Punks Don't Call The Shots

I know that some  criminals are very dangerous people.  Some of them are slightly insane (and some not so slightly).  Some people do not work so they depend on others.  Some people do not work so they steal.  Some people are angry so they terrorize.  Some people do not have it in them to leave people alone.  Society adjusts.  People adjust.  Nevertheless, I see absolutely no reason for people who just want to go about their business, without harming others to be held hostage by the disrespectful, and  because of the fear that they have of criminals. "Do not harm others" is an excellent creed to live by.  We know that not all people live by that code.  I believe that those who fail to respect the rights and safety of others must suffer legal consequences for their actions.  Maybe they will learn to not continue down that road.  Obviously it would benefit society.  Most of us have heard the two following quotes regarding gun control:  "If guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have guns."  I agree with that statement.  It is common sense.  Another one I heard recently is:  "The only way to stop bad guys with guns is by having good guys with guns."  I know it is not a perfect world and that mistakes are made. We do not live in a "mistake free" world, but I also agree with the second quote.  I do not own a gun and I do not plan to own one.  However, I do not want guns taken away from responsible, law-abiding people who want to own them.  My thanks to Jeff Snyder and Liberty-Tree quotes for the following quote that was made back in 1994.

 "But to ban guns because criminals use them is to tell the innocent and law-abiding that their rights and liberties depend not on their own conduct, but on the conduct of the guilty and the lawless, and that the law will permit them to have only such rights and liberties as the lawless will allow. ... For society does not control crime, ever, by forcing the law-abiding to accommodate themselves to the expected behavior of criminals. Society controls crime by forcing the criminals to accommodate themselves to the expected behavior of the law-abiding."
Jeff Snyder