I grew up believing that I had the right to bear arms to protect myself, if need be, from the government. I consider myself to be a Libertarian. - Aura Mae

I consider myself to be kind of a left-leaning libertarian. - Chrimmus Tad from fftogo

And then another Columbine or VA Tech happens... kids have the right to take another life? - Sally Church

Sally. If a students at VA Tech had a concealed weapons permit he might have stopped the slaughter. The police certainly didn't. - Michael Tefft

Sally - I don't support the rights of the insane to own weapons. - Chrimmus Tad from fftogo

People forget the obvious - if guns are allowed in a community then there are always going to be problems. - Sally Church

Sally. That argument has no merit. Allowing cars into a community will always cause problems too . Ban cars also? Cars can kill too. It is up to the driver to be responsible. Same with gun ownership. - Michael Tefft

I'm not happy. I just find it odd that Scalia, Thomas and his ilk that talk about being strict interpreters of the founding fathers' words didn't use it in this case. If they had, they would have seen the second amendment for what it is: Permission to form militias and not permission to shoot AK-47s. - Chris Reed

Chris, but wasn't DC preventing its citizens from forming a militia? I agree, however, that the ENTIRE 2nd Amendment must be considered when discussing it. I'm just not sure, from a legal standpoint, what "well regulated" means. - Ontario Emperor

I have never seen a very good argument for denying law-abiding citizens the right to own firearms. Most of the anti arguments can equally apply to knives, cars, sticks and other "normal" everyday items. - Chrimmus Tad from fftogo

I've never figured out why it is a good idea to dis-arm law-abiding citizens and leave them at the mercy of ARMED criminals. - Berial

The right of the US citizen to arm and defend himself is one of the best things about the US. It makes a fundamental statement about our right to self determination. - Soulhuntre

@Soul: What... to self shoot each other up? - Chris Reed

@Tad: Your argument flies the moment we see a drive-by knifing or a drive-by sticking. - Chris Reed

@Chris yours flies at the invention of vehicular manslaughter. - Berial

Do law-abiding citizens perform drive-by shootings? I'm not sure how the existence of such is an argument against allowing good people to own fire arms. Please explain. - Chrimmus Tad from fftogo

Also, Chris I don't know anyone who owns a firearm who has any intention of using it to "shoot people up." Everyone I know with a fire arm keeps it for self defense, hunting and/or target shooting which is extremely fun. Also, most anti-gun people I know have softened their position after spending an afternoon shooting targets. Maybe you could try it some time. It's extremely cathartic and a lot of fun. And no, I don't own any weapons. - Chrimmus Tad from fftogo

Tad: I know how to use a gun and can hunt but those guns should remain locked up, preferably in a gun club or such like until needed. In the urban city I live in half my neighbours are carrying concealed illegally and some of them are very hot tempered. I don't think people like that should be allowed to own or carry a gun just in case of 'self defence'. They can just as easily shoot in the heat of the moment. Is it right they should possess a gun? - Sally Church

I suppose in a civilised society I'm trying to say that guns should not be necessary. The original amendment occurred in different times - what was appropriate on the frontier is hardly apt in modern society. - Sally Church

Making things illegal works really well at keeping people from having access. - Aura Mae

I dare say we live in much less civilized times than when the 2nd Amendment was written, Sally... Philadelphia was hardly the frontier. (but in terms of civility, it may be now!) - Kenneth LeFebvre

in the words of Mrs. doubt fire "it was run by fruiting! " - Caroline

messing with the original constitutional amendments is not progressive. just because you can't have hate speech does not mean the 1st amendment is dead. in the same respect the 2nd amendment does not allow me to have a grenade launcher. drat I wanted one... but the point is that I am losing friends over defending the constitution... so I really need a grenade launcher. - Noah David Simon

People wanting guns is a sign of a crude and fearful society. I guess man's inhumanity to man never ceases to surprise or sadden me. - Sally Church from fftogo

@Tad: Us law-abiding citizens are a lot less safe when it's easier for the bad guys to get a gun. - Chris Reed

@Paul If every student at Virgina Tech had a gun, there would have been more unfortunately dead that day with not one, but multiple guns shooting back and forth. We're in the 21st century, and the concept of everyone having a gun belongs in the old West. Heck, Wyatt Earp had the sense to institute gun control in Tombstone. - Chris Reed

Chris, I don't want everyone armed, but I don't want to deny people the right to defend themselves or to a hobby that's practiced safely every day by millions of people. Again, with your strategy (denying law-abiding citizens the right to own firearms) only the criminals will have firearms. How is that a good thing? That's where you gun control people lose those of us who support gun rights. - Chrimmus Tad

Guns. Never owned one - never shot one (and I was in the military for 10 years - ha!) and simply don't like them. I feel pretty safe in Japan where guns are banned. - Vince DeGeorge

@Vince how were you in the military and never shot a gun? Just curious. - Michelle Martinez

Obviously I hope I never >need< a gun, but I absolutely demand the right to own one. It is not for the government to disarm me and render me helpless and entirely dependent on the largess of the government to keep me safe. My life is mine to have, to make the most of and ultimately to defend. I have no intention of having to hope that someone else comes to save me from the violent, psychotic fringe that will always be with us. I own a weapon to protect myself from criminals and, if need be, my government. - Soulhuntre

In demanding the right to keep and bear arms the US citizen is demanding that our government treat us as self determining humans with the power, ultimately, to make independent decisions on the use of deadly force. We demand to take unto ourselves the final responsibility for our own well being. For me, a populace that has allowed their government to render them helpless and defenseless on a personal level has allowed themselves to become wards of a state that has become their surrogate parent. - Soulhuntre