Subj : Gun Control reasons
To   : The Lizard Master
From : Angus McLeod
Date : Sat Sep 03 2005 09:55 pm

  Re: Gun Control reasons
  By: The Lizard Master to Angus McLeod on Sat Sep 03 2005 08:23:00

 >  >  > I stil don't understand how the death penalty will deter people from k
 >  >  > people.
 >  >
 >  > AFAIK, it functions in two ways:
 >  >
 >  > 1)  It remove a particular killer from the scene, ensuring that (s)he
 >  >     don't do any more killing.  A fool-proof deterent, IMHO.
 >  >
 >  > 2)  It serve as an example/warning to other would-be killers, as to what
 >  >     they can expect to happen to them if they actually do kill.  For this
 >  >     to be a reasonable deterent, the chance of execution would have to be
 >  >     high.  It doesn't serve as much of a deterence to others if only one
 >  >     in every 10,000 convicted murderers is executed.  Those might be
 >  >     considered acceptable odds by too many would-be killers.
 > 
 > People still kill in Texas.

1)  Not people who, previously convicted for murder, have already been 
    executed.

2)  It (death penalty) is supposed to function as a *deterrence* to other 
    would-be murderers.  There may indeed still be murders in Texas, but 
    how many *more* murders would there be if there were no death penalty?


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