The "assault weapon" ban is dead!
POSTED BY: JCKnife
UPDATED: Monday, September 20, 2004 20:25
VIEWED: 13045
PAGE 5 of 6
While I really like guns, I read somewhere that America has more deaths by guns than other nations. It's like 14 per thousand here, 11 per thousand in Mexico, and 0.05 per thousand in Japan. Of course, I read that in the 90s, so it's probably different now. Anyways, while I wholly support gun ownership, stunguns and pepper sprays are effective methods of self defense.
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I was doing some digging in the death by gunshot numbers a few years ago and found out something surprising. For the years I was looking at almost half, if not more than half, of the deaths were self-inflicted. And another chunk is spouse on spouse (pretty much always husband shooting wife). So you really need to untangle the numbers. It's far more likely to be in a car accident than to be shot by a stranger.
I shaved off my beard for you, devil woman!
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Quote:
Originally posted by gojiro:
The most effective argument I've ever heard againt gun laws is also the shortest:
Outlaw guns, and only the outlaws will have guns.
The only gun law I would like to see is one requiring gun owners to take a safety course, like we do for driver's licensing. Just one course in their life. I've seen too many stupid people who own guns.
>snip<
gojiro
CHEERS!
"My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle."
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Quote:
Originally posted by ByteTheBullet:
Never having had the rights to own almost any kind of gun you wanted I can understand why you're not getting it. No worries. Just don't let the voices misguide you because there is always at least two sides to the story. Asking questions and research will allow you(everyone, including myself) to make better, more informed decisions. Oh, yeah, they are magazines, not clips. There are only a few guns that use clips.
The reason I'm not "getting it" is not that I haven't had the right (or indeed wrong) to own any kind of gun I want, its that so far nobody has provided a cogent argument as to why you need an automatic weapon by the side of the bed should someone break in.
Static raised the collector's point of view - fair enough, that's a different issue, as is the hobbyist - but you do not need those weapons in the house, or easily accessible. If you like the way the gun looks, it can be disabled, if you like firing a machine gun, keep it under lock and key at a gun club.
"I threw up on your bed"
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Quote:
Originally posted by Misguided By Voices:
The reason I'm not "getting it" is not that I haven't had the right (or indeed wrong) to own any kind of gun I want, its that so far nobody has provided a cogent argument as to why you need an automatic weapon by the side of the bed should someone break in.
Static raised the collector's point of view - fair enough, that's a different issue, as is the hobbyist - but you do not need those weapons in the house, or easily accessible. If you like the way the gun looks, it can be disabled, if you like firing a machine gun, keep it under lock and key at a gun club.
Ok, you may have answered your own question.
1. I like shooting guns and I have alway wanted to have an 'Army man' gun since I was a little boy. I shoot guns well. Gun safety and respect was taught to me from a very young age. We(Americans) have always been allowed to have guns in our homes(and on our persons, with permits) to protect ourselves. There are people in this world that do not give a rats ass about laws much less human life. I have had a very brief chat with one of these fellows once very late one night. It was not fun. I would rather have a gun and NEVER have to use it than to need a gun and not have one available. I keep the knowledge of my gun ownership and carry permit limited to family and close friends. You guys are my friends, right? Having a gun requires training and practice, which is why I go shooting, and as mentioned before I like guns. When I hear a bump in the night and call 911 it will take more time for the police to get to my house than it would take a 'bad guy' to get inside and kill me and my wife. Yes, we sometimes have break-ins and even though the victims do everything the bad guy says, they are murdered, without remorse. I will do everything to flee my house, with my family, but if someone gets in and I am afraid for my life or my families life, the armed bad guy will die. If he tries to flee he is welcome to, but I will be able to give the police a very good description and a direction for them to look for him because I am still alive.
2. The AWB had NOTHING to do with automatic weapons. It restricted cosmetic add-ons on specific models of semi-auto weapons. There is an arduous process that law abiding citizens must go through to procure full auto weapons(in states that it is allowed), not to mention cost. Bad guys do not care about laws and they have their own way of getting guns, full auto or not.
