Guns

Well, it seems simple to me. The 2nd Amendment gives everyone the right to bear arms, true. It says nothing about bearing bullets. Let people buy as many guns as they want, just don't let them buy bullets. Also, the amendments says nothing about firing pins. Or firing pins. Semantically, I can think of a many ways one could get around that pesky amendment. But the very simple fact is that no politician, not one who wants to remain a politician, is going to touch the Bill of Rights. Outlawing this doesn't work either. Cocain, heroin, smack, crack, murder, grand theft auto, burglary, cuban cigars, drunk driving, all these are illegal.
The argument is, normally, if the criminal has a gun, I want one too. Why a small child need a gun, that is beyond my understanding. Please bear in mind, I am not a fan of guns, but I can understand the argument.

It's illegal to kill grizzlies but how else are Americans going to get the bear arms that they have the right to?

It's illegal to kill grizzlies but how else are Americans going to get the bear arms that they have the right to?

 

Well done kitano.   

I have no problem with people owning shot guns to hunt pheasants, rifles to hunt deer and other game.  Maybe a hand gun to protect from a home invasion etc.

What I don't understand is machine guns and military high powered, multiple shot guns.

I was on the high school rifle team. I was marksman with a FNC1 when in the military reserve.  I have fired a machine gun and they are hard to control and hit the target. 

All simple really- why the hell does an average person need a gun? It seems to be some power thing. It's not a weapon, it's a killing tool, plain and simple. You use a gun simply with the aim to kill what's in front of you.

What kind of normal person would want one of these, unless they were some psychopath in need of some kind of "control" over other's lives? I have not heard one normal reason justifying why anyone other than police or military need a gun.

Makes me sick.

Oh, please! There's nothing inherently abnormal about owning a gun for hunting or protection. Unless you believe that your food appears magically at the grocery store without harming a hair on the head of any living creature.

Vegetarian?  Those are just people who can't hear their carrots scream.

Quote from: becster79 on May 05, 2013, 12:22:24 AM

All simple really- why the hell does an average person need a gun? It seems to be some power thing. It's not a weapon, it's a killing tool, plain and simple. You use a gun simply with the aim to kill what's in front of you.

What kind of normal person would want one of these, unless they were some psychopath in need of some kind of "control" over other's lives? I have not heard one normal reason justifying why anyone other than police or military need a gun.

Makes me sick.

Oh, please! There's nothing inherently abnormal about owning a gun for hunting or protection. Unless you believe that your food appears magically at the grocery store without harming a hair on the head of any living creature.

Vegetarian?  Those are just people who can't hear their carrots scream.

There aren't armies of hunters wandering around the wilderness hunting chickens, pigs and cows for supermarkets lol

Hunting wild animals for sport has nothing to do with food.

Wild turkey, rabbit, venison, etc... make tasty dishes. 

I believe there is some confusion here. In most countries I know of, one can own a gun. All you have to do is have a clean criminal record, take some classes and be supervised and then you can receive a hunting license, which gives you permission to hunt. Now, one can hunt with a hunting rifle, I believe there are different rifles for different prey, with a crossbow or even a bow and arrow. That means you are allowed, in your home, to have both rifles and ammo. You are allowed to transport them, however I am a bit fuzzy on the rules for carrying them to the actual hunt. I believe they have to be in a clearly visible, standard gun-bag.
There is a big difference between owning a large rifle for hunting, for which you have to be certified and the rather lax rules in the US which enables you to own sub-machine guns, powerful and small handguns made from a plastic polymer which can cheat metal detectors and such.

I'm unaware of any major crime waves associated with SMGs or with those very expensive polymer pistols.  Any form of fully automatic weapon requires a special license complete with close, personal attention from the happy, friendly people from the BATFE.  The penalties for illegal possession of a fully automatic weapon are extremely harsh.

The "assault rifles" everyone is so up in arms () about are really assault-style rifles.  Civilian versions look similar (or even identical) to real military assault rifles that have a full auto setting, but are 100% incapable of firing in full-auto mode.  If my squirrel rifle (watch out ETR!) looked significantly cooler, it would be considered to be an assault rifle in the eyes of the media - which is much more focused on appearance than on function.

By definition, a weapon is something that can kill what's in front of you.  A gun, a knife, an arrow, a sword, or a pair of knitting needles can all be used to kill, or to main, or merely to threaten.  All can be used for other purposes too.

I've used my guns to kill.  A few birds, a couple of squirrels, some snakes, and also one raccoon that was acting odd enough to make me very worried that it was rabid.  I've also used them for target practice and felt far safer living way way out in the boondocks knowing that if anyone decided to pay an unwelcome visit, I'd have a full array of options available to suggest that the unwanted guests leave.

