Why is Comedian John Oliver one of the most rational voices on gun regulation in our country?
As anyone who has followed the gun debate in this country through its various channels (political, media, news, blogs, real life conversations) it is obvious this is an impassioned debate. There are very strong feelings, stubbornness and a seeming inability to sway people who disagree with you, so I am not going to try.
Personally I don't like guns. I've never bought into the gun mystique. They don't intrigue me. I've never heard an argument to make me want to use them, own them or have them in my life at all. In fact I feel pretty much the opposite. Being around people with guns makes me feel unsafe. Being around people without guns makes me feel safe.
Guns don't really make sense for defense unlike the wild west fantasy of gun advocates. If you really want defense against guns there is a very straightforward way to achieve that. Make guns only available to public safety officers like they do in the UK.
Want a gun? Become a public safety officer.
Um yea.
Key boards are busily clicking and tapping away with angry arguments against idiot liberals...
True. There is that thing about the 2nd amendment. Hmmm.... expect for that little part about a well regulated militia. And what are arms exactly and how are you allowed to bear them? I personally bear the moral responsibility of seeing kids go on a mass shooting in Santa Barbara, Columbine, Newtown and Aurora. I am tired of kids, sociopaths and mentally ill people going on rampages with guns. I am tired of the second amendment making it perfectly legal for them to prepare for those rampages and the idea that curtailing their access to guns is some sort of anti-democracy fascist craziness.
Well the 2nd amendment is clearly still here so I think everyone who wants to join a well regulated militia should be able to own a Brown Bess 1762 English .75 Caliber single shot or grape shot, short range, inaccurate musket. Go have a ball. Not enough? Do arms mean that you can have a thermonuclear bomb? I so apologize for telling you that you can't. No, you cannot have one. Sorry. Write to the NRA and complain.
Then there is hunting. Ah... man vs nature. The loping natural gait of the deer bounding through dense foliage, rivers, and streams against the ... AR 15. Um no. You want to hunt? Bows are now so accurate with cutting edge technology and scopes that friends of mine who are hunters say they rival their guns for accuracy.
One argument that I think is particularly rich is defense against your own government. Really? You are going to stand up to the most powerful army in the entire world? OK good luck with that one.
So I have ranted about my feelings on some of the basic gun arguments. I don't expect to sway anyone. But I would recommend you watch this video by Comedian John Oliver which is not only very funny but very poignant:
https://www.youtube.com/...
The thing I particularly like is it shows a real life case study on this very issue, Australia, and how it transitioned to a largely gun free society. At the end of the day this issue is really very straightforward. If you don't want gun deaths imagine a society free from guns. I can. Can you?