The right to bear arms

[Alpha]

Because we're all sick of people talking about how Issue X belongs in Thread Y, not Thread Z, and I'm all about action and getting people to post in this subforum.

What are your views on gun rights?

Now, it's a contentious issue, and if you're not one to get a kick out of long multi-quoted posts and subtle keyboard warriorishness, then how about you disregard all of the posts in this thread, and offer simple, to-the-point responses to the following (underlined) questions, which can also operate for getting the familiar discussion going:

Do you believe that people have the right to bear arms? (Bonus questions: Which kind of arms (handguns, concealed, full-auto, hunting only, bazookas, tanks...)? Which people (licensed, drug-free, no criminal records...)? How many? For what purpose do these rights exist? (Is it Constiutional, and if so, again, for what purpose?))

Do you think crime is positively or negatively associated with rates of gun ownership? (If people own guns, are they more likely to use them in crimes, or; if people own guns, the good guys are empowered to beat the bad guys in their lairs?)

How do we stop evil dudes from obtaining guns? (Do you support some kind of arms amnesty, and would this only serve to dis-arm responsible owners? Are guns a Pandora's box of no return?)

Do you own (or do you want to own) a gun? (What kind?)

If you own a gun, have you ever used it to defend yourself (or someone else)? (If you do not own a gun, would you ever use one to defend yourself at another's expense?)

Should ordinary police persons have access to guns? (This might be a weird question to some, but they don't here, and the thought that they could actually scares me a lot.) (In holsters or in their cars?)

I'll post my own responses at a later date, because I think my dinner is burning. Have at it!