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Re: [OM] OMs and "Point and Shooters"

Subject: Re: [OM] OMs and "Point and Shooters"
From: Jay Maynard <jmaynard@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 20:22:24 -0500
On Fri, Sep 22, 2000 at 11:30:57AM +1100, Andrew Fildes wrote:
> It's just that we here in Aus. have a very similar society to yours and we
> mostly manage without them.

Sorry, Andrew, but this is just plain wrong. Australian society is not very
similar to American society, because 1) Australian society does not have the
history of a right to keep and bear arms recognized (*not* granted; the Bill
of Rights does not grant rights, it recognizes rights that aleady exist, and
that no government can legitimately infringe) in its most basic law, and 2)
Australian society does not have the sheer quantity of guns that American
society does.

> I'm not a pacifist, although I will admit to being a pinko greenie
> tree-hugger, and I have used a firearm for hunting and target, but I can
> see no place for a handgun in a home or in the pocket of a civilian in my
> society. I recommend it.

For an excellent argument as to why that view is at best inconsistent and at
worst morally wrong, check out the essay A Nation of Cowards, by Jeffrey
Snyder, at http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/guns/cowards.html .

I also think there's a lot to be said for open source software advocate Eric
S. Raymond's argument: if you believe in gun control, then you should back
up your convictions by putting the following sign in your yard:

                  THIS HOME IS A GUN-FREE ZONE


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