# Do you own a gun?



## Stanley (May 11, 2007)

I do.


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

No, I don't want one. Though, I will be shooting for the first time very soon... it's work-related (not for sport). I plan on coming out of the experience a trained marksman and will undoubtedly become an international assassin vixen afterwards.


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## StrangeSpirit (May 10, 2008)

I think it's best for everyone that I don't.


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## its_Rob (Oct 20, 2008)

No I don't own a gun yet. I want to get buy a rifle sometime and when I'm 21 I'm getting a handgun.


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## Arkturus (Dec 10, 2006)

I have a handgun


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## its_Rob (Oct 20, 2008)

Lonelyguy said:


> Yep, I own 18 of them so far. Five handguns, five shotguns, and eight rifles....with plans of buying more in the future. :um I also handload my own ammo and have two ammo presses, around 20 pounds of smokeless powder, about 20-25,000 primers and bullets, thousands of shell casings and around 50,000 rounds of live ammo. :um :um :um Before anyone labels me as crazy, the reason I have so much is because ammo prices started going through the roof a few years ago so I stocked up while it was still cheap.
> Needless to say I'm also a NRA member and a very strong supporter of the second amendment.


Dude your not crazy. I wish I had as many guns as you. Keep on supporting the second amendment and lets stick it to those gun banning democrats.


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## Fairyxo (Jan 28, 2009)

Nope, guns are illegal here in the UK and for good reason. We don't need guns here because hardly anyone else has them, even our normal police force don't have them - that's how low the gun crime is here.


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## Bredwh (Jan 24, 2009)

Fairyxo said:


> Nope, guns are illegal here in the UK and for good reason. We don't need guns here because hardly anyone else has them, even our normal police force don't have them - that's how low the gun crime is here.


Man I wish it was like that here.
I don't have a gun.
I hate how gun supporters say they are for protection. The only way a gun would protect you is if your bullet collided with another bullet in the air. These NRA guys should have formed the NBPVA instead: National Bullet Proof Vest Association.


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

Nope, but I wouldn't mind getting one.


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## Stanley (May 11, 2007)

Bredwh said:


> I hate how gun supporters say they are for protection. The only way a gun would protect you is if your bullet collided with another bullet in the air. These NRA guys should have formed the NBPVA instead: National Bullet Proof Vest Association.


You're not making any sense, you know that?


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

Bredwh, they do offer protection. If some crackhead is burglerizing your house and you come downstairs with a gun, I doubt he is going to stick around and try to put up a fight. They showed a vid last night of some crazy guy shooting up a store. A cop showed up and him and the cop ended up chasing each other around a truck shooting at each other. One of the employees at the store had a gun and came out and shot the guy, which made him fall to the ground. If that employee didn't have the gun, then that crazy guy would've kept shooting at the cop and might of killed him.


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## Toad Licker (Nov 2, 2007)

A gun thread... *quietly walks out* :tiptoe


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## its_Rob (Oct 20, 2008)

Bredwh said:


> Man I wish it was like that here.
> I don't have a gun.
> I hate how gun supporters say they are for protection. The only way a gun would protect you is if your bullet collided with another bullet in the air. These NRA guys should have formed the NBPVA instead: National Bullet Proof Vest Association.


Guns do protect people and bullets don't need to colide for that to happen. If someone tries to attack you, you can pull out your gun and shoot him or at least show it so they will back off and leave you alone.


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## milhouse (Jan 28, 2009)

i dont own a gun and although have never owned one, always liked the line from the last samurai:

Katsumoto, no longer dis-honours himself, by using firearms.

im somewhat of a martial artist, my weapons are my mitts, and boots


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

no


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## estse (Nov 18, 2003)

Not yet, but it looks like fun to live in fear of what could happen.



Fairyxo said:


> Nope, guns are illegal here in the UK and for good reason. We don't need guns here because hardly anyone else has them, even our normal police force don't have them - that's how low the gun crime is here.


I don't get it. What do you do with the crackheads?


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## Stanley (May 11, 2007)

Mercurochrome said:


> What do you do with the crackheads?


I bet he's gonna say that they don't have any :lol


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## Fairyxo (Jan 28, 2009)

Mercurochrome said:


> I don't get it. What do you do with the crackheads?


