Comments by "josh fritz" (@joshfritz5345) on "Do All Gun Owners Think The Same? | Spectrum" video.

I see it is as more of a mental health issue, but I am sick of people, especially gun owners (and corporations and politicians) acting like we can blame it all on one big bad wolf. Banning insert thing here won't fix anything, we have issues with society and people that need a softer touch. People with mental illness need help, not persecution.
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I own a gun simply because I enjoy shooting. I wouldn't feel unsafe without it. Is it disgusting that some people enjoy skydiving? It's a dangerous hobby too, but like many dangerous hobbies, the risk to self and others can be minimized by a responsible person. I keep it locked in a safe where it isn't a danger to anyone when I'm not using it.
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Guns are a part of American culture, and the right to own them is a right covered in the same document as the one that protects free speech, the right to assemble, etc. Yeah, it's possible for a country to exist without any of those things, but taking away any one of them is unthinkable in the US. People care about their liberty here, and as strange as it may seem to an outsider, guns are a part of that. Guns are what built out country, allowed us to break away from the British empire, and the additude of guns being a part of our culture, for better or worse, has existed ever since.
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I'll admit I was surprised. Even as someone who sees mental health as the biggest factor, and is not in favor of strict gun control, I don't see how someone can not see shootings as a gun issue.
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Europe has knife and vehicle based homicide instead. No matter what you ban, people will find a way. Keep in mind that the US's news outlets are very prone to covering anything even remotely resembling a story, so the bad stuff usually gets the spotlight front and center. This nationwide panic about shootings is largely a product of excessive and biased (in both directions) news coverage.
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Guns are a very core part of American culture. We see them as a fundemental right like free speech, the right to fair trial, or the right to assamble. Without guns, America as we know it would not exist. That's no exaggeration either. Guns are what allowed the fledgling United States to resist and break away from British rule. Not guns in the hands of our military, but guns in the hands of everyday citizens tired of being ruled by a king halfway around the world. The right to bear arms has been a core part of an ordinary citizen's rights, and just as importantly, a part of American culture ever since.
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@ElysianSounds Take a look at the world today. Authoritarian governments are still alive and well. The US is arguably edging a little closer every year to becoming one. This isn't about political parties, it's about freedoms, large and small, being sacrificed for the illusion of safety. I'm not sure if you're American, but the Patriot act is a bill that is exactly that. Any semblance of a right to privacy destroyed by a bill allegedly designed to stop terrorism. Mass surveillance is a keystone to an authoritarian state.
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@ElysianSounds I'm going to protest a bill proposed by my hometown to ban the use of ATVs on private property later this week. No, I'm not bringing my gun, I have no need to. The point is, why should these things be banned? Why should ATVs, or guns be forbidden items? Because they have the potential to be dangerous? That's why a liscence is required to purchase/ operate them. We are mature citizens capable of handling ourselves, not children who can't be trusted with motor vehicles or steak knives for fear we might hurt ourselves or someone else.
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