<< Sucks to be a criminal then, because it's very hard for a criminal to obtain a firearm, be it legal or illegal. >>
The only requirement for obtaining a firearm anywhere in the world is desire - you cannot "un-invent" the technology. Making a servicable firearm requires little more than some commonly available metal products, a file, and a few hours labor. Buying a firearm is obviously more expedient.
<< Ah, being "unprepared" thus? Do you really think that some barely trained and unorganized citizens armed with just small guns can do anything against a well-trained army? >>
The failed efforts of France and the US in Viet Nam; and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan come readily to mind. And with regard to the Afghani rebels, many villages devoted their non-combatant populations - children, women, and the elderly - to the manufacture of firearms. The products of their efforts ranged from bolt-action rifles to copies of some of the most sophisticated fully-automatic assault rifles, and with remarkably good quality.
<< LOL... No European country is a totalitarian country. If one would believe you, then we would have absolutely no rights. You're dead wrong. We've those fancy laws, called the 'Grondwet', which contains the most basic rights and duties of every citizen. It can not be changed without a lot of trouble, comparable with dropping or modifying an Amandment (sp?) in the US's political system. >>
One could make the same arguement at the beginning of the 1930's - too bad the Nazi occupation a few years later made those "rights" somewhat irrelevent.
The Swiss take a rather different view of things, and they've managed to avoid any invasions for about 500 years - especially during the numerous occasions when surrounding Europe was in flames. No surprise that our Constitutional founders looked to their example for guidence.
A fundamental problem with these dialogs is that I, among many other US citizens, view our Constitutional Rights as more than a collection of "fancy laws".
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Started to reply before AmusedOne, but my typing skills suck . . . :disgust: