I'm doing a debate in philosophy tomorrow and I am on the AGAINST gun control side. My group decided to aside me the topics of the NRA/Assault Rifles and now I have to think of ways the NRA/Assault Rifles are a must and have a positive impact on society. I obviously can use the argument of the constitutional right and how we need to be able to arm a militia if need be but that's like beating a dead horse.
Anonymous
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.
When I carry a firearm, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force.
The firearm is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.
A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.
Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser.
The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable.
The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation, and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act.
?
Here's the real problem: The media creates a frenzy because it draws viewers and they make money. They hype it up on purpose. This distracts people's attention from real societal issues, which are to blame for violence. It's a strawman fallacy. Instead of discussing the real problem which is too big and difficult to solve, the politicians blame the problem on something they can fix and declare victory.
The sad fact is, if the CT gun control bill had been passed 5 yrs ago it would NOT have stopped the Sandy Hook school shooting. That's the real tragedy.
tehabwa
Sorry. It's a flaw in formal debates that they assign some people to take completely untenable positions. All I can suggest is that you go to the NRA website and see what lies they tell.
Uncle Pennybags
Congrats. You are on the winning side. And you've even got the right sub-category.
The 20th Century is filled with the corpses of civilians who were first disarmed by their own governments, and then exterminated as undesirables. Jews, Gypsies, Non-communists, intellectuals, Christians, dissidents, etc.
In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves,were rounded up and exterminated.
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Germany established gun control in 1938
and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were
unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
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China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.
Simply put, a people who own arms suitable for protecting themselves don't have this problem.
Furthermore, you should also talk about just how seldom as so called assault rifle is used in crime. According to Justice Dept. stats, less than 3% of crimes are committed with such rifles. See the links below.
As for the NRA, it is the nation's oldest civil rights organization and during the first half of the 20th century, it helped blacks arm and protect themselves from White racists and the KKK. See the 3rd link.
Have fun with this.
Arnie
Better to have a gun and not need it than to need it and not have it!!!
**Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate the crime after it happens.**