Idk, I don't really like guns. In video games and ----, sure, but in real life, going to school and knowing that at any moment, some idiot could pull out a gun and start shooting people doesn't make me feel very safe. It happens all the time now, and a kid at my school apparently brought a gun a few weeks ago and got expelled... No, guns aren't just for killing...humans...this "sport" of killing defenseless(usually) animals isn't much better, imo. So it's sole intention is to kill, whether it be for sport or for crime or for protection. You're not going to shoot someone to stun them, you're going to shoot them to kill them. I think to get a gun you should need some sort of background check first, make sure you've committed no felonies or anything. It's way too easy for someone who is homicidal to go get a gun and kill some civilians, and by then it's not like cops can arrive fast enough to stop him. And I don't really think that GTA, paintball/airsoft, mainstream rap music and gang movies are helping the whole "guns are your friend" movement.
Thanks a lot for your input on this subject guys. The reason I asked is because I am currently making a documentary on guns and gangs in Southern California and it came up as a very controversial issue. I mean, yes, deep down inside we all know guns to be bad. However, I just think guys just make it easier. It's not like gang members and such wouldnt shank eachother or that drunks wouldnt kill eachother in bar fights. The fact remains that humans are still violent, stupid, and are going to kill one another no matter what. The gun was made for war, yes, but look at the little good it has done too. Without guns, police wouldnt be able to save lives by disabling or shooting a criminal. Without guns, we wouldnt be able to defend our nation in the armed forces. As for how guns are easy to obtain, people need to realize that illicit arms trade - on both a domestic and international level - is a big problem. Its not about the dealers who have shops, as they usually check backgrounds and such. Its about the crack dealer on the corner and the gangsters who import these guns to sell to teens for as little as $50.00. Its also a sociological matter; do you feel safe anymore? No. Noone does. Guns will keep being popular so long as we are still violent and stupid, which we are.
I also believe that weapons like guns are instruments that can be used to protect or harm and are entirely dependent on the user.
Well, if guns were not invented, WWI wouldn't have happened, meaning you most likely would not exist depending on your location as well as your ancestors. But I cannot see why you would think that they are stupid because without them the world would be so completely different that you can't even imagine how areas like europe, britain, and north america would have been colonialized.
Im sorry but this has me convinced that you are f*cking mental my friend... If you are pissed off at your boss you are more likely to kill him in the heat of the moment with a knife if you've got one on you or you will just start wailing on him with your fists, you would have to be a psycho, thus probably already owning a firearm of your own, to actually go all the way to killing him after driving home and actually haivng time to cool down.... Even if guns didn't exist, people would have sooooo many options that are equally easy ways of killing, theres too many to name... Sure it may be harder to find certain weapons but in many places its still very hard to get a gun yet people still seem to have plenty. Aren't cars/crashes like a top 5 killer in north america? Why don't we ban cars while were out banning guns. And hey, since hockey sticks and baseball bats can be dangerous, why dont we just get rid of them too? Oh but wait, technically killing someone with a bat would mean that you are looking at them, and their eyes, so this makes it legit to kill with a bat. Also, im confused as to why you keep bringing up this long range, 30m bull----. How often do you really think the people getting killed by guns are killed from that far away? I dont know if youve been playing to much Counter Strike or if you are really just that ignorant, probably the later of the two, but where I live, almost every news story ive ever seen and almost every video ive ever seen where a person is shot and killed, was close range or drive by of some sort... never a long range shot. You keep saying that you think the process of killing someone should be meaningful, but why does using a gun make it lose meaning? Nobody really just picks a random person they have never seen before and just pops them on the spot. There is always some meaning behind killing. Just because the person doesn't use a knife and get right down and dirty doesn't mean they are not impacted by what happens. Killing is Killing, not matter how it is done, the end result is the same. A guy gets stabbed multiple times, another guy gets shot, if they are commited by the same guy are you telling me that the first kill should be pardoned because he looked into his eyes as he stabbed him, EVEN though the other guy, who was shot, also was up close and personal with his killer, just because the kill was "too easy"?
The world would be a very boring place if everyone was all buddy buddy and holding hands with each other in peace. So I picked the first option.
Fawks, I think there is more to worry about in this world then gang movies and rap. Sure they may influence this violence, but anyone in their right mind would be able to draw the line between reality and what happens in these movies/songs. If a kid sees a violent movie, its the job of his parents to make sure he understands that it is just a movie and that you cannot just go out and act this way without harsh concequences. Same with the music, most of which if you actually sit down and listen to it, there is more meaning to it then just bitches, making money, and killing people. Sure some games like GTA may cause some people to do stupid things and take it too far, but really it wasn;t the game that turned them from regular kids to going out and shooting up a school. Something had to happen to bring trauma to their life before that led up to it. People just look for something or someone to blame when things go wrong because they need closure, when thats really not the issue at all. Lets say a kid gets sexually assaulted when he or she is young by a family friend or even one of their parents. This same kis grows up in a violent neighboorhood seeing friends of his be shot in front of his eyes. Sure he may play GTA, but I highly doubt that the game or the movie he just saw is what sets him off to go kill, it may have been the tip of the iceberg but its certainly not what caused it. And if the game didn't exist and put him over the edge, something else would have anyway.
There are people that collect guns. Many of the guns in those collections have never had a round fired through them. There are people that shoot targets for sport. There are even Olympic events that involve shooting. A gun is no different from a knife; they each have several uses. I carry a knife with me all the time, along with my car keys, cigarettes, lighter, phone, and wallet. I use it pretty much every day; its uses range from cutting open boxes to slicing bread. With it, I can slice a piece of paper. I can slice the tape on a box. I can slice the flesh on a person. A gun is the same way. I could go down to RangeMaster and put holes in paper. I could go into the woods and put holes in deer. I could go down the street and put holes in people. Its purpose is dependant on what I want to do with it, just like my knife. I am responsible with my knives, and I am responsible with my guns. How am I a danger to society? Is it because the gun has some sort of power over me, some power that makes me want to kill people? Is it because I like Slayer or Pantera? Is it because I like to play Counter-Strike from time to time? At the end of the day, the only thing that would make me want to kill somebody is myself. Not what I listen to on the radio. Not what I do with my free time. Not what's in a case in my closet. Myself. People will blame anything to take responsibility off themselves. That's why you see Marilyn Manson getting blamed for Columbine. Well, I take that back. Society's not as quick to pass judgement on alcohol when somebody gets drunk and kills a mom and two kids because he was too stupid to get a f*cking taxi home. I won't argue with the "not to stun" comment; when you shoot somebody, you are trying to kill them. Putting a round through somebody's hand instead of two through their chest is Hollywood bullsh*t. However, I would actually feel safer if there were more CCW permit holders around. It's a deterrant to a potential robber to know that the guy in the gas station may have a sawn-off shotgun under the counter, that the guy in the back buying a case of beer may have a handgun under his jacket. (And, in most places, you need to go through a criminal background check to get a gun. Things like being a convicted felon, which makes it illegal for you to own a gun, will pop up. To legally carry a gun concealed in public, you have to pass several tests and attend certain classes, as well as a background check.)
