Amos-The need to regulate dangerous activity is inherent in the idea that law enforcement should prevent crime, not just punish the perpetrators. You may disagree with that idea, but I prefer the idea of prevention to solely retribution. If individual responsibility were the sole source of self-regulation, it would be solely the individual's responsibility to prevent himself from shooting people. Depending on what you mean by regulation, it could also be solely his responsibility to punish himself should he lapse and shoot people. Law enforcement without preventative powers loses its purpose: to prevent harm to the community.
|