[ellery]

ALTHOUGH if we were to properly ARM ourselves the 'criminal' ranks might be substantially reduced in size due to 'attrition' doled out by the law-abiding citizenry on the spot during attempted robberies and the like

We are in complete agreement here. The problem is that laws intended to protect stupid people often don't, because the stupid (and evil) don't respect the laws. So, as always, it's the law abiding citizens using (guns, alcohol, cars, oxycontin) responsibly who are punished -- and the stupid people just carry on.

[robertpaulsen]

"The problem is that laws intended to protect stupid people often don't"

The law is written ostensively to protect the stupid, but it doesn't apply to them.

When stupid people started using a hair dryer while in the bathtub, laws were written to place warnings on the hair dryer -- they were not written to make the behavior illegal.

The only reason the law was written was to protect the manufacturer from the previously successful lawsuits.

So, tell me all about a free people not needing all these laws.