Mostly legal but with regulation:
Licensing, registration, and proof of competency in their use just as there is with cars do. Fully automatic weapons present more danger to bystanders than the target and should be banned from civilian use. Anti-tank weapons and machine guns should similarly be banned.
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Mostly legal but with regulation:Licensing, registration, and proof of competency in their use just as there is with cars do.
I agree with this
Fully automatic weapons present more danger to bystanders than the target and should be banned from civilian use. Anti-tank weapons and machine guns should similarly be banned.
Disagree. when was the last time someone was murdered with an anti tank gun? Even killings with semi automatic rifles is extremely rare. The overwhelming majority of gun violence is committed with small calibre handguns
Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
Disagree. when was the last time someone was murdered with an anti tank gun? Even killings with semi automatic rifles is extremely rare. The overwhelming majority of gun violence is committed with small calibre handguns
The way I see it there are three legitimate reasons to own a weapon: self defense, target shooting, hunting/pest control
These are the benefits of ownership. We cannot ignore that there are also attendant risks (accidents and deliberate misuse). For a rifle or handgun I don't think they're large enough to negate the benefits. For a LAW or SAM or nuke the risks of collateral damage far outweigh the benefits, the fact that civilians are rarely use them to kill people is irrelevant.
Automatic weapons also raise the risks without raising benefits to compensate. Because of this I believe they should be banned. Besides if you're life frequently involves suppressive fire I assume you know enough about guns to sit down for ten minutes and change the weapon's action.
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
The way I see it there are three legitimate reasons to own a weapon: self defense, target shooting, hunting/pest control
And the most important reason of all: Zombie Apocolypse!
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
These are the benefits of ownership. We cannot ignore that there are also attendant risks (accidents and deliberate misuse). For a rifle or handgun I don't think they're large enough to negate the benefits. For a LAW or SAM or nuke the risks of collateral damage far outweigh the benefits, the fact that civilians are rarely use them to kill people is irrelevant.Automatic weapons also raise the risks without raising benefits to compensate. Because of this I believe they should be banned. Besides if you're life frequently involves suppressive fire I assume you know enough about guns to sit down for ten minutes and change the weapon's action.
Agreed. Well put. That's pretty much my sentiments, as well.
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
The way I see it there are three legitimate reasons to own a weapon: self defense, target shooting, hunting/pest controlThese are the benefits of ownership. We cannot ignore that there are also attendant risks (accidents and deliberate misuse). For a rifle or handgun I don't think they're large enough to negate the benefits. For a LAW or SAM or nuke the risks of collateral damage far outweigh the benefits, the fact that civilians are rarely use them to kill people is irrelevant.
Automatic weapons also raise the risks without raising benefits to compensate. Because of this I believe they should be banned. Besides if you're life frequently involves suppressive fire I assume you know enough about guns to sit down for ten minutes and change the weapon's action.
Do you exclude collecting generally, or do you just think it's not an important reason?
Originally posted by Bardock42
Do you exclude collecting generally, or do you just think it's not an important reason?
I hadn't considered that. It seems like as legitimate a reason as target shooting. I suspect it may upset my preference for saying that people shouldn't be allowed to own automatic weapons (as some people might want historical accuracy but never shoot the guns at all).