Oxymoron #27: Gun safety.
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If everyone were to carry a weapon, that scenario wouldn't even happen. Think about it. You're a criminal and a law allowing all citizens to carry weapons is in effect. You want to rob a convenience store. Would you risk going in there, pulling a gun on the owner, and having your head blown off by either the cashier, or someone else who just happens to be at the store? I don't think so.
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Someone who has gotten to the point of engaging in armed robbery isn't exactly going to be worrying about little details like that
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It may seem crazy or stupid, but it works, believe it or not. In Switzerland, just about anyone over 18 is allowed to carry a firearm, and their murder rates are unbelievably low, ranging from 5 or 6 per year. I'm not saying that guns should be handed out to individuals with a history of violence, or people under the age of 18, but I am saying that if criminals knew that someone they were planning on attacking or stealing from is, more likely than not, armed, then they would think twice before taking the risk.
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Again, people planning on attacking or stealing from someone are not going to be thinking twice at all, or they would not be doing it in the first place. And then when they are faced with an armed opponent suddenly, well, everyone knows what happens when you surprise a gun-wielding criminal. Besides, Switzerland have low rates of all antisocial behaviour. This is a place where lost wallets containing large amounts of cash are invariably handed in to the authorities with all contents intact.
There is a basic dynamic that takes place when you arm both the predator and prey. We see it in nature. This is the part of evolution that will lead to ever faster prey animals to escape from their ever faster predators. The same goes for body size. If you are going to attack a place known to be protected, you're going to make sure that you have a bigger, stronger arsenal than your target. And as the equipment of the local criminals becomes more outlandish, so does that of law abiding citizens. And we can see where this is going.