I am perfectly fine with individuals owning handguns.  I am perfectly fine with individuals owning shotguns.  I am perfectly fine with individuals owning simple rifles.  I am not fine with people using stupid arguments for owning guns.

You will often hear proponents of guns say, “If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns.”  This is a stupid argument.

First off, the Federal Government has not ever tried to outlaw all guns.  I believe the Federal Government will not ever try to outlaw all guns.  The only thing that the Federal Government has ever tried to do is outlaw individual ownership of things which might as well be considered weapons of mass destruction.  I don’t think there are many gun rights people out there that think individuals have the right to own a bazooka or a tank or anthrax or ICBMs.  There are creations of man that just should not be owned by individuals.  So too, the AR-15.  So too, 30 round ammunition clips.  Don’t get me wrong, weapons like the AR-15 have their place.  It’s just that that place is not in the hands of a Michigan “militia” member.  Individuals should have the ability to wield heavy weaponry.  They should just be doing it in the form of enlisting in the Army or the National Guard.

Second, the phrase is completely inane.   Last I checked, police will still have guns.  The National Guard will still have guns.  The Army will still have guns.  ATF.  Secret Service.  The list goes on and on.  So, you’re wrong, plenty of other people will have guns if they did outlaw guns, it just won’t be you.

Get a better argument, folks.  Of course, there really isn’t a better argument.  And that’s why “if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns” is so popular.  It’s simple.  It superficially makes sense.  And most people never bother digging down beneath the superficiality of an argument.