Concealed weapons. Yes or No ???

[BullDog]

Good points Waxnrope. If ordinary citizens are allowed to carry concealed weapons, does anyone really believe that young men of color or say visibly looking queer people are going to be given the same "right?"

As to police officers having guns, let's ask the people of color who live in Portland, OR if they feel safer knowing this.

[waxnrope]

I suspect that, just as one item on another thread a poster felt like a hamster, we are spinning around our own beliefs and convictions, the lines are drawn and no one will move or cross boundaries. Yet I hope that we all understand the fear that drives people to have a gum, albeit, those fears may be oppositional, thus noteworthy. I also hope that those who advocate the use and legal permission to carry guns realize that not everyone will have the right to do so

Meanwhile, criminals will continue to get and use guns. And SOME police and others given authority will abuse their rights. Ah, an armed nation, legal and illegally armed. Pass the popcorn, please.

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by Stearns

You cannot wipe out generations who used and viewed guns as a means of survival - for food and safety. Try stabbing a poisonous snake, go ahead.

This is a different time. Unless you live in the woods surrounded by bears and only get to eat what you personally kill - you do not need guns for food and safety. You do not need a gun on your person at the grocery store. You do not need a gun on your person at the post office. You do not need a gun on your person at a bar.

I can see how carrying a handgun can potentially make a shitty situation into a deadly situation. If somebody who has a gun is stealing your wallet and you reach for or mention your gun - he's going to shoot you. You have turned a situation where you could have lost your wallet and kept your life into a situation where you get to keep neither. But you're safer, how?

More guns is not going to solve the problem of violence in the US. Guns, handgun specifically, are an instrument of violence. On what planet does it make sense that you're going to stop violence by creating more violence?

[Zora77]

Originally Posted by BullDog

Good points Waxnrope. If ordinary citizens are allowed to carry concealed weapons, does anyone really believe that young men of color or say visibly looking queer people are going to be given the same "right?"

As to police officers having guns, let's ask the people of color who live in Portland, OR if they feel safer knowing this.

Thank you for mentioning this important aspect. I think it is not possible to fully understand the discussion on gun laws in this country without seeing it in the context of White Privilege. Here an excerpt from an interesting article by Tim Wise:

Imagine if the Tea Party was Black (by Tim Wise)

(...)

Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that’s what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation’s capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country’s political leaders if the need arose.

(...)

(To read the full article go to: http://cosmicnavellint.blogspot.com/...-tim-wise.html)