Wafflepudding
05/18/07, 02:29 am
While the second ammendment is usually considered a conservative cause, I happen to know quite a few anarchists, democrats, libertarians and others that support it, even those who do not own firearms personally. Some of the arguments that I've heard from them (I do not agree with some of these but I think they're worth mentioning anyway):
- A government with a monopoly on the use of deadly force is potentially dangerous. Especially OUR government.
- It is an extension of the basic human right to self-defense.
- The militia, referring to common armed citizens, was part of the checks and balances system. Eroding it is therefore fundamentally counterproductive to the system.
- Your personal safety is in your hands alone, delegating this responsability to others is unsound, partly because of the bystander effect (a few have mentioned the Kitty Genovese case).
- Concealed carry makes muggings more risky for criminals, thereby acting as a deterrent.
- It's the only difference between the moderate, hidden fascism of Dubya and open repression.
- Iraq has showed us that our army is not invincible and that an armed populace is a populace hard to occupy and conquer.
- By banning firearms instead of taking the mistique out of them for the young, we're increasing their allure (the forbidden fruit effect).
Certainly we must not echo the usual nonsense advocated by the NRA, or their opposite twins the Brady people, but some compromise points, like gun safety courses, better (not prohibitive) gun controls, more extensive background checks, etc. are worth some serious thought and discussion IMO.
- A government with a monopoly on the use of deadly force is potentially dangerous. Especially OUR government.
- It is an extension of the basic human right to self-defense.
- The militia, referring to common armed citizens, was part of the checks and balances system. Eroding it is therefore fundamentally counterproductive to the system.
- Your personal safety is in your hands alone, delegating this responsability to others is unsound, partly because of the bystander effect (a few have mentioned the Kitty Genovese case).
- Concealed carry makes muggings more risky for criminals, thereby acting as a deterrent.
- It's the only difference between the moderate, hidden fascism of Dubya and open repression.
- Iraq has showed us that our army is not invincible and that an armed populace is a populace hard to occupy and conquer.
- By banning firearms instead of taking the mistique out of them for the young, we're increasing their allure (the forbidden fruit effect).
Certainly we must not echo the usual nonsense advocated by the NRA, or their opposite twins the Brady people, but some compromise points, like gun safety courses, better (not prohibitive) gun controls, more extensive background checks, etc. are worth some serious thought and discussion IMO.