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

[mikea <mikea () mikea ath cx>]

On Mon, Jun 06, 2011 at 10:21:35AM -0700, Owen DeLong wrote:
> On Jun 6, 2011, at 7:31 AM, Daniel Seagraves wrote:
>
> > 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.
>
> I take it a step further. I believe that in order to preserve the ability of the people to defend themselves from the 
> possibility of tyranny, the people must be allowed to possess any level of hardware allowed to the government.
>
> While your statement above sounds wonderfully utopian, the reality is that unless the citizens can take up arms 
> against the government, the government can, over time, become criminal. A disarmed populace has no ability to protect 
> itself from such a government.
>
> > 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.
>
> In my area, most of the gun murders are committed by police officers. I live in San Jose, California.

The people of the various provinces are strictly forbidden to have in their
possession any swords, short swords, bows, spears, firearms, or other types of
arms. The possession of unnecessary implements makes difficult the collection of
taxes and dues and tends to foment uprisings. -- Toyotomi Hideyoshi, August 1588

-- 
Mike Andrews, W5EGO
mikea () mikea ath cx
Tired old sysadmin