Ron Paul on Security and Liberty

Once again, I will make two points:

(1) If students at VT had guns, then most likely the number of lives lost in that incident would have been fewer.

(2) If students across the country had guns, then I am fairly certain that there would be MORE gun related deaths (in ones and twos) across the country. My fear is that this number would be LARGER than the number of lives saved in incidents like the one at VT.

If you are willing to look at the big picture, it is not as simple as Mr. Paul and others would like you to believe.

Carl M, you are merely speculating. And you fail to take into account that the purpose of the 2nd amendment is to guard our other rights. Never forget that. Hitler got the Germans to back his regime’s grab for power, and look what happened. Anyone that wants to prohibit gun ownership to protect you is offering a devil’s bargain.

Pat, you’re right. I’m speculating. I never claimed to be doing more. I have a problem with those who assert that a fully armed citizenry would reduce gun deaths WITHOUT admiting that they too are speculating.

I don’t want to get into a full blown debate on gun control here — and I do not assert that we should prohibit gun ownership. I do believe that there are limits that should be placed on the types of guns and ammunition that can be legally owned. (There are.) I believe that there should be limits placed on which individuals should be permitted to own guns. (There are.) I believe that gun owners should be trained in gun safety and that the careless use of a firearm should be treated as a very serious criminal act. I believe that those who use guns in the commission of a crime should be punished FAR more severely than they currently are. That would be a good start and may be enough.

My point is very simple. The issue is NOT black and white. Those who believe that 100% gun ownership wouldn’t increase the number of accidental deaths and crimes (murders) of passion are kidding themselves. To guess at the extent of this increase would be speculation, but to assert that there would be no increase is folly.