So far the discussion here has referred to two basic points: 1) practical self-defense (e.g. which gun has best stopping capacity, which gun might be best to clear home, . . .) and 2) legal issues (e.g., can you ban handguns if you allow shotguns for self-defense).
On the legal front, I don't see a reflection of individual capabilities as a part of the discussion (and I don't mean skill). My wife is left eye dominant and right-handed. I found that out a few years ago when I tried to teach her some marksmenship with a rifle. For all practical purposes she can't hit the broadside of a barn door with any long gun. But she can shoot a handgun ok. There are a lot of people having unusual limits to their physical abilities. Some, lacking an arm, would be at a serious disadvantage using a long gun for self-defense. And, as my wife proves, there are less than obvious physical disadvantages. If the question is can you legally ban handguns because shotguns are available, you need to consider the self-defense rights of disadvantaged people. If you are considering banning semi-automatic rifles because they are not the most useful for urban self-defense, you need to consider similar disadvantages for people with physical limits to their ability to reload and you better consider the moral consequences of encouraging the use of shotguns rather than semi-automatics by people planning criminal assaults because the less effective semi-autos aren't available. Phil _______________________________________________ To post, send message to [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/firearmsregprof Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
