Beyond that I obviously don't want us to have less guns, I have to point out that with 200+ million guns the price of a a buy back would easy run mid two to low three digits of billions. And most studies I have seen have shown that it doesn't effect crime rates much.
are you assuming getting fair market value for each gun? maybe then it would run into the hundreds of billions. and that's assuming a buy back of every single gun in circulation. it's not necessary to buy back every single gun, just the ones people want to part with. as you are always so quick to point out, we still have a constitutional right to keep guns in this country. there is no scenario i can imagine where the government would buy back every single gun in existence. as i've said before, the concept is to minimize the destructiveness of having so many guns in circulation, not to forcibly take everyone's guns away from them if they are responsible owners.
If we're not buying back the majority of them, and thus not straining the budget much, then one has difficulty seeing how a limited buy back would eliminate having so many guns in circulation. San Francisco did one of these, got 400 guns, don't know how many are in San Fran, probably less than the nearly 1:1 ratio country-wide, but even if it were a tenth the normal we'd still be talking about a program that accounted for less than 1 in 1000 of the guns in the city. You seem to be suggesting a token program that burns money to no purpose.
also, i would argue that previous prohibitions have not worked in the US because they have not been done very thoughtfully. the "war on drugs" being one of the biggest prohibition failures in our history but yet we keep on trying the same failed policies and expecting different results. i don't think it's fair to keep throwing our hands up after each gun death and saying "we can't do anything about it". arming everyone will never be the correct solution.
You're making a case by assertion there, not backing it up with data and facts. You might consider this stuff obvious but it isn't to me, I am not against prohibition on guns, booze, drugs, etc out of hand, but I'm not much of a fan and I like to see evidence it would be effective. To me, from what I have seen, gun prohibitions have not been effective, and have even been counter-effective when you pull the rug off the hidden dust of prevented crimes, which the gun control crowd seems to do everything it can to ignore. Why is this type of prohibition more effective then others? What evidence is there?
the problem with comparing crime statistics is that there is no country in the world with as many guns per capita as the US. likewise, some states with a large number of guns (over 30% saturation) are not reporting reliable stats on their violent crime. we are talking violent crime, after all, not petty crime. there is no doubt that a lot of petty crime is prevented on a daily basis, but i would argue that non-lethal petty crime is a preferable alternative to the idea that one could be gunned down at any moment if we allow even more guns into our society. if you want data, it is already hard enough to come by in our own country, much less other ones. i honestly don't have time to compile something we could both analyze, and i'm not sure you'd be convinced anyway. in this case "let's just give up" might be the only option 
I just don't see that petty crime as minor. Still, you are likely right on this being a futile conversation, neither of us a raging fanatic convinced the other is a drooling idiot nor are either of us likely to budge, so we are probably wasting our mutual breath. You have presented good arguments, but I do not find them compelling. I imagine you feel vice-versa about the latter and hopefully the former as well.
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein
King of Cairhien 20-7-2
Chancellor of the Landsraad, Archduke of Is'Mod
- Albert Einstein
King of Cairhien 20-7-2
Chancellor of the Landsraad, Archduke of Is'Mod
Poll: 54 percent view NRA favorably
- 28/12/2012 04:23:35 AM
914 Views
Hahahaha. That is full of shit. OMG. Thanks for the laughs. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 06:30:08 AM
375 Views
I have this to say about that...
- 28/12/2012 07:10:52 AM
710 Views
That was rather long but probably one of the best things I've read this year
- 28/12/2012 02:31:24 PM
490 Views
Excellent article by a knowledgable individual armed with facts. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 04:36:23 PM
244 Views
See my response to Novo.
- 28/12/2012 06:28:00 PM
577 Views
please cite the errors, manipulations, or lies.
- 28/12/2012 09:30:28 PM
526 Views
I cited two in response to her, and those were just the ones I remember off the top of my head.
- 28/12/2012 11:07:36 PM
664 Views
If you can't remember them, then don't claim them *NM*
- 29/12/2012 03:08:08 AM
298 Views
Two just from memory is enough to substantiate my claim.
- 29/12/2012 03:35:49 AM
555 Views
'Substantiate your claim'? I don't think you're lying, I just don't feel any reason to be swayed...
- 29/12/2012 04:00:10 AM
454 Views
The 2 things you attempted to "cite" were absolute nonsense and proved nothing.
