See, I'm at the far, far end of the firearms tolerance spectrum in my country - I've fired a gun which, given that I'm not a farmer, police officer or soldier, puts me in a *tiny* minority. I'm in fact a member of my college rifle club (mostly shooting 10m air rifle, although I've had a go at .22 prone), and get "so, you're a gun nut?" comments because of this. I spent two months over the summer carrying a .308 because if a polar bear showed up you'd need it. And yet, the idea of freely available handguns (for a given value of 'free', as outlined above), and even rifles, makes me more uncomfortable than you'd believe. Like, shivers running down my spine.
What do you think are the benefits of carrying a handgun? And are they sufficient to negate the associated costs (the easier it is to obtain firearms, the easier it is for them to be acquired for committing crime, and more firearms in circulation = greater opportunity for them to enter the black market)? I'm asking, not to be antagonistic, but to find out your views on the topic, if that's okay?
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Probably coming down to the left of where you intended...
Date: 2010-03-16 02:29 am (UTC)What do you think are the benefits of carrying a handgun? And are they sufficient to negate the associated costs (the easier it is to obtain firearms, the easier it is for them to be acquired for committing crime, and more firearms in circulation = greater opportunity for them to enter the black market)? I'm asking, not to be antagonistic, but to find out your views on the topic, if that's okay?