Originally Posted By goodgirl Category: Opinions Question: What is your opinion on the right to own guns?
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Guns don't kill people...bullets do. I don't own a gun but I have no problem with folks owning them so long as they receive a background check. That won't stop all evil...but if it stops some of it then I'm good with that.
Originally Posted By officerminnie ^^^ Ditto ^^^ Although I think the laws need to be more universal. In our state, you can own a gun or obtain a Concealed Pistol Permit simply by paying the fee and passing the background check. In some other states, you are required to pass an 8 hour course demostrating handgun knowledge and proficiency . I think there should be consistency from state to state. But I suppose that would be a red-tape nightmare .
Originally Posted By LPFan22 Hubby has a gun locked in a gun safe. I don't like guns. But I feel a little more safe having one for protection. Everyone should have that right after a clean background check, etc.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 Hum well.. I feel people have the right to own one. It's their right as an american. I chose not to have a gun in my home or anywhere.
Originally Posted By DlandJB No problem with ownership, but I think that there should be similar training requirements for gun owners as there are for getting a drivers' license. Have to take a written test (muliple choice) after studying a manual and have to do "behind the wheel" training as to how to use them and store them properly. Once you've been through that, you just show your license to buy a gun. However, I do also think certain kinds of assault weapons and such that are not for hunting or for self protection should not be available on the open market.
Originally Posted By mickeymeg I don't think the gereral public have any buisness owning guns (or even toy guns for that matter). Even when a 'safe' owner has a gun in their house accidents can happen, as no one is perfect, and people can get hurt. Just my opinion.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ I've got no problem with ownership. I do think ownership should require a background check and safety class. IMO, special licensing should be required for weapons not intended for hunting or typical self-protection. I also agree with a ban on certain assault weapons. My dad has a gun safe that contains his first Red Ryder BB Gun and his father's hunting shotguns. Because he no longer hunts, there is no ammunition kept in the house. The guns are locked up, and there are trigger guards on all of them. I've toyed with the idea of taking up target shooting, and still might do it.
Originally Posted By sherrytodd I grew up with guns in the home and shooting. The guns were always kept in a gun safe and before I was allowed to shoot, I had to complete a safety course. I don't shoot now and don't keep any guns in my house. I have no problem with responsible people like my father who own guns, but there are a lot of other people out there that I would prefer did not have access to them. Don't know the solution though.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb The contsitution protects my right to keep and arm bears! I believe in responsible gun ownership.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Whew! This is a very difficult question for me to answer. Yes, I understand the want/need for guns for hunting, farm life, etc. However, just the thought of being in someone's home where there is a gun makes me extremely nervous due to my childhood and how I grew up. I try not to be stressed out and realize people can own guns and be responsible. I say yes, poeple should have a right but like many others expressed I think it should be damn difficult to get one in terms of testing, background check, etc. Assault weapons - NO!
Originally Posted By Ursula I think there are too many idiots to say "sure, go ahead and buy what you want, you have the right to bear arms." I do think we have the right and should continue to have the right, but we must be logical about it. Required courses, with an essay section on why you need a gun and why you have the right to bear them, plus you need to be able to assemble and disassemble them in the dark. And then you have to have a license with a stiff fee. No one should be able to buy a gun at Walmart or Kmart or a pawn shop and you have to show your license to buy one. Yeah, I hear you, "But the criminals will never abide by the law!" Of course they won't, that is why they are criminals. Make it harder to get a gun and make less of them, not more. Put serial numbers on them so that when they are used in a crime, the person who first bought the gun is fined for letting it out of their possesion. And assualt weapons? Are you kidding me?
Originally Posted By lesmisfan i personally do not want to or do i ever plan on owning a gun. I think its dangerous to have a gun in the house, especailly if children are living there. i mean most school shootings today are by kids who sneaked their parents guns from home. I don't condemn those who own guns, and just hope that they do use it responsibly.
Originally Posted By alexbook I am unabashedly, unashamedly, unequivocally anti-gun, but... The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to own guns. You can't simply pass a law ignoring or overriding the Constitution. Gun-control proponents who argue that the Constitution doesn't mean what it says are fooling themselves. The honestly anti-gun candidate who stands up and calls for the repeal of the Second Amendment will get my enthusiastic vote (if he or she doesn't get shot before the election).
