Greg on Quora

Q:  What is the right to bear arms? Is this something unique to America or was it common at that time elsewhere as well? A:  The right to keep and bear arms is a natural right. It is not unique to America, but applies to all people. Sadly, some governments fail to guarantee that right, and thus it is violated for some people. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-right-to-bear-arms-Is-this-something-unique-to-America-or-was-it-common-at-that-time-elsewhere-as-well/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  Washington governor Jay Inslee is poised to sign a massive 'semiautomatic weapons' ban, saying it 'will save lives.' Do you think the ban will reduce gun violence? A:  First and foremost, it is unconstitutional. It will not last long. I predict minimal compliance and no reduction in crime rate https://www.quora.com/Washington-governor-Jay-Inslee-is-poised-to-sign-a-massive-semiautomatic-weapons-ban-saying-it-will-save-lives-Do-you-think-the-ban-will-reduce-gun-violence/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11 

Q:  Can a police officer buy a fully automatic weapon? A:  Yes, but a better question is whether citizens in general can buy an NFA gun or other item. An NFA purchase has its own requirements. See the application at https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/how-can-person-legally-obtain-nfa-firearms https://www.quora.com/Can-a-police-officer-buy-a-fully-automatic-weapon/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11 

Q:  What is wrong with a gun license (per gun) that can be rescinded if you commit certain offences? Owning a gun without a license would be the sort of offence that would stop you getting a new license. The problem? It would hurt arms company profits. A: What is wrong with a speech license (per instance of speaking) that can be rescinded if you engage is hate speech? What is wrong with a worship license (per worship service) that can be rescinded if you are accused of having “wrong beliefs”? What is wrong with a press license (per publication) that can be rescinded if you print misinformation? If our rights depend on permission from the authority, then they are not rights, but dispensations from the government. Freedom means being able to do what you want to do, for any reason—or no reason at all. Neither permission nor persuasion nor explanation of any kind is required. Besides, you don’t need a licensing system to lose your guns if you commit certain offenses. Murder? Yep, they’...

Q:  You are a police officer off duty. In a store, you discern that the person in front of you is carrying a concealed handgun, but acting normally. Would you detain him? A:  To give you an idea of how bad your question is, I will rephrase it slightly: You are a police officer off duty (or on, it doesn't matter). On the road, you see the person in front of you driving safely, obeying all traffic laws. Would you detain him? https://www.quora.com/You-are-a-police-officer-off-duty-In-a-store-you-discern-that-the-person-in-front-of-you-is-carrying-a-concealed-handgun-but-acting-normally-Would-you-detain-him/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  Why do some think that banning guns in America would cause more of a problem? "Imagine the world without guns" was a bumper sticker that began making the rounds after the murder of ex-Beatle John Lennon on December 18, 1980. Last year, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, followed up on that sentiment by announcing she would become a spokeswoman for Handgun Control, Inc. (which later changed its name to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and which was previously named the National Council to Control Handguns). So let's try hard to imagine what a world without guns would look like. It isn't hard to do. But be forewarned: It's not a pretty picture. The way to get to a gun-free world, the gun-prohibition groups tell us, is to pass laws banning them. We can begin by imagining the enactment of laws which ban all non-government possession of firearms. It's not likely that local bans will do the job. Take, for example, New York's 1911 Sullivan Law, which im...

Q:  What is the history of gun ownership in Great Britain? A:  There are plenty of online sources for folks to look up whatever details they find interesting, but I will sum up that history in one word: tragedy. It is truly tragic that the once-great people of Great Britain have been neutered—and not by any outside invaders, but by themselves. Just as I would like to see the reaction of the American Founding Fathers to the sad state of affairs in our country, I would also be interested to see how the Brits’ own "greatest generation" would respond to the foolishness across the pond. Then again, Great Britain does not have a constitution that protects the right to keep and bear arms. Subjects, not citizens. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-history-of-gun-ownership-in-Great-Britain/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  What is the NRA's stance on Black gun ownership? A: We NRA members generally approve of black guns. We tend to own lots of them, and we encourage other responsible, law-abiding citizens to do with same, https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-NRAs-stance-on-Black-gun-ownership/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  The man with the horn who had been escorted by the police inside the capital building was not doing any violent . Why did Democrats compare January 6th to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 ? No police officers were killed by rioters in that day. A:  For the Democrat leadership running the response to the January 6 riot, the truth is not relevant. It's not about that, it's about hurting Donald Trump. They are utterly corrupt and will do anything to achieve that objective. They don't care about the truth, the country, or even the people who vote for them. They only care about one thing, and that is power. Seen through that lens, their actions make more sense. https://terryspcfreetopics.quora.com/The-man-with-the-horn-who-had-been-escorted-by-the-police-inside-the-capital-building-was-not-doing-any-violent-Why-di-2 

