Guns don’t kill people, people kill people
But guns certainly make it easier.
Like most people living Asia, I woke up to the morning news and the first RSS feed I read was on the Virginia Tech shooting, the worst of its kind in American history. I think it’s about time some people get it through their thick skulls that private ownership of guns is a stupid thing. I am disturbed that any emotionally unstable teen can pick up a gun from his father’s locker and kill. I am disgusted that Republican politicians like Mitt Romney have to suck up to the NRA to please the conservative voters. I think the Second Amendment is a good idea badly conveyed and horribly misinterpreted.
Read on for why.
The founding fathers assumed that power corrupts and a government always requires checks and balances to remain true to the people’s interest. For that purpose, the people must have the ability to rise against an oppressive government should the need arise and thus the need for private ownership of guns. This might have been effective two hundred years ago when everyone used wooden musket guns and it didn’t take a lot of effort to burn down the White House, but today it is absurd to think that any private militia can have the firepower to match the US military’s cutting-edge technology and astronomical budget. Does anyone seriously believe that keeping a pistol by your bedside will help you if someone decided to turn America into a theocratic dictatorship? Unless you are Laura Bush, the answer is definitely “no”.
And that is exactly why no other functional democracies in the world relies on private gun ownership as a safeguard against a corrupted government. Instead they rely on dividing the power among different branches of the government and on an educated and well-informed population. If the day comes when it becomes necessary for the people to overthrow the government by force, then democracy has already failed. Are advocates of gun ownership saying that democracy in America is so screwed up and unreliable that such an arrangement is really called for, in spite of the innumerable negative effects it has on society? What a huge insult to the system that is the pride of so many Americans.
Not only does private gun ownership contribute absolutely nothing to in today’s democracies, it brings about a boatload of otherwise avoidable social problems. Some people feel unsafe without a gun for self defence because they would otherwise stand no chance against an armed criminal. But the irony is that the criminal is armed only because he too is allowed to possess firearms under the same set of laws. These gun right advocates claim that if gun control laws are passed, then honest citizens will be robbed of their right to self defence while the criminals continue to arm themselves with black market guns. But they are wrong. With proper law enforcement, criminals will have access to less guns than before and ultimately the number of gun-related violent crimes will drop. It is selfish for people to keep guns to protect themselves at the expense of public safety because it creates a harmful environment where guns are more easily obtainable.
Also, it is important to note that carrying a gun does not necessarily mean you are safer. If an armed man robs me, I will give up my valuables and stand a good chance of walking away from the encounter alive, because the goal of the robber is money and generally it is wiser to avoid killing and causing unnecessary trouble. On the other hand, if I respond by pulling out a gun, the situation changes and one of two things happen: I shoot him or he shoots me. Either way, someone will die.
Guns make killing all to easy. You can be walking home from work and end up getting shot by a drunk and bored teenager, or attending lessons when your classmate who just got dumped by his girlfriend pulls out a gun and shoot you. The people committing these murders are not members of organized criminal syndicates, they are emotionally unstable stupid teenagers who have an all-too-easy access to legally-purchased guns. Maybe mafia mobsters will continue to have access to black market guns even after gun control laws are passed, but at least these idiots will not. If the laws are enforced by a competent police force, and yet a criminal manages to obtain a gun illegally without getting caught, then clearly he possesses a higher level of intelligence and self discipline than the Columbine shooters.
And without guns, what will crazy nut jobs do in the spur of the moment when caught in a heated argument that they just can’t win with words alone? The worst they can do is to stab the other party with a knife. If they can even figure out how. Maybe they will succeed killing one person, but you can bet that it will not be 32 people. In a society that allows private gun ownership, the sanctity of life is cheapened to a trigger squeeze.
