Dan Mitchell @ International Liberty:
Back in my less sophisticated days (shocking as it may seem, I wasn’t always the mature, statesmanlike figure I am today), I sometimes resorted to silly arguments when debating gun control, such as, “does this mean you want to ban knives since they also can be used to kill people?”
Smarter opponents would scoff and accuse me of knocking down straw men, assuming a non-existent slippery slope, or engaging in reductio ad absurdum.
I wasn’t even sure what the last one meant, but I secretly felt chagrined because I also thought the argument was nonsense. But it’s not like we had the Internet back in those days so I could quickly peruse the writings of John Lott or David Kopel.
Well, I no longer need to feel shame. It turns out that my straw man came to life and he’s sliding down a slope into a big pool of whatever that reductio thing is.
I kid you not. There’s a supposedly civilized nation that is seriously talking about banning long kitchen knives.
I’ll give you a couple of hints to help you figure out what country is considering this bizarre policy.
- It’s the country that wanted to prevent children from watching Olympic shooting events.
- It’s the country that arrested a man for finding a gun in his yard and turning it over to the police.
- It’s the country that imposed a prohibition on the use of starting pistols at races lest children get frightened by the noise.
Yes, I’m talking about our friends in the United Kingdom.
A couple recently stood trial for using a shotgun to drive off a home invader. The judge found they had acted in self defense.
Prior to that somone else who had done the same was convicted. Until the more recent ruling you apparently were not allowed to defend yourself with a firearm in the U.K.
I normally peruse the Daily Mail which is a UK site to catch news from America that the MSM doesn’t want to print and the stories that like to showcase on America always highlight the gun crimes. What isn’t too obvious to the British is that they have just as many if not more crimes but the criminals use knives and clubs and are normally able to get away with their crime since disposing of the weapon is much easier than with a hand gun. There are even reports showing that guns are making a resurgence in crime use with all the immigrants that are flooding the UK and with them come the penchant to rob with AK’s. When this is pointed out in the forums they always fall back on the adage that at least it isn’t as bad as America. “Yet” is what I always post.
Aleric
hi,
this school murder of so many children is a unique event because of so many children, and it has touch the whole WORLD I HEAR and I’m not surprise a bit.
and from seeing the last mob revolt in UK, I’m sure they have quite a high number of murder, in those
slob community.
and I think they are questionning their crimes and get their comfort with saying
the US GOT MORE THAN US,
and they close the subject, as if they had fixed it by just talking about it.
AND I’m watching the BRAVE CREW of THE SEASHEFFARD TO CUT OF THE MONSTER SHIPS,
OF THOSE BARBARIC JAPONNESE IN THE ANTARTIC HUNTING THE WHALES KILLING THEM BY MORE THAN
THOUSANDS WITH 3 BIG SHIPS ONE HUNTING , ONE FACTORY, ONE AS SECURITY MOTHER SHIP,
EVERY YEAR AND WATSON SPEND HIS LIFE HUNTING THEM AND GET IN THEIR WAY
TO STOP THEIR HUNT,ANY WAY THEY CAN AND RISKING THEIR LIVES FOR SAVING THE DISAPPEARING WHALE NUMBER
JAPAN OF SHAME, THEY WILL CAUSE THE EXTENSION OF THAT GENTLE GIANT
DAM YOU JAPAN, HOPE THE CURSE YOU INFLICT ON THE WHALE BE RETURNED TO YOU, 100 TIMES