Quote: (01-23-2014 01:42 PM)Suits Wrote:
Quote: (01-23-2014 01:03 PM)frenchie Wrote:
I'd rather have a few loan crazies shoot off someone than a government go tyrannical and lock down everyone. At least I have a fighting chance when the storm troopers appear in full riot gear. I'd be happier knowing I died defending myself.
Your opinion does not matter here. Plenty of countries get on in a civilized manner without widespread private gun ownership.
By the time we reach a point where taking down the government with force is necessary, we're already past the point of reason.
Guns do not stop governments from becoming tyrannical. They only allow for the option of a civil war when it happens.
Looking at current affairs and history, we can see that the American Revolutions was an outlier. Almost always, when you overthrow a government, you get nothing better in its place when the dust settles.
What stops tyranny is well balanced powers. In a world with advanced military hardware, private gun ownership is no longer an effective balancing force.
This doesn't mean that I'm personally opposed to private gun ownership. Folks who own guns legally tend to be very law abiding individuals statistically. But that is altogether a separate issue in a day and age where we have the knowledge and potentially the awareness to recognize that a civil war is in no one's best interests.
Good points all around, opinion modified.
Debate game recognized.