Gun control survey...

I'm just looking for some thoughts/ideas folks have on how or if making new gun laws will actually prevent/reduce crime. Thanks for your time.

Ah, a nice, non-controversial subject...gun control. I am in favor of gun control. Two hands should be used whenever possible to ensure control of the weapon.

Seriously, judging by the measurable lack of effectiveness of existing gun control laws, I think it's safe to predict that additional laws will have no effect on crime...except to INCREASE it.

Andrew
James is right. You know my point of view from the last thread. Guns do not cause crime. Poverty, feeling of helplessness, greed, insecurity, all contribute more to violent crime than the availibilty of any gun. Check out Englands violent crime rate sence they outlawed guns. It shows the difenitive proof. Also of note is all of John Lott's books. He started out as a anti gunnner.
James
Also a problem is accruate reporting of the facts. Our local paper connot report a crime that the weapon was not an "automatic". This scares people into thinking machine guns were used and I think you know the facts on that.

I re-thought your question and have another answer for you. Yes new gun laws might just help fight crime. If every criminal knew he might be shot for breaking into someones car, or stealing from someone, or asulting another, maybe crime would go down. For instance,I do not believe I would shoot a kid for jockey boxing my car. But! he should know I just might and that I have the right. Yes change the law so deadly force can be used to protect your private property.

How many gun laws were violated in the columbine incident? probably about a dozen or so I would guess. Just goes to show that laws don't effect people that break the law.

(TIC)I keep a cuple of blackhawk helicopters in my backyard..doesn't everybody? Anybody thinking that a few semi-automatic rifles are going to maintain democracy in these here United States in case of an attempted federal dictatorship, military takeover..well, may I present the Iraqi Republican Guard as evidence to the contrary? No, I don't think rifles are going to do the job..or even RPG's. I plan on purchasing a few used M1 Abrams in the near future too. Everybody knows an armed populace is required to maintain our democratic ideals. China and Russia have gun control..course so does the U.K., Japan, Canada, Australia ...just about everywhere else that doesn't suffer from 617 homicide drive by shootings in their metropolis's as we had last year in L.A..I think everyone should be able to arm bears.

In Norway we have plenty of guns and little crime. The murder rate is low (2.5 per 100 000). 32% of the households have guns. I think the low crime rate is a result of a good wellfare system (we even help people who refuse to help themselves

So, generally speaking, I don't think gun control would reduce crime that much. Fighting poverty and unemployment is probably more important.

Erlend

heck; that kind of thing went on 7 years ago when I was in High School. Granted I went to a comparitively smaller, more rural school than most did at the time, but anyway...
A few of us used to go hunting after school. One day one of the local cops was patrolling the parking lot looking for kids smoking on school property, stuff like that. He noticed the shotgun case in my one partner's open trunk. He asked him, " what's in the case?" My pal said "a shotgun--I'm going hunting right after school" The officer paused a second or two and said "can I see your hunting license then?" My buddy showed it to him and the officer said 'ok, good luck'. Do that today, and you'll be locked up for 10-20 years.