3. Collector's usually buy weapons as an investment, again with special permits, and in most cases shooting these collectibles lowers the value so they get cleaned and looked at alot.
4. As a hobbyist, suppose I get the itch to go shooting, maybe I just watched a gun nut movie and just needed to go blast something. I am able to pick up which ever gun I have that I want to shoot and go to any number of ranges in the area and shoot until my heart's content. I have the guns in my home secured how I see fit. They are not just propped up in the umbrella stand. This is how it has always been.
5. "If I like the way it looks I can have it disabled"...That is such a foreign concept to me and I am not trying to be funny. This could be where the problem lies. I do not understand why someone would settle for a replica that is non-functioning and I don't think I ever will no matter how you may try to help me understand. It is obviously a normal thing for you. Just as having the right to have guns is a normal thing to me.
In my gun safety class, the cop giving the class said that the decision to carry a firearm(or to possess any weapon) came with tremendous responsibity. If someone talks bad about your momma, you have to sit and take it, if someone gets in your face, you have to sit and take it. Until you feel your life is threatened and you have no way to flee, your gun must not be touched. Not only will I protect my own life and my families, but I also protect 'the good guys' if am am able to.
Sorry this was so long but I wanted to try and help you 'get
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Quote:
Originally posted by LtNOWIS:
While I really like guns, I read somewhere that America has more deaths by guns than other nations. It's like 14 per thousand here, 11 per thousand in Mexico, and 0.05 per thousand in Japan. Of course, I read that in the 90s, so it's probably different now. Anyways, while I wholly support gun ownership, stunguns and pepper sprays are effective methods of self defense.
I respect your beliefs, but if you are in stun gun range, you are already too close to the bad guy, use the pepper spray first as it has better 'reach'. Oh, Japan has ninjas and I hear they don't need guns to kill people.
Did what you read compare the murder rate regardless of weapon type for those countries also? I would be curious about those numbers in relation.ByteTheBullet (-:
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It is at this point that I am thankful that I live in a country with reasonable gun control laws, Canada.
To you guys down below, good luck.
----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show
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Chalk one up for Freedom.
While I like the outcome of the ban expiring, I don't know if I would chalk it up for freedom. A special interest influenced key politicians to prevent the matter from being voted on.
Both parties engage in this kind of politics but I can't justify it when either one does so. I will not support 'ends justifies the means' morality.
Um, I'm lost. Uh, I'm Angry. And I'm Armed.
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I respect your beliefs, but if you are in stun gun range, you are already too close to the bad guy, use the pepper spray first as it has better 'reach'.
Just so you know, I was against the renewel of the ban. Also, they've got some new pistol stunguns that are very long range, like 100 yards. A few years ago they paid some people $400 and a free stungun to get shot with it, for tests. The guy interviewed for The Washington Post claimed it was incredibly painful, and was thrilled to have one of his own.
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Quote:
Originally posted by ByteTheBullet:
1. I like shooting guns and I have alway wanted to have an 'Army man' gun since I was a little boy. I shoot guns well. Gun safety and respect was taught to me from a very young age. We(Americans) have always been allowed to have guns in our homes(and on our persons, with permits) to protect ourselves.
We may be at cross purposes on this point - as I said initially, I don't necessarily object to a gun in the home for self defence if that is the want of a person - my personal preference would be not at all, but unless you can put the genie back in the bottle, there are too many guns out there maybe. But if you must have a gun at home, why does it need to be a John Woo special?
Where I do disagree is with concealed weapon permits for all bar law enforcement. There is too much risk of the have-a-go hero, or indeed a road rage type incident (something we suffer from over here without the added danger of guns becoming involved).
Quote:
Having a gun requires training and practice, which is why I go shooting, and as mentioned before I like guns.
When someone wishes to purchase a gun, do they have to take a test ensuring that they can use it safely, have somewhere safe at home to store it, and understand what they are legally allowed to do with it? If not, owning a gun requires the cash to purchase it and whatever ID is required (or you could open a bank account like M Moore)
"I threw up on your bed"
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