# Should all Firearms be banned? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 4, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077 "2008-11-04T16:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/61 "2008-11-05T03:52:36Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Unless you plan on melting your gun down tonight, how can you possibly make this claim? In all likelihood, my gun will never shoot anyone. Same for the vast majority of legally owned guns. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/62 "2008-11-05T04:55:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Unless you plan on melting your gun down tonight, how can you possibly make this claim? Unless he plans to pull the trigger on somebody, he’s absolutely right. If he sells it it is no longer his gun. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/63 "2008-11-05T04:56:46Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Unless he plans to pull the trigger on somebody, he’s absolutely right. If he sells it it is no longer his gun. Kennedy didn’t _plan_ on having that accident, did he? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/64 "2008-11-05T05:07:22Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Ted Kennedy’s car has killed more people than my gun ever will. Cars don’t kill people, drunken politicians kill people. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/65 "2008-11-05T06:10:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Kennedy didn’t _plan_ on having that accident, did he? That was no accident. That was one human wanting to harm another. Oswald could have killed Kennedy with a bomb or a knife or a falling anvil for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/66 "2008-11-05T06:17:06Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > That was no accident. That was one human wanting to harm another. Oswald could have killed Kennedy with a bomb or a knife or a falling anvil for that matter. Wrong Kennedy ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/67 "2008-11-05T06:19:08Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > That was no accident. That was one human wanting to harm another. Oswald could have killed Kennedy with a bomb or a knife or a falling anvil for that matter. From the 5th floor. I would buy a ticket for that. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/68 "2008-11-05T17:25:56Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > From the 5th floor. I would buy a ticket for that. Compared to lining up a shot with a gun I think dropping 5 lbs of metal enfused C-4 on a slowly moving convertible would involve something complicated (like gravity). Oswald could have opened up a window directly over the motorcade and dropped it. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/69 "2008-11-05T18:25:40Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And where do the criminals get the guns ? Stolen from legal gun owners. Eliminate private gun ownership and the criminals will largely be disarmed as well. Right. :rolleyes: All guns owned by criminals are not stolen from legal gun owners. Just like there is an illegal drug trade, there is an illegal gun trade. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/70 "2008-11-05T18:29:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Kennedy didn’t _plan_ on having that accident, did he? Did he drive drunk? It wasn’t an accident, it was the law of averages catching up to him. You claim the same thing will happen to gun owners, the least you could do is admit that it is largely the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/71 "2008-11-05T18:38:45Z")
> [@EpicNonsense](#): > > 1. You must pass a basic polygraph asking hypothetical questions regarding harming others or committing crimes. Why not just consult a Ouija board? It would get you the same result, and be cheaper to boot. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/72 "2008-11-05T18:40:56Z")
> [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](#): > > I believe if all firearms were banned, the world would be better off. Sure, thefts and murder will continue to happen, but without guns, things become a little more complicated for thieves and/or criminals.It would make killing and stealing from people more difficult. First off, we are not going to change the laws of physics, so any discussion of guns no longer working or magically disappearing is fairly pointless, IMHO. Without guns, I think things become vastly **easier** for criminals, not harder. Today, a criminal always wonders in the back of his mind if the person he is accosting is armed or not. Banning guns erases this uncertainty in the criminal’s mind. Instead, I want criminals to wonder if a potential victim or innocent bystander is armed. If I were a mugger, I would much rather mug somebody in downtown Washington, D.C., New York City, or Chicago than downtown Houston. The criminals know this, too. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/73 "2008-11-05T18:57:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It’s organization that matters, not guns. Yes, so we should put limits on the 1st ammendment, not the 2nd. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/74 "2008-11-06T03:03:09Z")
