Right to bear arms.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Being from Texas... I still don't understand it.  But in all honesty after the Sandy Hook shooting, when a bunch of Elementary school kids were killed, we still did nothing.  Once you admit that as a country, killing school kids is ok... there is little left to debate.  It is obvious that "hopes & prayers" are not helping. It is past time to hold Congress accountable and do their job.

[Ram1957]

26 minutes ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

Being from Texas... I still don't understand it.  But in all honesty after the Sandy Hook shooting, when a bunch of Elementary school kids were killed, we still did nothing.  Once you admit that as a country, killing school kids is ok... there is little left to debate.  It is obvious that "hopes & prayers" are not helping. It is past time to hold Congress accountable and do their job.

Congress do their job, you must be kidding.

[canadamale]

2 minutes ago, Ram1957 said:

Congress do their job, you must be kidding.

It makes me think how is democracy going to continue if the governments of the day cannot pass legislation to protect it own citizenry. Not only gun control but also the terrorist element. 

[Castaway]

The American Revolution against British Gun Control

This Article reviews the British gun control program that precipitated the American Revolution: the 1774 import ban on firearms and gunpowder; the 1774-75 confiscations of firearms and gunpowder; and the use of violence to effectuate the confiscations. It was these events that changed a situation of political tension into a shooting war. Each of these British abuses provides insights into the scope of the modern Second Amendment.

Furious at the December 1773 Boston Tea Party, Parliament in 1774 passed the Coercive Acts. The particular provisions of the Coercive Acts were offensive to Americans, but it was the possibility that the British might deploy the army to enforce them that primed many colonists for armed resistance. The Patriots of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, resolved: "That in the event of Great Britain attempting to force unjust laws upon us by the strength of arms, our cause we leave to heaven and our rifles." A South Carolina newspaper essay, reprinted in Virginia, urged that any law that had to be enforced by the military was necessarily illegitimate.

The Royal Governor of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, had forbidden town meetings from taking place more than once a year. When he dispatched the Redcoats to break up an illegal town meeting in Salem, 3000 armed Americans appeared in response, and the British retreated. Gage's aide John Andrews explained that everyone in the area aged 16 years or older owned a gun and plenty of gunpowder.

Military rule would be difficult to impose on an armed populace. Gage had only 2,000 troops in Boston. There were thousands of armed men in Boston alone, and more in the surrounding area. One response to the problem was to deprive the Americans of gunpowder.

Laws disarming people who have proven themselves to be a particular threat to public safety are not implicated by the 1774-76 experience. In contrast, laws that aim to disarm the public at large are precisely what turned a political argument into the American Revolution.

The most important lesson for today from the Revolution is about militaristic or violent search and seizure in the name of disarmament. As Hurricane Katrina bore down on Louisiana, police officers in St. Charles Parish confiscated firearms from people who were attempting to flee. After the hurricane passed, officers went house to house in New Orleans, breaking into homes and confiscating firearms at gunpoint. The firearms seizures were flagrantly illegal under existing state law. A federal district judge soon issued an order against the confiscation, ordering the return of the seized guns.

When there is genuine evidence of potential danger--such as evidence that guns are in the possession of a violent gang--then the Fourth Amendment properly allows no-knock raids, flash-bang grenades, and similar violent tactics to carry out a search. Conversely, if there is no real evidence of danger--for example, if it is believed that a person who has no record of violence owns guns but has not registered them properly--then militaristically violent enforcement of a search warrant should never be allowed. Gun ownership simpliciter ought never to be a pretext for government violence. The Americans in 1775 fought a war because the king did not agree.

http://www.davekopel.org/2A/LawRev/american-revolution-against-british-gun-control.html

 

[Reboot]

3 hours ago, Ram1957 said:

Congress do their job, you must be kidding.

By and large, the American public has not wanted onerous regulation that infringes on what they consider a basic Constitutional right. Essentially, Congress has reflected that by not imposing such a regime.

At any rate, the cat's out of the bag and the cow's out of the barn. There are 100s of millions of firearms in private hands in the United States.

Banning all sales now will not change that, and a reasonably maintained firearm will last decades, even centuries.

As for confiscating those hundreds of millions of guns....many of those gun owners will not relinquish their ownership of these guns. In the US, it's a birthright. Trying to make them do so will result in a lot of very bloody unintended consequences. Many law enforcement personnel might even refuse to enforce such laws. 

Edited October 3, 2017 by Reboot

[Old55]

Americans enjoy great freedom but that comes with great responsibility. Those rights are basic constitutional law and not simple to ever change. Most Americans demand those rights some would take up arms to defend to death those rights including the right to bear arms.

As European or others it's easy to criticize and there is much to criticize because true freedom requires discipline respect and responsibility all three much lacking in the US now. 

If the US government were to truly attempt to disarm the public there would be an armed rebellion. I have not owned a hand gun or rifle for over 20 years but would resist any agency attempting a general disarmament.

Gun control mentall citizens and radicals all are areas that need attention. Not an easy task with freedoms included in our constitution.

 It's good we can have a polite conversation but this topic is better not covered here we are about Philippines 🇵🇭 and have better things to share not thinking that may divide us.

 

[Reboot]

Quote

As European or others it's easy to criticize and there is much to criticize because true freedom requires discipline respect and responsibility all three much lacking in the US now. 

This.

[Jollygoodfellow]

I have a feeling as usual this type of topic will be locked but I just want to mention in a news article today that this mass shooting in Vegas took away the spotlight from another 6 mass shootings in the US in the past 6 days. So something is wrong? 

I will find my source but if it's true what a world we live in. 

[Reboot]

So far it has been a civil discussion. We're all grown men (and women).

[stevewool]

Its good to talk about everything that is happening in the world, and yes there are some who will no more about things then others, I just read and listen to what interest me, one person cannot change the world alone but he can make others listen and think. and that could be a start.