Q:  Why do people own multiple of the exact same gun? A:  Lots of reasons, and lots of good answers already posted. I will add practice. It is possible to practice with a pistol, then clean it and get it ready for serious use. It is better in some ways to have two copies, one for practice and one for serious use. Reasons include constant readiness; less wear and tear on the main pistol; a ready spare and/or spare parts; less impact to the round in the chamber (excessive rechambering can alter the bullet seating depth and produce unhealthy pressure spikes). https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-own-multiple-of-the-exact-same-gun/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  What are some books or essays that explain the importance of the right to bear arms? A:  The US Constitution. Federalist #29, by Alexander Hamilton Second Amendment Primer, by Les Adams The Racist Roots of Gun Control, by Clayton Cramer A World Without Guns, by Dave Kopel The Second Amendment Is About an Individual Right Not a Collective One, by Michael Marshall and many more. Researching this for current pieces quickly shows how many people and organizations among us either don't have a good grasp of this subject, or they are telling outright lies. For example, there are shamefully many news outlets that wrote "the Supreme Court expanded gun rights", which is clearly not the case. https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-books-or-essays-that-explain-the-importance-of-the-right-to-bear-arms/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  As a non-American, what types of gun control laws would you recommend that would work in an American context? The complete and final list of acceptable gun laws: The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. https://www.quora.com/As-a-non-American-what-types-of-gun-control-laws-would-you-recommend-that-would-work-in-an-American-context/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  What do you think was the reason that the Bill of Rights did not originally include the right to bear arms? A:  Your premise is incorrect. The amendment has been there from the beginning, although it did not start as the second. The initial proposal included 12 articles, of which the right to keep and bear arms was number 4. The first two were rejected and the rest approved, leaving the former fourth article as the Second Amendment. https://www.quora.com/What-do-you-think-was-the-reason-that-the-Bill-of-Rights-did-not-originally-include-the-right-to-bear-arms/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  What would make people just not desire guns? A:  Some people don't desire guns. They just aren't interested, and that's fine as long as they are willing to live and let live. However, there is no "make them", not in America. They are free to choose for themselves.  https://www.quora.com/What-would-make-people-just-not-desire-guns/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  Why are American citizens allowed to own guns? A:  Because the right to self-defense is a natural right, guaranteed by the US Constitution, that no one on this earth can take away. It can be violated, and we can be killed. We are not naive about either of those facts. But we will remain vigilant and continue to exercise and protect our rights.  https://www.quora.com/Why-are-American-citizens-allowed-to-own-guns/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  Do you agree with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett when she says judges should follow the Constitution and not liberally construe the law? A:  If not follow the Constitution, then . . . what? What *do* they follow? What do they do? I’ll answer those questions for you. They follow the passions of the mob, and they do whatever they want, both of which render the Constitution meaningless. This is "bad". Think about it a little. It would make the Constitution "a mere thing of wax in the hands of the Judiciary". https://terryspcfreetopics.quora.com/Do-you-agree-with-U-S-Supreme-Court-Justice-Amy-Coney-Barrett-when-she-says-judges-should-follow-the-Constitution-and-n-105

Q:  Why are there no gun laws in Canada? A:  Have you bothered to google "gun laws in Canada"? https://www.quora.com/Why-are-there-no-gun-laws-in-Canada/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q:  What do responsible gun owners think when they hear of someone mentally unstable shooting themselves or others? A:  The same as everyone else, in the sense that it is sad and tragic. Not the same as the few who want to violate the civil rights of law-abiding gun owners in response to that tragic event. Extending this question beyond guns, how do you feel when lives are lost to other causes? Do you want to ban cars in response to automobile deaths? Maybe just the intentional ones, rather than accidents? Ban knives in response to a stabbing? Ban nurses when a rogue nurse murders patients? Ban backhoes when someone uses them to bury the body of a murder victim? Clearly, none of that would help. Neither would banning guns. https://www.quora.com/What-do-responsible-gun-owners-think-when-they-hear-of-someone-mentally-unstable-shooting-themselves-or-others/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q;  How do I counter the argument of a gun proponent that claims because current gun laws have little effect on gun violence "stricter" legislation must be need"? A:  Where does it end? No matter how much gun control is imposed upon us, there will always be violence. Guns will always be available, at least for the bad guys. If you follow the idea of increasing strictness of gun control proposals, you can imagine arriving at a level of control comparable to that found in a super-max prison. Guess what—there is danger of violent confrontation even in a super-max facility. I for one do not want society to be that controlled, for government to be that tyrannical. And it would indeed be tyrannical, not to mention hypocritical. Do you really think the gun laws would apply to the authorities? Only us peons would be affected; we would be absolutely defenseless and expendable. The answer is not control or tyranny. The answer is freedom. Freedom can be scary, but there is nothing ...

