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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
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