Knives, baseball bats, metal rods, golf clubs, lengths of rope, glass shards, rocks and, yes, even guns can kill people. The difference is that guns do it too well to be allowed in the hands of the untrained and undisciplined masses. Police officers and soldiers are duty bound and professionally responsible for their actions, it’s what they are trained to do. The average emo teenager on LJ is neither. I’m not saying that it is impossible for a trained soldier to loss his cool and commit murder, but I think it’s obvious which one is more likely to cause the next record-breaking campus shooting.
…But I guess freedom and liberty and whatnot is more important than going to school without having to pass through metal detectors. Whenever will some people learn to see what is true freedom?
stun guns for non lethal self defense. Stun guns are an inexpensive and effective means to protect yourself. Legal almost everywhere.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
> they have never experienced a gun-free society and hence have the mistaken notion that guns are like air, and everywhere.
LOL.
At any rate, it turns out the guy actually was a green card holder, and as a legal resident alien, wouldn’t he have had the same right to purchase guns?
As for the disproportionately large number of comments regarding gun rights vs those offering condolences, my guess is that everyone agrees that it was a tragic incident and can grieve privately, but can’t resist arguing publicly about a polarising issue such as gun rights.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:05 am
I remember Michael Moore making a similar argument against gun ownership in his movie Bowling for Columbine. He recalled a set of facts; that American had an uncomparably high rate of homicides. This was contrasted against other countries which also had legalized gun ownership, countries which had a violent culture or both. In any case America wins by at least an order of magnitude; usually two orders of magnitudes. When compared to Asia where legal gun ownership is a rarity, its typically three orders of magnitude.
In other words its not a violent culture or legalized gun-ownership that’s the problem. Its something endemic to the Americans in particular. Its easy to theorize what that may be but hard to prove.
Personally I think legalized civilian ownership of firearms is insane but then again as a Singaporean I’ve never had to worry about being shot on the street. Just about every male Singaporean above 18 knows how to handle rifles, those who were officers are also usually trained in pistols. Despite this, possessing ammunition is already a capital offense let alone a firearm.
Pro-gun activists have a point. There are already so many firearms owned by so many people that it may be pointless to enforce gun-laws now. The borders of the US are vast and porous. However their argument is ultimately a circular one. People need guns to defend them from guns because people have guns. If taken as a reductio ad absurdum, that you need BIGGER guns to protect you since the “bad guys” have bigger guns, then everyone would not be content until they ride their own Abrams or a Gundam (preferably Strike Freedom). After all, how is a six shot revolver going to help you when the enemy packs a semi-automatic or a full-automatic? These were the weapons of choice at Columbine High School after all. Automatic weapons with 30 round clips in the hands of the “Trenchcoat Mafia”.
In this particular case, the shooter used illegally acquired firearms. However its relatively easy to obtain such items since a citizen can legally buy a few pistols and then sell them on the black market. Would 32 people had died if everyone on campus packed a Desert Eagle or a Beretta? Maybe not. By the time the shooter got through his first classroom, the one next door would have had enough firepower trained on the doorway to make him spring more leaks than the Titanic. Would the frequency of such incidents also increase? This is a chilling thought. Unhinged people are everywhere but this one went through the effort of purchasing two blackmarket pistols and plenty of ammunition. If all he needed to do when he snapped was to reach under his desk…..
Neither side will be willing to budge so it boils down to a simple, personal question. Which of these would engender your own peace of mind? That everybody packs a gun or nobody (save the armed forces and law enforcement) packs a gun?
April 18th, 2007 at 12:15 am
Most people in those message boards(Digg) only think of themselves. I mean if people are allowed to own guns, imagining in a small classroom where there are about 30-40 students(or less), and each and everyone one of them have guns, would anyone feel safe? I think not. Imagine an ordinary fight among people, you could imagine instead of using their fist they would be using their guns. Soon after that, person threatens you = reason to kill him/her.
