Maybe if you did not come off as morally superior for having a government which does not see fit to trust you with a defensive tool.
I apologise for coming across as condescending. It isn't my intention. And it isn't that the government isn't trusting me, it's that the government isn't trusting crazies. If I could provide a good justification for owning a gun (
not including self-defence which isn't considered a good justification), then I could get one, so long as I provided adequate protections against accidental discharge and theft by the aforementioned crazies. I don't need one and I don't want one, and I don't see the fact that I
can get one to be a good enough reason to have one.
For me personally, as a non-gun owner, it goes to the heart of what people think the role of government should be in our lives.
Fair enough, but why do guns have to be a part of that equation? I could be a small-government advocate and still not require a gun to be a part of that. The American Second Amendment has always seemed to me to be supporting the right of citizens to form armed militias, which was quite relevant in the revolutionary period and not so much now. I wonder how many gun-rights advocates now are members of militias?
It's a partial victory because it (partially) forces the state of Oklahoma to follow the rules (the US constitution) from which it draws its power. Anything that returns government to actually govern by the rules (presumably drew up with consent of the governed) is a good thing.
Why don't the more enthusiastic gun control advocates be honest, drop the post hoc rationalizations and try to amend the constitution. I'd consider that a victory as well.
This is a good point. But personally I think there's very little possibility of repealing the Second Amendment in the forseeable future. It's a non-starter.
No cost to society and more freedom for individuals = no good reason for society to ban it.
You seem to think that any gun control is equivalent to banning. It isn't. As I said, it's perfectly legal for me to apply for and obtain a gun license just like it is for you. As far as I can tell there are two main differences - the types of weapon that are available legally, and the fact that "self-defence" is not considered a valid reason to own a gun here. Hunting, vermin control, sport - all are valid reasons, and there are plenty of responsible, legal gun owners in Australia. Heck, we have some regular shooters on our own property to shoot feral goats and foxes, and I have no problem with them (unlike my crazy hippie vegan neighbours...).
