Originally Posted by Freebase Dali

I kinda sympathize with the "bearing arms" stance 90'sMusicKid is talking about, partly because I've grown up that way in the U.S., but also because of the fact that criminals/murderers/etc. aren't likely to follow the same rules as law abiding citizens will. The potential for someone being in possession of a firearm illegally (happens all the time in the states as far as people with felonies are concerned) is higher than the potential for me to be able to protect myself in that scenario with only a baseball bat.

While I know that outright bans of all firearms make it a lot harder to obtain firearms, I still don't feel comfortable letting my ability to protect myself by the most effective means be taken away by a government who's military has the right to use them under its command.
If it ever came down to it, I'd want to be able to defend myself from my own government as well as a common thug.
To be stripped of all relevant self-protective means, as a citizen, would make me feel a lot less safe and a lot more dependent.