For us foreign readers who are completely mystified by the US gun nuts, could please Michael clarify how it is possible to be Anti-War and Pro-Gun at the same time.

Maybe Michael could explain us how a society is more human, safer and promote a better future when everyone is armed with lethal weapons.

Michael could then explain if this is precisely what the Constitution meant. He could also discuss on the relevance of this gun policy to other countries. Maybe he could comment on the fact that there are more than 30,000 gun deaths in the USA while there are less than 200 in the whole of Western Europe. We would also like to know how you hope to resist your SWAT teams, National Guards and Police Forces with your little shotgun.

One thing is for damn sure, when they wrote the Constitution, there weren't any Jews present. Or negroes, for that matter. Nope, just elite white property-owning males, exactly the people that a principled critique of US power should idolize. Also, fuck the Jews.

Gun Ownership Laws and Murder RatesEdit

A 1997 Justice Department report on murders shows that the US has a murder rate of seven victims per 100,000 population per year. There are a number of well-known examples of countries with more liberal gun laws and lower murder rates than the U.S. One is Finland, with a murder rate of 2.9. Israel is another example; although its population is heavily armed, Israel's murder rate is only 1.4. In Switzerland, gun ownership is a way of life yet it has a murder rate of 2.7. Canada is yet another example of a country with widespread firearm ownership yet a relatively low murder rate of 1.7 as of 2003.

By contrast, consider Brazil. All firearms in Brazil must be registered with the government. This registration process can take anywhere from 30 days to three months. All civilian handguns are limited in calibre to no more than 9mm. All rifles must fire handgun ammunition only. Brazilians may only buy one gun per year. At any one time, they may only have in their possession a maximum of six guns: two handguns, two rifles and two shotguns. To transport their guns, citizens must obtain a special police permit. CCW permits are available but are rarely issued.

Therefore, it should not be a revelation to anyone that Brazil has a thriving black market in guns. Virtually any type of gun is available, for a price. Incidentally, Brazil's murder rate is 19 victims per 100,000 population per year.

In Cuba, Fidel Castro controls every aspect of life with an iron hand, including gun ownership. Castro remembers well how he and his rag-tag armed Communist rebels overthrew Fulgencio Batista and set up a Communist dictatorship. An armed populace is threatening to a repressive government. Still, somebody in Cuba is obtaining guns and using them to murder fellow citizens. Cuba's murder rate is 7.8.

The former Soviet state of Lithuania is now an independent democratic country. But it still retains some vestiges of Stalinism. Lithuania's citizens must obtain a police permit to buy a gun. All guns are registered with the government. Somehow these restrictions are not deterring the criminal element; Lithuania has an unenviable murder rate of 11.7.

Gun control in Mexico is a fascinating case study. Mexican gun laws are simply draconian. No civilian may own a gun larger than .22 calibre, and a permit is required to buy one. All guns in Mexico are registered with the Ministry Of Defense. Guns may not be carried in public, either openly or concealed. Mexico's murder rate is an eye-popping 17.5. Mexican authorities are fond of blaming the high murder rate on firearms smuggled across the border from the United States. Nonsense. The U.S. has many more personal guns than Mexico, yet our murder rate is far lower than Mexico's. It is Mexico's absurd gun laws that prevent law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves against illegally armed criminals.

Guns are effectively outlawed in Russia. Private handgun ownership is totally prohibited. A permit is required to purchase a long gun. All guns are registered with authorities. When transporting a long gun, it must be disassembled. Long guns may only be used for self-defense when the gun owner is on his own property. By the way, Russia's murder rate is a staggering 30.6.

It is surprising to learn that there is gun trouble in the tropical paradises of Trinidad and Tobago. Here a permit is required to purchase a gun. All guns are registered with the police. In spite of (or perhaps because of) these restrictions, Trinidad and Tobago together have a murder rate of 11.7.

In all fairness, it must be noted that many of the countries with high murder rates have governments and cultures very different from the US. Even so, the fundamental measure of gun-control success still applies. The countries I have discussed, along with many others, have gun laws that are more restrictive than U.S laws, yet their murder rates exceed the U.S. murder rate. These laws clearly do not meet the fundamental measure of success, which is ultimately to save lives.

What anti-gunners all over the world fail to understand is that people everywhere are basically the same in one important respect. They are determined to protect themselves and their families. If their governments will not allow them to have firearms for self-defence, then they may obtain guns illegally, even at the risk of harsh punishment. It is a natural human response to danger. Another very important point to note is that making guns illegal simply takes them away from said law-abiding citizens, as criminals can easily get hold of similar weapons through black markets, albeit at a higher price.

As for the original author's question about resistance against far superior weapons, I simply have to point to the anecdotal evidence of Ed & Elaine Brown, the alleged tax dodgers. In spite of the fact that they were heavily outnumbered and out-gunned, the law enforcement officials had to resort to dirty tactics to break the deadlock. It is not the size of the gun that matters, simply the fact that a corrupt official will think twice before getting involved in a situation that may very well risks their life. It is an old cliché, but the Second Amendment guarantees the First. Saze83 06:33, 31 January 2008 (UTC)