Reply #63: Guns don't stop crime, people do. And then, not really.

[porphyrian]

Guns are tools, weapons. They can do nothing on their own. Someone has to use them.

People with guns stop crime all the time. Every arrest made in America by a law enforcement officer is made by someone with a gun (although there are probably exceptions).

Crime, like terrorism, is a tactic, a function, a choice. It can't be "stopped" or waged war upon, because it is an idea that is carried out. We can discourage crime, we can make it more trouble than it's worth to all but the most persistant criminals, but it won't ever go away entirely as long as it is a valid choice.