Be careful comparing driving to shooting. Drivers licenses are only required for driving on government-owned roads, so if guns were treated like that, then a gun license would be required only if someone planned on shooting at a government-owned shooting range.
Sorry, I should really drop this subject, so I'll make this my last post on it. But there is something I just have to put out there. Something I was taught in the military that really stuck with me. Everyone in the military is taught how to handle weapons. During this training they drill one very important thing into your head. Guns have a single purpose: to kill. You can have a gun for protection, but the gun is not providing the protection. The protection is provided by the threat of death. You are never taught to "shoot to wound", and this goes for police as well. Center mast, middle of the chest. If you aim for anything else you could miss and hurt someone other than the intended target. When you hunt with a gun, you are killing. Regardless of the reason you carry a weapon, that weapon is an insturment of death. If you are not prepared or trained on how to use it, it is more of a danger to you than a benefit.
Umm, I won't resort to name calling, but that was a dumb comparison. You have to have a license to BUY a vehicle. You have to have a license to BUY a gun. If you drive a car without a license on private property, it is the licensed owner's responsability. If you shoot a gun on someone's private property, it is the licensed owner's responsability. Are you seriously under the belief that people only shoot guns at ranges? Edit: Sorry, last post. Go ahead and get in your last words, I"m done with the thread.
Absolutely. I would never, ever advocate that anyone who isn't properly trained and prepared to kill someone or something carry a gun. Thats why when I'm strolling through the city I don't carry my firearm. Like I said, I mostly carry it when I travel and I carry my rifles in my truck when I camp. If I'm firing at you, chances are you are going to die. I don't want to kill anyone. I would bet that even if I was getting robbed, 90% of the time I wouldn't go for my firearm (and thats if I had it with me). You just never know though... I am a survivalist at heart. I love wilderness survival, and I study disaster situation survival all the time. I never want to be caught "unprepared". Thats why I own firearms, not because I plan on using them and walking around with my Walther stuffed in my jeans. My background: I've been firing guns since about the age of 5. Started out with .22 LR rifles, moved up to larger caliber rifles, and eventually was trained on pistols. My father was a gunners mate in the Navy and has taught me a lot, but I also learned much from gun safety training courses (like the kind you have to take in the states to get a concealed carry license). In some parts of the world, you don't get the luxury of living a life without killing anything. On ranches and farms, killing animals just has to happen. You have to kill coyotes and wolves that attack your livestock, you have to put down animals that are injured, and you might hunt. I personally have never enjoyed killing anything, but you can't just think that because you live a sheltered life in a major city that nobody needs firearms.
If you read the rest of my posts you'll see that's not at all what I want. I just want better control. As it is now, if you have enough patience to wait 7 days and you haven't killed anyone yet, you can get a gun. Unsat in my book. BTW, I'm from a tiny hick-town where everyone and their cousin has a gun of some sort. Nearly all of them are rifles and shotguns for hunting. Crime is near nil in small towns, not because of the guns, but everybody knows everybody and hicks have more of a "we're gonna drag you out here and kick yer ass" kind of justice. Ya, ya, I know, I'm supposed to be done with this thread lol. (unsat = unsatisfactory)
Couldn't agree more. Just last week there was a rabid possum that was making a home in my barn. Possums are notorious for transmitting a deadly neurological disease to horses called Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), and since we own horses, the possum couldn't stick around, so i put its out of its misery. Did I enjoy killing the poor creature? No, but it had to be done as the animal was obviously sick and I didn't want to take any chances of having the horses catch EPM. People in cities really don't know how useful guns are. If I didn't have the .22 pistol that night I would have either had to call up a vet or something to put it down (which would be a hassle/inconvenience and probably cost money out of my pocket), or beat it to death with some sort of a club, which I don't think I could have done. Perhaps there should be a tighter gun control in heavily populated areas (cities), such as laws on gun storage, but there should be no out-right ban on them. As to the OP, thats one of the most ridiculus laws I have heard of, and IMO it should be added to the list at dumblaws.com
Uhhh... yeah, it was a dumb comparison. That was my point, because you were the one who first made the comparison.
I was talking about government owned roads vs government owned ranges. Your example comparison that was supposed to throw sand in my comparison. Sorry, I suppose I should have been more specific. PS I gave up giving up this thread. I just can't help myself
Here's one example of what I was talking about. This guy got first place when he was 18. You don't think he first rode a motorcycle when he was 16 and a half, do you? He probably started when he was 4. Which was okay, because he didn't ride on government property (when he got his motorcycle license at 16 and a half, I bet his motorcycle teacher felt dumb, lol). We really need to stop polluting these threads with gun arguments... However , I'm afraid I'm going to have to call you out on saying that anyone who wants to own a gun wants to feel a sense of power. Couldn't they (soon to be "we," hopefully) just accuse you of wanting power, since you feel uncomfortable that the most lawful 1% of the population is able to get licenses to carry concealed guns? Also, I forgot if I posted this elsewhere, but here is a first-hand account from that recent mall shooting. http://joemerchant24.blogspot.com/2007/12/firsthand-account-of-von-maur-shooting.html The main beef I have is (this is relevant to this thread too) with people who have no idea what the **** they are talking about. For instance, in response to the mall shooting in Utah, a mall in Ohio put up signs that basically said "please don't bring your gun in here." Now, does anybody really think that was the problem? :bang:
Ok, let me put it another way. That champ you are talking about, he couldn't BUY the bike before he was licensed. In revelance with my comparison, if you have an epileptic kid and you let him drive your car on your property, fine. It is now your responsability. He just can't BUY a car. On the same hand, if you have a socially disturbed kid and you let him shoot cans on the fence at your farm, by all means go for it. (but please, please keep your guns locked up!!!) But he should absolutely not be able to BUY a gun. Please don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say that people own guns for the feeling of power. I said the people who stuff a gun in the back of their pants and walk around with it are the ones who do it for the sense of power. It's the same sense of power that these socially inept kids that do these school shootings are going for. "I decide if you live or die" kind of ****e. The people who are licensed to carry concealed weapons aren't the ones that bother me. I do believe you have to have some training to get that. It's the jerk-offs that carry guns illegally (not an illegal weapon, but illegally concealed) thinking they're gonna be a hero that scare me. As to your last part, yes, that was the problem. Someone brought a gun in the first place. If not for the first gun, a second one wouldn't have been needed. We could spin this around a million different ways and probably never agree, so I'll leave it at that.
