Whether they thought it was a good idea or not, they never got the chance to try, thanks to the US Navy. So, that's kind of moot. Besides that, the rebellion in Libya is demonstrating to us right now that a citizenry armed with rifles cannot compete with an organized military that doesn't have qualms with killing. Meanwhile, Egypt has shown us that an effective resistance doesn't have to use weapons to succeed when the military does have qualms. So, I won't let resisting tyranny be my justification; guns are not the driver.
Lybia is a perfect example as to why I want arms. What if our military turned against us? That is the purpose of the 2nd amendment. And to shoot squirrels of course. But of course I respect your right to disagree. I'm sure many would disagree with my opinion that Raging Liberals should not have a right to vote (I kid..)
I hope you find great comfort giving your gun a big hug when the US military drops a daisy-cutter on your house.
No doubt that's scary, and the US military has an immense advantage initially. But with the status quo, there's more households with guns than the military can drop daisy-cutters on, and if long-term attrition+guerrilla warfare is done, their high-tech advantage is eroded. And given the enormous labor and resource input needed to sustain the M-I complex, you'll see the US military machine go broke playing whack-a-mole with American mujaheddin. Some like me who have multiple guns will happily lend them out to fellow Americans in a hypothetical full-blown uprising à la 2011 Egyptian/Libyan revolution. Throw in survivalists and Iraq veterans who have experience with things that It all comes to down to education. Gun reform is needed, but a well-trained person doesn't need their guns taken away.
You still wouldn't be safe. I use to work for a company that makes made a certain part for gunship gimbals. The infra sensor can detect heat from miles away. It's actually freak'n pretty amazing. You either need to hide in a cave or a green house (for a reason I forget, infra doesn't detect through glass). This is Rambo against with the US Army: <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O-ij6h33U1o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Notice the difference in sound between when the Apache first fired and when bullets impacted. It's got to be a half a mile or more away.
The guerilla warfare is going pretty good over in Iraq, eh? And we can't even catch OBL out in the hills. I'll take my guns, hit the woods, live off the land .... or die trying. (Funny part is, I thought I was gonna die when the power went out for 2 weeks after hurricane Ike!!!)
I don't own a gun, don't want one (and I live in one of the tougher sections of East Houston). I believe the statistics that say if you have a gun in your home the person most likely to be harmed by said firearm is you. I think the chestnut about our needing our guns in case of a government gone bad is foolish, if the government has the military's support they are fairly useless and if the rogue government doesn't have the military's support they are unnecessary. That said, I just think guns are too ingrained to the US culture to ban....but I think we have to take common sense precautions about waiting periods and assault weapons and ignore the bleating about "the criminals don't have to wait" or "the criminals already have assault weapons".
Guerrilla warfare i somewhat effective because we're not willing to kill civilians. The US army can mow down the entire country if we wanted to. But I guess we're better than that.
I'm surprised you've never heard this. I've heard it all my life. Evidently, there has never been any proof that this was actually said. Here's the quote: Apparently, he never said this, either: Source Anyway, I have a hard time believing that guerrilla warfare by American civilians in some hypothetical doomsday scenario would be ineffective. Americans are the most heavily armed populace on the planet; far too many of us own guns, have grown up with guns, and know how to use them. Using myself as an example, I've never purchased a firearm in my life, yet I own three revolvers, two rifles, and a shotgun, all via inheritance. I consider myself a minor gun enthusiast, yet I'm completely comfortable around guns and I have no fear of them (but certainly a healthy respect, of course). There are a zillion people like me, and there's more than enough of us to give anyone hell who might come looking for it. Just my opinion.
In terms of total quantity, probably. But in terms of average per person, there are valid comparisons. I heard recently that there are 3 times as many firearms in Yemen as there are people, which would bring it to around 65 million firearms. I'm sure it's hard to keep track of these things elsewhere and it's easy to keep track in the US (since it's legal), but this idea of defending your own country is something I never thought about. Frankly, if people are able to get into the country given the US' technological supremacy with weapons and defense, I don't think firearms will be the difference maker. In reality, we are talking about an invader that has neutralized the US nuclear threat. That's a freaking sophisticated invader. I guess you never know though.
Sorry Lynus....I just shake my head when I hear this...who is going to invade us? Seriously? Mexico? Canada? Russia? China? If anyone thinks our 2nd Amendment is saving us from a potential invasion then they need to get on the ToyCen bandwagon of fruitcakes....We have cruise missles, long range bombers, some of the most sophisticated fighters in the world, AND nukes! No one would be stupid enough to risk a nuclear war (which would destroy their country and pretty much everyone else in the world) which is why we wouldn't get invaded. Lets quit pretending like the right to bear arms holds any invasion deterence for our country. It's ridiculous in the 21st century.
Those statistics include things like suicides and spouses murdering their whole families. If you only look at accidents (shooting someone you thought was an intruder, kid gets their hands on the guns, etc.) then the stats don't shake out that way.
