Re:The President's Plan to Reduce Gun Violence
by anigbrowl on Thursday January 17, 2013 @03:36AM
(#5071651)
after the 30 Years War one would have hoped more would realize that widespread rifle ownership was an existential issue.
That's a complete non sequitur of an argument. You migth as well argue for conscription on that basis. I think you're confused.
Re:The President's Plan to Reduce Gun Violence
by hga on Thursday January 17, 2013 @09:33AM
(#5072800)
The 30 Years War was that era's WWI/Great War in it's aftermath. It forever shattered the idea of a general Christan commonwealth and so depopulated areas in which it was fought that many Germans think it was worse than the worse of WWII and I'm inclined to agree.
It was a stark object lesson in the potential fate of unarmed civilian communities, and I'm sure it was an input into the Swiss system, which of course includes conscription.
Re:The President's Plan to Reduce Gun Violence
by anigbrowl on Thursday January 17, 2013 @05:15PM
(#5075578)
It's an equally stark lesson in fully militarized armies being bloodily defeated. I fail to see what this has to do with contemporary gun control proposals; war always sucks for civilians. If an extended civil war of some sort broke out across privately owned Bushmasters would be of little use against bombs, long range artillery and so on.
As for your latter point and Europe, after the 30 Years War one would have hoped more would realize that widespread rifle ownership was an existential issue. The Swiss did, at least in due course. Others obviously did not, although as I've pointed out elsewhere wealth had a whole lot to do with that, plus the higher maintenance required by older guns.