I'm done with the cars ---> guns talk. You originally said "you have to have a license to drive, and you have to have a license to own a gun." Sorry about puting words in your mouth, I was supposed to type "carry around a gun" rather than "own a gun." There are a few exceptions to what you said, though, I think. Several sherriffs are ridiculously corrupt, and won't give concealed weapons permits to people who deserve them, but only give them to politicians and celebrities (*cough* California *cough*). I'm sorry, but what laws do you even want? For all I know, we could be in complete agreement, and arguing for no reason. As to your last point, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pull out the "quit straw-manning" card. My point was that if someone wants to shoot a bunch of people, having a sign that says "please don't bring any guns in here" isn't going to help (note: I'm automatically correct, since the mall in Utah had a no-gun policy, but then again every massacre in the past forty years happened in a place where there was a no-gun policy, so that shouldn't be a surprise). My point was that the mall owners must be under the impression that the murderer is going to see that guns aren't allowed, say "schucks," and go off to a gun show / stooting range / nra convention / military base / police station to initiate his killing spree.
If the people in UK are ok with this law it's their business. However I think they're going down a dangerous path. What's next, and then next after that and so on......
Ya, I think we're just barely on opposite sides of the fence, close enough to shake hands As to what I want, just go up a few posts. Again on the mall shooting, there is a difference between some official putting up a notice that guns are not allowed and some hand written note. The latter invokes the image of some soccer mom huddling her children close with big teary eyes just saying "please". This is the tactic police use in hostage and kidnapping situations. Putting a human aspect to it. Why do you think most of these killings are done from a distance with high powered rifles? It's easy to kill one of the ants in the crowd compared to killing someone up close and personal. Most killing sprees aren't planned out pre-meditated murders. These are desperate last minute actions of a very troubled person. You'd be amazed at what might deter them. Ask a hostage negotiator.
Thank god... i always get mugged by a bunch of people with samurai swords whenever i go there... Ya think they should have started off somewhere smarter? like, with pistols or something? Samurai swords are kind of random..
Its just another thing for our overzealous Government to stick their noses in to and ****up. They would ban 'everything' if they could, honest to God! There's been more legislation under 'labour' in the last 10 years than there has in the last 100 years. Legislative changes are not the answer to every problem! I'm told there are now more police officers about than there has ever been and where are they? Sinking under mountains of useless paperwork! The average cop spends 15% of their time on patrol the rest is mainly waiting for solicitors, standing around in busy custody blocks or doing paperwork!:3eyes: Well done labour! What about PCSO's I hear the UK people cry! What of them, I say! Next to no powers, no real training, no Personal Protective Equipment and next to no Law training! You may as well give my mum a warrant card!! Rant over.... regards...
if you have a reason to own one, want to own one, what's wrong with getting a licence??? this legislation is fine by me. civil rights??? how's about people not being afraid to leave their homes because it takes too long for the cops to turn up? i can do a lot more damage with a 4lb mell or a ball-pein hammer than a fancy blade. a sword, like a gun is designed for killing (hence the licence), a mell is a tool, for breaking things. hallryu, if your mum gets a warrant card, can i have one too? those feckers upstairs were making a hoorna racket saturday night.
If your in the UK, noise is classed as a form of 'polution' and you will need to contact Environmental Health. Like most local Government departments these guys are about as much use a knife in a gun fight! Pardon the pun!!! :banana:
cheers, i tend to just play Rancid as full bore the morning after, my other neighbour is a social distortion fan so he doesn't mind at all!. it's always the way though, certain aspects of the system are failing badly.
This is crazy, but things happen in the US just the same. I have a story to tell, this happend when i was about 14-15.(im 32 now so long ago) Ok one day my little brother who is 2.5 years younger than me, called and told me that there was a ninja out side his friends house trying to kill them with a ninja sword. Im not like the guy a few posts ago who looks like a normal friendly guy, im 6'5" 280lbs, with tats.(i did not have tats when i was 15, just giving you an idea) So i grabed my baseball bat and headed to this guys house, it was probably around 1 mile away, when i go there, they had an out side storage room inside there carport, wich was close to the door to go into the house, so i walk up the steps and knock on the door, and this guy jumps out of the storage room with a ninja sword, and i hit him in the head with my bat. Now my brother and his friend come runing out yelling at me, little did i know this was a friend of theirs, they were pulling a prank on me, and i all but killed him.(he ended up with a concusion and a trip to the hospitol) I guess this could be one reason not to own a play ninja/any type sword.