- 31/12/2012 06:00:00 PM
522 Views
Re: I have this to say about that...
- 28/12/2012 05:23:44 PM
593 Views
Never point a gun at anything you are not going to shoot, nor shoot anything you do not mean to kill
- 28/12/2012 06:13:20 PM
555 Views
Still losing the gun debate and it's driving you a little crazy isn't it!
- 28/12/2012 06:40:51 PM
426 Views
- 28/12/2012 06:40:51 PM
426 Views
Gallup: 58% want more gun control; Ipsos: 70% want more gun control, 90% want background checks.
- 28/12/2012 10:29:50 PM
574 Views
..and 100% want to win the lottery, but it isn't going to happen.
- 05/01/2013 02:17:50 PM
599 Views
Re: I have this to say about that...Actually, modern military weapons are constructed to wound
- 29/12/2012 08:43:49 PM
648 Views
Yeah, uh, no. Not until you do some serious background checks on teachers.
- 29/12/2012 01:00:20 AM
600 Views
GOP estimates of teacher competence have increased to the point of giving them concealed guns.
- 29/12/2012 02:36:08 AM
683 Views
You know the GOP is unlikely to object to background check on teachers, the unions might
- 29/12/2012 02:56:06 AM
559 Views
his premise is "there's already too many guns so why bother trying anything at all now"
- 07/01/2013 06:27:20 PM
562 Views
I don't think that's his sole premise but it's also quite true
- 07/01/2013 07:05:20 PM
593 Views
i think you're missing a piece of the puzzle
- 07/01/2013 07:23:02 PM
512 Views
I'm not missing it, I just don't think it's wise or especially moral
- 07/01/2013 09:36:05 PM
555 Views
moral has nothing to do with it, imho
- 07/01/2013 11:26:00 PM
604 Views
Re: moral has nothing to do with it, imho
- 08/01/2013 05:40:46 AM
480 Views
Data is data my friend. Please feel free to present your own data if you would like. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 05:49:09 PM
275 Views
Is that the same Gallup that said 54% of America would vote Romney?
- 28/12/2012 06:15:43 PM
602 Views
- 28/12/2012 06:15:43 PM
602 Views
Once again data is data.....feel free to cite other polling data. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 06:38:29 PM
263 Views
The goddamn frigging election. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 07:13:04 PM
267 Views
Oh, was the NRA running for something? Good grief, was a ridiculous reach. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 08:07:56 PM
269 Views
No, but it shows Gallup polls are horseshit. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 08:48:12 PM
262 Views
No it doesn't, it only shows that Romney was more awful of a candidate than Obama was. *NM*
- 28/12/2012 09:14:00 PM
276 Views
Not according to Gallup, just most US voters; Gallup DOES say 58% of the US wants more gun control.
- 28/12/2012 10:22:19 PM
718 Views
Yes. Most of us aren't against guns per se; we're against the inane concepts of gun "shows"
- 29/12/2012 01:06:50 AM
461 Views
Exactly, crazy libs like Joel want to get rid of all guns, but normal Americans.....
- 29/12/2012 01:36:00 AM
524 Views
Too bad the radical fringe on both sides drowns us both out so well.
- 29/12/2012 02:25:31 AM
617 Views
Previous polling failures by Gallup are evidence for the claim that Gallup polls are flawed.
- 29/12/2012 01:05:08 AM
626 Views
Gallup was Romney +1 with +/- 4% on Election Day.....turned out Obama +3.
- 29/12/2012 01:33:45 AM
466 Views
So what I don't understand about this whole teachers with gun thing
- 30/12/2012 12:42:05 AM
600 Views
It would strictly be voluntary
- 30/12/2012 03:02:18 AM
576 Views
You seriously don't think a linebacker can take a gun off a 5' teacher?He can just punch her.
- 30/12/2012 09:45:05 AM
560 Views
He can already punch her, not all schools are high schools and that's not the norm for spree killers
- 30/12/2012 03:05:55 PM
660 Views
Leveling that playing field is much of the point of guns.
- 05/01/2013 05:43:47 PM
605 Views
You aren't familiar with guns if you think that a large male can't disarm a woman who has one.
- 07/01/2013 10:14:21 AM
569 Views
Well Paul Ali Slater didn't, disarming is risky, and he seems familiar enough with them to me *NM*
- 07/01/2013 01:25:28 PM
292 Views