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From: rjv@ihdev.UUCP (ron vaughn)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: gun control and freedom of choice
Message-ID: <137@ihdev.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Jan-85 10:38:45 EST
Article-I.D.: ihdev.137
Posted: Fri Jan  4 10:38:45 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Jan-85 03:15:12 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 41

this is being posted for a friend.  please do not reply to me, his net-address
is given at the end of the article.

	ron

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The major issue in gun control is freedom of choice.  It is a person's
right to use his gun in any way that he or she feels fit, including killing
someone.  This is a basic right.  Of course as a citizen of this country
a person also has the corresponding responsibility, namely, to not misuse
his tools to harm another person or infringe on another person's rights.
If he does so, he may be tried by a jury of his peers in the legal court
of law of these United States and if he is found guilty of a crime, has
to pay the full penalty under law (which may include life in prison or
capital punishment).

To take away his right to own (and use) guns, is to take away a person's
freedom to choose for himself how that will be used.  In effect, the
government has made the choice for him by limiting his ability to
own property.  This is an action befitting a socialist country, not
the United States, which claims to uphold freedom and justice for all.
The rampant crime we have today is caused by social problems and an
ineffective justice system, not by the presence of guns.  Gun control
is just an 'easy' solution that treats the symptoms and not the cause;
with the side effect that it takes away one of our basic freedoms and
in so doing sets a dangerous precedent which leads down the road of
socialism and the destruction of the American way of life.

A hint for those who advocate nation-wide registering of guns:
Convince people that is just makes sense, just like drivers
licenses make sense.  Don't do it because 'guns are evil', or
because guns have anything to do with crime.  If you have rational
reasons for it, even some NRA members might agree with you.

				Replies to:	Russell Spence
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