Firearms And Shooting...

by Justice-One 159 Replies latest social physical

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  Justice-One

  Nice to hear that coming from a Brit (which, when you think of it, we were Brits too before the "misunderstanding").

  Double Edge.... the above made me spit coffee all over my monitor. LOL!

  This young nation was able to defend itself against an oppressive monarch because of it's tradition of owning firearms for self defense

  Ain't THAT the truth. We fanned their butts with lead all right.

  And that was one of the main reasons why Hitler never invaded the Swiss....a rifle behind every tree, and a marksman behind every rifle. That combination has historically been shown to be a real pain in the nether regions.
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  Justice-One

  However, I will not let anyone know what I have in the way of firepower. I might just hint at some of it. The Second Amendment was specifically for preservation of the rights of the citizenry to arm itself to protect against tyranny from without or within.

  It's nice to see that we can agree on this issue. And BTW, I'm not a huge fan of Bush either, but that is another issue on another thread.

  As to my arms? I used to be play the subject a lot closer to the vest also. But I still do not talk to just anyone about my prepardness items. As a matter of fact the quote "I only trust two men, myself and your not the other one" comes very close to how I feel. Notice I'm not using my real name here, and my photo is not in my bio. So short of someone wanting to make a "federal issue" out of this, I can be pretty sure my talking about firearms here is no big deal.

  Historically it has been proven that depriving a free man of his freedom and arms, and then rubbing his nose it, is a VERY bad idea.
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  nicolaou

  Please take a look at my two short posts again, I didn't claim to be 'superior' to anyone. I said there was a huge gulf between us and on this issue there certainly is. Don't think that I wouldn't defend myself or my family to the death, of course I would, we all have that protective instinct within us - for most it even extends to strangers.

  I am grateful to the thousands of American soldiers who have risked and lost their lives for us and wouldn't dishonor their memory for a moment. I just don't believe (and most Britons don't) that arming the general public is a good idea.

  As for being a wuss, well it's a shame we only communicate via pc monitors. Call me a wuss to my face or threaten my family and you'll see how much of a wuss I am.

  Nic'
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  AuldSoul

  Aw, now...c'mon Nic, do you really believe this?

  As for being a wuss, well it's a shame we only communicate via pc monitors.

  Think how many bodies you'd have to find a place to hide. And all the uncomfortable conversations with the constables explaining away this nick, or that scratch, or why this hair was found in the missing person's home, or where you were on Tuesday last between 10:00 PM and 1:30 AM. I'd say it's a good thing we only communicate via electrons, eh, mate?
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  daniel-p

  I'm not afraid of guns, I'm just afraid of people who don't value life and also those on drugs or drunk with weapons or who are behind a wheel. If you think owning a gun somehow makes you more patriotic, Justice, you can kiss my "city-type" ass.
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  catbert

  nicolaou,
  
  I listen to the BBC news, and it appears that people in your country stab each other with knives more often than they kill each other with guns. Still, you have way fewer crimes with weapons in your country than we have in the USA.
  
  Very very few if any of the gun loving Americans you meet on this forum will ever need to defend themselves with their guns. Most gun crime in this country is criminal vs criminal. Drug dealer vs drug dealer.
  
  As a gun owner, I have fallen victim to a certain paranoia that comes with handgun ownership in the USA. When you talk about handguns with fellow USA handgun owners, you start talking about your handgun choices the same way you talk about high performance cars or computers, but the nomenclature is different. Terms like "stopping power", "bullet expansion", and "perp" and arguing between the performance of an autoloader versus the reliability of a revolver, and your ability to "group" numerous shots at the gun range at high speed becomes important. Keep in mind, most of it is just "big talk". A justified kill in the USA is hard to come by. You shoot someone, you will go in front of a judge and jury. You shoot an unarmed man in your house, you will go in front of a judge and jury, and maybe do time. 99.99999856% of outspoken American handgun owners will never shoot at anyone. But, having a S&W Model 66 loaded with Winchester Silvertips in the nightstand feels good, much better than just having a baseball bat. Hey, we live in a dangerous world! These are the "End Times"!
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  asleif_dufansdottir

  Don't think that I wouldn't defend myself or my family to the death, of course I would, we all have that protective instinct within us - for most it even extends to strangers. (snip) I just don't believe (and most Britons don't) that arming the general public is a good idea.

  Well, there's something I don't quite understand. You'd defend your family, with, I assume, whatever resources you had to hand at the moment. Why would you not want the best possible tool to do this with (this isn't necessarily a gun, but why limit your options?)?

  If you kill a home invader with a shovel, is he any less dead than he would be if you'd shot him? The difference is the risk to *you* and to your *family*, as far as I can tell.

  People who think the general public shouldn't be armed often say that I'm placing myself at higher risk by owning and carrying a gun. I don't understand this at all. A criminal *without* a gun is more likely to completely break off the attack if you're armed. If he doesn't, you're dealing with a nutcase, probably a drugged one...I'd rather defend myself against someone like that with my handgun than my fists or a stick or something. A criminal with a gun is going to be very dangerous whether I'm armed or not.

  If, when I'd been out walking my dog tonight, a man had accosted me with a knife or brass knuckles or a bat (these have all happened to women in my area recently), why am I at more risk if I have a gun?? If he had a gun, how am I at less risk if I don't have one?? If, for whatever reason, I end up in a situation where I feel it's not safe to draw my gun (bad guy has the drop on me), I always have the option of complying (at least at first) rather than drawing my weapon. With my gun I have more options. Without it, I have less. If somebody's going to try to hurt me, he's going to try to do it whether or not I'm armed. THe question is whether I have the opportunity to defend myself, and the tool that will allow me to do the best job possible of it.

  Why is arming the general public a bad idea? We all know the criminals are armed.

  Lots of Europeans think Americans are strange because of our laws about alcohol (illegal to drink until you're 21) and public nudity (nude beaches, etc). Europeans think restrictive laws about such things are silly or counterproductive.

  Americans who were raised to have a responsible attitude about firearms don't understand what the fuss is about.
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  asleif_dufansdottir

  I'm just afraid of people who don't value life

  Who said I don't value life?

  I value the lives of others. However, should someone choose to attack me or my family, I will value my life and that of my family more than I value the life of the person that attacked them. If a person chooses to cause harm to others, why should they have the right to do so without the victim fighting back?

  Say someone attacked you or your family. If you act to defend them with whatever you can find, and you kill the attacker, do you "value life" just because you didn't kill him with a gun???

  I value my right to live my life peacefully and without harm from someone with bad intentions.
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  daniel-p

  "Who said I don't value life?"
  
  
  I didn't say you didn't value life. Heck, I don't even know who you are. I was just making a couple of statements to add to the conversation. Hopefully no one will get offended. I'm not against gun ownership - but I also don't feel the need to own a weapon at this point. Perhaps in the future it will change, I don't know. I just can't stand it when people go on and on like owning a gun somehow makes them more patriotic, because that's bullshit.
  To answer your question, I do not consider myself a pacifist. I would certainly fight back any way I could to protect my family. The thing I am afraid of though, is overreacting and perhaps taking it a step too far. Sometimes I get angry at people and don't like how it makes me feel, and in those situations, having a weapon on me might lead me to make a very rash decision.
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  catbert

  asleif_dufansdottir,
  
  I agree with you 100%. But I ask you this: if a perp breaks into your house and steals your gun and kills someone with it, what should your level of responsibility be?