# What's the threshold for a firearm to be too dangerous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 25, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510 "2019-03-25T17:00:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/361 "2019-04-18T02:09:07Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > No, I wouldn’t mandate trigger locks as the only means of securing a firearm. I have no problem with a law requiring the safe storage of a firearm, be that in a safe, use of a trigger lock or whatever. The only issue I have with a trigger lock is that makes the firearm all but useless if needed immediately. If you secure you’re firearms in a safe, then trigger locks are redundant Does storage in a safe make firearms useless if needed immediately? > [@](#): > > If a child gets possessing of your firearm then I think the full weight of the system should rain down on your head. In fact I’ll go one further and say if you are irresponsible enough to allow children to get access to your firearms you should not be allowed to own them Agreement in Great Debates. Hail Jeebus! 🙂 > [@](#): > > The point I’m making is that while anti gun activist surely do care about children, saving children is not their primary goal, the removal of firearms from the general population is. And because of that they’ll exploit tragedies involving firearms while ignoring other causes of childhood deaths that are way more prevalent. Not everyone who wants to see less deaths by guns is an “anti-gun activist” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/362 "2019-04-18T04:40:06Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > The same thing I always do - “I disagree with that law, even though it’s Constitutional”. Something it seems like you are incapable of doing. > > For a real-world example, I disagree with the Federal laws against marijuana. If somebody asked me how I felt about them, I wouldn’t chicken out and say “I prefer laws that are Constitutional” I’d say what I felt about that particular law. I don’t prefer it, actually. Well, when the Supreme court makes a gun ruling I dont like, i will let you know. Heller was a excellent ruling as Chicago, DC and SF went too far in banning all handguns. Note that that kind of radical gun grabbing is what it took to make SCOTUS make a new gun ruling, so those cities are 100% at fault for Heller. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/363 "2019-04-18T04:42:17Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Right now, it’s mandatory that babies be in car seats when traveling in a car. Would you favor mandatory trigger locks for guns in homes where toddlers are present? Or safes or similar safety, yes. In fact I have said so. However, i am against laws that require _everyone_, even those with no kids to keep their guns locked up. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/364 "2019-04-18T04:44:25Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Does storage in a safe make firearms useless if needed immediately? > … There are safes that open when you hand goes in with _your_ fingers, they open REALLY fast, but no child can open them. Not cheap, but if I had a kid and wanted fast, _safe_ handgun access, I’d get one. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/365 "2019-04-18T08:13:00Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > {…} I disagree with the Federal laws against marijuana. {…} Apparently law enforcement confiscation of contraband private property, and I have to assume that includes someone’s baggie of weed, is unconstitutional, > [@DrDeth](#): > > {…} _nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation_ {…} CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/366 "2019-04-18T12:56:30Z")
The weed isn’t being taken for public use, and if you steal something or are otherwise not in legal possession of something, it isn’t your property. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/367 "2019-04-18T13:47:07Z")
[quote=“obbn, post:359, topic:831510”] [quote=“manson1972, post:357, topic:831510”] Right now, it’s mandatory that babies be in car seats when traveling in a car. Would you favor mandatory trigger locks for guns in homes where toddlers are present? [/QUOTE No, I wouldn’t mandate trigger locks as the only means of securing a firearm. I have no problem with a law requiring the safe storage of a firearm, be that in a safe, use of a trigger lock or whatever. The only issue I have with a trigger lock is that makes the firearm all but useless if needed immediately. If you secure you’re firearms in a safe, then trigger locks are redundant. So while I can’t say I would be in favor of mandatory trigger locks I can say that if you own a firearm it is up to you, the owner, to ensure that your firearm is safety stored and inaccessible to children. If a child gets possessing of your firearm then I think the full weight of the system should rain down on your head. In fact I’ll go one further and say if you are irresponsible enough to allow children to get access to your firearms you should not be allowed to own them. How many people do you hear screaming for cars to be banned? I haven’t heard a single one. The point I’m making is that while anti gun activist surely do care about children, saving children is not their primary goal, the removal of firearms from the general population is. And because of that they’ll exploit tragedies involving firearms while ignoring other causes of childhood deaths that are way more prevalent.[/QUOTE] I agree, you shouldn’t be allowed to own EITHER one. The gun or the child. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/368 "2019-04-18T13:54:10Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > A dog will do the same thing. I have both. Just like I have both smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/369 "2019-04-18T15:24:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > However, i am against laws that require _everyone_, even those with no kids to keep their guns locked up. Unfortunately for you, if the law is Constitutional, you would prefer it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/370 "2019-04-18T15:31:14Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Nope. Besides 1) I asked if that poster carried a fire extinguisher around, not was there one in their car or kitchen. > > 1. Who carries a fire extinguisher in their car? Is that a normal thing? (Serious question) Answers like this are why I generally skip your posts and seldom respond to you. