Why did I do such a 180 on guns?

[Flatulo]

58. Guns = murder Every time

This statement is nonsense.

If it were even remotely factual, there would have been, at minimum, 300,000,000 murders in the US since its inception.

There have been guns in my family going back three generations. Not a one has ever been so much as brandished in anger.

Talk about the NRA being over the top with it's talking points...

By all means, lets have an intelligent discussion on guns. There are far too many of the wrong kinds, accessible to the wrong people.

By all means, lets get rid of assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines that serve no purpose in hunting, sport or self-defense. Lets check the hell out of people who want to acquire any kind of firearm. Lets stop the straw-man purchases and gun show loopholes.

But lets separate fact from fiction. There are strong people who will take advantage of the weak. Wielded properly, with training, guns can neutralize that advantage. I don't know how many times per year that actually happens, and I don't really care. If it happens even once, then possession of the defensive weapon is morally and legally justified. I won't let anyone deprive me of the right to preserve my own life and the lives of my family.

I'll give up my gun when everyone else, and that includes all the bad guys, give up theirs.

Ain't gonna happen.