invasion? It's possible. Maybe I'm just paranoid or a, I just realistic? Either way, I want to have ample means to defend my family, my home, my country, and myself. I will not be one of the many to lay down and die.

That being said, I do agree that we need to be saved from ourselves. I just bought a pistol and showed it to my friends. My buddies girlfriend looked at me in sheer terror when I tried to hand it to her. I showed her it was unloaded. I even dropped the mag and took it completely apart to show her it was physically impossible for a round to be anywhere inside the gun. She still held it like it was about to suck out her soul. The point of this? People's fear of guns 90% of the time is based upon ignorance. They don't understand them, how to work, and that leads to themselves or others being hurt\killed. They don't respect the weapon and treat is as just that. A tool that can take lives.

Instead of banning guns, they ought to make taking an intensive class on how to handle, operate, clean, dis\assemble, and implement the weapon. Not only would this eliminate a lot of ignorance, but it would weed out the people who want to own a gun just to be cool, who don't have any respect for its nature. The only people who would dedicate the time to take the class would be those who fully understand and really want to own one, and those are the people who generally only keep them for hobby sake (range fire or hunting) or collectors. Generally, those are the people with the most control, as they are seasoned shooters and handlers.

Take my opinion for what's it's worth, as it is just an opinion.

Steve, I completely agree with where you are coming from about classes. It would indeed help with knowledge and reduce fear of the unknown. It would also weed out the crazies. I would actually take those classes even if I never actually owned one. They are fascinating tools.

Its such a hard topic because no matter what, someone will be unhappy and every plan has its major drawbacks. No matter what there will always be an idiot who wants to shoot up a KFC with a weapon he can barely wield and he will get his hands on it at whatever cost. The world isn't perfect. But I also believe that if the war were to reach our soil the government would be handing out guns like bailout money. I may be naive, but I'm trusting that will never happen.

I will say that my blog is rather black and white on the topic (as I tend to be) and your opinion is a very valid one. Its actually word for word my father's opinion on the subject. I would fully support a less black and white way around gun control to keep the collectors and hunters with their guns they crave. But as usual these people don't have a voice. The people with the voices are the crazy NO GUNS EVER and the the equally as crazy I SHOULD BE ABLE TO OWN A TANK FOR PROTECTION! Neither side makes the middle ground very stable. Sadly, the lesser of two evils at the moment is keeping the nutters away from heavy artillery.

I would totally own a tank for protection. Also for crushing cars at a monster truck rally. That'd be sweet.

While I found this write-up genuinely fascinating, I could not help but to wonder whether the data you utilized are accurate. That statement seems quite odd to me. Any ideas whether or not it's genuinely legitimate?