Restricting gun ownership

Wretchard at the Belmont Club talks about the restrictive gun ownership "rules" in the Philippines where the restrictions are honored more in the breach. He comments:

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The ideal situation would be one in which absolutely nobody owned a gun. Then nobody would need to own one. It's an amazing but true fact that in pre-War Manila, the police went on their patrols unarmed, like the British bobbies of an earlier period. The War and the Huk Rebellion and rising poverty after Independence changed all that. Today, "gun control" in that society must really be recognized for what it is: gun redistribution. With millions of firearms already in circulation, gun control becomes closely associated with politics and even class warfare.

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Most of the martial art "weapons" you see in the movies were invented during the time of the Samurai in Japan when ownership of swords was limited to the Samurai. Most of these weapons were developed by farmers who devised them from implements of their trade. The weapons and the martial arts moves were adapted because they were denied swords. I am pretty sure something similar would happen if guns were really banned.

After World War I limitations were placed on the number of battleships that countries could have. This resulted in a significant increase in aircraft carriers which were not restricted. Men always find a way to defend themselves or suffer the consequences of failing to do so.

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