LogFAQs > #890558738

Rasmoh posted...

Definitely don't think the party that constantly tries to remove one's means of defending themselves is really in the best interest of anyone who wants to defend themselves from those who wish to harm them either.

The United States, which has more personal gun ownership than any country in the world, also has - by far - the highest murder rate of any first world country. The American murder rate of 4.9 per 100,000 is comparable to Rwanda (4.5), Niger (4.5), Somalia (5.6) and Kenya (5.8). By contrast, all of the US's first world peers have murder rates below 1.6 per 100,000, with the US rate three-to-twenty times higher, depending on the country.

This is without touching on the issue of suicide, either. Statistically speaking, the most likely victim of a gun is its owner, followed by their family members.

If gun ownership is supposed to protect the lives of the citizens, it's doing a really shitty job.

Rasmoh posted...

I don't think trading promises of increased entitlements in exchange for votes is in the best interest of your average working citizen either.

It's hard to reply to a statement this broad, but many entitlements actually reduce the cost paid by society, particularly in the form of law enforcement and health care. Countries with universal health care, for instance, actually pay less per capita than the US does.

So yeah... basically, the numbers say you're wrong on pretty much all counts.
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Kill 1 man: You are a murderer. Kill 10 men: You are a monster.
Kill 100 men: You are a hero. Kill 10,000 men, you are a conqueror!