So I wrote this up as a response to a comment on another blog dealing with new restrictive laws in response to the shooting in Arizona recently.
I'd like to respond to the comments that said that guns don't kill people/everyone should have guns.
It's true that a gun isn't the *only* thing that is needed to kill people; give a normal person a gun, and they're not going to kill anyone. BUT, if that guy didn't have a gun, do you think he would have managed to injure and kill the same # of people that he did? Never. Maybe he could have stabbed someone, but kill or injure 15+ people? No. That's why gun control is important, and why guns DO kill people.
The idea that everyone having a gun would be great is also fairly laughable. FIrst of all, not everyone is going to be willing to carry a gun. They're big, expensive, heavy, and dangerous, so it's just not feasible to have everyone have one. Plus, more guns=more kids getting ahold of them=more accidents.
Secondly, easy to get guns means that disputes can easily turn more violent. What if a couple of people are in a bar, drunk, and get into a fight? If one gets scared and thinks his life may be at stake, he's definitely going to pull out his piece and start shooting, killing not only his opponent but also bystanders, which takes me nicely to my 3rd point: If everyone had guns, you would have many people carrying guns (and you already do now) who are horrible shots. It takes time, dedication, and money to learn how to shoot well, and the average American might not have these things. Thus, you have people who don't know how to use guns with them. These weapons would likely be small, concealable handguns, which are *extremely* inaccurate, especially cheap ones with cheap ammo. Now, when a "bad guy" pulls a gun (or some trigger happy moron *thinks* someone has a gun and ends up shooting a teenager pulling a cell phone out of his pocket), all these newly armed citizens will start spraying away. They'll be lucky to even hit the "bad guy," and it's extremely likely that they would shoot innocent bystanders, especially in cramped quarters like a school where stray bullets could easily pass through walls and kill those on the other side.
What we need is STRICTER gun control, and I agree that we need to stop black market gun-running. That's what will make us safer, not arming every moron with a pulse.
So that's my opinion on that. I'd love to hear comments from you guys, and I welcome anyone who disagrees with my opinions.