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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: handgun reqistration...
Message-ID: <1339@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Jan-85 17:23:27 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.1339
Posted: Wed Jan 30 17:23:27 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Jan-85 18:53:46 EST
References: <1871@inmet.UUCP> <433@whuxl.UUCP> <amdahl.1059>
Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 38
Summary: 


>>                                        I think these are all different
>> from handgun ownership whose sole purpose is killing or maiming other
>> people.  Is it not?
>>   tim sevener   whuxl!orb
>
>No it is not.  Do you belong to the *loud* enough and long enough
>league or what?  It has been said many times that there are many
>reasons other that shooting people for owning handguns.  A brief
>sample: collecting, profit from trade, hunting, target shooting.
>
>-- 
>
>E. Michael Smith  ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems

Let's see...
   (i) Collecting:  lots of things are collectible.  Why does it have to
       be handguns?  If some personality quirk insists handguns are the
       only true collectible, why can't their firing mechanisms be disabled
       or the barrels plugged irrevocably?
   (ii) Profit from trade: to whom? only to people who might want a handgun
       for another purpose, so this one doesn't count.
   (iii) Hunting:  Long guns are better if you just want to kill, bow and
       arrow if you want a challenge.  Who last saw someone stalking through
       the woods after a deer with a pistol in hand, or awaiting ducks in
       a blind with revolver at the ready?
   (iv) target shooting:  OK, but then you can keep your gun at the club,
       as people do with their equipment in most sports.  You don't have
       to have it at home or carry it around (except to go to competitions
       away from your home club).

I don't think anyone has effectively disputed the claim that handguns
are really valuable only for killing or injuring PEOPLE.
-- 

Martin Taylor
{allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt
{uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt