There are many forms of non-firearm lethal weapons: knives, blunt instruments, bows/crossbows, etc. Since all of these can be and are used to commit crimes such as murder and armed robbery, should they be made illegal? At what point/and or what should weapons such as tactical/killing knives should be made illegal? Are these specialized knives useful tools for self defense, or should they be made illegal by the government? Since these weapons are much easier to obtain than guns (many can be made fairly easily too), what steps would be needed to enforce more restrictive laws against these weapons.
Finally, I will state my position. I believe that like just with guns, these weapons in question are only as bad or as good as the person that is holding it. I own many different types of tactical knives for self defense: machetes, kerambits, hunting knives, butterfly knives, etc.. I have no desire to use them unless when necessary to save myself from death or severe personal injury from an attacker(s).
and only the police and soldiers (and anyone who doesn't comply with the bans, like terrorists, street gangs, triads, cartels, rebel groups, members of organized crime and any criminal who already has a firearm) will have weapons.
but what truly qualifies as a weapon is an object that is specifically designed to harm and kill.
How is that determined? For example, fireworks (explosive pyrotechnics) were originally used to ward off evil spirits, but are now used mostly for aesthetic entertainment. They can still be dangerous if misused/mishandled (or intentionally fired at people) and the manufacturer's/inventor's intent for their use doesn't change that.
Unless you know of a country that has banned all weapons and seen positive results, they aren't relevant.
I looked up North Korea because they have very tight restrictions on stuff for civilians, and they have under 1/10 the civilian guns (legal and illegal) per capita (based on 2011 population censuses) of the UK, but it turns out their homicide rate is about 3x the US's and about 15x the UK's.
How is that determined? For example, fireworks (explosive pyrotechnics) were originally used to ward off evil spirits, but are now used mostly for aesthetic entertainment. They can still be dangerous if misused/mishandled (or intentionally fired at people) and the manufacturer's/inventor's intent for their use doesn't change that.
I don't see how that's relevant to what I have said. Where fireworks made to kill people or not? Or would you claim that everything that is potentially dangerous automatically counts as a weapon and should be banned?
First, if you post a link to confirm a statement you made, you're using evidence. The statement was "eople are stupid" and the link provided enforced that claim. It proves the statement. It's evidence. Second, regulations in other countries weren't being discussed. After all, on page 3, phil said:
That may be. He also said:
I am working from the perspective that people are stupid. We are; this is a good demonstration.
People; not Americans. Hence why I found your indignation a tad exaggerated (and funny).
I don't see how that's relevant to what I have said. Where fireworks made to kill people or not?
What they were made for does not matter. If people increasingly used them as deadly weapons, they would likely be reclassified as such. If nobody had ever fired a projectile device at anyone else, they likely wouldn't be considered "weapons", even if that was the intent of the manufacturer. The problem isn't why they were made, but how they are used.
He essentially said that, since people are stupid, no one should own a weapon, so apparently, since I am a person and own a weapon, I am potentially too stupid to own a weapon.
Well, yes. I stand by the principle that a species that produced, for example, the Bob Semple Tank and thought it was a good idea shouldn't be trusted, on the whole, with weapons without adequate training or background checks.
In a world where the men chosen to rule whole nations decided the best way to avoid a war was to build bombs powerful enough to kill everyone, I don't feel inclined to trust the general population with weaponry. Maybe I have been a little provocative to get a rise out of people, but on the other hand the fascination many people have with weapons coupled with humanity's capacity to kill themselves through idiocy ... disturbs me. I would propose that weapon control is not as good a solution as making people feel they don't need weapons. Here in the U.K it's still possible to buy a gun (the modern world's weapon of choice), but fewer of the eligible population choose to do so compared to the US. We feel we can rely on the police to keep us safe. We laugh about the American attitude to guns:like so.
Also, why is the US murder rate so much higher than the UK?
Because the primary factor for violence is about culture and status of the area. Where do you see the most violence? In the worst off nations, with the most unhappy people. Or in places that glorify/endorse it, which often happen to be the former as well.
America is a culture of violence and guns. You stand up for yourself. You protect yourself. You own your own stuff and NOBODY takes that away. You take things into your own hands and make your own way in the world. You protect yourself from everyone, including the government.
Combine this with increasing disparity in wealth, the number of people living in poverty, lack of healthcare, poor treatment for mental health issues, and you get a lot of violence. Adding guns to the mix just makes that violence exponentially worse. 10 people with knives are more dangerous than 10 people with guns.
Anyways, as others have said, you regulate crap that's made to kill other people, not tools or utensils. People can use whatever as a weapon, but there's a difference between using something that was designed to kill, and something designed for another purpose.
It's common sense you regulate stuff made to kill other people. Seriously.
Note. REGULATE. Because I know someone is going to respond to this by saying banning all weapons will only leave the criminals with weapons, when that's not what I said at all.
America is a culture of violence and guns. You stand up for yourself. You protect yourself. You own your own stuff and NOBODY takes that away. You take things into your own hands and make your own way in the world. You protect yourself from everyone, including the government.
Yeah, we aren't all commies over here yet. My stuff IS mine, NOT yours. Violence is ugly, but it is a necessary thing for the individual who wishes to keep whats rightfully his, defend his loved ones, and defend his good name against slanderers and troublemakers.
Otherwise, I agree with the rest of what Kasic has said.
Yeah, we aren't all commies over here yet. My stuff IS mine, NOT yours. Violence is ugly, but it is a necessary thing for the individual who wishes to keep whats rightfully his, defend his loved ones, and defend his good name against slanderers and troublemakers.
(For the following reply, I will assume you're being serious. You may not be. I hope not.) Right. I'd better heavily arm myself then. It must just have been luck that all my stuff hasn't been taken by socialists. For what reason would you use weapons to defend your good name? "Hey, he's an adulterer!" BLAM! "Oh wait, he's just a murderer"
I could continue to reason with you, but people like you will never get it. BTY, I said commie (communist), not socialist. Care to comment properly on the defending yourself and your loved ones part, or would you prefer to just lay down and let yourself be killed by thugs and perverts. I guess you really are "bonkers".
Care to comment properly on the defending yourself and your loved ones part, or would you prefer to just lay down and let yourself be killed by thugs and perverts
Belt them over the head with the nearest long, weighted object, stab/gouge them with a key, knee them in the happy sacks, or point the pointy end of a utensil at them, punch them, call the cops, or what I normally do when faced with someone who wants to hurt me: run like hell (Yes I know that won't help other people), because funnily enough, you don't need purpose built weapons to hurt people. I will easily be able to conjure up something as lethal as what they have. No-one I know of where I live who would bother to rob me would own anything more dangerous than a knife.
I said commie (communist), not socialist.
You're living in 21st century USA. There are next to no communists left. Normally when someone from the US says "commie" they mean "anyone more left wing than a Republican.
