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17596 Commentshttp://riseuprochester.org/2009/01/29/surveillance-state-the-antithesis-of-liberty/Surveillance+State%3A+The+Antithesis+of+Liberty2009-01-29+20%3A17%3A44Andrew+S. »

Matt said:
It will certainly be interesting to see what kind of legislation (gun control and otherwise) is put forward in the wake of the recent incident in the city involving the Rochester police officer being shot.
# 5 February 2009 at 12:26 am

Andrew S. (author) said:
As unfortunate as that shooting was, we must remember that any right can be used or abused. Due process sometimes means the guilty walk free, the right to bear arms means sometimes innocents will be shot, and the right to assembly means that sometimes there will be riots.
The real question is, can riots be prevented simply by making them illegal?
Can abuses of free speech me prevented simply by restricting speech?
Can violence against innocents be reduced by making gun ownership illegal?
The answer, of course, is that criminals are criminals because they have no regard for the law. If a criminal would use a gun to hurt someone, they are already planning on doing something illegal. They don't really care about having a gun illegally. Gun control laws should be seen as victim-disarmament laws, because only law-abiding citizens will gladly give up their weapons.
The only way to truly be protected is to protect yourself. Unfortunately, for the police officer, we do not yet know the motive for the person who shot him. What I do know is that for a lot of people the police are the face of a tyrannical government. I'm sure most of them are great people, but they represent something else beyond just the uniform.
# 5 February 2009 at 1:29 am

Matt said:
You're speaking to the choir, Andrew.
# 5 February 2009 at 1:36 am

Matt said:
It's been proven that gun control doesn't stop gun violence. It only floods the black market with illegal guns while making them harder to obtain for law-abiding citizens. I am aware of this. However, they will USE (read: exploit) this incident to push for more cameras, more police, and more anti-crime legislation. That is how it always works. Problem-reaction-solution.
# 5 February 2009 at 2:31 am

Ethan said:
Agreed. If it wasn't so sad it would be funny. It is already illegal for a 14 year old to have a hand gun and to shoot a police officer. Yet somehow despite the fact that it was illegal he was able to not only have the gun but to shoot a police officer as well. No laws will ever prevent this type of thing from happening.
# 5 February 2009 at 4:04 am

Andrew S. (author) said:
Well said. You put that even more succinctly than I did.
# 5 February 2009 at 5:22 am

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