🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Mar29.200010.19919@clsi.COM>, kevin@clsi.COM (Kevin Cameron)
writes:
|> 
|> In article <donbC4MtDD.KMz@netcom.com>, donb@netcom.com (Don Baldwin)
|> writes:
|> > In article <93087.205644WCBANTA@auvm.american.edu> William C. Banta 
|> > <WCBANTA@auvm.american.edu> writes:
|> >  BUT, it is up to the person
|> > with the handgun to decide to use the weapon for stupid violence, use
|> the
|> > gun for justified self defense or use it to punch holes in paper.
|> 
|> So I suppose it's OK for every psychopath to have a gun as long he
|> promises to be good ?

But its illegal for anyone adjucated mentally incompetent to legally
purchase a firearm .. certainly psychos are mentally incompetent .. right?
If the system isn't working [i.e. not screening out the psychos and
criminals] perhaps it should be fixed before we proceed with yet another
law.

|> 
|> > However,
|> > they are also the perfect defensive weapon and the only one that can
|> make
|> > a more vulnerable person, such as the elderly or a woman, safe.
|> 
|> Most elderly woman probably couldn't pull the slide back on a 38 
|>semi-auto. -

I suppose you mean a 9mm semi... yes, the slide *can* be somewhat difficult
to operate.  Perhaps thats why the women that i know who carry tend to
gravitate to .38 revolvers and .380 self-loaders for carrying.

|> or aim it.

Well, about half the people in the last safety class i took were women.
None of them had any trouble keeping any firearm they tried - from a 
9mm to a .38 snubbie to a .357 on a standard size paper bag at 12' or so.

While that might not qualify anyone for the Olympics, it certainly would
seem to be more than sufficent for self defense purposes.

As an aside, they ranged in age from early 30's to perhaps mid to late
50's.  During the course, we shot everything from slow to rapid fire at
25 yards.  I contend that the women were every bit as accurate - and 
frequently more so - than the men [yes, my wife is a better shot than
me .. the only reason we usually group virtually the same is that she
runs out of patience .. and she shoots a 9mm]

|> 
|> > What's the point of doing that?  What gives YOU the right to say only
|> > people with substantial available cash have the right to self defense?
|> 
|> What gives YOU the right to say everyone should have easy access to the 
|>tools to kill anybody they don't like ?

See my previous post for Florida's statistics wrt legit handgun owners
and their propensity to commit crimes .. seven hundreths of one percent
(0.07%) had their licenses revoked for commission of ANY crime after the
license was issued.  Allowing people who are NOT(Criminals _or_ 
adjudicated_mentally_incompetent) access to firearms does not result in
the "killing of anybody they don't like".

|> 
|> Kev.
|> -- 

-- 
Michael Phelps, (external) mjp@vnet.ibm.com ..
                (internal) mjp@bwa.kgn.ibm.com .. mjp at kgnvmy         
 (and last but not least a disclaimer)  These opinions are mine..