Gun Control Reform Activism

I've had a number of discussions with you, and I will agree that you have done a good job of presenting your opinions as a gun rights advocate while being polite.

I also agree that the issue does have a tendency to lead to flame wars and insults.

To me, the most fundamental question is whether or not the high homicide rate in the US compared with other similar nations has to do with the wide availability of guns. You probably disagree, but based on my reading of the evidence, the answer is a clear yes.

That strikes me as the fundamental disconnect. If you believe that, then there are 30,000 lives per year being lost needlessly, and it becomes hard to justify letting all those people die because some people want access to the most modern high-powered, easily concealable weaponry without so much as a registration or even a background check.

On the other hand, if you don't believe that gun availability and homicide rates are linked -- for example, if you think that there would be just as many homicides (and suicides), and that without guns people would just substitute other means, then gun control becomes to be a pointless government intrusion on the freedom of law-abiding people to defend themselves and to enjoy an activity with deep cultural roots.

What I think happens is that, rather than discussing the key question, which is how much of role in violence, homicide, and suicide does gun availability play, most people who engage in gun control debates have already made up their mind about that.