Originally Posted By goodgirl <<What is your opinion on the right to own guns?>> I have deep concerns over the right to own guns versus the responsiblities you have when a gun is in your possession. Through our police departments citizens academy a few years ago I spent a day with police officers on gun safety and defensive handgun shooting. I learned more about what is involved when an officer draws his/her weapon and the results of firing that weapon. I found defensive handgun shooting challenging and one of the officers took me under his wing. I attended competitions with him and learned how to be proficient. I purchased my own handgun for this. However, he moved away and its just not any fun going to the firing range by myself so my gun is locked up and out of the way. I feel that I am a responsible gun owner. I've had over 40 hours of instruction and hundreds of hours on the range. Although I have a concealed weapons permit, I choose not to carry. My shooting has been limited to the range. I agree that assault weapons should be banned. Problem is, I doubt they ever will. Any time legislation has been drawn up to ban them, the gun industry finds a way around it. The NRA has a very large membership and very powerful lobbyists.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 I don't like them, I don't have one but I don't have any problem with those that do have them for safety, hunting or collecting.
Originally Posted By LadyKluck I grew up with guns in the house as my dad was an avid hunter and living in rural areas as we did most of the time, there was always a loaded gun next to the back door. No, not for intruders, but for coyotes, dogs, and anything else that might be trying to get to our chickens or pigs that we raised. I never ONCE picked up that gun myself unless it was actually to shoot at something in that chicken coop. Now I'm married to an avid hunter and we have guns in our home as well. All are used for hunting game and nothing else. If my husband felt he needed to use it to protect our home, I know he would but that is an extreme case. I don't feel the problem is with the guns, its with the people holding them. Do I think everyone should be allowed to have guns, absolutely not! As the saying goes, guns don't kill people, people kill people.
Originally Posted By mele I like Chris Rock's idea/comedy routine about making bullets outrageously expensive. Good-bye drive-by-shootings. I don't like guns very much. I grew up around a lot of voilence and depression...having guns around is just asking for trouble. HOWEVER, I don't care if people have them to hunt (although I don't quite understand why someone would want to kill an animal for the sport of it). My dad is an avid hunter and has always been extremely cautious with his guns. I don't fault anyone for owning guns as long as they take safety measures with them. However, I think the penalty should be incredibly harsh if someone else gets a hold of your guns and hurts someone with them. (Not in self-defense.) The penalty should be even harsher if a child gets his hands on your weapons. Back in days when the Constitution was written, I don't think they could imagine the sorts of guns we have now. I'm not saying that we should read into the law...I'm just stating it as a fact. I don't believe that assault weapons should be available to everyone. I am unsure of how I feel about people owning massive amounts of guns. I think it's wrong. How many guns does one person need to protect themselves and their property? However, I understand that laws will most likely never reflect my feelings on the subject. I think it should be pretty dang difficult to get a gun and even harder to get ammunition and that there should be more laws about how you have to store them both in your home.
Originally Posted By mele <<I am unsure of how I feel about people owning massive amounts of guns. I think it's wrong.>> Haha, I guess at some point while typing "I am unsure" I made up my mind. ;-)
Originally Posted By Mrs Nurmi Absolutely, unconditionally not. No person in the general public has any *need* to have a gun. The only purpose that a handgun serves is to harm another human being - if you are an officer of some kind, fine. If you feel 'unsafe' in your home? Tough. There are other measures of protection. If we all held the same ideal, there would not be nearly as many guns floating around out there, registered or not. I am Canadian, and therefore do not have the same emotional ties to constitutional rights. I believe that the constitution was written a very long time ago, and it's time to let some of the old crap go. We have seen too many guns creep up here (from many places, not just the US) and yes, I am angry about it. We are losing too many young people needlessly, just by virtue of the fact that they were in a the wrong place at the wrong time where someone else was using a gun recklessly. If the adage is that 'guns don't kill people, people kill people', then I contend that people without guns are obviously less likely to have that opportunity. Sorry, it's kind of personal. End rant.