We treat them like every other criminal - they're not incredibly violent and our police have got rid of many drug rings without needing guns. We do have an armed police force, but they are only for emergencies and are hardly ever used.



Stanley said:


> I bet he's gonna say that they don't have any :lol


Actually, it's she, and you might want to take an interest in other people's cultures instead of mocking them. Our gun crime is low because we don't all have guns, albeit yes, there are stupid kids with guns and sometimes people get shot, but that is a minority and only really in London and Glasgow with rival turf wars.

I have never met anyone with a gun, and nobody I have ever known has ever known anyone with a gun. We simply don't need them.


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## Mc Borg (Jan 4, 2008)

I own a pellet gun. lol


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## Scrub-Zero (Feb 9, 2004)

I don't own a gun and never will.


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## Solitario (Aug 28, 2008)

Britain is an island so it's easy for you ban guns since they'd be hard to smuggle in. Here in a America, we have a long, porous border with a 3rd world nation (Mexico). If guns were banned, they'd just start making them down there and selling them in the US and then only criminals would have them.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Yes, two revolvers. A .357 Mag, 6" barrel, stainless steel. And an inherited .38 that dates back to about 1970.


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## whynot (Jan 7, 2009)

"Guns don't kill people, people kill people, and monkeys do too (if they have a gun)." - Eddie Izzard


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## MaidMarian (Feb 18, 2009)

Living in liberal Canada, I am not allowed to own a gun. Only criminals are allowed to have guns here :|.


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## Kelly (Dec 12, 2003)

No, but my mom has so many, I've lost count.

Have a nice day,
Kelly


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

I don't own any guns, but I have no problems with people that do. My dad has always had numerous hunting rifles. I also don't have any problems with people hunting as long as they eat what they shoot.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

Fairyxo said:


> Nope, guns are illegal here in the UK and for good reason. We don't need guns here because hardly anyone else has them, even our normal police force don't have them - that's how low the gun crime is here.


Don't they hunt over there?


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## BeNice (Jan 2, 2004)

Mercurochrome said:


> Not yet, but it looks like fun to live in fear of what could happen.


Thank you. Although my picture of a man's crotch (shielded by underwear) was censored, this made up for it.


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## slyfox (Nov 18, 2007)

No, not yet. I own a compound bow and have owned air rifles in the past though. I have thought of getting a concealed weapon permit, but it isn't anywhere near the top of my priority list at the moment. I took hunter's safety, but I still have not tried hunting. My parents are a large part of the reason why I don't own a gun. I'm still living at home and they don't want firearms in the house.


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## Qolselanu (Feb 15, 2006)

I don't actually own a gun, but I do have a few guns in my closet that belong to my brothers. 2 .22 rifles, one of which is a bit broken. A .22 revolver. The AK-47s cousin, the SKS, and finally a shotgun. Like with cars, I find their mechanical operation and design strangely exciting.


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## dontcare (Oct 6, 2008)

no and I don't want one, but I'd like to touch one someday just so I can say I did


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## VCL XI (Jan 19, 2004)

Not currently, but might purchase one in the future.


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## Mnster (Oct 2, 2008)

No but once I have my own place I WILL have a few guns. Parent units think the idea of having a gun is dangerous.


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## lyssado707 (Oct 29, 2004)

Heck no.


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## ThisGuyRightHere (Apr 28, 2008)

no i don't own a gun but for a long time i contemplated getting one for protection purposes. then one night several years ago i was really drunk and i remember thinking that if i had one i would commit suicide right then just to end it. i'm not suicidal but i know i would have done it that night if i had a gun.

that was my reality check and i've decided to never get one. i wouldn't even want to have that option handy.


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

Yes, a pink one :b


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## Sunshine009 (Sep 21, 2008)

Shauna The Dead said:


> Yes, a pink one :b


I have a lime green one. It wounds with water.


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## ilikebooks (Nov 26, 2008)

No, but my dad has around 5 in some locked cabinet. He uses them for hunting (food, not people). I can see the sense of security someone might feel with keeping a gun under their bed, though, especially those who live alone.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

no. i dont believe in owning guns


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Maybe we should post this same poll again but only have votes from Americans over the age of 18 or perhaps we should make it 21 (as required for handguns). I think this poll gets biased by the large percentage of members we have in Canada, UK, and Austrailia where guns are so restricted as to effectively be a ban.


