From: James Swayze (swayzej@earthlink.net)
Date: Wed Mar 15 2000 - 15:42:52 MST
Ok, I've kept silent long enough. CAVEAT, Brian the following is not directed at
you. I believe you only relayed information so I'm not criticizing you or your
opinion, I don't even know them. The comments below are for everyone.
Brian D Williams wrote:
>
> Ineligible Persons:
>
> The following classes of people are ineligible to possess, receive,
> ship, or transport firearms or ammunition.
>
> -- Those persons dishonorably discharged from the military
>
This is soo wrong. There are a number of reasons one can get dishonorably
discharged from the military that have nothing to do with whether you are good
enough for gun ownership.
Warning upcoming rant below:
I am truly surprised at all the rhetoric here. Let me explain. I gathered from
all the Objectivist leanings here that personal liberty would be high on this
lists list. Now I consider myself a moderate liberal but in some ways I would be
more Libertarian than those of you claiming to be. Let me explain.
No one, no government, no man, no woman, no not even a deity has the right to
tell me I cannot protect myself or my loved ones in like kind to what ever
threatens me or my own. If those threatening me or my own happen to have guns or
knives or baseball bats or whatever, then I have the right to have the same or
better to protect my life and that of my loved ones. Who gave me that right? I
DID! How's that for personal liberty?!
Quote statistics and theory till you are blue in the face, it means nothing.
What does mean something, no what means EVERYTHING is MY life and the lives of
those I love. I mean get real people. We are supposed to be Life Extensionists!
How extended will your life be if some low life, that has no respect for his/her
own life much less yours, decides to forcefully take something from you and caps
you so you cannot identify or for simply the thrill? It happens, it's not just a
hollywood cliché.
Of course I want something done to keep guns out of the criminals and other
TRULY "ineligibles" hands. However, let's get real again. What good is an
unloaded gun when the creep breaking your door down was at least clever enough
to load his/hers before getting anywhere near you? Absolutely none, might as
well not have it to begin with. Ever hear of the Darwin awards? That's what I'd
give anyone that actually did put their bullets out of reach when it really
counts.
One last thing. In an ideal world there would be no guns. Actually that's
trivial. In an ideal world their would be no NEED of guns or anything else for
self defense. We don't live in that world yet. Remove all the guns and their
manufacturers somehow magically today and by tomorrow there'd be millions of
them owned by guess who? That's right every miscreant, every lowlife, every
psycho with even half a brain would have a home made, yes crude but effective,
garage model and be knocking your door down because you likely will not have
stooped as low.
Ok, done ranting. No need to plonk. I've said all I will say. I won't even
respond to whatever objections you all may find against my logic. I believe if
you reduce it to what's really important, your own and your loved ones precious
and maybe even immortal lives--if we here have our fondest wishes come true, and
then just use your imagination--dare to picture the worst actually happening to
you yes even to you and yours, then you will have to agree that NO ONE has the
right to FORCE you to be vulnerable.
James
-- "Quod de futuris non est determinata omnino veritas" NOSTRADAMUS 15TH Century
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