[superleeds]

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So you are basing your judgement on hear-say information from a single source. Casting no aspersions on your wife, I have relatives who are honest, well-educated, and well-intentioned who are clueless about guns, crime, and the law.

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She is quite knowlegable but I accept you only have my word for that. When we visit her family and friends there I have been out shooting with her best friends husband. He has a powerful hunting rifle (I don't know what its called) and is very knowlegable and safety consious, they have two young children (8 and 12 I think) who also know how to use and respect the weapons. I still think he should not be allowed to keep it on top of the wardrobe in the bedroom as he is legally allowed to now.

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I have no reason to doubt it. Anecdotal evidence means you are using a specific example to prove a general principle. For every example of something bad happening with guns, someone else can find an example of something very good happening. Whoever comes up with the most examples doesn't win

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I'm not trying to prove a principal. I think the laws concerning guns generally in the US are lax. I would rather they be stiffer. I thought this before AC's linked story and I will think it after, unfortunately, the next.

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But as long as we are telling stories, here's one. Some years ago in Florida, there were a large number of robberies of foreign tourists. Police eventually found many of the criminals and they were arrested and jailed. A reporter interviewed several of them after they had been convicted. They told him that one of the reasons they focussed on tourists was that Florida has recently passed laws making it much easier to buy and carry a gun. They knew that foreigners could not have guns, making them much easier to rob.

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I'm sure it wasn't the only reason. Tourists are top of the list regardless of the gun laws.

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My understanding is that this is the system back in Merrie Olde England. I claim no actual knowledge about what is going on over there, but have heard rumors of high levels of home robberies involving violence. Perhaps those with the facts might share them.

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I too would love to see some facts and for the record I was burgled 3 times and had a car stolen 4 times. None of these incidents involved violence as I was neither in my home or my car at the time.

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Again, your "solution" to the problem is premised on your opinions about guns. While that might or might not be appropriate or effective in England, it is not appropriate here.

First, most people here do not share your opinion.

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That doesn't mean they are right [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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Second, our system protects the minority against the opinions of the majority. Even if most people here shared your opinion, our founders considered certain things to be natural rights, and our Constitution protects those rights.

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Because of its laws not because the minority are tooled up.

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Third, in addition to our federal constitution, each state has a constitution. The great majority of those specifically acknowledge the right to own arms, and many of them specifically mention the right to self-defense.

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So. It's the 21st Century. It doesn't take 3 weeks to get a message to the next town anymore. You have a police force. You don't live in Dodge anymore. The Constitution can (and has) been changed. It's not the word of God. If change is beneficial do it. I accept that you think my changes are not beneficial and that's fine, but tell me I'm full of crap rather than throw that tired 'it's in the constitution' argument.