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Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Value of Human Life vs. Value of Property
Message-ID: <3221@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Sep-83 17:22:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.3221
Posted: Thu Sep 29 17:22:06 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Sep-83 17:22:06 EDT
References: <537@qubix.UUCP>, <543@pyuxhh.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 40

D. Peak's article was good proof of a principle a lot of PRO-gun
folks would agree with:  people who do not know how to handle guns,
and what their limitations are, should never be allowed within ten
feet of a loaded firearm.  Consider Scenario 4:

                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v
                          v

	Just as you reach the top of the stairs on the way down, you
	realize that you are being an imbecile.  When the police
	(of a large American city, say) want to clear a house of a
	possibly-armed-possibly-dangerous person (or persons), they
	use a squad of professionals equipped with body armor and
	automatic rifles.  WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLAYING AT, TRYING
	TO DO IT YOURSELF?!?  You return to your bedroom, locking the
	door (we assume that there are no other family members outside
	it, otherwise minor modifications to this plan would be needed).
	You call the police (you *do* have a phone by your bed, don't
	you?).  You sit tight.  You will use your handgun only if the
	person(s) out there try to break into the bedroom by force, in
	which case it's a pretty good bet that your life is in serious
	danger anyway.


Does sound a lot more sensible, doesn't it?  People who think that a
handgun makes them invincible have no business owning a gun.  Proper
training should be a prerequisite to owning a gun for defence.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry