Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: US Gun Lobbyist Visits
From: derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 19:45:32 GMT
Organization: Fujitsu New Zealand

In article <1992Nov22.013405.6199@acme.gen.nz> kilroy@acme.gen.nz (earthbound misfit, I) writes:
>mrichardson@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu writes:
>
>> kilroy@acme.gen.nz (earthbound misfit, I) writes:
>>
>> > derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:
>> > 
>> >> Is there a serious attempt to do this?  I don't think there can be any 
>> >> possible justification for handguns or semi-automatic weapons to be 
>> >> freely available. I have yet to hear anyone come up with one either.
>> > 
>> > <sarcasm alert>
>> > 
>> > Semi-automatic weapons?!?! Oh no?! The horror!!!
>> > 
>> > <sarcasm off>
>> > 
>> > Hands up if anyone here actually has a clue what a semi-automatic rifle is.
>> 
>> Ooh! Miss! Miss!  I know! I know!  And I don't think any reason in 
>> support of them (e.g. more effective bunny killing) even comes close 
>> to the myriad of reasons against them (e.g. more effective people 
>> killing by the anti-social, easy conversion, in some cases, to fully 
>> automatic and thus even easier people killing and so on.)

Miss! Miss! I knew too!  Gosh isn't it amazing too find people on the net 
who actually know what they are talking about.  Imminent death of the Net 
predicted - pictures at 11.

>
>You're absolutely right. But why stop there? Pump-action shot guns have quite
>rapid rates of fire, let's outlaw them. Even a bolt-action rifle can be fast
>(just ask Lee Harvey Oswald) so let's ban those as well. In fact, no hunter
>can really justify needing a rapid rate of fire so let's make everything
>illegal except nice slow black-powder weapons.

The arguments against hand guns and semi(or even fully) automatic weapons 
is that they are designed with the express purpose of killing people.  When 
one buys a consumer item a decision is made about fitness for purpose
and often image.  This is why one person will buy a Mazda MX-5 (and wish for
a Ferrari) and someone else will buy a Holden Ute (and wish for a Mac truck).

It is the same with guns.  One person will buy a shotgun or rifle because
it is suitable for rabbit hunting or shooting possums.  There are few
large carnivores to worry about so an Elephant gun would be a little over 
the top.  One would have to be concerned about what is going through the 
average persons head when they go out to buy a hand gun,  or one of those
AK 47's - 'for a collector down the line (OK whose bought the Mutton birds
album yet).  The purpose of such a tool is to kill people and that has to
be part of the motivation for some of those people who would buy them.

Of course a shotgun or rifle can be used to kill.  A carving knife is 
also quite effective.  There is a difference between a carving knife and 
a switchblade - which is why one is illegal and the other freely available.



-- 
Derek Tearne.   --   derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz   --    Fujitsu New Zealand   -- 
Some of the more aware dinosaurs were worried about the environmental
consequences of an accident with the new Iridium enriched fusion reactor.  
"If it goes off only the cockroaches and mammals will survive..." they said.