No, I don't carry a gun, although I'm moving from one gun loving, gun friendly state (VT) to another (AK). I never saw any reason to carry one, although I do love shooting guns, it relieves stress...

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"The only crime in America is not having any money."
-Berthold Brecht

"This interview...is not about me..."
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As Americans, we don't have to justify it.

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"Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves." ~ Lord Byron

I'd own a gun if they where less expensive. Once I get more financially stable I guess I'll get myself a .45 cal for home and self-defense, but I'd only take it out with me if I thought I was going somewhere I'd be likely to encounter trouble.

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As rational animals, we should justify everything we do. Doing something just because the Constitution says nobody can tell you you can't is the reaction of a toddler sticking his lip out and stamping his foot in response to a parental command.

Except our government isn't meant to act as our parents.

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Nice to see you reduce someone wanting to exercise his Constitutional rights down to a temper tantrum.

How retarded...

1) We must be talking about another species, most human beings I know are very irrational animals and that's one of the reasons I own guns.

2) Your statement here indicates that you percieve your government as a nanny state that takes care of you and has parental rights over you. How sad.

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"Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves." ~ Lord Byron

At least you're honest about it . . .

No, actually, it's you that seem to regard it that way. Otherwise, why would your only justification for carrying a gun be that you can't be told not to? This is a toddler's reaction and shows that you regard the government as a parent, one you're rebelling against.

And I still say you need to justify carrying a gun; just because you're allowed to, just because you have the right to, doesn't mean it's a good idea. What's more, it seems to me you did try to justify it: you carry a gun because you think you're surrounded by irrational people, i.e. that you're living in a war zone and need to go armed for personal safety.

At least that's the way I understood it. I suppose you might have been saying that YOU are irrational and THAT'S why you carry a gun, and since a paranoid conviction that everyone around you is crazy, hostile, and dangerous is certainly a sign of irrationality, perhaps that is what you meant. Care to clarify?

Which is exactly why it's nonsensical to say "I don't have to justify it." This is the reaction of a toddler when told not to do something he wants to do. It is DammitBoy, not I, who was treating the government as a parent -- and rebelling in childish fashion against its perceived authority.

Adults, those who don't live under parental authority, are able to justify what they do, and don't do things merely because they've been told not to.

Wow!

The recent SCOTUS ruling seems to have pissed off every anti-USA zealot in the world.,

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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Why is it so important to you that someone justify to you why they carry a gun?

I'll type slowly, as you ability to reason is now in question and I'd like for you to try and keep up.

a) I didn't try to justify my gun ownership - I said I don't have to.

b) How can I be rebelling against a government that agrees with me?

c) You can claim all you want to that my position is nonsensical and childish - this does not make it so.

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"Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves." ~ Lord Byron

I'd rather strongly suggest you not try to use personal insults of this nature. First, they're not effective when they're not original, nor when they make no sense, and that one's been used many times and, since a post appears all at once and is read at a pace bearing no relation to typing speed, is completely silly. Secondly, resorting to it makes it look like you can't defend your position.

Which is true, of course; your position is indefensible. But you still might not want to advertise the fact.

You did say you don't have to, but nevertheless you DID try to justify it:

That's a justification. Or an attempt at one.

Nevertheless, to say that you don't have to justify it (whether or not you then try to) is to say that you are carrying a gun for no reason except that you have a right to, which, as I said, is the reaction of toddler having a tantrum.

Damned if I know. Does a toddler having a tantrum necessarily have to be rational about it?

But in fact you might not be rebelling against the real government, rather against the one you think those nasty lib'ruls want to elect. The one in your own paranoid imagination, that is to say. Regardless, the only reason you've given for why you carry a gun (other than the fact that you think you're surrounded by irrational people) is that nobody has a right to tell you you can't. As I said, just because something is your right doesn't mean it's a good idea, and if you do something without even considering whether or not it's a good idea, just to demonstrate that you can, you're behaving like a toddler having a tantrum.

No, it doesn't, and you are demonstrating SO much sense and maturity right now.

Actually I don't think I need to prove my point when you're doing such a good job of it for me.

It’s inevitable I suppose that someone will bring a totally irrelevant yet exquisitely inflammatory non sequitur into the debate to try to sidetrack it from proceeding down a path they know they can’t follow with any logic.

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An exhaustive review of more than 600,000 Iraqi documents that were captured after the 2003 U.S. invasion has found no evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime had any operational links with Osama bin Laden's al Qaida terrorist network.

My position is defensible. It is defended by the second amendment and the scotus decision.

I don't have to justify my position to you or anyone else.

Your interpretation of my statement is incorrect. You repeating it doesn't make it any less wrong.

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"Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves." ~ Lord Byron

Nope, never felt the need. Not even when I lived a block from housing projects.

Though an ever encroaching government might just change my mind about an assault rifle.

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"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."

-Thomas Jefferson