Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: I think this paragraph from The New Yorker really sums up the gun control debate here on DU [View all]krispos42
(49,445 posts)Of course they are. That is what self defense with a gun means... killing (or trying to kill) with a gun a person that is attacking you or your family.
Obviously a gun, like any other inanimate tool, has different configurations for different uses. Different designs, different accessories, and different chamberings serve to optimize guns for various tasks.
I would not want to defend my home with a bolt-action hunting rifle if I had a handgun available, nor would I want to go hunting with a handgun when I had a bolt-action rifle closet. Whether I'm hunting or confronting an attacker, you're damn straight I want an effective "killing machine".
In the case of self-defense, it doesn't even matter if the attacker has a gun; this is survival, not an organized sporting event. I'm not interested in fairness and I won't delude myself into thinking my attacker is either; my goal, if the attacker forces me to act, is to inflict disabling force into my attacker as quickly as possible while avoiding getting hurt.