How do you decide if a certain type of firearm is designed to shoot people? Are they somehow manufactured with this intent? Are these "designed to shoot people " guns not suited for other uses? Thanks.
Ranb
How do you decide if a certain type of firearm is designed to shoot people? Are they somehow manufactured with this intent? Are these "designed to shoot people " guns not suited for other uses? Thanks.
Ranb
Cleon
King of the Pod People
Different models of goods are manufactured for different purposes--this is true for guns, computers, musical instruments, what have you. The fact that they're geared for that purpose doesn't mean that they can't be used for others. Examples:
A computer with a high-end graphics card and sound card is typically engineered for high-performance gaming. That does not mean it can't be used as a web server, but that wouldn't be what it was designed for, and it would be something of a waste.
An electric guitar is not designed for bluegrass music, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to play bluegrass. (If you're playing with other people, you're probably going to get some odd looks, though.)
Handguns are designed to be personal weapons (i.e., self-defense, other person-to-person shooting), not hunting weapons. Can you use a handgun for hunting? Sure, though I wouldn't recommend trying to take down a bear with a 9mm. You could also tote along a shotgun for protection while you jog in the park. Neither is an optimal use of the tool, however.
bokonon
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As far as I can tell, this unpersuasive argument is the reason the 2nd amendment was ratified. As far as taking down the government goes, I don't know, but I suspect the answer is yes. There are 300 million citizens. I don't know how many of those are armed adults, but I assume it's a sizable percentage. Whether or not they could take down a despotic government, they could still put quite a dent in its ability to enforce its will on the majority of people.
I don't own a gun myself, but I still favor keeping them available, and it isn't because I think people need to eat more venison.
Washington, DC has had an almost total ban on private gun ownership since 1976. Here are the murder statistics for DC 1960 - 1976 (rates are murders per thousand population). They don't make a terribly persuasive case that outlawing guns makes you safer. The murder rate dropped for a few years, but soon was higher - far higher - than it had been before the gun ban. Look at the horrifying rates beginning in 1988, which have only recently come back down to the level they were at before the ban. Source.
Attachments
Thanks for reminding me of that scene in The Deer Hunter where the guys are all in the car driving out into the mountains to hunt deer and John Cazale's character has brought none of the equipment or outfitting he needs except, ridiculously, a pistol.
DeNiro: "This is this!"
What a great movie.
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chocolatepossum
Critical Thinker
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What about the questions I asked? Should people be allowed to own explosives, tanks, mines, missiles etc. (weapons designed to take on modern armies)? If not, why not?
Bandersnatch
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Incidently, today is the anniversery of the Polytech Massacre here in Canada.
bokonon
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I think a case could be made, but I'm not personally in favor of it. I prefer to see the power diffused among lots of "little people," rather than concentrated in the hands of a few. If it were legal to own tanks and missiles, only the rich HumVee-driving jerks and druglords would be able to afford them, which, in my opinion, would not be in keeping with the spirit of the 2nd amendment.
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chocolatepossum
Critical Thinker
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But if they werer cheaper so that everyone could get involved that would be ok? Cruise missiles for all?
Cleon
King of the Pod People
Wow, I'd forgotten all about that...Haven't seen Deer Hunter in years.
Time to adjust Ye Olde Netflix Queue...
Handguns are designed and intended to be shot with one hand. The government (27 CFR 479.11) defines them as; A weapon originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile.....when held in one hand,.....
This is a very broad definition. Handguns come in a variety of sizes, calibers and configurations. I own two handguns that are well suited for taking large game animals out to two hundred yards. Some people on this forum tend to restrict their idea of handguns to smaller revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. This is a mistake when talking about handguns in general.
Ranb
bokonon
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No, I kind of like the idea of accountability too. A rifle has a range of a few hundred yards, and you have to be there in person to use it. When a hothead gets hold of one, and uses it inappropriately, chances are that he can be observed and held accountable.
I don't expect it to happen, but if it does ever come down to "People vs U.S. Government," there will be time to acquire cruise missiles and mines then. Right now, I think guns is the appropriate level of armament.
Darth Rotor
Salted Sith Cynic
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Complexity
Philosopher
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I agree. Protection against the government was the reason for the Second Amendment. I agree that it is appropriate and necessary. I don't own a gun - depression makes that unwise - but I'm glad that many others do.
KingMerv00
Penultimate Amazing
Oh I'm sorry. I completely forgot. It is right here on my "to do" list:
"Influence the minds of millions of people and/or rewrite the constitution."
I don't know how it slipped my mind.
anticonspiracy911
Critical Thinker
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How about we prevent the grooming of losers in this country? The rational one will tell you this was a kid who thought personal responsibility was ******** and blamed all of his problems on everyone else. While the psychiatrist will get all touchy feely, refuse to classify anyone because their goal eventually is to make all English words meaningless and narrow-minded, and then blame his problems on some mythical energy.
Bring back personal responsibility!
Bring back personal responsibility!
The NPR story I heard this morning said that this wretch used an SKS (modified to feed from an AK mag; I don't know if they got that detail right, but such things are on the market). Pretty hard to legislate against long arms, even a rinky-dink bullet-squirter like that.
Cleon
King of the Pod People
And I know a guy with a Harley cruiser that can out-run a Honda CBR. That doesn't change the fact that cruisers (especially Harleys) are not particularly engineered for racing.
You mean those devices that legally in the hands of someone in the store might have stopped him? He had, by the way, a regular rifle as I heard.