Do you believe the average citizen should be allowed to have any guns? If not, can we possess large knives, pepper spray, or tasers? If so, just some, or all? If all, should we also be allowed to possess grenades and poisonous gas? At what point do you believe weapons should be illegal?
I believe that every human being possesses the inalienable human right to keep and bear arms-- in this case, "arms" is described as any weapon that is broadly useful for lawful purposes, especially self-defense and militia duty, but also including hunting, sport shooting, and weapons training for those lawful purposes. So yes, that is all personal firearms, all large knives and swords, and all single-target non-lethal weapons. It would also include all comparable weapons that have not been invented yet, such as laser and sonic weapons that only affect a single target.
It does not include grenades and poisonous gas, because they are not broadly useful for lawful purposes. It does not include biological weapons, lethal or permanently harmful chemical weapons, explosive ordnance, or weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons should all either be licensed, banned for civilian use, or banned for all purposes, depending on their potential for legitimate use.
I do not believe that human rights should ever be subject to license, but I am willing to
tolerate weapons licenses as long as they are:
- Mandatory issue
- Inexpensive
- Based on reasonable training standards
- Not restricted by the availability of government training.
So if you could pay, say, $50 (and no more) and demonstrate proficiency equal to a standard police officer, and the government would be required to issue you a license that allowed you to purchase, own, and carry the majority of lawful personal weapons... I would be okay with that. Of course, gun grabbers are never going to offer that compromise, because no matter how much they lie, they do not respect the fundamental human right to keep and bear arms.