Re: (OT) Firearms Was: UN declares Internet access a "human right"

[Daniel Seagraves <dseagrav () humancapitaldev com>]

On Jun 6, 2011, at 8:41 AM, Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu wrote:

> Nice try, but the human right you just made a case for is "the right to rid
> yourself of criminals and despots".  A "fundamental right" for citizens to have
> firearms does *not* automatically follow.  Yes, despots usually need to be
> removed by force.  What Ghandi showed was that the force didn't have to be
> military - there are other types of force that work well too...

I believe that as a law-abiding citizen, I should have the right to be at least as well-armed as the average criminal. 
If the average criminal has access to firearms, then I should have that option as well. I should not be forced into a 
disadvantage against criminals by virtue of my compliance with the law. Once law enforcement is effective enough to 
prevent the average criminal from having access to firearms, then the law-abiding population can be compelled to 
disarm. This stance can result in an escalation scenario in which criminals strive to remain better-armed than their 
intended victims, but the job of law enforcement is to prevent them from being successful.

At present, the average criminal in my area does not have firearms, and so I do not own one. Gun crime is on the 
increase, however, so this situation may change.