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The cultural issues surrounding guns are many and widely debated.  [[Conservative]]s generally prefer to reserve for the [[individualism|individual]] [[the right to self-defense]] through the use of guns.  [[Liberal]]s generally prefer to delegate this [[right]] to various socialized guards and [[peacekeeper]]s, such as the [[city]] [[police]].

The cultural issues surrounding guns are many and widely debated.  [[Conservative]]s generally prefer to reserve for the [[individualism|individual]] [[the right to self-defense]] through the use of guns.  [[Liberal]]s generally prefer to delegate this [[right]] to various socialized guards and [[peacekeeper]]s, such as the [[city]] [[police]].

Law-abiding citizens carrying guns are statistically an effective deterrant and defense against lawless or criminal individuals.  [[Second Amendment|Guns are also a defense against a tyrannical government.]]  Theoretically, if a person has the power to take the life of another, other people will not perpetrate criminal offenses against them.  In practice, few existing civilian militias are strong enough to withstand a civil lockdown by a full army.

Law-abiding citizens carrying guns are statistically an effective deterrant and defense against lawless or criminal individuals.  This has certainly been shown in the USA, which had 11,350 murders by shooting in 2005<ref>http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_01.html</ref>, compared with 50 in 2005/06 in the UK, which restricts the possession of handguns.<ref>http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0207.pdf</ref> [[Second Amendment|Guns are also a defense against a tyrannical government.]]  Theoretically, if a person has the power to take the life of another, other people will not perpetrate criminal offenses against them.  In practice, few existing civilian militias are strong enough to withstand a civil lockdown by a full army.

==See also==

==See also==

[[Gun Control]]

[[Gun Control]]