Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Don't restrict MY access to handguns just because Message-ID: <1318@dciem.UUCP> Date: Tue, 1-Jan-85 18:07:47 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.1318 Posted: Tue Jan 1 18:07:47 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 1-Jan-85 20:51:07 EST References:<1305@dciem.UUCP> <6788@brl-tgr.ARPA> <2130@nsc.UUCP> Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Distribution: net Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 41 Summary: > You seem to be implying that ownership of handguns leads to crime. >(If not, I apologise, however this delusion seems to be rampant in >supporters of handgun control). This is a completely unsupportable conclusion. >And is in fact, counter-intuitive. > >One thing that has always bothered me is that those who support handgun >control seem to think that it will magicly cut the crime rate. This is a >bogus conclusion. It will make all honest, law-abiding citizens get rid of >their handguns. But the people who commit crimes are CRIMINALS. They don't >care about your law. If they want a gun, they will get one. Drug laws have >not eliminated junkies, and similarly, handgun laws will not eliminate >(or even slow down ) crime. In fact, you will just create a great new >money-making enterprise for the Mob. > > >-- > Tony Lill > 539 Grand Valley Dr. > Cambridge, Ont., Canada I haven't seen anyone argue that owning handguns leads the owner to crime. The argument is usually that easy handgun ownership leads to more people being killed, (especially by guns). Your analogy between gun-control and drug-control leading to Mafia profits is improper. One of the leading problems in drug usage is that drugs are addicting. Are you claiming that once one owns a handgun, one has to have another every day/week/month? A lot of the pressure for people to use drugs comes from addicts who need to become pushers (or thieves) in order to support their habit. If drugs were legal, there would not be this pressure on non-addicts to become users. If handguns were illegal, there would be no pressure for owners to persuade others to become owners. You are lucky enough to live in a jurisdiction where handgun ownership IS illegal, and you are in much less danger of being killed than is someone in much of the US. Let them worry about their problem, and don't help them export it here! -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt