Gun laws. Yes? No?
Oh, if you put it that way (... and I couldn't put it better myself.)
Yes, my dears, if you put it that way, it really is amazing that there is a gun laws debate in the United States. Let me spell out the dialogue in this snippet of a debate:
Gun laws opponent:
"Excuse me, but this White House uses the First Amendment to protect flag burning, to protect pornography, to ban school prayer … why when the Second Amendment clearly says that the Federal Government will not infringe upon a citizen’s right to keep and bear arms …"
Gun laws proponent:
"… in fact it doesn’t say that at all, it only say that if you remove some words from it … (it says*) “a well regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free state, the Government shall not infringe …” The words regulated and militia are in the first sentence. I don’t think the (framers?) were thinking of three guys in a (Dodge - inaudible)."
Gun laws opponent:
"You don’t really know what the (framers?) were thinking, do you?"
Gun laws proponent:
"No …
"... but I do know if you combine the populations of Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Australia, you get a population roughly the size of the United States.
"We had 32,000 gun deaths last year ... they had 112.
"Do you think it's because Americans are more homicidal by nature?
Or do you think it’s because those guys have gun control laws?"
From Occupy Democrats
via Facebook
* Wikipedia: As passed by the Congress and preserved in the National Archives, with the rest of the original hand-written copy of the Bill of Rights:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
In regard to gun control, also listen to Sam Harris: blog 594 The Riddle of the Gun