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Old 04-26-2009, 09:33 AM   #224
Apathy's_Child
 
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Join Date: Aug 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the-nihilist View Post
Making firearms disappear completely is just unrealistic. There's always going to be guns, at least until we invent something better.

Criminals will have guns regardless of the law, and when a paranoid schizophrenic snaps and starts emptying clips in a crowded area, less people would die if someone with a gun shot him dead before he could progress the killing spree.
In countries where guns aren't easily available, the odds of a paranoid schizophrenic getting hold of one are VERY low. This is also generally true for unbalanced clock tower enthusiaists. Yes, CRIMINALS can usually still get hold of them, but people using guns for criminal purposes are usually organized and therefore mentally with the program enough that they aren't likely to go on a shooting spree. Which would you prefer - someone comes into the store you're in, makes you lie down on the ground then runs off with the cash, OR you're in the mall and some wild-eyed lunatic starts opening fire? 'Cause realistically, that's the difference between countries with tight and lax gun control.

EDIT: by the way, I'm not aware of many places where anyone but a cop can carry a loaded gun in public on the off-chance that somebody might take a shot at them.
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