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Originally posted by ctembreull
Wow. I lay out some basic terms, e.g. military-grade ammunition (with a couple of examples), and I'm going technical. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. So anyway, where were we:
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Well, yes, you are. If you want to define ammunition as "military grade", the reader assumes you know what "military grade" ammunition is. Or were you just dressing up your post a bit?
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I can think of at least 55,000 people who might disagree with you. At least, they would if they were still alive. You can talk comparatively all you like, but you're not addressing the basic point: guns do kill people. "Guns are neat little things, aren't they? They can kill extraordinary people with very little effort. " -- John W. Hinckley
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Well, if you define your stances in life by the quotes of murderers that up to you I guess.
Of course guns kill people. They also protect people. A strange dichotomy to be sure...
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I'm trying very hard to see where I should be thankful; the odds are that he just wants to make sure his gun is bigger. Oh, look! Our very own arms race. The fact that the "bad guys" have guns does not mean that people should buy ever more of them. It means that alternate solutions to the problem are required, or the U.S. will rapidly come to resemble Beirut.
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Please go back and read the thread. There is no arms race. The deterent is being shot, not being shot with a bigger gun than you happen to be holding at the time.
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I've never seen anyone quite so complacent about death before. What a saddening thing. However, we license people to drive; we require that they are trained in automotive safety. We also restrict cars to within certain boundaries of power. Why, pray tell, do we not do the same with guns? You're in the military; you've had that training. What about Joe-Bob out there, who bought that Desert Eagle or what have you because it looks cool? What safety training has he got? In most states, the odds are that he has none.
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But earlier in the thread I said:
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If I go to my grave never having to fire my weapon at another human being (in civilian life, that is), I will be a happy man.
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...and...
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That is why, given the fact that guns are abundant in America, we should insist on a mandatory gun safety course in our schools.
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And in the spirit of righteous indignation that you display below, don't tell me how I feel about taking another mans life. It is completely out of
your realm of experience.
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Right. Don't tell me what I was trying to say. I don't believe in banning all guns, FYI. But you're right: all guns are dangerous. The sooner society wakes up to this simple fact, the sooner we can begin working on fixing the problem. That's the trick about those little implements designed from their very inception to kill people; they're inherently hazardous to health, both yours and that of anyone around you.
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If handled improperly. I handle mine properly. Now what is your beef?
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Irrational fear of guns? What a load of tripe. My fear of guns is entirely rational. I've seen firsthand precisely what they can do. I've also seen firsthand how carrying a weapon is no guarantee of safety; but it can increase the likelihood of your being a victim of gun violence. And as far as your pistol goes, are you trying to tell me that if you were not of a mind, you couldn't begin "mowing down the innocent masses"? Or someone else with exactly the same weapon? Your intransigence awes me, as does your utter incapability to realize that my fear of guns is every freaking bit as rational as your fear of gun control.
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I could just as easily decide to plow my car through a famers market, were I suddenly to snap and go on a homicidal rampage. The nice thing about living where I do though, is some sane, law-abiding citizen would very likely put an end to my crime spree with the very weapon you hate.
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Not from where I'm standing. The difference is that perhaps I trust my own judgement better than I trust words on paper. It's a perspective thing.
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Well, we can go with well known and excepted definitions, or we can attempt to glean your meaning from the fathomless depths of your mind...
I prefer the former. However, if you insist on the latter, I will be happy to start using my own definitions of words and terms as well.
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I have never heard of a more laughable notion than that which states laws are black and white, outside of narrow ink-color-on-paper-color terms. Laws are fluid. Laws change. Laws are inconsistent. Laws come and go. Laws are passed to supersede other laws. No law is static, inflexible, or absolute.
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Well, then I suggest you read the piece of legislation in question and find the wiggle room. It is very specific. Black and white, some would say.
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Tell me, would you like me to expound upon just why your being in the military only reinforces my earlier assessment?
Somehow, I am not reassured.
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If you have a problem with the military, please start another thread, and I will deal with that issue there.