ubernoir wrote:
As to which is better I think as I discussed here with Stefanie it is good to have different democracies running different models -- meme variety + selection is a positive force and I think over time the "fittest" model will emerge.

Perhaps there is no single "fittest" model for democracy, and democracy will continue to take different forms for as long as we have different cultures. In some cases, the different models might borrow from each other, but in other cases, I think there will be certain cultural attitudes and values that simply won't translate from one nation to another, or from one time to another.

As for the specific issue of weapons, our nation is certainly divided on the issue, and each state has a different set of laws regulating weapons of various types. But once we leave the political theory regarding whether citizens should be armed as a limitation on government, the issue of self-defense takes on a much more personal tone.

As Decius mentioned, he just tries to "be aware of [his] surroundings and avoid situations where one is likely to become a statistic," and that might work very well for him. I follow that advice myself, but it's not enough to make me feel comfortable, especially at night. For most criminals, women are easier targets than men, and I think we should take more precautions when out alone. Some of my friends are large, intimidating guys, but I can't assemble an entourage of bodyguards every time I leave home.

Plus, being a transsexual woman introduces the variable of hate crimes. I think things are much better now than when I was growing up, but there are still too many stories like Gwen Araujo's and Matthew Shepard's for me to ignore the possibility of a prejudice-based physical attack. Anti-hate crime laws designed to punish criminals after the fact don't do much to help me, but the right to defend myself in the first place certainly does. I don't dread the worst case scenario each time I walk out the door, but I'm not going to let myself become a helpless victim, either. Going armed isn't reflective of paranoia on my part; it's just a normal aspect of my life, given the culture in which I live.

So, Constitutional issues aside, I do have personal reasons for supporting the continued legalization of firearms. There's a Ben-Hur quote that you've probably heard before: "Balthazar is a good man. But until all men are like him, we must keep our swords bright!" If Ubernoir and Decius were my only concerns, I probably wouldn't need to go armed, but then we probably wouldn't need laws regulating weapons, either.

RE: Guns for Safety? Dream On, Scalia. - washingtonpost.com