It's Over. I Declare a (Small) Victory

The debate I have had with Jack, an Irishman living in London, over at The Commentary has ended. Since it started on May 17, it has been a fairly long and involved one.

The conclusion?

So, what has been achieved? Well,

1.) I've accepted the lack of a link between the right to keep and bear arms and membership of a militia,

2.) I've been enlightened about the 'shall-issue' concept and it's superiority, compared with normal licencing.

3.) I've learnt a great deal about the whole issue, ranging from the origin of the right enumerated in the Second Amendment through to some of the restrictions placed on gun ownership by various US states.

So, for me, at any rate, the process has been useful and enlightening.

I think that my position now is actually more liberal (in terms of my approach to gun control) than when we started.

That's "liberal" in the traditional sense. In other words, I changed his mind - a bit.

I can live with that.