Question of compromise , somewhat. ( Pot and Guns)

Let me get this right...

Your theory is if we lessen gun and marijuania laws the people who would commit crimes with the guns would be too stoned to do so?

 

IMO, yes on both counts. Regulating sales of mar1juana would eliminate the violence in the mar1juana trade, making everyone a bit safer. IIRC, the lowest crime rates in the US are in states with concealed carry laws. I do believe that "an armed populace is a polite populace" and do not believe that banning guns would make us safer as then only criminals would own guns, making it far more likely that a law abiding citizen is unarmed.

If you wanted to REALLY reduce the violence inherent in the drug trade, though, you would have to address cocaine and heroin, the most profitable of the illegal drugs.

 

I'm not sure we need to lessen the gun laws other than in each state giving the law abiding citizens the right to carry a concealed handgun after completing a ccl course and passing a background check. What a lot of people fail to realize is passing more laws and restrictions on gun ownership only affects the law abiding citizens and in most instances does nothing to prevent crimes commited with guns. Criminals will never abide by the laws so passing tougher laws have little effect on them.

Legalization or at least decriminalization of pot is an idea whose time has come. Addressing other drugs like coke and herion are a little bit of a tougher issues but we should addopt a strategy that teaches kids the truth about drugs and there true effects on your life. Many people's lifes are ruined by hard drugs like Coke and Heroin and some I'm sure by pot. But in my experienece people who like to puff puff pass are not a threat to themselves or society and we need to stop treating them like they are.

 

The vast majority of people whose lives are ruined by these drugs are actually ruined by prohibition. The Swiss have shown that even heroin addicts can lead productive lives as responsible taxpayers. They receive heroin by prescription rather than on the streets and their criminality has gone down while recovery rates have gone up.

Regulating sales of mar1juana is a good first step, but it is still just the first step toward reforming our policy of prohibition.