If no one had guns, that would make sense. It guns were totally outlawed no one would have to worry about them.
It is like you guys are arguing that we should have a safe society, and Im saying that society isnt safe so be prepared.
And I dont get the nuclear arms comparison. Cause no guns in the whole world anywhere would solve the problem as would no nukes. But there are some hiding, everywhere.
Guns will always exist. If they are illegal for most people to own though surely only a minority of people will have them. In Britain if a person wants to go out in a blaze of glory they would have a hard job getting a gun. In America if someone wants to go out in a blaze of glory they only have to raid their dads gun cabinet.
The analogy with the arms race is that more people carry guns because they know that other people have guns. If I was a housebreaker in America I doubt if I would go breaking into houses without a gun. Not because I wanted to kill the person I was robbing, but to protect myself against the person I was robbing.
Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that your analogy is correct. Have you considered the logical conclusion of your analogy? Let's say that guns are like nuclear weapons in regards to the arms race between hostile parties. Look at the history of nuclear weapons. When the US was the only country in the world to have nuclear bombs, we used them. During the Cold War, when any nuclear move by either the USSR or the US would have resulted in the destruction of both parties, no nuclear missiles were launched. If all parties to a dispute are equally well armed and all have a significant chance of death from beginning hostilities, there is a strong incentive to keep the peace. If anything, your analogy would lead to an idealized state where all people are equally well armed with very lethal guns. No one would dare use one to commit a crime, because of the high risk of death.
If no one had guns, that would make sense. It guns were totally outlawed no one would have to worry about them.
It is like you guys are arguing that we should have a safe society, and Im saying that society isnt safe so be prepared.
And I dont get the nuclear arms comparison. Cause no guns in the whole world anywhere would solve the problem as would no nukes. But there are some hiding, everywhere.
Guns will always exist. If they are illegal for most people to own though surely only a minority of people will have them. In Britain if a person wants to go out in a blaze of glory they would have a hard job getting a gun. In America if someone wants to go out in a blaze of glory they only have to raid their dads gun cabinet.
The analogy with the arms race is that more people carry guns because they know that other people have guns. If I was a housebreaker in America I doubt if I would go breaking into houses without a gun. Not because I wanted to kill the person I was robbing, but to protect myself against the person I was robbing.
Then what happens if war breaks out ? What happens if society collapses ?
Im not talking about Ideals, it is just reality. I live in a city with millions of people and many of them have guns. I dont want to be roadkill.
I would love to continue this discussion, dear, but I have to go meet a man about some rope. Ill reply later. 
You guys are smart and make a better case than I could. I do think you are wrong though.
OK. If society breaks down, then I don't have the answers. I haven't thought of that, although I would hope it's not likely. Even if it did happen I'm not sure I'd feel any safer with a gun.
If all parties to a dispute are equally well armed and all have a significant chance of death from beginning hostilities, there is a strong incentive to keep the peace.
There is truth in that. But it would require everyone, or at least one in every household to be as proficient with a gun as the people who would seek to do them harm. I would not want to live in a society where my life depended upon my skills with a gun.
Assuming that what you say is 100% right it still leaves the problem of people going on rampages. People kill themselves here, and people hate their peers. Going and getting your gun and blowing their brains out is not an option.
I do accept guns have a purpose, butif everyone is armed how on earth do you stop people who have decided they want to die, from using them to cause maximum damage before they kill themaselves? That does seem to be a big problem in America, or at least it is portrayed as a big problem in our media.