The problem with America is that they have too many guns. Putting more guns in public hands is not the solution.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:19 am
They should just make every bullet cost 100000 dollars each
April 18th, 2007 at 12:36 am
quoting from Mkyz: “Virginia Tech is a “gun-free zone”, but I guess no one told the guy who killed 30+ people that.”
well, he’s Korean..so…he cant understand..=.=..
well, i personally think that we as guys coming out to society to either work or study, its better to open your eyes BIG when making friends.
Today, i read an article from a Chinese book on how to improve your life morally, it states that when we make friends, try to know if that friend can teach you good, such as, doing good deeds and that he or she will be able to help you improve in terms of moral and ethics, which is what the whole world is lacking right now. As education gets higher, people tend to forget about the basics of being a human being. They start going after the things that are physical, and forget that there’s something spiritual.
But on the other, if the friend you are about to make encourages to do bad things, such as smoking, drinking and theft, dump him. What will happen if you make friends with him is that, 1) you start to be like him. You lose everything you once have. Your family, your friends, your freedom. 2) You get into jail. 3) if he’s out to con money from you, you will be begging on the streets soon(don’t expect returns).
As for people finding their soul mates, do what good couples do. Before getting engaged, look at his negative points instead of the good. Think whether he is a good mate for the rest of your life. This way, when finally you guys are ready to have a family, do the opposite. Look at his good trades and cover an eye on the bad. This way, you get happy family.
You might be thinking,”How does the above 3 paragraphs relate to murders and guns?” Well, simple. Its quite obvious that our gunman got into something wrong with love. And instead of doing the rational thing at the point, he did the opposite. I mean, he could cool it off, but instead, heat it up till the point he burns himself, to death.
As for selling of guns, “A good king knows what’s good or bad for his people.” If a leader of the country truly wishes Best for his people, he shouldn’t bring in the bad boys. If he did, cleaning up the mess the bad boys did after that would be hard. For eg, currently Singapore is having this anti-smoking plan, whereby they
show a lady with lips that is rotting, talking on television about the negative effects of smoking for 1 min. Imagine you are eating dinner, OMG!!, you saw that commercial, could you eat? Its the Cleanup the Government have to do to encourage people from smoking..
Overall, be careful when making friends. Night..
April 18th, 2007 at 12:40 am
When I saw this, it struck me how similar I was to this man. I guess I am a loner too. I only had 2 friends in college and they were my roommates.
For a long time now, I’ve fought my own depression. Not for my sake, as it takes alot of mental energy to stop myself. But for the sake of those around me. However, not everyone has the strength to fight it and even I still break down Nsometimes. I know many of you will say to just “get help”, but how many are truly supportive of someone who hates himself? The internet has already shown its lack of compassion on the subject. Compare how many forums you can find on suicide action versus suicide prevention. Those who try to talk about it are labelled “emo” and mostly ignored. Many are ostracized for being “weird” or different in some way and they feel alone no matter where they are. This isn’t something that “thinking happy thoughts” can solve.
So many are compassionate when someone goes out and kills a bunch of people. You know his name, you hate him. But if he walked out into the woods and shot himself, would you even know? Would you even care, even if you did find out? So, if you were going to kill yourself, finally going over the edge, what incentive is there to take only yourself? No one cares.
I understand that grabbing a gun and gunning down your fellow classmates isn’t a solution of any kind. But I know I’ve thought about doing it in those times where you wish the world was more accepting of you.
I feel sorry for those killed by him and for him. Society failed all of you.
April 18th, 2007 at 12:56 am
This is the least vitriolic statement of these views I’ve read since this event occurred. I appreciate that.
I’d first like to point out that two of the most peaceful countries in the world have near 100% household firearm ownership: Switzerland and Finland. Furthermore, people in many countries with the strictist firearm law enforcement laws on the planet STILL live in fear of being shot by criminals with guns (Cuba, for instance). In fact, in the United States it used to be quite common in many places for most every boy to carry his rifle to school with him, yet school shootings didn’t seem to occur.