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/371 "2019-04-18T15:59:33Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Answers like this are why I generally skip your posts and seldom respond to you. I’ve wondered why I feel an emptiness in my soul sometimes. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/372 "2019-04-18T16:18:42Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’ve wondered why I feel an emptiness in my soul sometimes. :rolleyes: LOL! You believe in souls? LOL! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/373 "2019-04-18T20:34:34Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > A psycho so high on meth that nothing short of catastrophic damage will stop him. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Does this prospect actually take up brain cycles in your self-defense calculus? If you took the bus through the same parts of town I do, it wouldn’t seem so far-fetched. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/374 "2019-04-18T23:15:37Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > … > > 1. Who carries a fire extinguisher in their car? Is that a normal thing? (Serious question) Yes, that is a normal thing. :dubious: > **[Why you should always have a fire extinguisher in your car and where to place...](http://carfireexperts.com/why-carry-fire-extinguisher-in-car/)** > > Most people think it's unnecessary to have one in your car. Others consider it a display-only gadget from video games. See why these are wrong opinions. > **[5 Reasons to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in Your Car](https://www.leiferlaw.com/5-reasons-to-keep-a-fire-extinguisher-in-your-car/)** > > Avoid severe accidents, Decrease vehicle damage, use location, need on the side of the road and peace of mind are the 5 reasons to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in your car. Sometimes I wonder about you… ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/375 "2019-04-18T23:22:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, that is a normal thing. :dubious: > [Why you should always have a fire extinguisher in your car and where to place it - Car Fire Experts](http://carfireexperts.com/why-carry-fire-extinguisher-in-car/) > > [5 Reasons to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in Your Car](https://www.leiferlaw.com/5-reasons-to-keep-a-fire-extinguisher-in-your-car/) > > Sometimes I wonder about you… Where, in either of those cites, does it say that carrying a fire extinguisher in your car is a normal thing? CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/376 "2019-04-18T23:45:15Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > If you took the bus through the same parts of town I do, it wouldn’t seem so far-fetched. I was on vacation up in Vancouver a while back and was walking with the family through a few sketchy parts of town. Homeless tent cities, drug users that sort of thing. Made me nervous. Was actually on the way to the Vancouver Police Museum, surprisingly enough. (Nice little museum) While there I was perusing a graph of their crime statistics and looked at the legend for the homicide rate. Took me a minute to find the line on the graph though. Because it was right along the x axis. About 15 homicides a year, in the whole city. In that moment I developed a very different feeling about the “sketchy” areas of the city. They suddenly didn’t seem quite so dangerous anymore. I believe I laughed at how nervous I had been given that I’m more likely to be killed in my hometown than in their “dangerous” neighborhoods. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/377 "2019-04-19T12:22:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, that is a normal thing. :dubious: > [Why you should always have a fire extinguisher in your car and where to place it - Car Fire Experts](http://carfireexperts.com/why-carry-fire-extinguisher-in-car/) > > [5 Reasons to Keep a Fire Extinguisher in Your Car](https://www.leiferlaw.com/5-reasons-to-keep-a-fire-extinguisher-in-your-car/) > > Sometimes I wonder about you… Strange, I don’t think I know anybody in real life who has a fire extinguisher in their car. I’ll ask around. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/378 "2019-04-19T15:39:21Z")
Well, in my unscientific poll of 5 of my coworkers, nobody had a fire extinguisher in their car. And there were questions on what someone would actually do with a fire extinguisher in their car. None of us would actually try to put out our car if it was on fire. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/379 "2019-04-19T17:37:46Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Well, in my unscientific poll of 5 of my coworkers, nobody had a fire extinguisher in their car. And there were questions on what someone would actually do with a fire extinguisher in their car. None of us would actually try to put out our car if it was on fire. I used mine, once, to put out a fire in somebody else’s car…but I know that isn’t going to mean anything to somebody who doesn’t so much as bother with a spare tire. Clearly, you just don’t grasp the idea of preparedness and so cling to the idea that anybody who is prepared is some kind of outlier. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510/380 "2019-04-19T18:17:46Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I used mine, once, to put out a fire in somebody else’s car…but I know that isn’t going to mean anything to somebody who doesn’t so much as bother with a spare tire. Clearly, you just don’t grasp the idea of preparedness and so cling to the idea that anybody who is prepared is some kind of outlier. I understand preparedness. I just don’t care enough about improbable events to be prepared for them. Sorry I don’t have your level of fear throughout my day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-threshold-for-a-firearm-to-be-too-dangerous/831510.md?page=20)