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## Sunshine009 (Sep 21, 2008)

I wish everyone was gun-free!

but since they are not, I believe in packing heat

of course, my water pistol takes heated water

and also I am afraid to own a gun

but I believe there is nothing wrong with it

most of my relatives all own guns, and a few of my friends do

why should the bad guys be the only people

allowed to have guns?


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## CrystalBear (Feb 19, 2009)

I think its foolish for someone with depression to own a gun.


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## Aurora (Feb 27, 2009)

Illegal here.. and we have less 'gun related violence' than the north and south America. Doesnt that say something. Not to bag out America. I have much respect for America. Just have a problem with your gun laws. 
Of course there is always going to be illegal guns here. Cant stop criminals or natural born killers. But atleast its harder for a criminal to get one... and the little shootings we have are usually underworld gang related or used on other criminals. Not the average person in the street.
I dont understand the right to own a gun. Doesnt more guns breed more reason to use them? The more guns, the more unstable people turn to them. More guns = more reason to kill.. simple. Not to mention hunting for fun? come on. You cant justify hunting as a sport, or for survival. The human race has evolved since caveman times, we dont need to hunt or kill animals inhumanely. There are other ways to get your meat on the table. Disgraceful human race we are. Humanity is just arrogant and ignorant.. and it will be our own stupidity that kills us in the end. But hey, were never going to change the gun lovers minds.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Aurora said:


> You cant justify hunting as a sport, or for survival. The human race has evolved since caveman times, we dont need to hunt or kill animals inhumanely.


I don't hunt, never have, and never plan to.

But there is a great deal of justification for hunting in my state of Wisconsin. Statistics I saw some years back showed WI as having more deer/vehicle accidents than another other state. Hitting a deer often does thousands of dollars of damage to a car and it can kill (most of those killed by hitting deer were on motorcycles).

Deer populations also need to be controlled. If the population gets too big you end up with even more auto crashes and too many deer that will just starve to death (which hardly sounds humane). At one time wolves kept the deer population in check, but since there are no wild wolves in the state anymore, deer populations have exploded as they have no other natural predators. There are more deer in the US today than there were 200 years ago.

As for killing humanely, hunters want to instantly kill Bambi with one shot.


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## roverred (Dec 23, 2007)

can never see me with one.


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## Madison_Rose (Feb 27, 2009)

copper said:


> Don't they hunt over there?


Not all guns are illegal here. You can own a shotgun or a rifle for hunting or controlling pests. You need a licence, I don't think they're that easy to get. My Dad was a farmer and he owned a .22 rifle which he taught me to use.

Handguns were banned after the 1996 Dunblane Massacre, in which Thomas Hamilton shot sixteen small children and their teacher with a legally held hand gun.

I'm happy to live here where there is very little gun crime, and the regular police don't carry guns. Geography may be a factor, but I think social factors are pretty important too.

Most Britons were shocked and horrified by the case of Jean-Charles de Menezes, the innocent Brazillian man who was shot dead by police who thought he was a suicide bomber.

I sometimes have to walk around alone at night, and I really wish that I could get my hands on something like pepper spray for my own protection. I would never carry a gun for my own protection - I believe it would be wrong to take somebody's life unless that person made a definite effort to rape or kill me.


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## Bredwh (Jan 24, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> I don't hunt, never have, and never plan to.
> 
> But there is a great deal of justification for hunting in my state of Wisconsin. Statistics I saw some years back showed WI as having more deer/vehicle accidents than another other state. Hitting a deer often does thousands of dollars of damage to a car and it can kill (most of those killed by hitting deer were on motorcycles).
> 
> ...


Hunting is just our way of dealing with unintended effects of our own hubris. We build roads and encroach on their habitats then hunt them down when they come back to where they used to live out of hunger because we paved over all their food.


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## estse (Nov 18, 2003)

The gun I ordered online has yet to arrive. I got the bullets last week. I guess I should contact that kid on eBay.


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## SilentLoner (Jan 30, 2006)

I don't currently own one but I think I'd like a handgun someday.

Meanwhile I'll stick to my knife collection - I always carry one with me when I walk on my college campus. I think most girls at my uni do too.


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## new shoes (Oct 25, 2008)

i do and they're loaded....my biceps...bam bam!! get it?? hahahhaha..jk


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## Hoppipolla (Apr 11, 2007)

No.

