Some simple logic

[powertoad5000]

I spent sixteen months in prison, every minute in the fear that some joker would knock me
on the head and put his pecker up my butt! I guess I have the right to have a phobia.

In this case, wouldn't you agree that it moves out of 'irrational fear' into something a little clearer and more defined. Of course your case is an exception, but I'd be surprised if people couldn't understand your situation. Assuming you don't go around beating the **** out of gay people .

The constitution doesn't say you have freedom of speech only if they decide
that you need to say something. It also says "the right of the people to bear arms".
Arms means weapons, not just a deer rifle or a 22 cal pistol.

I understand your freedom of speech laws in the US. I also understand that your most high constitution says that the people have the right to bear arms. My question was why would a civilian ever need to be in possession of an M16. I'm not debating the validity of the ownership of the rifle under your constitution. With freedom of speech laws, I thought that one of the main points of them was to let the people speak out about the government without fear of retribution. Which is a good enough reason not to limit them (except for things like racism etc). What I'm looking for is a reason why someone should buy an M16. And not just the typical 'because they want to'.

Civilians in the US are not allowed to have M-16s unless by special license, could you have mistaken the firearm for the civilian non-automatic AR-15?

Yup, it was an M16 as anyone who has seen the movie can attest to. He was one of the guys in the militia style operation near the beginning of the movie. So I'm assuming he went to the trouble of getting a special license for a rifle which he has no legitimate reason for owning. I don't understand that, but then I'm not American.

[Negative]

One's freedom of speech stops where another one's freedom of speech begins...

[bballad]

I need to weight in on the right to bear arms issue, I tend to be a pretty liberal guy but I fully support the NRA and think that any gun up to and including heavy machine guns and recoilless rifles should be legal. What people don't seem to get is the reason the second amendment is there, it exists because Americans have never trusted their government, and I would say rightfully so. We have the right to bear arm, not to hunt, not to stop a criminal but to stop the army from coming into our house and forcefully taking away all of our rights. If you want to see why America has lasted as a democracy for so long, with out falling to a governmental coup or overwhelmed by a totalitarian dictator look no further then the right to bear arms.

[vescovono]

Man - I hate to just piecemeal quote, so I will limit it to this:

"My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours." -"Rooney"

This one I have to say I agree with, not only that but when our own citizens disrespect the country - including politicians, I feel that the service that I, my father, grandfather, uncles, father-in-law, and wife provided our country has gone to waste - and that infuriates me. If I ever catch a flag burner - US citizen or not burning our flag, they shall experience geek justice, "Renegade style." I will also extend that justice to anyone burning any other country's flag as well.

Last quote on this note by Negative:

One's freedom of speech stops where another one's freedom of speech begins...

Maybe it's just me, or lack of caffeine, but that seemed deep for this time of day to me. And now I just got a flashback from "Kung-Fu" T.V. show.

[KorpDeath]

I have to agree with you vescovono. If I ever am faced with a flag burner I won't hesitate to dive right in and start kicking ass. Now keep in mind, I'm quite the pacifist. I don't believe that physical violence would solve anything but it sure as hell would make me feel better and more than likely they would end up with a few broken limbs.

Oh, yeah, and that goes for a crowd doing it or an individual. That's why I'm not traveling to the middle east or Asia anytime soon.

[schoolsucks]

On the guns issue I would like to say that I too have just started recently beleiving in the freedom that people should have the right to bear any arms. Before I used to think that if it was legal then criminals would get them and the killing rates would go up tremendously. But then I realized that the criminals using the guns can acess an M16 weather it is legal or not. And most of the time the criminals don't even have the money to get the guns one way or another. Now the only bad thing I can find with having the U.S. having the right to bear arms is that there would probably be a huge increase in dumbass kids killing themselfs with their daddy's tommy gun. By the way, I just wanted to add that here in Virginia any gun that packs more power than a rifle isn't even legal even though the Constitution says that we have the right to bear arms. Pretty funny how that can happen even though are country is suppost to be Federalist.
As for the flagburners, I'm in the club with you guys to go kick their asses, whoever it is that is doing it.

[HTRegz]

Originally posted here by schoolsucks
On the guns issue I would like to say that I too have just started recently beleiving in the freedom that people should have the right to bear any arms. Before I used to think that if it was legal then criminals would get them and the killing rates would go up tremendously. But then I realized that the criminals using the guns can acess an M16 weather it is legal or not. [B]And most of the time the criminals don't even have the money to get the guns one way or another.[B] Now the only bad thing I can find with having the U.S. having the right to bear arms is that there would probably be a huge increase in dumbass kids killing themselfs with their daddy's tommy gun. By the way, I just wanted to add that here in Virginia any gun that packs more power than a rifle isn't even legal even though the Constitution says that we have the right to bear arms. Pretty funny how that can happen even though are country is suppost to be Federalist.
As for the flagburners, I'm in the club with you guys to go kick their asses, whoever it is that is doing it.

They might not be able to afford them, but if you have one in your home they can break in and steal it while you are out and then they have one. I think that's where the problem lies.

I will say I agree about the flag burners.. I'll support their right to freedom of speech, but i'll beat them for destroying something I agree in.

[fourdc]

If we wrote laws to prevent kids from hurting themselves we would be banning swimming pools, bicycles etc etc long before we got to guns.

I know that this action isn't shared by all gun owners, in my house guns are locked away in a safe, the ammo is locked up separately somewhere else. My neighborhood isn't in a state of seige so I can afford that luxury. Usually a dog barking is enough to drive off a crook.

[HTRegz]

You make a very good point fourdc, but the sad part is that a lot of the time people take less safety precautions with their guns than they do with their bikes or swimming pools... Also there is a difference between hurt and killed. If you were to play it based on odds.. compare the number of times a kid has found a gun and been killed, compared to the number of times a kid has been in a swimming pool and been killed. I'd bet the ratio would be higher with guns.

[EDIT]
One Last thought.

I will say that if everyone treated their guns the way you do.. Then gun control probably wouldn't even be an issue.

[/EDIT]

[gold eagle]

KD the quote was interesting, regardless of who really said it. My take is whoever is whereever (is that a word? ;-) ) should respect the country, or state or city and its traditions rather than try to impose their own, espcecially if they have come from somewhere else.