Thread: Diane Sawyer's Sensationalist Crap

Originally Posted by Mr. E

Well that statement was serious. I have no reason to believe that if all ballistic weapons were to vanish things wouldn't be better.

Hmm, alright... taking it seriously, then, I think it would actually shift the balance of power substantially in favor of criminals, and lead to an increase in the violent crime rate. As has already been pointed out, firearms prevent far more crimes than they are used to commit. They are used in only a small fraction of violent crimes, but are by far the most effective way for a person to defend themselves. If you like, I can delve into all manner of statistics--mostly from the DOJ and other government sources--about the immense crime deterrent role that is played by armed citizens.

EDIT: Of course we've gone hundreds of thousands of years without guns; but I don't think anyone was making the argument that guns are or have been essential to the evolution or continued survival of the human race, so I don't see what that has to do without something. The question of whether our species could possibly survive without guns is just a wee bit different from the question of whether they offer a net public safety benefit. Yeah, obviously "people" would "still be okay" without guns insofar as it wouldn't be some kind of catastrophe for our species if guns disappeared. It would lead to a lot more individuals being victimized in violent crime, though, and in that sense a lot of people wouldn't "still be okay". They'd be robbed, raped, assaulted, injured, and murdered.