Please site evidence that handguns have a dramatic effect on murder rate. It is my understanding from my college sociology classes that this is not the case.

I can see where this thread is headed. It's going to become another South vs. East Coast / West Coast / Chicago. It always does cause some peoples' inferiority complexes rear their ugly heads.

Inferiority? I think it boils down to two things: 1)different cultures 2) some people who think they are open minded but in fact have no tolerance for something different than their own. Yes I'm looking at you.

Go jump off the Brooklyn Bridge Chris...as I said, it's a rural vs. urban argument. Where y'all live guns are weapons, where I live, guns are tools.

Can't y'all just buy a hammer to mend them fences?

Agreed. My reasons for wanting to own handguns are multiple. First and foremost is self-defense. Mainly for home, and my only reason for wanting a permit to carry is for travel. It is fairly easy in Texas to get a license by the way, it's a weekend course and written test. I was always in a position where I would have felt more comfortable with some type of protection around, but it was amplified when two men broke into my aunt's home in Oklahoma last week and tried to rape her. When it hits that close to home, it's kind of a wake-up call. That's the THEM Loog is talking about.

Second reason is for recreation. If you've never fired a gun, it's quite exhilirating. I grew up around guns. Hunting was a way to put food on the table. It was enjoyable to shoot, and there are plenty of ranges here that would allow me to do so.

awesome, this thread took off more than I figured...

Handguns are more fun to shoot cans with than rifles and shotguns. FACT.

yeah, all those inner city shootings are done with remingtons...

and LooG, they're tools for whoever uses them as such. You don't use a tool to shoot at street signs. You use a tool for hunting. You don't seel tools for crack. handguns have NO hunting purpose whatsoever, so I discount this theory.

but does fun fall explicity under "the pursuit of happiness?"

And I feel better about locking up a handgun in a small safe to keep away from younguns than rifles or shotguns which are a little harder to hide.

Our gun cabinet at home when I was young was a nice OPEN piece of furniture. I luckily was taught very early on that guns aren't to be fucked with. Gun safes and lockable cabinets can be purchased, yes. But they get really pricey and take up a lot of room.

This makes sense to me.

Personally, I have no problem with guns used for hunting or whatever. It's the thought of someone walking down the street with one that scares me a little.

Actually, they sell and make a game load for most calibers of handguns. So yes, they can be hunted with.

I fired my first .22 when I was 10
I fired my first .45 when I was 11
I fired my first glock (yeah, I know, sissy gun) when I was 20

so don't talk to me about handguns

I'm just saying that other countries who have guns legal but no handguns don't have the murder rate that the US does. I wish I could come correct with some statistics, but to me, at least living in a large city where guns contribute to so many senseless murders, it's just common sense.

Fact is, a lot of people probably are and you never know it. Hence concealed. The licensed gun holders are not the ones you need to be worried about.

sensless?
dude was on my corner.

you've fired a gun, so you're an expert?

You always rally around bullshit statistics, and now you throw up that fucking circumstatial shit?

Bad boys in Ontario. No way. Migratory patterns from Black Atlantis clearly show a northern boundary at Minnesota.

You've shot a gun, so now you're an expert. My dad flew helicopters in Desert Storm, never talk to me about war again...I like your logic.

I just think your argument is facile. Ban guns, ergo, no more gun crime. Kinda like drugs, right? I actually think you'd stop more gun violence by legalizing drugs than you would by banning guns...

I'm admitting ignorance when it comes to the hard stats, but the fact of the matter is that a lot of other countries have lower murder rates and tons of guns, but the one legislative difference is that handguns are illegal. Handguns contributed to a ton of murders in Chicago this year. No, I do not have the exact number.

I only own two shotguns. These are used for squirrel hunting by me and my boy. As the "displaced" moved north after Katrina, I strongly considered obtaining a handgun from a friend for protection. I decided against it with the realization that the most likely victim of me owning a handgun would be me.

Please. Any kind of current drug or gun legislation is incredibly soft and is not a true deterrent.

And in Australia, where they banned guns, park rangers get to beat sick kangaroos to death with shovels...so, there's always unintended consequences. I would also bet dollars to donuts that most of those shootings were done with illegal guns...

There's still the notion that the people that kill with hand guns now are just going to kill with something else if we take those away. If you want someone dead, you'll find a way to make it happen. Taking away handguns doesn't take away the motive to kill. Plus, those who regularly use them on the streets will probably get them on the black market anyway. I'm not saying there shouldn't be stricter laws but I'm not convinced it would effect the murder rate in this country that much.

I'm assuming you mean that this could likely be obtained and use against you in some type of altercation? Or are you referring to the safety of a handgun? Please explain, just curious.