[Havoc]

In a perfect world: People have the right to own a weapon to defend themselves against people with ill intentions and/or to raise up against a corrupt government should it ever come that far (but we're in a perfect world here, so it won't).

Reality: People have the right to own a weapon but 90% of them are too stupid and retarded to use it responsibly. Also, the main reason you are allowed a weapon is to stand up to a corrupt government which is much more likely to happen in the real world than it is in a perfect world. However, odds are that your little 9MM is not going to do very much against a platoon of soldiers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying M16s and who have the ability to call in 3 F16s to bomb your house to millions of tiny pieces.

The "Right to bear arms" law that currently enables citizens of the USA to own handguns is outdated and should be seriously reconsidered. When it was written it was meant as a way to prevent the government from getting to much power and stuff like that. We're past that point so that law should be revised to say the least.

As for home defense, I for one support being able to defend yourself against someone breaking and entering. If someone has the guts to take stuff that belongs to someone else he should damnwell receive a bullet to the kneecaps for that. The problem is that not everyone has very good aim, especially in the dark in a stressful situation. So more often than not, you'll end up killing the guy which is a bit over the top and is not a responsibility you want to have for normal citizens. People who sleep with a gun under their pillow can just as easily headshot their neighboor who came running in the bedroom to tell him his house is on fire, for instance.

It's very double sided, IMO.