<p>So I run a group of Revolutionary War Reenactors on campus and we use Brown Bess muskets. These are working replicas, but fall under the category of antiques rather than firearms under Virginia state law. We've talked to the police a lot and they don't seem concerned about them (i'm actually very good friends with a few of them). I'm really afraid the recent VT tragedy is going to change all that however.</p>
<p>Haha to the guy who said he could catch an arrow, I have my bow customized into a compound style. If shot at a human being, it would not only go well into the person, but most likely come out the other side. I can get it to almost go through trees. But I'm assuming your kidding though. Trying to catch an arrow off my bow would probably end up with you getting you hand almost ripped off completely</p>
<p>i have a large full gun safe right in the closet...but i have no reason to take them to school..h</p>
<p>haha oh yea btw...i forgot who said this but its true.."Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun" i think it was a sticker.</p>
<p>Yeah, the guy who said he could catch an arrow is joking or stupid.</p>
<p>As for guns, I'm not sure what I think. On the one hand, I understand the argument that given that someone who was determined enough could always find a gun, it's irresponsible to deprive law-abiding citizens of the right to defend themselves from someone like that.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I think about that, and I think, realistically, how easy is it actually for someone determined to get a gun to get one if they're completely illegal? Do any of you know where to get an illegal gun? Other than general thoughts of going somewhere sleazy and criminal that might have guns, do any of you even know where you'd start looking? The other thing is, does everyone realistically think that people who commit gun crimes were bound to commit them anyways, and even if guns were illegal, they'd get their hands on them? </p>
<p>Using the VTech example, how would this have played out if guns were banned and illegal possession carried a 10 year prison sentence? Does everyone think that Cho would've gone to the trouble to procure 2 guns illegally to kill everyone? I tend to think that he got the guns (at least the first one) without the explicit idea of killing people in mind, and then, as he became more and more deranged, eventually snapped and when he decided to cause pain and horror, it was "oh, well, since I've got these...".</p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>
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realistically, how easy is it actually for someone determined to get a gun to get one if they're completely illegal?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Again, look at the quintessential example of total gun bans - the UK has quite a bit of crimes committed with handguns.
It's also pretty easy to get illegal (i.e. unregistered, no serial number) guns here - criminals (for the most part) don't buy their guns legally - they get guns off the black market so they can't be traced. So laws banning them would do nothing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
how would this have played out if guns were banned and illegal possession carried a 10 year prison sentence? Does everyone think that Cho would've gone to the trouble to procure 2 guns illegally to kill everyone?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well, first degree murder carries the penalty of death, and that doesn't stop people who are determined to do it. Cho knew he was going to die when he went on that rampage (if he didn't he was even more deranged than we thought) - I don't think he would be deterred by a relatively short prison sentence.</p>
<p>2 words for those think that banning guns will stop criminals from aquiring them:</p>
<p>black market</p>
<p>You can get an AK47 for a few hundred off the street in LA, its not exactly hard to find someone that'll sell.</p>
<p>If we ban guns, then those who live in homes, which all of do will be helpless against criminals. The criminals will have guns via ilegal markets and people and homeowners and families will have none. sure you could call the cops, but they can do much if you and your family are already dead in a minute or 2 and they take 5 min to get there.</p>
<p>psh, a lot of drugs are illegal, and people use them all the time. As far as i'm concerned, i don't need a reason to have a gun, it's a fundamental RIGHT(although what zorz says is true).</p>
<p>"On the other hand, I think about that, and I think, realistically, how easy is it actually for someone determined to get a gun to get one if they're completely illegal? Do any of you know where to get an illegal gun? Other than general thoughts of going somewhere sleazy and criminal that might have guns, do any of you even know where you'd start looking?"</p>
<p>If you live in a major city and have any type of social networking, it's pretty easy to buy one under the table. It's not like you have people coming up to you asking DO YOU WANNA BUY A GUN, but people always know people.</p>
<p>I guess this doesn't really apply if you live in the country or boonies.</p>
<p>You should be able to bring a shotgun or a rifle to school, I personally enjoy hunting/skeet.</p>
<p>Hunting rifle would be fine. I'm not sure if I really want college kids having a shotgun at hand though. I wish states would enforce an IQ-level requirement for owning any type of gun.</p>
<p>So you would rather allow people to have guns that have an effective range of up to 1000 yards (.308) than guns that are much much shorter range? I mean really, that type of weapon forces people to go into belltowers and start killing people. Shotguns pale in comparison ;) </p>
<p>Seriously though, the only reasonable restrictions we can place on guns is a background check to keep guns out of the hands of violent felons and the mentally unstable and perhaps a competency test to see if you know how to use the weapon you are buying.</p>
<p>At least using a rifle from that distance requires some skill, while running into a classroom and pumping away with a shotgun is like shooting fish in a barrel.</p>
<p>What about requiring a 6 month wait before buying a weapon? In theory, that could discourage the kind of gun crimes which result from people getting ****ed off, being readily able to access a gun, and going out after people.</p>
<p>A theory easily defeated by the fact that people don't have to go buy a new gun every time they want to use one. It would only discourage people who dont have a gun already, but with 200 million+ guns in the country already, and obvious easy black market access, waiting periods aren't likely to discourage much.</p>
<p>"What about requiring a 6 month wait before buying a weapon? In theory, that could discourage the kind of gun crimes which result from people getting ****ed off, being readily able to access a gun, and going out after people."</p>
<p>California has a 10-day waiting period on gun purchases. I think it's a pretty good idea - it can't HURT, that's for sure.</p>
<p>I don't know, I just think a lot of people are too quick to metaphorically throw up their hands and go "well, since we can't guarantee that with gun control bad people still won't be able to get any guns, we shouldn't have gun control." In my opinion, gun control can still have very positive effects, even if the very determined are still able to get their hands on guns.</p>
<p>On another note, in reference to the argument that if criminals get guns and you have gun control, law-abiding citizens won't be able to defend themselves, how many of you have actually heard of someone who was able to successfully use a firearm in self defense? I don't think the phenomenon is anywhere near as prevalent as many people like to think it is or could be.</p>
<p>To back up that, here's an abstract of an article by a Harvard professor looking at incidence of self defense gun use vs. gun victimization: <a href="http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/6/4/263%5B/url%5D">http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/6/4/263</a> - it agrees with what I said, namely that there is far more gun victimization than gun defense, and even if one looks at the defense, most of it is actually illegal.</p>
<p>Food for thought.</p>
<p>"Conclusions—Guns are used to threaten and intimidate far more often than they are used in self defense. Most self reported self defense gun uses may well be illegal and against the interests of society. "</p>
<p>hell I'd rather do something illegal than be dead.</p>
<p>Students who face high levels of stress, depression and alcohol having a gun would be the worst possible thing you could have.</p>
<p>I don't own a gun. </p>
<p>Thought about it awhile back... realized I'd use it without hestitation. </p>
<p>Didn't buy one.</p>