Firearms should be banned from possession by civilians.

I'll match my opponent's formatting. My opponent drops my ethical argument regarding the confiscation of property. 1. My opponent has tried to present the difference in murder rates between nations as evidence, yet the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy (see rounds one and two) has already found such generalizations to be fallacious. Just as easily as my opponent can point out that the U. K. has more murders than the U. S. can I point out that Switzerland, in which all males have state-issued weapons and state-sanctioned military training, the murder rate is half of that of the U. K. As the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy concluded, there is no correlation between murder rates in nations with or without national gun bans. Instead, it notes, murder rates are determined by "socio-economic factors. " The United States doesn't have free gun ownership anyways. 2. My opponent has dropped his argument that impulsive murder is statistically significant. My opponent also ignores the fact that unintentional murder is more difficult with a gun due to the "Safety" switch. 3. My opponent has argued that pillows cannot kill. This is incorrect. . http://en.wikipedia.org... My opponent has also argued that poison is banned. Poisons are used as medicines, pesticides and treatments, among other things. My opponent's essential argument now is that guns should be banned due to their potency, but statistically, banning guns does not decrease murder rates. It only forces murderers to use more archaic means in accomplishing their goal. 4. Happiness from weapons, one-by-one: -My opponent argues that a non-firearm device that is lethal to animals but not humans could be used for hunting. I challenge my opponent to find such a device on the internet, or perhaps to design one himself. -My opponent asserts that skeet shooting uses non-lethal weapons. This is not true. No such "skeet gun" exists. -The quote from my opponent's source (. http://magazine.uchicago.edu...) that calls collection an addiction also states that collection is a trait of humanity "inborn and indestructible. " It is entirely natural and acceptable for a human to gain happiness from collecting. -My opponent ignorantly pictures the use of firearms for pest control as "people running all over their house shooting termites. " My opponent must live somewhere where there are no pests, such as beavers or alligator gars, irritating mankind and destroying property. Not everybody has money to throw around to professionals, or has reason to when they can handle the problem themselves. -My opponent also believes that gun shows no longer occur. I will name two that are happening in my state just this weekend: The Texas Gun Show at the Floresville Convention Center and the Saxet Trade Show at the Travis County Expo Center. My opponent can find over 100 shows just this month listed at . http://www.gunshows-usa.com.... There is quite a large demand for these shows, whether my opponent is aware of it or not. -Target shooting is rarely done with BB guns and air rifles, and people would get far less enjoyment from it if they could not use their preferred pistols or rifles. 5. Having presented my opponent's contention, I learn that he is contending the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Because the statement says "almost uniformly," my opponent's objection is statistically insignificant. The statistics outlined in the Harvard Journal are undeniable. 6. The fallacy presented here is the most common in cases against firearms, that "firearms can and do cause deaths. " Firearms have no free will. They can be used as the tool of a murderer, as can virtually anything else, but statistically, the status of their legal existence doesn't affect murder rates. By banning firearms, my opponent can only deny happiness to people he does not understand. == Conclusion == It is unethical to prevent people from manufacturing, using, or possessing firearms. Banning firearms does not decrease murder rates; it only limits man's liberty and pursuit of happiness. The resolution is negated. Thank you.