If there were a way to make sure that NO ONE had guns, it should be done. But there's not, and so the question gets tricky. First of all, NO civilian should be able to have anything besides a handgun or rifle, because there's no excuse for it. (Better yet, people should just have muskets.
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And of course making guns illegal won't turn a place into a gunless paradise. The people that
really want guns--who are probably the ones most dangerous with them--would still be able to get them illegally. And all the law-abiding citizens would be defenseless.
At least that's what I used to say, and so I used to think that complete gun control is a bad idea. But then I thought, wait a minute... If a guy comes into your house with a gun, are you going to actually be doing you and your family a favor by going to him, shouting, "You there!" and challenging him to a duel? No, at least not unless you're a perfect marksman. First of all, anyone who breaks into your house is most likely crazy or drugged (or both), and you won't know what to expect. The best thing to do is have a reliable security system (or a couple howling dogs) (not to mention calling the police, of course), not a gun. If I'm not mistaken, people with guns to protect their families lead to the deaths of their family members more often than protect them. Or at least lead to so many accidents that it's not worthwhile.
So my point is, maybe complete gun control (all firearms illegal) isn't such a bad idea. Except for maybe if you get some sort of hunter's permit, in which case you can use a rifle to go hunting.