Court says individuals have right to own guns

[shinerbock]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

The gun control debate shouldn't operate on extremes.

Generally speaking, those who are pro-gun control aren't advocating law abiding citizens having zero access to guns. And those who are anti-gun control aren't really anti-gun control.

Other than that there is no evidence to support your claims of looting and drug smuggling. It's actually kind of funny because it appeals to people's assumptions and fear. Claims without evidence are based on exaggerated hypotheticals. They are a bad idea on both sides of the discussion.

Should the social debate on gun control operate on extremes? No, I agree. Should the legal argument? I think this is a bit more involved. Practicality and compromise certainly has its place in the law. But it is also a tool used by those interested in abrogating individual rights. Thus, many times the legal focus is on extremes, especially with regard to enumerated rights.

Also, about pro gun rights/anti gun rights (trying to reverse your framing, obviously), I think your statements about what people "generally" care about are generally legitimate, but it may be closer than you imply. I think a substantial portion of people who oppose gun rights see no usefulness in the individual right to own firearms. I argue this subject a fair amount, and I've had numerous opponents mention that the police remove the need for self-defense, and that our modern culture removes the necessity for hunting. Now, this is obviously anecdotal evidence and I think the latter argument is probably a relatively rare one, but I strongly believe that a substantial portion of the anti crowd believes that gun ownership should be limited to recreation. On the flip side, I think a substantial portion of those who oppose gun control measures may be more opposed to "sensible" regulation than you recognize. This isn't true for the people who respond "Yes" to a "should individuals have gun rights" poll, but I think it is accurate with regard to those who are really involved in this issue.