As per this news report bystanders at Nariman House in Mumbai tried to thwart the terrorists attacking the Jewish centre by throwing rocks at them. Rocks!! Rocks versus AK-47’s and grenades? Yet people still debate whether armed citizens could have meant a substantially lower body count??!! If just one or two of those bystanders had a handgun or a semi-auto rifle in stead of just rocks, the rabbi and many others who died at that location may still be alive today.
It’s a double edged sword. Unfortunately I don’t think aam junta is ready for the huge responsibility of gun ownership. I am a gun owning NRI, and we (you and I gun aficionado’s) know private citizens carry an extra burden and are seldom in the mind set given the 24/7 bollywood portrayal of easy violence or this age of Doom/Half Life,Grand Theft Auto/Soldiers of Fortune gaming environment. I always wonder though, having a few responsible citizens with CCW would somehow make a difference.
Why not? If the general populace is considered responsible enough to elect it’s government, if they are considered responsible enough to obey the laws of the land, is it not an insult to the people of India to assume that they would be anything but responsible in the use of firearms? The overwhelming majority of people wish to stay within and do stay within the limits of the law, if that were not the case complete chaos would ensue. Illegal firearms are widely available in India, and a darn sight cheaper than legal firearms – what prevents the majority of people from “crossing over to the dark side” (so to speak) and buying these black market guns? Is it not simply the fact that they do not wish to break the law? Why do you think that this propensity of theirs would suddenly change once they acquire firearms?
What I do agree with though is, that more than 100 years of gun control legislation has meant that people would need to be taught proper gun handling and gun safety – to prevent accidents. Not a hard or expensive undertaking!
I’m sorry my friend, but your views are rather “elitist”… sort of the – It’s fine for me to have a gun, but not for ‘them’ to have one! A not too unusual view in India, shared by many gun owners here. I guess it stems from the tradition of gun ownership in India having been limited to feudal lords and rich professionals/ businessmen… all in all another fallout of the long standing gun control laws in force here!