Guns do make it easy to kill. It’s a very sad fact. In practical terms, though, a gun is used to provide the REAL danger: Unequal power. Evil people try to exert strength to rule over those who are weaker than them. People arm themselves to make themselves stronger. It is quite possible to kill large numbers of people without a firearm. A man with a knife can do it through fear (and it has been done before–and the Virginia Tech shootings, being frequently at close range where people COULD have fought back, is quite similar). A man with a bomb can do it through planning.
There is something that makes the gun unique in its power, though: Any person who arms themselves with a gun is pretty well equal to any other person who arms themselves with a gun. Training and various aspects of a gun can make a difference, but the gap is much smaller. With any other weapon, be it fists, rocks, swords, or knives, a person who is larger, stronger, or even merely more aggressive has a tremendous advantage. With a gun, a wheelchair-bound woman can stand against a tremendously large man.
There are MILLIONS of people licensed to carry concealed weapons in the United States. As a group, they have criminal records cleaner than the collective of the police forces in the country. It would only have taken ONE of them to stop the murders yesterday, but the carry of weapons is prohibited on the Virginia Tech University campus. In fact, just last year the Virginia legislature did not pass bill to stop the campus from being able to ban the concealed carrying of firearms by those who are properly licensed. The young man knew very well that every one there would be unarmed, and so he knew that he would carry unequal power for that time.
Criminals do what they do because they feel they can get away with what they plan.
The private ownership and use of arms does protect democracy from outside forces and inside forces, even today. We who are fortunate enough to live in peaceful countries don’t see it every day, but it is true. Even in the United States, though, elections have been kept in order by ordinary, armed citizens standing against corrupt officials.
It’s quite possible for a collection of armed citizens to stand against corrupt government. It’s true that a small, concentrated group of people with rifles cannot stand against the might of tanks and bombs. At the local level, however, it is a far more even fight, and even at the national level it is possible for large numbers to stand up and fight in spread out areas. Although it is clear that the insurgents fighting in Iraq are not the people who should win, nor will they likely win, they are a good modern example of how people with poor and/or no training and small arms can stand up to the full might of the strongest military in the world.
The practical use of guns for the preservation of life against the dangers of nature outside of the scope of modern cities is relevant, but I don’t think is best brought into this discussion, except perhaps to point out that guns have uses other than killing people.
It’s the culture inside the US that needs to be fixed. As mentioned, gun ownership in particular other places doesn’t present the same problems (and I can think of other places where gun ownership would be even worse). Much like Switzerland or Finland, the United States intended for its militia (which includes every citizen) to be properly trained. The nation has failed its people in this regard–terribly sad, because proper sufficient weapons training is neither a hard nor a long process (I can tell you from experience). Still, those who grow up in more rural areas see far, far less gun violence. They not only grow up handling guns and learning to respect the weapon, but also learn personal responsibility by having to fend for themselves and sanctity of human life, which hunting and/or butchering animals puts in perspective–when you are already in a culture that recognizes and values the sanctity of live, having to kill another living thing to sustain yourself certainly drives the point home–and they learn responsibility toward others, considering how they must actively work to protect others against the world around them.
We see the great, great majority of violence (gun violence included) rise from areas lacking training and experience with weapons and the perspective on their proper use (the urban United States) or in areas where the culture does not truly value the sanctity of life to override the desire for violence (parts of Africa and the middle east). The small amount of violence we see elsewhere is almost always in a case where some one was unable to defend themselves (which was the case at Virginia Tech).
So, yes, gruesome as it is, guns make it easier to kill. But whether there will always evil people who try to exert strength to do harm to others, and guns are the best defense against that. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing,” and the best way to ensure that good men do nothing is to take away their ability to do something about evil.
The shooter at Virginia Tech obtained his guns illegally, but even if he could not have (which is unlikely in any location), he could have easily caused just as much death and destruction via another method. One good citizen with a gun, however, could have stopped him.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:01 am
I hope the shooter didn’t own any anime, or we’ll be treated to idiot newscasts saying things like “why cartoons from Japan could make YOUR kids into serial killers too–stay tuned for the 11:00 news!”
