[mcmama]

What do you think about present laws on owning guns where you are? Should there be more restrictions or less?

Bear in mind that this is an international forum, most people in USA/Canada/UK/Australia.

[QueenAngie]

OK, you asked.

USA - each of 50 states has their own laws governing legal gun ownership for hunting food or for sports like shooting skeet or shooting targets.

If only the laws were properly enforced, the illegal gun sales & illegal gun ownership would not be such a problem.

It is not the legal individuals that are causing problems, it is the people owning illegally that is the issue. Enforce the laws and this problem will decrease greatly.

Consider Hitler in Germany. What was the first thing he did? He removed all guns from private citizens. That is a lesson in history.

Next...

[Alejandros Mommy]

In Canada we have a gun registery...which means that technically all guns are suppose to be registered. I personaly believe that guns should be only for Police, military and those who use them to hunt. That is what they where originally made for.

[pattiewrites]

Yes. The murder rate in this country compared to countries with gun control laws speaks for itself. Illegal gun sales are a small part of the problem. Loopholes in gun control laws are also part of the problem. Theft is an issue as well. A gun in the home is more likely to kill a family member than an intruder.

Some of the arguments from the anti gun law crowd just make me laugh. I live in an area well known for hunting. That is fine, if that's what they choose to do. However, assault weapons aren't used for hunting. They are used for killing. Any hunter that needs more than a shot gun or cross bow needs to get out of the woods! I'm for sensible gun control laws and more background checks and registration required. When I lived in FL, I heard on the news that it is easier to buy a gun than it is to rent a car in the state. That is insane!

[LovingJesusinAZ]

This is something I've defintely changed my mind on. I grew up in a very strict "anti-gun" household and since that was the only voice I'd ever heard, it was what I believed.

As I got older I started to believe that guns were fine in the hands of those who were responsible and knew what they were doing. My best friend's husband grew up in a house where hunting was something he did each year with his dad and brothers. Before him I'd never known a gun owner. My friend's husband taught me a lot about what responsible gun ownership "looks like". Talking with him, finding out he wasn't some crazed lunatic (which I had kind of thought people who liked guns were) and seeing his shooting as a hobby (now that he's an adult he doesn't hunt, but does like to go to the shooting range) unknowingly prepared me for what was to come.

Fast forward a few years and I'm married to an NRA member who has guns in our house. (NEVER thought THAT would happen! ) I know that the guns are all hidden and in locked safes where DH & I are the only ones with the code. DH has his carry concealed weapons permit, but is almost never armed. He had to take classes, and pass a range test in order to get this permit.

In our area the parts of town with the least amount of crime are those with the highest rate of gun ownership. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but gun ownership is a deterrant. Areas with super strict gun laws are ones with highest crime rates----criminals don't care if they're breaking the law by owning a gun---they're criminals. If a "bad guy" thinks you might be armed guess who he's going to mess with--NOT YOU!

Severely restricing gun ownership only takes guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens.

I differ slightly from DH in that I support a little more regulation than he does, but at the same time, here in the U.S. we have a second ammendment that gives us the right to bear arms. The only freedoms "higher" than this in the U.S. are freedom of speech, press, and assembly.

As far as it being easier to buy a gun than rent a car, I don't know about that since I've never tried to buy a gun and I've never tried to rent a car in Florida, however, they are both deadly weapons if used incorrectly and irresponsibly.

I don't advocate people losing the privilege to drive because I live in one of the worst states for red light running fatalities and I don't advocate people losing the right [in the US, due to the 2nd Ammendment] to own a gun because there are a few who are irresponsible criminals.

[LeanyBean]

I was raised around guns and taught how to handle them. There are guns in my house and they are never loaded. They are also locked up separately from the ammunition which is also locked up. I must agree that illegal gun sales are a major part of the problem. I understand a need for a registry and gun laws I even agree with having some in place. Do I agree with all the laws? No. Do I think laws should be in place and enforced? Yes. Unfortunately the US government has pulled some stunts that exploit loopholes in these laws. A family friend of my parents had all his firearms taken away simply because the government thought he had too many. No one has found a law that states a limit to how many guns may be registered to any one person. The family friend had purchased every gun legally and registered every single one in the manner Pennsylvania state law requires. But I digress. I do fully support the 2nd Amendment. This topic always comes to mind when I listen to a song entitled Simple Man by The Charlie Daniels Band. It contains a section about what I feel our founding fathers meant- "Now I’m the kinda man wouldn’t harm a mouse, But if I catch somebody breakin’ in my house, I got a 12 gauge shotgun waitin’ on the other side." Another song by the same band entitled A Few More Rednecks has a section about how I feel about strict gun control - "Now they’re tryin’ to take my guns away, And that would be just fine, If you take ‘em away from the criminals first, I’ll gladly give ya mine."

[mcmama]

One of the people whose homes my son helped restore in Appalachia had the story of going to a girlfriend's house to pick her up for a date. She wasn't ready, so the young man was invited in by the father, to sit down and have a chat.

So they chatted - while the father was cleaning his shotgun.

Of course the subject of the conversation was "don't let anything happen to my daughter, you hear?"

[MissyChrissy]

Originally Posted by pattiewrites

Yes. The murder rate in this country compared to countries with gun control laws speaks for itself. Illegal gun sales are a small part of the problem. Loopholes in gun control laws are also part of the problem. Theft is an issue as well. A gun in the home is more likely to kill a family member than an intruder.

Some of the arguments from the anti gun law crowd just make me laugh. I live in an area well known for hunting. That is fine, if that's what they choose to do. However, assault weapons aren't used for hunting. They are used for killing. Any hunter that needs more than a shot gun or cross bow needs to get out of the woods! I'm for sensible gun control laws and more background checks and registration required. When I lived in FL, I heard on the news that it is easier to buy a gun than it is to rent a car in the state. That is insane!

I absolutely agree with this. The laws do not protect anyone and need to be changed AND enforced.

What is interesting to me is other developed countries that have guns, violent games, and violent movies...but not the violence America has. Ever wonder why? We also value family less and individualism more. To me, that speaks for itself, and is the root of the problem.

[mollymae]

I'm happy with the gun laws in Britain. Regular police don't carry guns they have special highly trained armed response units that get called out if necessary. Generally only farmers can get a license to own a gun. We don't have much gun crime over here.

[jadis]

Originally Posted by pattiewrites

Yes. The murder rate in this country compared to countries with gun control laws speaks for itself. Illegal gun sales are a small part of the problem. Loopholes in gun control laws are also part of the problem. Theft is an issue as well. A gun in the home is more likely to kill a family member than an intruder.

Some of the arguments from the anti gun law crowd just make me laugh. I live in an area well known for hunting. That is fine, if that's what they choose to do. However, assault weapons aren't used for hunting. They are used for killing. Any hunter that needs more than a shot gun or cross bow needs to get out of the woods! I'm for sensible gun control laws and more background checks and registration required. When I lived in FL, I heard on the news that it is easier to buy a gun than it is to rent a car in the state. That is insane!

I totally agree with this as well- countries that allow handguns and other assinine devices that are designed purely with the intent to kill do end up with higher murder rates. Shocking, I know.

I'm all for hunting if it is done legally- but you don't need a handgun to hunt, and all weapons used for hunting should be registered.