One standard argument I never buy is: “I’ve never needed X, so no one should have any reason to have X”. I, being male, have and never will have an Abortion. But that’s not sufficient for me to claim that no woman should ever have one. We tend to work from our own experience, but we often fail to understand that our experience is limited and that there are many circumstances and events out there that others experience that might be different from our own. For example, as I have posted on this board many times, I have had a firearm in my hands five times to prevent someone from breaking into my house when they knew I was there. I’ve had a firearm in my hands to prevent myself from being robbed in an isolated wayside rest. Six times that I have defended my home and my person, in which I never fired my weapon or even pointed it at anyone. Three times for professional reasons I’ve had a firearm in my hands to prevent myself or my partner from being robbed - when I worked as an Armed Courier. Never fired it or pointed it at anyone. If all firearms are banned, do we make exceptions for people who work in dangerous jobs or live in areas where they may find themselves face to face with bears, mountain lions or poisonous snakes? Do we make exceptions for ranchers who might need to defend their livestock from wolves or other predators? Do we make exceptions for the wealthy and the elite? One of the things I find really galling, and exceptionally dangerous, is the UN notion that allowing your citizens (read: subjects) access to firearms is a violation of their Human Rights. If anything, I believe the exact opposite. Denying your CITIZENS access to weapons of self-defense is a violation of their basic Human Rights and their dignity as Human beings. Governments belong to the People, not the other way around. Finally, if we looked at any other object and said “Oh my god, look at how many people are killed by this! We have to ban it!”, we’d instantly ban alcohol, tobacco and automobiles. While we may find some ground to say that we need automobiles, at least temporarily until we can find safer, non-individualized transportation to stop the horrific slaughter of our populace, there’s simply no way that we could justify the existence of Alcohol or Tobacco - on the same logical basis as people claim there is no justification for personal firearms due to the number of deaths they cause. ---
**Author:** ![50million](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/9fc348/32.png) [@50million](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/50million)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/75 "2008-11-06T05:04:10Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > …As a friend of mine in the criminal justice system once told me, it’s much harder, both physically and psychologically, to strangle or stab someone to death than to stand 20 feet away and pull a trigger. Funny, I was going to use this exact same situation as a reason not to ban them. If you ban guns you ensure that 99% of women can’t defend themselves against 99% of men. And, 99% of 75 year old men can’t defend themselves against 99% of 18-50 year old men. All of a sudden, crimes against the weaker in society sky-rocket! ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077/76 "2008-11-07T04:30:27Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > One standard argument I never buy is: “I’ve never needed X, so no one should have any reason to have X”…We tend to work from our own experience, but we often fail to understand that our experience is limited and that there are many circumstances and events out there that others experience that might be different from our own. Well spoken. > [@](#): > > For example, as I have posted on this board many times, I have had a firearm in my hands five times to prevent someone from breaking into my house when they knew I was there. I’ve had a firearm in my hands to prevent myself from being robbed in an isolated wayside rest. Six times that I have defended my home and my person, in which I never fired my weapon or even pointed it at anyone > > Three times for professional reasons I’ve had a firearm in my hands to prevent myself or my partner from being robbed - when I worked as an Armed Courier. Never fired it or pointed it at anyone. I’m a little confused by your experience here. If you defended your home and your person with a gun in your hand, and prevented yourself from being robbed, but never fired a weapon or even pointed it, what exactly did you do? > [@](#): > > Finally, if we looked at any other object and said “Oh my god, look at how many people are killed by this! We have to ban it!”, we’d instantly ban alcohol, tobacco and automobiles. Also a good point. However, of the things on your list, firearms (at least some types) are the only thing that are built with the specific intention of killing people. I’m not in favor of a blanket ban on guns, but I am interested in understanding your argument better. (I also think people should be licensed to have children, but that’s another thread ;)) On the flip side, I have heard about [some town](http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1818862/posts)that actually passed a law requiring all of its citizens to own a gun. > [@](#): > > After the law went into effect in 1982, crime against persons plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981, and fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. Now, IMHO this may be a bit like roaches, where if you get rid of them in your town they just move to another town. This may not work as a national policy, but it shows that there is a possibility that an exhaustively armed society might be safer than if only a fraction of citizens have guns. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-all-firearms-be-banned/471077.md?page=3)