Armed America

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Ibram

Guns don't scare me. People who are obsessed with them do...

Obviously you don't find all obsessions about guns equally objectionable. :-) Somehow I don't think my refusal to surrender my weapons to people who seem obsessed with disarming me rises to an obsession itself.

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

Obviously you don't find all obsessions about guns equally objectionable. :-) Somehow I don't think my refusal to surrender my weapons to people who seem obsessed with disarming me rises to an obsession itself.

Actually, I really do - as I've said before, I'm anti-gun as far as the concept of a weapon to kill people with is concerned... but I still believe it's your right to have one.
People obsessed with them on both sides of the argument have an unnatural and, to me, somewhat creepy fixation that i find disconcerting... though admittedly, I'm less worried about a gun control freak shooting me than a gun ownership freak.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Ibram

I'm less worried about a gun control freak shooting me than a gun ownership freak.

A "gun control freak" will disarm you so *someone else* can shoot you--or otherwise assault you--with impunity. A "gun ownership freak" thinks you should be allowed to decide for yourself whether you will have the ability to defend yourself if that happens. You're a hell of a lot safer from a legal gun owner than you are from a criminal.

Of course, if you're currently in a jurisdiction where the state has already disarmed the law-abiding, it's rather academic. Where are you, again?

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

A "gun control freak" will disarm you so *someone else* can shoot you--or otherwise assault you--with impunity. A "gun ownership freak" thinks you should be allowed to decide for yourself whether you will have the ability to defend yourself if that happens. You're a hell of a lot safer from a legal gun owner than you are from a criminal.

Of course, if you're currently in a jurisdiction where the state has already disarmed the law-abiding, it's rather academic. Where are you, again?

I dont (and won't) have a gun, so I'm not worried about someone taking it away. But someone without a gun isn't going to be very likely to shoot me, either. Simple logic, maggie - someone with 30 guns is a teeny tiny bit more likely to shoot me than someone without any, simply by the fact that the person without them CAN'T. Talking the two extremes here, that is. Now, the mugger down the street with a Colt .45 is a LOT more dangerous than the reasonable, sane person with fifteen different kinds of assault rifles, but... thats a different matter.


In Taiwan, there's madatory military service at 20, but no private gun ownership... or at least, veryveryvery little, if any. But crime is almost non-existant here -- maybe a holdover from the fact that only 20 or so years ago, this was a military dictatorship? Beats me.

[MaggieL]

Originally Posted by Ibram

I dont (and won't) have a gun, so I'm not worried about someone taking it away. But someone without a gun isn't going to be very likely to shoot me, either...Beats me.

Yes, "beats you" might very well be what happens. I understand from a friend with first-hand expereince that gender-variant people are not well-tolerated in Korean culture.

You say you "don't (and won't) have a gun"...I was wondering if your government would even let you have one. If not, your desires in this issue are rather moot.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nati...2331911990.htm

Apparently according to this article, it's actually possible for a private South Korean citizen to have a gun, assuming he pays off....I mean...*convinces* the cops he can see, isn't crazy and doesn't have a criminal record.

Originally Posted by Korean Times

If one wants to buy a gun, the shop sends the item to the police station. The buyer goes under thorough examination, such as eye examination, mental check, criminal record check, and must answer other questions. After the potential buyer’s records are cleared, the police hands the item to the buyer.

But the example you cite of the mugger and the reasonable, sane person isn't "another issue", it's exactly the issue you should be concered with. The mugger is particularly dangerous to you as long as he is better armed than you are. The reasonable sane person might concievably come to your aid if you're attacked by the mugger.

Of course, if the government has disarmed the sane person, and not the mugger, you probably can't expect much help.

I'm always amazed by the people who seem totally bemused and comforted by the fact by the fact that "if there were no guns they couldn't be shot", when it seems quite clear to me that there has never have been "no guns" since the moment guns were invented, and that imaginary state seems quite likely to stay imaginary. Furthermore they seem to be quite unable to picture how a gun might serve them rather than threatening them. Since only the cops and the bad guys have guns on TV, that must be how the real world operates...

Wouldn't it make sense to concentrate your strategies on situations that actually might happen? Of course, if your government won't let you defend yourself, maybe your time actually is better spent rationalizing why that is somehow A Good Thing. even though as far as I can see, it isn't.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by MaggieL

Yes, "beats you" might very well be what happens. I understand from a friend with first-hand expereince that gender-variant people are not well-tolerated in Korean culture.

You say you "don't (and won't) have a gun"...I was wondering if your government would even let you have one. If not, your desires in this issue are rather moot.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nati...2331911990.htm

Apparently according to this article, it's actually possible for a private South Korean citizen to have a gun,
...

Maggie, last I checked, Taiwan is different than Korea.