How/what would you change the 2nd amendment in the US? It's a bit of a slippery slope to change some of the first amendments because some of those are how we have what level of freedom we currently have. I'm not a gun owner nor do I want to be... but I do recognize that the people abusing the privilege shouldn't be able to tear it down for the majority of people who aren't.
Being from the UK, I also find the expectation to be able to own and carry lethal weapons that can easily cause mass casualties troubling.
It's logical to me that- the more guns there are around, the more likely it is people will get shot! I imagine the statistics confirm that.
It's not like the UK is much better. There has been a massive rise in knife crime, including in schools. Although, we tend to have less school shooting masacres or accidental firearm accidents.
I realise the argument is that it isn't the guns themselves that are the problem- you have to trust the people owning them. But obviously- you can't trust all of them!
Plus- it tends to accumulate as I see it. Your police officers and ICE agents are armed because there's more likelihood the people they are going to arrest will be. It's not to say we don't also have our share of officers with a thug or bullying mentality but- if they aren't armed, it's less likely they will be able to use lethal force.
I imagine there's a good chance many criminals are armed. And I imagine, in a state of fear- it's probably quite easy to shoot at someone you feel threatened by but- illegally. In which case- that presumably means jail time. So, I tend to wonder if having the possibility of there being guns all over the place creates more paranoia and panicked reactions.
I suppose it's just a risk thing. Do you limit the amount of guns and licenced gun owners to people and officers who are (hopefully) properly vetted and trained or, do you indulge people their freedom and sacrifice lives as a result?
I suppose it's a deterrent for bugulars and muggers to know the home owner or person may be armed but then- isn't there a much higher chance they will be too? I don't know how the statistics lean. Does higher gun ownership mean less crime or more? It seems to vary place to place.
I suppose, not having grown up with the feeling it was my right to own a gun, it's harder to really imagine what that would be like to have that right challenged/ taken away.
Of course, when it comes to suicide, I'm pretty jealous! Although, I'd worry I'd mess it up still.
In Germany there are loopholes so that rich people can hand their wealth down to their children without paying taxes I would like to make this illegal.
In the US I would probably change the second amendement.
If it could be more reliably proved, I think defamation of character ought to carry heavier punishment. I actually think- if someone
knowingly falsely accuses another person of something and it can be proved both that the person is innocent and they knowingly lied to implicate them- the accuser ought to serve the time for the crime they accused them of. Because they were willing to condemn them to prison for that time plus- destroy their reputation.
Of course, it would likely be so difficult to prove. That they knowingly lied rather than that they were mistaken. And, it may discourage genuine victims to come forward even more. So practically, it probably wouldn't work.