tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572478653058651573.post6511087119430327475..comments2022-10-23T06:27:41.556-07:00Comments on ATOMIKTIGER: Open Letter to MIT Professor Christopher Knittel: 5 Ways You Don't Get It On Gun Control Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572478653058651573.post-81244302039953937082015-01-19T04:25:07.580-08:002015-01-19T04:25:07.580-08:00Very nice article, Matt. i have to respectfully di...Very nice article, Matt. i have to respectfully disagree with your view of the nuke issue. It's not a straw man but a red herring. The reason gun rights haters bring it up is to establish a principle, namely that weapons can be regulated. If you agree to regulating nukes you've lost the debate, you gave away the principle you need to stand on. We have to start with basic principles and moral implications. That means talking about the one moral imperative that guides us in all human relationships, the non-aggression principle. It is immoral to initiate the use of force or the threat of force against peaceful people. In other words, a person has to be actually engaging in aggression or credibly threatening to do so before it is morally justifiable to use force in retaliation. What does that have to do with guns or nukes? The mere possession of an inanimate object such a gun or nuke aggresses against no one. There is no moral justification for taking guns away from people who adhere to the non-aggression principle since this involves initiating the use of force to separate them from their weapons.<br /><br />Property rights are part of this equation also. People have a right to their property. Guns are property. Separating people from their guns by force is theft of those weapons. <br /><br />In a debate before making the above argument I would point out that the nuke argument is a red herring. That there is no nuke problem on the streets. That most govts can't even get the things built so private citizens can't even dream of it. Nukes aren't usable by criminals (you don't blow up the neighborhood to control the drug trade in it.) Lastly, if necessary nukes can be banned from private property by contract (leases & home owner's association agreements stating no nukes.) Make clear that you're not saying people should have nukes just that it's not necessary to ban them.<br /><br />Stick to your principles & you'll win the debate even if you have to go out on a bit of a limb.Darren Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13055259906316988117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572478653058651573.post-39596230336593312182014-07-27T12:52:40.612-07:002014-07-27T12:52:40.612-07:00Hell, take the nuke argument seriously and show ho...Hell, take the nuke argument seriously and show how puerile it is on mon-2A grounds. Point out that import, transport, storage, maintenance, inspection of nuclear material is already well covered under existing law and is spendy. Same with mooring, fueling, manning an aircraft carrier, or finding somewhere to legally drive, and shoot the main gun of, your tank. It's not just a straw man, it's a facially puerile point in the context of gun rights.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05414687981098467556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572478653058651573.post-69827453238688016392014-06-02T01:59:49.105-07:002014-06-02T01:59:49.105-07:00That same page has the question: "can a priva...That same page has the question: "can a private citizen register an unregistered nfa weapon?"<br />The answer is no. You should correct that part of your argument. You got me all excited.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06307299426467674218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7572478653058651573.post-16629617513769779292013-11-27T20:57:45.615-08:002013-11-27T20:57:45.615-08:00Excellent! I hope this generates a response from p...Excellent! I hope this generates a response from professor Knittel but if not it was still very much a good use of your time, and by your willingness to publicly post this I can share to help spread your obviously well researched paper.<br />Thank you, and keep up the heat as anti gun lies and falsehoods shouldn't be let to go unchallenged like they so often do and you so eloquently poked many holes and shredded several myths here today.Michael McGarghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13759840408659584988noreply@blogger.com