> If these Americans actually bother to find out more about the rest of the world, they’ll realise the folly of their ways.
Americans as a whole know very, very little about the rest of the world–I think the main reasons are (1) most Americans have have never set foot outside North America and (2) most Americans firmly believe the US is better than everywhere else, so why learn anything from other countries you believe are inferior? It’s an amazingly arrogant attitude, but I think it’s pretty widespread–and you can only learn when you realize other people may know something better than you do.
I can understand people wanting rifles for hunting, but why anyone needs handguns is beyond me. A rifle will do just fine for hunting or ‘home defense’ if you’re really that paranoid about burglars or something. Handguns have one purpose, killing people, but I don’t think either political party has the balls to do anything to restrict handguns to the cops, even if there’s a VA Tech every week.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:21 am
DarkMirage for president.
When I was living in America, my father’s friend was shot by a random gunner. The shooter was never found. I totally agree with your view that guns should be completely outlawed.
And the best part is that they constantly blame games and movies for influencing people to use guns.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:30 am
Well, they pushed all those blames to games and movies as it is definitely easier than to go thru all those paper work to ban guns followed by emptying all the gun shops and homes; i been playing such violent games for so long and I am not even inclined to kill someone( without regards to Singapore’s death penalty)
April 18th, 2007 at 1:38 am
The gunner is Korean. He must have mad skillz. But yeah, Mac with the extremely long comment, provides a good viewpoint from the US.
For every well-meaning civilian vigilante however, there spawns a lot more gun crime.
My solution would be capital punishment and a total gun ban. Anyone caught with a firearm besides the police or the army? 20 years in jail. An intentional discharge of firearm? Death penalty. Likewise for murder and rape and drug trafficking. I’m afraid the Americans need more stick than carrot now at this stage.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:58 am
tj han,
Yeah, I almost made my first phrase “I’ll make this short”, but that didn’t happen. I’ll be cross-posting that as an article in a more appropriate venue. It’s not just the US opinion, though. The US is just the most common example of this opinion.
I can certainly respect the desire to ban all guns, but measures very, very similar to yours are already in place in several countries where it is VERY strictly enforced, but hasn’t helped matters (I named Cuba as an example earlier because I’ve been there).
The rate of “good gun owners” to “bad gun owners” is actually very, very favorable, and only falls apart in certain areas where there are contributing factors other than guns–and, ironically, usually in places with low rates of legal ownership. Washington D.C. and the majority of Australia are good, if sad, examples of the enormous spike in crime rates (both with and without guns) after personal weapons were outlawed.
I really, REALLY hate that this had to be perpetrated by an Asian man, and an immigrant, no less. I fear a public backlash of prejudice against foreigners.
April 18th, 2007 at 2:06 am
There has been enough Eddie Izzard regurgitation and ad hoc idealism to satiate even the most emo high school debater.
It would do everyone better if DM just to stuck to Haruhi figures, mini skirts and cosplaying dancers.
*repost for insane typing skills*
April 18th, 2007 at 2:08 am
> …but today it is absurd to think that any private militia can have the firepower to match the US military’s cutting-edge technology and astronomical budget.
Dear DM,
Iraq.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:30 am
>>>Dear DM, Iraq.
Iraq has suicide bombers and lots of them. The idea of suicide bombing to an American is absurd, whether they’re subverting the government or not.
Anyways, I agree with DM, blah blah blah. This post also wins Longest Individual Replies award.
To tj_han: What the hell? It’s obvious that you don’t live or never have lived in the US. Despite what I would like to say, Americans aren’t as dumb most people (in other parts of the world) think they are. Yes, sure we have Bush. But he’s not exactly the epitome of American ingenuity, even though he’s the leader of our country… Anyways, I think there are enough dissenters about the Second Amendment spiel here that what you generalized is quite absurd.