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From: renner@uiucdcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: handgun control
Message-ID: <29200180@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 16-Dec-84 11:49:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.29200180
Posted: Sun Dec 16 11:49:00 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Dec-84 05:39:57 EST
References: <245@gargoyle.UUCP>
Lines: 31
Nf-ID: #R:gargoyle:-24500:uiucdcs:29200180:000:1607
Nf-From: uiucdcs!renner    Dec 16 10:49:00 1984

>  	Perhaps I didn't express myself as clearly as I could have
>  last time.  The basic premise we are arguing is "Should there be
>  strong control of handguns (in particular, a ban on private ownership
>  of handguns)?"  I'm considering this question to be equivalent to
>  "Do handguns cause more harm than good?"  If you disagree with this
>  extension, please tell me why you think that, assuming handguns do cause 
>  more harm than good, they should still be legal.
>  					-- Mike Ryan (ryan@decwrl)

There are a great many things that do more harm than good in this country;
for example, alcohol and tobacco.  This test by itself is not sufficient.
In order to declare a thing X contraband, it should first be shown that in
the great majority of cases a person who possesses X is likely to cause
harm to others.  

This is not the case with handguns.  There are perhaps 100 million
handguns in the US.  There must be several million handgun owners.
Obviously the great majority of handgun owners harm no one, else there
would be many more than 22,000 handgun deaths each year.  The government is
not entitled to force these people to dispose of their guns, as these
people pose very little risk to others.

Handgun control, as distinct from handgun prohibition, is a different
matter.  Handgun control seeks to ensure that handgun owners know how to
handle weapons safely, are of sound mind, and are not particularly disposed
to violence.  Handgun control will only pass when it is clear that the
controls are not to be a first step towards a total ban.

Scott Renner
{ihnp4,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!renner