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Enrico Petrucco

Senior Scientist, Johnson Matthey

TEDCRED 20+

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Guns are designed to kill people. When are guns actually a positive influence in society?

Guns are designed to kill people (or animals). I would like to open the floor for honest concise input: How can one use this destructive tool as a constructive tool for society?

Related Talks:
Topics: war and peace
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    Elizabeth Gu 30+

    • +2
    Feb 6 2012: I hate guns, but ironically, I think guns are inevitably necessary.
    There are so many dangerous threats in this world, so we need guns to protect people and to use them as a symbolic icon--we have guns(or other weapons), so if you want to attack or kill the innocent people in my family or town or country, you have to reconsider! Otherwise...(you know what I mean?).

    I've always wanted peaceful world where there are no crimes and no dangerous forces since I was a kid.
    But I've also disappointed with our reality, our real world where there are so many terrible things happen and peaceful talks are sometimes not effective at all.

    Nonetheless, when it comes to using guns, we must be careful and ask ourselves why we're using them--e.g. "do I really need to have guns? Is it really necessary to use it right now?"
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      hou gc

      • 0
      Feb 7 2012: How do you sure that the good man cannot be bad who have the gun in hand? If he have gun,he may kill anybody in somewhere.It is too dangerous.

      • Gergely Balázs

        • 0
        Feb 7 2012: Guns and other weapons existed since the prehistoric times, if one want to cause damage to you, he can pick up a stone and hit you till you die. If someone attack you, he will most likely have a tool for using that. Thats why he speaks about the need of restrains in an armed force, and also about armed force, not something like givin guns to everyone. Reallyts works in a way that to many things interact, yes it has possible problems, even the human body,state and everything has, thats why we try to improve, the humen society, and everything around us. However I dont pretend to know that its possible to achiev such perfect state, but i know that right know the situation is under better control and we live a better life, and the world is a better place thanks to governed armed forces. There are still a lot ofissue of course and room for improvemnt in the system or i dont know where. But that fact remains.
        No Linda of course not, It would be a generalization of a problem which billions face, its not an anserw. (at least not a right one). Civilians should be able to get guns if they wish (maybe harder then in the USA, but easier then in some other countries) I think that a united armed force is needed.
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          Linda Taylor 50+

          • +2
          Feb 7 2012: So your idea is to give guns to the militia but not to the people. Let's think about that. If we disagree with military leaders, guess who wins?

          A gun is simply a tool.

          In my area of the world, guns are a necessary tool. Most people own one. It is not unusual when I get out of work that there is a bear or cougar warning. While I would never intentionally hurt an animal, if it is the animal or my child, the child wins. Militia or not.
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        Elizabeth Gu 30+

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        Feb 7 2012: Hi, hou.
        (Sorry, I saw your reply just now.)

        To control, government has to prevent those terrible events beforehand.
        Of course, in turn, citizens also have to keep an eye on the government so that the government wouldn't use violence whenever they want.

        So, proper laws and policies are definitely required.


        Think about it,
        even if everyone in the world has no guns, it's probable that some people do horrible things to others if they decide to do it. That's why laws exist(well, that's not the only reason, though).
        You know, if there’s no laws, the world would be getting chaotic.

        So, simply put, if we want to protect the people we care about from the dangerous threats, we have to prepare weapons not for the REVENGE, but for defense and protection.

        Good point,btw.
        Even though guns are inevitably necessary, we must not let the people who kill innocent people crazily justify their behavior.

        Because..the end doesn't always justify the means

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