Gun Control & RKBA

Here's the thing, the EU and it's connection to its member states might be opaque at best but local democracy works very very well all over Europe

Protecting rights is also not the most basic thing, at all. Protecting life is the most basic. If your dad your rights are meaningless.

As for individual freedom, it depends how you define it. I know more than one person trapped by college debt or medical bills. Their freedom is extremely limited. If they lived in Europe they would be endlessly more free.

Ireland is a conservative nation - no doubt - but if you think I'd trade endless school shootings for slightly more liberal laws - in a fee limited respects - you'd be wrong. My kids have never even heard of a school shooting. They aren't scared of cops because the cops don't shoot people here. There was ONE missing kid here, back in the 80s, and people STILL talk about it, because it was so rare. Kids walk to school and parents aren't scared or drive by shootings, or accidental shootings, or armed robbery, or home invasion or really crime at all. And that's a huge freedom I wouldn't trade away. The freedom from fear of gun violence. The freedom to not worry my kids will be shot in this week's mass execution. Thats a freedom that's worth all the handguns in the world.