Guns will protect you from tsunamis.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

Actually, during that time, it was not unusual at all for private citizens on the coast to own cannons to protect their private coastlines & that law clearly included them as well.

Prior to 1776, cannons, privately owned by individuals, not communities or settlements, were rare as hen's teeth. They were too expensive to acquire and shoot (used a lot of powder), for most individuals to afford. Yes, they were legal, everything was legal until technology upped the ante.

As rifles and side arms improved, the people that could afford them, kept pace. It wasn't until weapons were developed for killing buildings and tanks, that private citizens didn't have a legitimate application for, that the government said whoa, Nellie. The people don't need this shit and could do a hell of a lot of bad things, even accidentally, with it. They figured it probably wasn't a good idea for you to be able to run down to the hardware store and pick up a gun that would shoot the door off a bank vault.

I'm hard pressed to come up with an occasion where I'd need anything bigger than a .5 bore. Defend myself from the government's military? When they can drop a nuke on me from half way around the world? No way.

Come to think of it, I wonder how many people with small arsenals like mine, are deluded into thinking that's all that's necessary to keep them safe from the government. That's nonsense, the ONLY thing that will protect us from the government, is an active, vigilant, voting public.
Guns only work against thugs, criminals and bullies, individually or very small groups.