Thanks, Gary. This is a nice article. Two comments, since I haven't finished the article and this is out of my area of expertise.<br><br>1/ Mass shootings seem to be on the rise, maybe even since Aurora. Maybe that is a false perception on my part but the comparative number of mass shootings here as opposed to those in other countries is noticeable.<br>
<br>2/ I don't see the collection of semiautomatics as an issue. As folks note, MOST who own semiautomatics are law abiding; more likely than not they know how to handle guns, have gun safes, etc. It would be unwise to demand that people turn in guns and some kind of buy-back program would need to be implemented. The best you can do perhaps is a/ encourage folks to turn-in their automatic weapons, and b/ confiscate weapons discovered during criminal investigations. And we'd have to do some economic studies to see whether the buy-back would be cost effective. Many communities have buy-back programs, so my guess is that they are cost effective but I don't know.<br>
<br>There was a NYT article about reducing crime in NYC. The key insight -- according to the article -- was that most crimes are crimes of opportunity. If you eliminate the "low-hanging fruit" most crimes are eliminated. We should find a policy with a limited impact on law-abiding citizens who are careful with their firearms yet make crimes of opportunity more difficult. <br>
<br>3/ Obviously, as you've noted before, education is going to play a big role here, too. We need to let folks know that guns should be protected, educate people about the importance of gun safes, etc.<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
On Sun, Dec 23, 2012 at 1:47 PM, Gary Crabtree <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jampot@roadrunner.com" target="_blank">jampot@roadrunner.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<div><font face="Calibri">An interesting and informative article on the topic de
jour from a different perspective:</font></div>
<div><font face="Calibri"></font> </div>
<div><a title="http://kontradictions.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/why-not-renew-the-assault-weapons-ban-well-ill-tell-you/
CTRL + Click to follow link" href="http://kontradictions.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/why-not-renew-the-assault-weapons-ban-well-ill-tell-you/" target="_blank">http://kontradictions.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/why-not-renew-the-assault-weapons-ban-well-ill-tell-you/</a><br>
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<div><font face="Calibri">Many thanks to the off-list participant who sent
this to me. It sums up the problem (or lack there of) far better then I ever
could.</font></div>
<div><font face="Calibri"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Calibri">g</font></div>
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<div><b>From:</b> <a title="philosopher.joe@gmail.com" href="mailto:philosopher.joe@gmail.com" target="_blank">Joe Campbell</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, December 23, 2012 12:56 PM</div>
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="vision2020@moscow.com" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">Moscow Vision 2020</a> </div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> [Vision2020] A 2nd amendment argument against the NRA
plan</div></div><div><div class="h5">
<div><br></div>We've noted some specific criticisms of the NRA plan, raised by
Saundra, Sunil, and others. Here is a general argument against the NRA plan
which rests on some but not all of the specific criticisms. By the "NRA plan," I
mean the plan to deal with our gun violence problem by putting armed forces in
our schools (and presumably other public venues).<br><br>Since it is the NRA
plan, if it is a good plan, it should preserve and be consistent with our 2nd
amendment rights. Those rights are based on the need for protection of either of
two forms: (a) protection against tyrannical governments as well as (b) the
protection of your life, your interests, and the lives and interests of your
family and friends. Thus, the NRA plan is justified by appeal to the 2nd
amendment to the extent that it is based on and secures these type-a and type-b
protections. Will the NRA better protect us from the threat of tyrannical
governments or the threats of mass murderers, spree shooters, and other
lunatics?<br><br>It is far from clear that the NRA plan will protect us from
mass murderers and spree shooters and there is good reason to think that it will
cause more harm. The fact is that these folks are SUICIDAL as well as homicidal.
Until it can be shown that the NRA plan will protect us from harm rather than
lead us to more harm it should not be taken seriously.<br><br>What about the
need for semi-automatic weapons in order to form militias against a tyrannical
government? Given this, we need a plan that won't put restrictions on
semi-automatic weapons. Yet I don't see how putting armed government forces in
every school in the country is going to increase the possibility of forming a
militia to overtake a tyrannical government. It strikes me that forming a police
state within the school system is exactly the wrong thing to do if your concern
is that your government is taking away your freedom and is on the verge of
becoming a tyranny.<br><br>Best, Joe<br>
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