Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 21:19:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Thomas Valentino Crimi <tcrimi+@andrew.cmu.edu> To: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Does it's true? Message-ID: <UpZiiQa00UM20Ji4Q0@andrew.cmu.edu> In-Reply-To: <19980628165052.A11045@wcug.wwu.edu> References: <199806280319.UAA12882@athena.tera.com> <Pine.BSF.3.96.980628145509.2460F-100000@s8-37-26.student.washington.edu> <19980628165052.A11045@wcug.wwu.edu>
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Excerpts from FreeBSD-Chat: 28-Jun-98 Re: Does it's true? by Travis Cole@wcug.wwu.edu >While I do agree the human being is responsible for the use of the >weapon I do not agree that alone negates the logic of banning >such weapons. Let me draw an analogy. In the US most drugs >(pot, cocaine, heroin, LSD, etc) are illegal to posses, sell or buy. >But it is not the drugs fault when some one abuses it and cause undue >harm to themselves or others. This is fully the responsibility >of the human involved yet these drugs are illegal. > >By your logic all drugs should be legal. The same can go for our >seat belt laws here in Washington. It is fully my responsibility >to wear a seat belt while in a car. Yet this is mandated by law to >protect my own safety. How many people who really want drugs are finding it difficult to obtain them? Despite their illegality I really have never heard of anyone looking high and low for drugs (albiet I live in New York City, so other's milage may vary) and not finding them. At the same time, seatbelts, a 50-some-odd dollar fine (price doesn't matter, it's just a fine) convinced people to wear the belts. Most people understand that its in their best interests, and a little annoyance isn't worth the fine nor the statistics. The fine serves as a reminder more than an enforcement - very few people are vehemently opposed to seatbelts as they may be opposed to drug prohibition or gun prohibition. Also, when people speak of criminal posession of guns. I'd like to question what percentage of guns used in criminal cases are liscened to the criminal and how many are illegal? Non-licenced guns are already illegal, and at least in my vicinity, crime has been reduced by over 60% by virtue of police enforcing the laws already present. They are going out of their way to search for illegal weapons. Basically using petty crimes as an excuse for a search. Certain things are legislatable and others aren't. The "war on drugs" is one thing I find to have done more good than bad, and I don't feel a total bad on guns would do anything other than take registered guns away. Those 'guns walking' around could be stopped by police at this very minute without a constitutional ammendment. "Excuse me, you got a license for that? Oh, you don't? Step this way..." If for some reason that is not feasable now, why would it be when licensed guns are illegal? And remember that a bullet shot by a licensed gun can always be tracked back to the gun that shot it, and therefore the owner (correct me if I'm am wrong on this). >What do you think would have happened if the kid in Oregon who shot >many of his class mates couldn't have got his hands on any guns? >Yes he may have still done something rash, but how much damage could >he do with a knife or some other similar weapon before some one stopped him? Could a kid dedicated on hurting people be stopped? I won't mention all the possible things he could have done in the absence of guns, but trust me in that with too much time to himself and a little creativity you could never ban all teh objects which can be misused as weapons. That is the one fact that I find scary about 'security'. You can't stop someone who is dedicated to doing damage unless you catch him BEFORE he does it. In that vein, those who are advocating 'human responsibility' are those who I have to side with whole-heartedly. One can't child-proof the world, people have to learn how to bring up their children. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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