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From: tjt@kobold.UUCP (T.J.Teixeira)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics
Subject: Re: More on Handguns
Message-ID: <186@kobold.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Oct-83 11:20:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: kobold.186
Posted: Tue Oct 25 11:20:31 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Oct-83 08:18:30 EDT
References: <408@ihuxb.UUCP>
Organization: Masscomp, Littleton, MA
Lines: 22

Admittedly, strict handgun legislation will not be able to prevent
*all* handgun killings.  However, this is not the appropriate standard
to apply.  It should only be necessary that handgun legislation prevent
*some* killings in order for it to be effective.

If you take into account the possible legitimate uses of handguns for
self-defense, then you just have to prevent more killings by banning
handguns than might have been prevented if the victims not been
prevented from using a handgun.

Finally, to turn the original argument around, tell me how not banning
handguns would have prevented the tragedy reported by Allen England.
Could the judge have saved himself by having a gun concealed under his
robes?  Presumably there were armed policeman in the court already
(this is just a conjecture).  Would they have been able to prevent this
tragedy?

Sorry, stories like this are not an effective argument against
banning handguns.
-- 
	Tom Teixeira,  Massachusetts Computer Corporation.  Littleton MA
	...!{harpo,decvax,ucbcad,tektronix}!masscomp!tjt   (617) 486-9581