Should the UK have the right to bear arms?

I'm agnostic on this question of 'Gun-Control'.

What's your opinion?

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No.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28197785- Elliot Rodger case2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/arizona-girl-shoots-kills-firearms-instructor- little girl accidently shot gun instructor 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25375064- Colorado school shootings December 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20738998- Sandy hook December 2012
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/20/batman-shooting-killed-colorado-cinema- Guy opens fire in cinema July 2012 killing 50 people.

I could find so many more cases of tragic deaths due to people's stupidity with guns. I just don't' think it is worth allowing the general public to have access to long range weapons. Sure most people would be responsible, but what consolation will that be to the family of those that die cause one psycho goes on a killing spree?

Reply 2

Philbert

17

But seriously: absolutely not.

Reply 3

Emil Cioran

2

Yes: http://gunssavelives.net/ (too many articles to quote) rather than hyperbolic, extremely rare incidents like the post above. Most gun homicides are in states with the most gun control (Chicago).

Self Defense Counter

1320 CASES

Reply 4

Greg Jackson

12

yes, imagine having an m4 how epic it would be like cod4 but irl

Reply 5

JohnPaul_

OP

11

Original post by trasitszy

No.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28197785- Elliot Rodger case2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/arizona-girl-shoots-kills-firearms-instructor- little girl accidently shot gun instructor 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25375064- Colorado school shootings December 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20738998- Sandy hook December 2012
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/20/batman-shooting-killed-colorado-cinema- Guy opens fire in cinema July 2012 killing 50 people.

I could find so many more cases of tragic deaths due to people's stupidity with guns. I just don't' think it is worth allowing the general public to have access to long range weapons. Sure most people would be responsible, but what consolation will that be to the family of those that die cause one psycho goes on a killing spree?

Almost all gun crime is committed with illegally obtained guns. The idea that you can remove all legally obtained guns and have such massacres not to happen is complete fantasy.

Massacres of those kind have only happened in the last 30-40 years. If guns have always been here (or in America, like it has for 300+ years) then guns cannot be the reason as to why these massacres have happened. If you examine the people involved (the killers) then they are either mentally ill or on some drugs of some sort, or in the case of the little girl, inexperienced, although not through fault of her own, and thus irresponsible.

By saying no to the right to bear arms you are presuming everyone will be guilty and irresponsible; the complete opposite to our principles of liberty in this country i.e. presumption of innocence before guilt.

If you also look at the gun crime rates in this country before the right was taken away from us (Bill of Rights 1689) between 1900 and 1920, you'll find that they are far lower than they were now.

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Reply 6

AdamCee

18

Christ no. Only need to take a look at the shootings in America to see how much damage it could (not will.) do to our society.

why

Absolutely not. Would be a total backwards step.

Reply 9

bertstare

6

With proper licencing there's no reason why people shouldn't be allowed guns

Lets see what the '96 handgun ban achieved in the UK:

Not very promising for the anti gun tards

Reply 10

Gax

16

Did you not hear about that 9 year old girl who accidentally shot her instructor?

Reply 11

username1495504

17

no no no no no no no no no no no no no

Places that allow them have loads of killings by gun, places that don't allow them don't have all those killings.

Reply 12

bertstare

6

Original post by Gax

Did you not hear about that 9 year old girl who accidentally shot her instructor?

More people die from falling out of bed every year than they do from accidental gun discharges

Ban beds.

Reply 13

Gax

16

Original post by bertstare

More people die from falling out of bed every year than they do from accidental gun discharges

Ban beds.

Not sure about the authenticity of this information but don't know enough about the subject to dispute it...

Reply 14

al_94

14

Yeah obviously if you need it you should be able to shoot in self defense

Reply 15

Manitude

20

For me it boils down to the statistics.

Number of school shootings in the UK since the 1996 Dunblane massacre: 0 that I can find after a few minutes of googling the subject.
Number of shootings in the USA since March 1996: 168 by my count in the source below, not all of them were fatal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States

One of these countries will allow almost anyone to own a gun. The other has very strict controls on firearms.

Reply 16

JohnPaul_

OP

11

Another point is:

Why are those who are against the right to bear arms happy to have the state to have the monopoly on violence and law enforcement but don't trust themselves?

The state or the police often fail to prevent crime that the power of deterrence via personal ownership of a gun would successfully prevent with the proper training. A well regulated militia... as we see in Switzerland. The highest rate of personal gun ownership and the lowest level of homocide in the world.

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Reply 17

bertstare

6

Original post by Vapor

- In the UK, 22 people were shot and killed by police between 2004 and 2013.
- In the US, in 2011 alone, 404 people were shot and killed.
- US population is roughly 5x the size of ours.

How do you explain that if you're pro-gun ?

It would never happen in the UK anyway like it does in the US. Most people (myself including) are happy living in a gun-free society.

That the US has a far higher number of violent criminals/gangs than the UK, and so more police officers have to use lethal force? What does this even have to do with private citizens owning guns? Dumbest thing I've ever read