Monday, December 17, 2012

International Friends...


I am looking for some input from my international friends.

Many of you live in countries that have fairly strict regulations on gun ownership. How have these restrictions affected you? Do you feel more safe or less safe as a result of them? Has gun crime increased or decreased? I know the propaganda that various groups put out, but I would like to hear from you, the citizens.

My analytics show that I have regular readers from the UK, Germany, Russia, Malaysia, France, China, Australia, the Philippines, Canada and others. The right to bear arms is a foundational freedom that we hold dear. I don't think that the writers of the Second Amendment had anything like this in mind. The need for local militias is far different today than it was 200+ years ago.

I don't think that anybody in the US is willing to push for an all out ban on gun ownership. However, it seems that there is some regulation that is necessary.

A single failed attempt to detonate a shoe bomb on an airplane and now every passenger in the US has to take off their shoes to be examined prior to boarding a plane. A dozen mass murders since the Columbine shooting and nothing has been done--nothing has even be seriously proposed. The dialogue doesn't have to be an all or nothing solution.

If you live outside of the United States, I would really like to hear from you.
If you live in the US, I realize that there are arguments that range from one extreme to the other. I am less interested in your input on this post. I've heard both sides, understand your positions. It's not that I don't care what you think; I'm just looking for input from those that already live with some gun ownership regulation.

We have to do something. Doing nothing isn't working so well.

John <><


2 comments:

John A Hill said...

If you are a US reader with international friends, perhaps you'd invite them to stop by and leave a comment or share this post on Facebook.

Thanks,
John <><

Anonymous said...

Pretty strict gun laws in NZ - I am happy to have them and they do make me feel safer. When my Dad got his gun license one of the questions they asked my mother (and his other character references) was : have you ever feared that he would use a gun on you? Straight to the point :) The license is renewed every three years I think. Police don't carry guns but they are available for when an armed response is needed. I think that is a good balance.