Armed America

[monster]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Michael Moore? Not at all, I commented because I see foreigners on the net seem to have a distorted picture of the US from TV, Hollywood, and the rabidness? ... rabidinity? ..... conviction, many of us show on the subject.

I find guns far more prevalent here than I expected them to be (I'm a Brit in a very liberal city in the US). I did not expect them to be on sale in Walmart. I try not to allow irrational fear into it, although most of the people I meet who are "enthusiastic" gun owners are the ones I'd least like to let near a firearm. I should probably just stop going in Walmart. When you're brought up that guns are more taboo than vibrators for men, it takes some getting used to.

My main fear is of children accidentally getting hold of them and playing with them, and frankly -having lived in Birmingham UK (which had quite a few shootings in the time I was there), I don't see any more incidents of that here -where because guns are legal, decent security cabinets are readily available and pruchased by the responsible- than I did there -where the gun owners are the irresponsible-type who would not buy a cabinet even if their gun was legit.

That said, the illegal killing with guns thing in the UK isn't any worse than it is here, in my experience, and the people who are getting killed are usually more bad guys. There might be more deaths if guns were more readily available, simply because of how crowded it is there compared to here. It's a small island with a lot of people on it. Living on a remote farm there just means you can't hear the people iin the next farm having sex. So many people in such a small space and with a completely different culture means that comparing gun law here to gun law in the UK is comparing apples and oranges.

And guns are not completely illegal in the UK, just a lot harder to get and more control on the types available. There seems to be a misconception that "gun control" means outlawing firearms altogether, and that guns are not allowed at all in the UK/Europe. Statements like "if your government allows you" just betray ignorance. If the people wanted guns, they'd have them. The UK is a democracy too. And in a smaller country, it's harder for the government to be remote from the people. Watch Prime Minister's Question time if you want to see how a people can ensure their government listens to them. Oh dear, I'm off on a tangent. But the UK don't have guns because they don't want them. It works for them, so why criticize?

I quite fancy learning to shoot targets. But I don't want to own a gun. I don't fear intruders/muggers etc. Such a fear would be irrational given where I live and where I go. Ask me again when I move elsewhere or all law and order breaks down.

[Undertoad]

Originally Posted by monster

I quite fancy learning to shoot targets. But I don't want to own a gun.

If you have a friend who target shoots, they are usually overwhelmingly happy to take you to a range, lend you a shooty thing, and help you learn the basics.

I recommend it, it is highly informative just to go at least once.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

Still lying about that? Amazing. The evidence is clear. Now go read the Justification law.

Lying? Lying?! Maggie, you like to present yourself as tough – insinuating that collectivists are weak and anti-gun people are afraid of guns. Yet you don’t have the courage to come right out and say that in a specific situation you would shoot someone with the intention of killing them. “I obey the justification law” goes right up there with “that depends what your definition of “is” is”, and “I voted for the war before I voted against the war”. It’s a weaselly answer. Cite the post where you admitted that you would shoot someone. Until then, you’re just a wanna-be and a poser.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by monster

And guns are not completely illegal in the UK, just a lot harder to get and more control on the types available. There seems to be a misconception that "gun control" means outlawing firearms altogether, and that guns are not allowed at all in the UK/Europe. Statements like "if your government allows you" just betray ignorance.

Statements like that stem from news items where people defended themselves only to harassed and prosecuted by the authorities. First with guns and then other implements.

They think we have the OK corral going on every day and we think they are required by law not to defend themselves. The misconceptions go both ways.

[monster]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Statements like that stem from news items where people defended themselves only to harassed and prosecuted by the authorities. First with guns and then other implements.

They think we have the OK corral going on every day and we think they are required by law not to defend themselves. The misconceptions go both ways.

Who thinks you have the OK Corral going on? I was one of them, remember? Brits have a tendency to think that what we see in the movies and on TV is "just Hollywood". Deep down we believe America is not really so different from the UK -hey we almost speak the same language -how could it be? Then we get here and find it isn't all make-believe, and that's why we sometimes suffer from culture shock more than our different-language speaking neighbors -we don't expect it to be so foreign! Ask any Brit expat. Very few Brits believe deep-down that average American citizens actually have guns in the house, just as we don't realize that steam really does billow from ironworks in the city streets or that the ET halloween scene is not terribly far-fetched. Our press may try and make us think that it's all Dodge City, but we don't believe them, either