I just saw Wanted and even though I did not like the movie, it really made me want to own a gun. But it's only fun if I'm in an assassin's fraternity or somethin'.


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## Madison_Rose (Feb 27, 2009)

SilentLoner said:


> I don't currently own one but I think I'd like a handgun someday.
> 
> Meanwhile I'll stick to my knife collection - I always carry one with me when I walk on my college campus. I think most girls at my uni do too.


Oh my, that worries me a lot. Do you know how to knife-fight? Are you walking around carrying a weapon you don't know how to use? Do you realise that somebody carrying a weapon they don't know how to use is likely to have that weapon used against them if they get attacked?

Have you thought about taking martial arts or self-defence classes? I hope you're not offended by me saying this but I really think that's a better idea and more likely to be of practical use than carrying a knife.


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## Aurora (Feb 27, 2009)

BostonB said:


> Deers are doing what they're supposed to do. The deer doesn't jump in front of a car. The road jumps out in front of the deer. If we're going to tear down land to build little suburban bubbles and build roads in the middle of the woods we have to expect some casualties. I think less people is a more effective solution. I just don't think that this justifies hunting.


:agree

The human race is the pest. Were overpopulated. Not the wildlife. This is how we hunt species to extinction then wonder where all the wildlife have gone. Whos to say we are the owners of the earth?

We have a similar situation with our Kangaroos, we've been culling them in the most horrific ways. (rounding them up into tiny pens and slaughtering them while they still suffer bleeding to death) Just because they have (not my words) invaded our suburbia? Umm well.. I havnt seen a roo in my backyard? and the only roos I do see are dead ones on the side of the road that have been hit by cars. 
Welcome to Australia! Our national emblem is the kangaroo, but what you dont know is, roos suffer every day in the hands of so called hunters.
People hit them with cars, but dont even care to look inside the dead mothers pouch for a baby that needs a mother. When you kill a roo, you also kill its unborn baby. 
Ive also heard of wild cockatoos been hunted, because theyre just too noisy and they eat 'our' crops. As an avid bird lover, I find this, disgraceful that we could be so selfish.

Might I also mention Japans attempt at wiping out the whale population.

Okay.. hunting gets me a lil fired up. :mum


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## Aurora (Feb 27, 2009)

Madison_Rose said:


> Oh my, that worries me a lot. Do you know how to knife-fight? Are you walking around carrying a weapon you don't know how to use? Do you realise that somebody carrying a weapon they don't know how to use is likely to have that weapon used against them if they get attacked?
> 
> Have you thought about taking martial arts or self-defence classes? I hope you're not offended by me saying this but I really think that's a better idea and more likely to be of practical use than carrying a knife.


:agree

There is always alternatives. Isnt carrying a weapon just re enforcing anxiety of being attacked, or creating a kind of mass hysteria? If everyone carried a weapon, wouldnt that make living less safe?:um


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## SilentLoner (Jan 30, 2006)

Madison_Rose said:


> Oh my, that worries me a lot. Do you know how to knife-fight? Are you walking around carrying a weapon you don't know how to use? Do you realise that somebody carrying a weapon they don't know how to use is likely to have that weapon used against them if they get attacked?
> 
> Have you thought about taking martial arts or self-defence classes? I hope you're not offended by me saying this but I really think that's a better idea and more likely to be of practical use than carrying a knife.


Actually yes I have learned some proper knife fighting. I know what vital points to go for and proper grips. The most important thing in a knife fight is to expect to be cut. And I have had some self defense (hapkido), but I have always preferred weapon fighting even in martial arts (hence my passion for kendo). But basically yes I know empty hand defenses.

Plus I really like knives and their different styles a lot, thats why I'm working on a collection. (I've been practicing with throwing ones. Fun!)



Aurora said:


> :agree
> 
> There is always alternatives. Isnt carrying a weapon just re enforcing anxiety of being attacked, or creating a kind of mass hysteria? If everyone carried a weapon, wouldnt that make living less safe?:um


Like pepper spray? A lot of girls have those, I'm sure.

No, I never have increased anxiety when carrying a weapon. I just clip it on my belt and leave it at that. I feel very safe on my campus even without it (and supposedly my campus is among the unsafest in the country).

