If you could press a button and all the guns in the world...

[I Saw OJ]

No guns? What would I do if the King of England started pushing me around?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

How about you use the magic you used to make guns stop working and use it to make humans stop wanting to kill each other instead?

 

[Jaepheth]

No guns? What would I do if the King of England started pushing me around?

You'd have to stack barrels of black powder under the Houses of Parliament and try to take out the oppressors in one fell swoop.

I'd suggest growing a wicked awesome goatee first though; it's tradition.

 

[Ichinisan]

They only keep the peace because others have them to break the peace with, without them at all, the peace could be kept with a bow and arrow.

Zombies is a solid argument however.

Thought you said ALL weapons would stop working.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Before guns were used in warfare, the concept of war was, effectively, a season of the year, no less so than summer or winter.

If anything, the advent of guns and ordinance--more efficient, more effective killing, has seen a drastic reduction in willingness to kill and engage in long, drawn-out warfare.

despite such assumptions, historical precedence shows that the advent of modern warfare technology has managed to reduce total casualties, as well as the tendency towards engagement.

Now, there are many social and cultural advents that have evolved along with these technologies, but it remains that one can't fully implicate guns/bombs in the overall reduction of warfare, nor can their presence and use be ignored in such a discussion.

This fails to take into account, well, pretty much everything. You ignore the firming of national boundaries and end of empire. You ignore the improvement of food and other logistics problems which created that standard in the first place. You ignore the population explosion and subsequent globalization. You ignore technological advancements (like communication and transportation). You ignore the establishment of medicine and treatment. You basically ignore everything. Oh you give it one sentence at the end as a dismissal, but you effectively ignore it.

Also, I never said it would 'end warfare'...I said it would reduce the individual propensity for personal violence, crumble the MIC, and alleviate most 'mass destruction' options that threaten mankind as a whole.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

I don't want to get stabbed. Would knives and axes stop working?

Hmm... Bats haven't worked in SanFrancisco since at least April. :awe:

 

[HAL9000]

Thought you said ALL weapons would stop working.

I believe what I said was all weapons between a handgun and a nuclear missile, I don't consider a bow and arrow between those two weapons.


I have to say I'm very surprised by this result, I thought it would be a landslide victory for the "Yes, I'd push the button" and a few gun nuts saying no.

 

[HAL9000]

How is it arguable that people will kill with other weapons? Are you telling me that nobody has ever been killed by a sword or a catapult?

I wasn't saying that part of your post is arguable, I was saying the part about the weak being unable to defend themselves was arguable.

This is how you hit over 16,000 posts in only 10 months ... you start a thread and then respond to almost each and every post within the thread.

Damn Neckbard ... you have almost 25 posts just in this one thread alone. Think about it ... you could start 10 or more of these inane threads every day, post 25 times in each of your threads and add over 7,000 to your post count every month.

The possibilities ... you could hit a 100,000 in about a year and be king of the Lifers.

Cheers for the update, please keep my regularly informed on my posting style so that I'm aware of your valuable opinion on the subject

 

[HAL9000]

And deservedly so if they try to mess with a person's property. The shopkeeper who works 15 hours a day to keep a small business running so he can feed, clothe, and shelter his family deserve the right to protect what is his from marauders.

We'd have a much more civil society if carrying of firearms was more accepted.

The problem is innocent people would be dead too, innocent shop owners, bystanders etc.

I disagree, we'd have a terrifying society.

 

[PrinceofWands]

The problem is innocent people would be dead too, innocent shop owners, bystanders etc.

I disagree, we'd have a terrifying society.

They'll be dead no matter what. The ONLY question is rather they get a defensive equalizer or not.

 

[HAL9000]

They'll be dead no matter what. The ONLY question is rather they get a defensive equalizer or not.

Well no, in the situation we are talking about (the London Riots) very few died, very few, so obviously they wouldn't be dead no matter what.

 

[Brigandier]

I could not press that button, guns prevent a lot of bad from happening, by the sheer thought of their existence. It's why governments have power, and people can maintain freedom.

If the button, however, destroyed just bombs, I'd be all for it.

I'm actually surprised so many would press the button.

 

[Paladin3]

This is a sad discussion. Stop fantasizing about magic buttons that take away all the evil tools and discuss what we really need to do, which is find a way to banish the evil from our hearts that make us want to kill each other in the first place.

We are responsible for what we do. Not the tools we choose to use.

 

[HAL9000]

This is a sad discussion. Stop fantasizing about magic buttons that take away all the evil tools and discuss what we really need to do, which is find a way to banish the evil from our hearts that make us want to kill each other in the first place.

We are responsible for what we do. Not the tools we choose to use.

I can dream can't I? :awe:

 

[SMOGZINN]

No, we would quickly regress back to a might makes right barbarism. The only thing that allows the common man to hold against tyranny is firearms. Anyone that is willing to die for his cause can make a difference with a gun. That same guy would have no chance against a professionally trained archer or swordsman.

 

[SandEagle]

The Owl has not yet made a judgement.

this shows that the owl is slow and dim witted.

The Eagle would want all guns gone. i prefer battles with swords and shields.

 

[Minerva]

That's pretty dumb...HOWEVER if there was a box presented to me that if the button were pushed it would silence all the trollbeards on the internet--->

Well I think I would wear it out!

 

[arcenite]

this shows that the owl is slow and dim witted.

The Eagle would want all guns gone. i prefer battles with swords and shields.

The Owl may be slow but He certainly is not dimwitted. He has not gotten to His level of social dominance by making off the handle comments as does the eagle.

However in this scenario it appears that The Owl and the eagle are in agreement.

hooooo

 

[JulesMaximus]

Sure, why not. I hardly ever shoot mine and never carry them for self defense.

 

[arcenite]

I hardly ever shoot mine

The Owl wonders if this goes double for your manhood.

hooooo

 

[Rogue 9]

Samurai swords? They are quite light. It's still doable if you are weak without a gun.

It takes years of training and dedication to effectively wield a melee weapon. A person can become effective with a gun in days.

 

[mmntech]

No. People would just find another weapon to kill each other. Knives, or baseball bats, or a shopping bag. I like the last one. It's my preferred method. Silent, innocent... I've said too much.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Would be a tough one. My gut feeling would tell me sure, it will help stop a large chunk of crime. Not all, but lets say, more than half of it. Lot of people do crime just for fun, if it's too hard, they may not bother. others are more motivated and will resort to alternatives.

Then, the more I think of it, it would be a very short term thing. Criminals would just resort to other weapons over time. Not to mention, police and military would be left with no guns.

In a perfect world, only certain classes of people would be allowed to own/use guns. Police, military, maybe rent-a-cops (they'd have to do some kind of test, and only be allowed to have it while on duty etc). not saying criminals would not find ways, but it would be much harder than just walking into Walmart to buy a bunch of ARs and ammo and go shoot out the school next door.

 

[gophins72]

I would press it just to piss off the states of Arizona and Alaska. I'd also buy stock in taser beforehand, maybe.

 

[yhelothar]

If all weapons were banned, then Shaolin Monks will rule the world.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qHL2PSpecI