Here's what I very quickly banged out in response:



2. First off, that point shows a fundamental misunderstanding of Swiss gun law, but that's a whole other post. But anyway: That post suggests that the US is vulnerable to ground invasion. Who's going to invade that has a military capable of it? Mexico? Canada? Because if you look at a map, you'll see that we're not all that vulnerable to ground invasions otherwise. Or do you think your gun can shoot down long-range missiles? Because if -- IF -- another government wanted to launch a ground invasion of the continental U.S., they'd attack from the air first in an attempt to beat us into submission. (By the way, Iraqis are heavily armed. It didn't protect them from foreign invasions -- OR their own government, come to think of it.)

3. Mobs of angry people? Why, don't they have cops where you live? And why do you plan on making yourself the target of a mob? (And where were these Katrina "riots"? Also: are you suggesting that people angry in Katrina's aftermath deserved to be shot? Do you know WHY they were angry? Because they were treated like shit in the aftermath of the storm. A lot of the country was angry right along with them. Do you know what kind of harsh judgment was passed on the people who suffered the most? And I'll tell you right now, you and your family would be JUST AS IGNORED and treated just as shabbily if that kind of storm hits you. Would you deserve to be shot?) [Note: He's Hispanic, my niece is Hispanic-Italian descent, and their daughter is an adorable combination of her dad and mom. They're also broke. The sad reality is that being poor minorities, had they been in NOLA during Katrina, they wouldn't have been very high on the list of people to help.]

But anyway -- your one gun is going to protect you from a mob of angry rioters? Why do you even think they'd know your house exists?

4. Statistics have repeatedly shown that the people who live in a home with a gun are a lot more likely to be shot than people who don't live in a home with a gun. Nobody in a house with a gun is more protected -- in fact, they're less protected. You know what else repels home invasions? A sticker on a couple of windows saying you're protected by so-and-so alarm company. Or a large dog.

5. You know what else protects you from muggers and rapists outside your home (again, WTF kind of neighborhood do you live in? Between the muggers, the rapists and the rioters -- what's next, zombie hordes)? Self defense classes. Keeping your head up and walking like you know where you're going. Staying in well-lit areas at night. A whistle around your neck. A can of mace.

6. Funny enough, it's also a person's right to speak his or her mind -- but you would still get a visit from the Secret Service if you said things that threatened the President. Or the cops might come after you if you incited violence. So maybe it's your right to have a gun, but it's perfectly reasonable to regulate how that right is exercised.

Done. That was easy!