Re: Non-lethal protective technologies?

Michael S. Lorrey (mike@lorrey.com)
Thu, 03 Jun 1999 09:55:55 -0400

"Joe E. Dees" wrote:

> Date sent: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 21:53:06 -0500
> To: extropians@extropy.com
> From: Chuck Kuecker <ckuecker@mcs.net>
>
> > A straitjacket might work for the Black Belt... :)
> >
> > We've come full circle - now I am back where I started, with the opinion
> > that the Second Amendment means what it says.
> >
> > We need to control VIOLENCE, not weapons. If HCI spent 10% of the money
> > they are getting from that Cheryl Wheeler anti-gun song that's playing
> > around, maybe someone could research the real causes and recommend some
> > real actions.
> >
> I have recommended some real actions which, if taken, would help
> to alleviate the very real problem. One of the best ways to control
> violence is to keep weapons out of the hands of people who have
> been reasonably identified, based upon their history, as
> predisposed to violence.

And I have said that they are not totally unreasonable, but only as I interpret them to be, if I get to decide who fits your definitions. The problem with these sort of restrictions is that as other governments have demonstrated in the past, such restrictions can be redefined by any legislature, or tyrant, or judicial activist, to mean whatever they want them to mean, which IMHO is the best reason not to have such restrictions in the first place. I personally would rather live with the low risk of possible criminal activity against me that I know I can defend against, than to live under a system where there is absolutely no protection against a tyrannical government enslaving some or all and committing genocide against the evil minority of the day.

Joe, you always seem to be big on security. Please show me where in either the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence that says that there is some inalienable right to security? Freedom is decidedly NOT security, and our country is not meant to give anybody security. We can drag out the famous Ben Franklin quote about freedom versus security if you want, to show the founders intent.

I don't want ANY security from the government, I am quite capabile of providing my own. Government too often views any security power as the power to protect you from yourself.