The ultimate target of this Dismantlement must be to achieve a multi-lateral ban on the manufacture and trade - whether second, third, fourth, or ANY hand - of ALL weapons of destruction by the year 2250. If it kills, maims or wounds,

BAN IT

December 2001. An American visitor to this site anonymously sent us the following:

What if we did collectively choose to dismantle the gun? And land mines? And nuclear weapons?

I have lived my life around violent people and guns. Violent acts on my behalf have not been detered due to their availability; however the preponderance of their use around me and toward me has certainly made me more angry. Ex: My father held guns to my head to threaten me; I was forced to kill things that have been half shot for sport, my friends and relatives have been assaulted by people with guns. Even if I chose to own a gun, I do not believe that statistically speaking there would be a good chance of self-defense against an individual who was in "hunt" mode whom I was unaware of (I never understood this idea, someone hits you over the head and as you are blacking out, you take out your pistol, load it and shoot?).

I take the self defense argument to be a bunch of crap. Its just a security blanket between the man & wife in a dark house at night. And a horrible impediment for reaching age 7 if you are a child. We had guns and our house was broken into 3 times, and the dog did much more than any gun. (By the way parents-do your kids a favor, and put YOUR bedroom closest to the door/top of the stairs if you really want to be the hero).

I witnessed Tian'anmen firsthand, and have seen that this insurrection might have gone farther if the populace had guns (Please note that policemen in China do not carry guns because it is considered a society founded on traditions); nevertheless, it was clear, that there would have been MORE blood shed and a bloody civil war that would still be going on to this day if guns were openly available in China (Dear reader don't pretend to know who is right and who is wrong in China; remember that almost every 40 year old in the country participated in the cultural revolution that killed school teachers, doctors, etc). By extension in the US, the times are gone when the "people" can stage an armed revolt against the government, we are outgunned. If a time should ever come again when militias are needed, they will need to arm themselves through legal, nonviolent channels. There can and will be no coup in the US-- Sorry fellas.

So, you have my views on needing guns for managing daily affairs and for the "real reason" the founding fathers had put the right to bear arms in the constitution. Now, on the need to fly around the world bombing the hell out of our fellow man....Well everyone knows we need to do that every once in a while! Hell We're AMERICANS

YEEEHAAAA!!!!

More submissions, reflecting both sides of the argument, can be found here.

Landmines In-depth

There are about 100 million landmines currently buried around the world - enough to blow up every 60th person on earth.

---

One person is killed or injured by a landmine every 20 minutes.

---

It costs about twenty dollars to make a landmine and put it in the ground, but around seven hundred dollars to get it out again.

---

THE GOOD NEWS: In 1995, one hundred and fifty thousand landmines were cleared.
THE BAD NEWS: In the same year TWO MILLION new ones were buried.

---

Fifty countries are currently producing up to ten million mines a year.

---

Over three hundred and fifty organisations worldwide are now calling for an anti-personnel landmine ban.

---

Twenty-eight countries have enacted anti-personnel landmine export moratoria.
Is yours one of those countries?

---

For more information on the landmine campaign, go to Dismantlement Links.