Personally, my favorite anti-snake weapon is a shovel, but, depending on how tight the area is, sometimes a shotgun is more practical.  On the other hand, the shovel also comes in handy for burying the bodies, . . . and murdering innocent carrots.

True, EL, but how many school massacres, diner mass killings, Charles Whitmanesque crimes have you come across which involved a sword? Why does anyone need to hunt squirrels? You shot my uncle!! I knew it...

Or as the dog said, you shot my paw

In America, I live in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. I live on the Nash County side, which is divided from the Edgecombe County side by a rail line which literally runs thru the middle of the city. The Edgecombe County side is poor and predominately black. The Nash County side is more affluent and predominately white. The Edgecombe County side has over a dozen murders annually with the hand gun the weapon of choice. The Nash County side has nary a one. One can do all the social, economic and anthropological studies one wants. I'm just saying...it is what it is. My guess, being an expat Canadian who is a permanent resident of Carolina, is that the war of emancipation didn't fix all the problems.

I'm unaware of any major crime waves associated with SMGs or with those very expensive polymer pistols.  Any form of fully automatic weapon requires a special license complete with close, personal attention from the happy, friendly people from the BATFE.  The penalties for illegal possession of a fully automatic weapon are extremely harsh.

The "assault rifles" everyone is so up in arms () about are really assault-style rifles.  Civilian versions look similar (or even identical) to real military assault rifles that have a full auto setting, but are 100% incapable of firing in full-auto mode.  If my squirrel rifle (watch out ETR!) looked significantly cooler, it would be considered to be an assault rifle in the eyes of the media - which is much more focused on appearance than on function.

By definition, a weapon is something that can kill what's in front of you.  A gun, a knife, an arrow, a sword, or a pair of knitting needles can all be used to kill, or to main, or merely to threaten.  All can be used for other purposes too.

I've used my guns to kill.  A few birds, a couple of squirrels, some snakes, and also one raccoon that was acting odd enough to make me very worried that it was rabid.  I've also used them for target practice and felt far safer living way way out in the boondocks knowing that if anyone decided to pay an unwelcome visit, I'd have a full array of options available to suggest that the unwanted guests leave.

Personally, my favorite anti-snake weapon is a shovel, but, depending on how tight the area is, sometimes a shotgun is more practical.  On the other hand, the shovel also comes in handy for burying the bodies, . . . and murdering innocent carrots.

I agree with all of this except the connotation that a "squirrel rifle" can be similar to an "assault rifle".  Is your squirrel rifle semi-automatic and can fire over 45 rounds per minute?  Does it have a 30-round magazine?  If so, you must really suck as a marksman and forget about protecting anything with it.

But, your larger point is well taken. The infamous AR-15 is a weak weapon an is used like a spray gun. Why anyone would want one can only be explained by EL's coolness factor.

True, EL, but how many school massacres, diner mass killings, Charles Whitmanesque crimes have you come across which involved a sword? Why does anyone need to hunt squirrels? You shot my uncle!! I knew it...

One must hunt squirrels. They are tree rats of nuisance in Carolina. We tell ya'll that we shoot em to flavor our Brunswick Stew, but that's a lie. We shoot the rodents because they are vicious and greedy little vandals. Just saying... Caley

Quote from: A-Train on May 05, 2013, 05:36:49 AM

Quote from: becster79 on May 05, 2013, 12:22:24 AM

All simple really- why the hell does an average person need a gun? It seems to be some power thing. It's not a weapon, it's a killing tool, plain and simple. You use a gun simply with the aim to kill what's in front of you.

What kind of normal person would want one of these, unless they were some psychopath in need of some kind of "control" over other's lives? I have not heard one normal reason justifying why anyone other than police or military need a gun.

Makes me sick.

Oh, please! There's nothing inherently abnormal about owning a gun for hunting or protection. Unless you believe that your food appears magically at the grocery store without harming a hair on the head of any living creature.

Vegetarian?  Those are just people who can't hear their carrots scream.

There aren't armies of hunters wandering around the wilderness hunting chickens, pigs and cows for supermarkets lol

Hunting wild animals for sport has nothing to do with food.

I disagree. I could argue that no hunter I know would ever waste the meat that they shot and they would consider it an abomination to do so.  That would be true, but it avoids the larger point.  

Living creatures survive by killing and eating other living creatures. Staying connected to that fact of life through hunting, I believe, is good for the soul. Becster is sickened by a person's desire to own a gun.  I invite her to visit a food processing plant.

And to say owning a gun is about control and power just dead-ends any meaningful debate. Certainly, it is about power, control, etc. for some people. But that ignores the vast majority of people who are responsible gun owners, but grounded in reality unlike Becster's statements above.