Q:  Why can simple gun control laws not be implemented in the USA, such as requiring gun owners (and those with access to the guns) to undergo psych evaluations, since it's dumb to put them in the hands of people who are mentally unfit to handle them? A:  Require a test to exercise a constitutionally-guaranteed civil right? Constitutionally, the idea does not pass muster. Pragmatically, this would be difficult and expensive to implement, with little or no return on investment. We already have built into the system (via NICS check) a way to catch known mental defectives, so this would apply to the 99% of applicants in order to stop the 1% we're looking for. Perhaps most importantly, who gets to decide who fails the competency test? We already have massive corruption at the federal level with the Biden administration using the FBI and private companies to suppress the truth and promulgate lies, not to mention using federal agencies to target political opponents. How much worse w...

Q:  Why does the United States outlaw abortion but have no gun laws? A:  Your question shows a lack of thoughtfulness about the issue. In a nutshell, laws that restrict abortion protect the innocent. Privately owned firearms also protect the innocent. People who advocate for more abortion and fewer guns are perhaps more consistent than they realize, as both policies have the effect of hurting the innocent. These people are not deep thinkers. https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-United-States-outlaw-abortion-but-have-no-gun-laws/answer/Greg-OKeefe-11

Q: How scared would gun owners be if my team and I reach into their waistbands for their guns? In my opinion, guns should not be owned by anyone in America. A: The question is retarded, betraying a combination of troll, stupid, entitled, ignorant, foolish, and downright dangerous. There is such a thing as a stupid question; this is one. However, if this is a real question from a real person, I sincerely hope you have figured out your mistake and adjusted your attitude. Just in case, here are some thoughts: You get to make decisions for yourself, and no one else. The saying “An armed society is a polite society’ means that wise folks choose to be polite because they don’t want to get shot. Give that some thought, lest you get yourself shot.  How would anyone feel, having been assaulted and/or violated as you describe? How would you feel if it happened to you? Or to someone you love? What do you suppose is the inevitable (but perhaps unintentional) result of people who want to be l...

Q: I’m Australian and I want America to be a civilized nation like Australia by having gun control laws. What can I do to convince Americans they need civilization and have gun control laws? A: You have two options. One, you can state your case and try to persuade us Americans—a self governing people—to adopt your philosophy in place of ours. Or two, you can choose to be a tyrant and force us to do your bidding. Given the power, which would you choose? Would you be the tyrant? Would you believe that taking away a people's freedom is not wrong when you do it? Would you be different from any other of the monsters that have plagued humanity throughout history? Thank God for our Founding Fathers and their wisdom. Thank God for our freedom. Thank God for our guns, without which we would be far less able to maintain civil society and keep would-be tyrants at bay.  https://www.quora.com/I-m-European-and-I-want-America-to-be-a-civilized-nation-like-Germany-or-France-by-banning-guns-What-...

Q: As a gun owner, what is one thing you wish all gun owners did, that most don’t do? A: Get training, and practice regularly. There are lots of competent, qualified trainers these days, so there is no excuse for having a weapon (which gives you the power to take a life) and not bothering to get trained in safe and effective use of that weapon. A firearm is not some kind of talisman or charm that wards off evil—you have to learn how to use it to take care of yourself and your loved ones. After that, you have to have it with you for it to do you any good. If we want to make the world a better place, we have to make sure we do the right things, and avoid doing the wrong things. Some folks think that when the flag flies and they find themselves in an emergency, they will somehow know what to do, and they will rise to the occasion and magically prevail. This is wishful thinking. Given a choice between wishful thinking or getting training ahead of time—when a mistake is not likely to resu...

aka, The World According to Greg It occurred to me that it might be nice to have my posts from Quora collected in a blog. If nothing else, that should make it easier to browse them all. The title of each will be either the original posting date or a synopsis of the topic; I'm still pondering which way to go. Comments are welcome here, but would perhaps be better left on the original pages. Enjoy!