It may not be as much an argument about "the right to bear arms" as it is an argument about the government taking away any "right" that was previously granted.
The gov't took away our "right" to consume alcohol (I think today is the anniversary of the lifting of prohibition, btw) a long time ago, and that didn't go over so well...
I personally like the freedoms I may exercise in USA. It is dissapointing when I see these freedoms taken away abrubptly or slowly... Especially when I don't see a particular benefit resulting from the loss of whatever right is taken away.
In a vague comparison, consider my right to privacy vs. government surveillance. I see their need to know what's going on to protect me, but don't really like the idea of them listening in on me (not that I have anything intelligent to say, anyway - that's going to be one bored dude that has to listen in on my stuff).
How do you like all those cameras in public places (I'm thinking of Britan specifically)? You've probably gotten used to them, but that subject is a huge controversy in US.
Even something like red-light cameras to catch law-breakers faces stiff resistance from the population. Not sure why they do...
So, if red-light cameras reduce fatalities, why isn't it a law to have them at every intersection? Surely this will save lives, no?
VERY good.
Dermot, do you also have a problem understanding why so many were upset about the government listening in on phone conversations (as reported this was ONLY conversations originating in Muslim countries to someone in the US? You can make the same argument as you did with the guns, namely that you will save more lives IF the government happens to hear conversations about terrorist activities.
How would that type of government activity be treated in Ireland?
It is TOTALLY about the loss or erosion of freedoms.
The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised. - George Will "It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so" -Ronald Reagan
