Bay, I hope they realize that if the goverment ever does decide to suppress its citizens, it probably will not be using something as “unwieldy” as guns. It would only have to bring down the power grid. If the citizens really want to be prepared, they should stock up on solar panels.
MidwestDad3,
I have a feeling that those who arm themselves against the government would do just fine with candle power.
I don’t think anyone has ever doubted that some people feel government is oppressive and I certainly don’t sneer at that, but that doesn’t reduce the irony that the arguments people use are a funhouse mirror distortion of the original arguments that revolved around white fear of slave rebellion.
The gist of an argument can’t or at least should not lead to Timothy McVeigh. He felt government was oppressive and took up arms against it by blowing up a federal building (and killing a large number of people, including many children). If one argues, “we need weapons to attack the government because we think it’s oppressive”, then one must also accept that the government has the right to spy on, imprison and kill those who take steps (which is defined in criminal law) to stop such people. My take, for example, on some of these gun nuts who insist on carrying AR-15s near schools, etc. is the police are entitled to treat them as threats that should be put down, the same as they do with unarmed black people.
The whole tyranny argument is silly. If the govmint actually did want to impose tyranny, they have at their disposal armored tank divisions, chemical/nuclear/biological weapons, bombers, drones, etc. Semi-automatics would be of no help whatsoever. So evidently, the govmint doesn’t want to impose tyranny. Sorry.
Founders’ intent and revolutionary uprisings aside, this is what is more likely to happen with your gun in an unpredictable student living situation:
http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/crime/12695637-123/tulane-students-bail-set-at
The defensive use of a firearm (frequency & outcome) were argued to death in a previous thread, (Though I haven’t a clue as to where kluge got off to, I’m positive that if he sniffed this discussion was taking place, he’d be trotting out the NCVS & whatever else he and the WaPo felt might decide the issue favorably. To them.)
Authors of all stripes have been accused (rightfully and wrongfully) of cherry-picking the data, the method, falsifying results, shamelessly lying, having so many dogs their records won’t ever be available for verification, etc.
No-one knows.