I don't support guns ...

Isn't that a shocker?

You all know me as an arduous supporter of the gun rights movement, but I don't support guns? what on earth?

It's quite simple actually, it starts with a few simple facts:

1. Man is an exceptional life-form. Rather than adapting, we've taken a habit of creating tools, and adapting the world to suit our needs.
2. Every succesful invention exists today becasue there is or has been a need for it
3. Guns were designed to kill other life forms.

That last one may raise some bad blood with some, but you know it's true. Guns are also used for target shooting, a recreational activity that -ideally- hurts no living creature. But they were originally created to kill.
We created guns, because there was a need for them at the time, and it wasn't for hunting.

Guns were originally made as weapons of war, small handheld guns, large cannon guns, most of them were military weapons to kill other people.
So, there once was a time when people tought it was necessairy to kill other people.

This, I do not support!

Still today, people want guns to kill other people, I don't support that either.
I don't support "guns" I honestly believe that the world would be a better place if there had never been a need for them, alas, that is not the world we live in, suc world is a dream and guns are a reality.

How then can it be that I support the right to keep and bear these implements that were designed to kill people (and animals to a lesser degree). Fist of all, I primarely oppose gun control. Not from a love for guns, but because I do not believe that gun control works; I think most gun control measures are at best a missapropriation of effort and funds, in a worse situation it is a complete waste, and at worst, it makes the situation of the people worse.

Gun buyback programs are the best examples of those first two. They are extremely expensive and require a lot of man-hours to seize a sizeable amount of guns, very few of which (if any) have ever been usid in a crime, or would have been. Obviously I oppose such measures!

The money could have better been invested in education, cleaning up neighbourhoods, invested in traffic safety, or even to finance that one percent of the population in jail. The police officer who man these buybacks could have been out helping people, catching criminals, even just driving around town showing to the criminal element that they are present and awake.

Then there's the degradation of civil liberties.

It can make you look like a nutter if you bring this up against an oponent in a debate; "they're taking our guns, we'll be slaves soon" sounds paranoid and insane even, even to me. I'm talking about the notion that politicians, public servants, are wasting their time persuing legislation which doesn't serve the public. If they are not improving the life of the public while in office, they are degrading democracy! They are betraying their promise to the people, and are devalidating the worth of your power to vote.

This explains a lot I hope, but not everything.
I aso oppose certain laws that believe might actually work. Madness!

Well, not really. Some people are emotionally involved in their quest to rid the country/world of guns, and are just using some sensible law as a step-up to getting to work on laws that serve no purpose other than to indulge their desire to get rid of firearms.
To me, these are dangerous zealots, they too are not serving the publi interest, despite initially seeking to pass proper legislation. They are in it for themselves, which is in a way even worse than a politician wasting his/her time and your tax dollar.

So I support the right to keep and bear arms, so that gun control might one day fail, and be replaced by common sense education laws, common sense sex and drug classes, common sense law enforcement policies, common sense justice/penal system reforms ...

I don't support guns, I support leaving guns alone and turning our attention to where it is needed.

Do I like guns? Yes I do. I like to study their internal mechanics, I enjoy marksmanship and target shooting, but I have never shot an animal or person, and hope I'll never have to do either, as I hold life in high regard.

I even take a little bit of pride in my countries heritage when it comes to firearms, Belgian companies have introduced some marvels of engeneering into the world, I feel a strange pride for this. But I think it is a little sad as well, that we once had a need, or saw a profit in providing for someone else's need, to kill others.
That, does not instill pride in me, nor shame ... it reminds me of mans nature, it reminds me that I must be better than that.