Attempt At A Civil Discussion

[billh58]

I have recently posted in this forum, and have (for the most part) attempted to be both civil and persuasive. At times it is difficult to achieve both goals simultaneously, however, this post is aimed at total objectivity with emotions left on the side lines.

I have been doing some reading (albeit on the Internet) about the two sides of the RKBA and gun control issues, and have come to the conclusion that there is more common ground than extremists on both sides would have us believe.

I have picked out two articles relating to gun ownership and gun control that I find to be fairly objective in their portrayal of the current state-of-affairs in the United States:

http://newsbatch.com/guncontrol.htm

{Snip}

How many guns are there?

"According a 1994 Department of Justice survey, about 35% of American households own 192 million firearms of which handguns constituted 35% of the total. Polling data shows that the actual household ownership rate is higher but also that it declining slightly. Gun sales, has evidenced by Brady background check data, have significantly increased in 2008 and there are reports that they have increased further in 2009 based on concerns that a Democratic administration and Congress would bring in a new era of regulation. cbs Slightly less than half of gun owners own both handguns and shotguns or rifles. The typical gun owner is male, middle class, college educated and lives in a small town or rural area. Gun ownership varies greatly by region and there is a significant correlation between the percentage of handgun ownership and the rate of gun-related homicide." {Emphasis added}

http://guncite.com/journals/dk-ideo.html

In the United States, serious discussion of gun control has taken two primary approaches: the criminological and the legal. Criminologists have asked whether various gun controls would reduce gun crime and other gun misuse, or whether restrictive gun control laws would deprive innocent victims of an efficacious means of self-defense. Legal scholars of gun control have studied whether the right to arms guarantees in the federal constitution and most state constitutions pose legal barriers to restrictions or gun confiscation. This essay has an entirely different purpose: to examine the ideological frameworks of the American gun control debate. {Emphasis added}

The second article (immediately above) is quite lengthy, but for those interested in the ideological framework and background of the issue, it is well worth the read. In the final analysis, I believe that the "ideological" positions of gun owners, AND gun control proponents, has evolved into a type of animosity which is typical of fanatical religious or political adversaries.

If this PollingReport collection of various poll results is any indication, Americans are almost evenly split on the issue of guns, with a slightly higher percentage in favor of the "reasonable" regulation of firearms.

http://www.pollingreport.com/guns.htm

As I have stated before, I live in Hawaii where gun control is stricter than most states, civilian public carry is not allowed (except in rare circumstances), and Hawaii enjoys the lowest gun death rate in the nation. Excerpts from an article in a local newspaper state:

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20090507_gun_deaths_in_hawaii_lowest_in_nation.html

{Snip}

"Dr. Max Cooper, director of the Hawaii Rifle Association, says Hawaii's low gun death rate is related to Hawaii's ethnic groups and physical isolation from other states rather than the laws."

Hawaii generally has a law-abiding population," he said, adding that Hawaii doesn't have a large gang or drug-related problems."

Speaking just for myself (but I suspect that at least 40-49% of Americans agree with me), I have not one single problem with guns in the home for whatever purpose they are intended: hunting, marksmanship, collecting, or protection. As for the public carry of firearms (especially CCW) by the general population, however, and in spite of assurances of the sanity, trustworthiness, professionalism, and checks and balances of licensed carriers, I have a few reservations about the practice.

Instead of demanding that I concede that my concerns are groundless based on statistics and assumptions, it would seem that gun proponents of public carry have at least a cursory responsibility to both convince me that I am being overly paranoid, and to at least entertain certain concessions (to be determined) to reduce my anxiety.