Define weapon. I could seriously injure someone with a pencil if I wanted to.


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## LostinReverie (Mar 18, 2007)

UltraShy said:


> I don't hunt, never have, and never plan to.
> 
> But there is a great deal of justification for hunting in my state of Wisconsin. Statistics I saw some years back showed WI as having more deer/vehicle accidents than another other state. Hitting a deer often does thousands of dollars of damage to a car and it can kill (most of those killed by hitting deer were on motorcycles).
> 
> ...


Considering MN has one of the highest wolf densities recorded, I doubt WI is that far behind. While I don't like the idea of hunting, I find it no different than raising animals to be slaughtered and more often than not, it's the wild animal that had the better life so perhaps it would be better to hunt for food than keep despicable inhumane farms.

And no, I do not own a gun, or else I wouldn't be writing this.


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## proximo20 (Nov 25, 2006)

Fairyxo said:


> We treat them like every other criminal - they're not incredibly violent and our police have got rid of many drug rings without needing guns. We do have an armed police force, but they are only for emergencies and are hardly ever used.
> 
> Actually, it's she, and you might want to take an interest in other people's cultures instead of mocking them. Our gun crime is low because we don't all have guns, albeit yes, there are stupid kids with guns and sometimes people get shot, but that is a minority and only really in London and Glasgow with rival turf wars.
> 
> I have never met anyone with a gun, and nobody I have ever known has ever known anyone with a gun. We simply don't need them.


English nation is really intellectual and well-educated. It is not a country that we can compare with other countries. I think they have the highest IQ int he world so the way they handle things can be quite different.

I never owned or used a gun, but I think it is quite a necessity in the States for safety issues.


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## Aurora (Feb 27, 2009)

SilentLoner said:


> Like pepper spray? A lot of girls have those, I'm sure.
> 
> No, I never have increased anxiety when carrying a weapon. I just clip it on my belt and leave it at that. I feel very safe on my campus even without it (and supposedly my campus is among the unsafest in the country).
> 
> Define weapon. I could seriously injure someone with a pencil if I wanted to.


Just clarifying, I meant anxiety in the community. Not as the individual person as such. Like a kind of domino effect on people as a whole?

Just my opinion. But I respect where your coming from.


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## Amalia (Feb 27, 2009)

I hate guns, and Im little offended by people having guns. It is all wrong in my view, guns cause more problems than protection. Most of the people are more likely to be harmed by their own guns rather than protected. 
Also Im fearful of the thought to have a gun in my home, what if somebody got in rage and resonable mind abandon for a moment?!


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

jim695 said:


> an SKS with just a open sight ( folding *bayonet* and fittings for the grenade launcher - all legal )


You could poke an eye out with that!!!

Those who wish to ban "assault rifles" will often look to silly cosmetic issues like can a bayonet be mounted on it to define what's "dangerous" and thus must be banned. Though I've never heard of anybody being stabbed by a gun. Obviously, a bayonet is merely for show in today's world.

Back in the days of the musket where being able to fire 3 shots per minute made you really fast, then I can see how you'd likely need to use your gun as a sword.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Amalia said:


> Also Im fearful of the thought to have a gun in my home, what if somebody got in rage and reasonable mind abandon for a moment?!


Back around 1970 my late father bought a .38 revolver because the neighborhood they lived in at that time was going downhill (currently it's an area that almost nobody would intentionally choose to live in if they could afford to get out). If he felt the need for a gun at that time, I can certainly see why residents of that area would want a gun today. He was hardly a gun nut. If he ever fired that gun it was before my time because I can't recall it and the only ammo he had for it was a Remington box that appeared to date back to 1970.

They moved to a suburb right before I was born and that .38 came along and has sat around the house for my entire life and it's still here to this day. So far it has never been used to shoot at any human target. It's also never been locked up in any manner. And in all that time I've never yet worried about it shooting me.

I used to know a woman who lived in an area of the city that was being revitalized, but on the news I'd hear about murders within blocks of her home. She had bars on the windows and a solid wood door (no window -- just a peep hole) with numerous locks. After several months of knowing her I learned she was a gun owner when I saw a semi-auto pistol just laying out on a table (I don't know if it was loaded). Many think of gun owners as being stupid & paranoid men who are on the far right and are ready to fire at anything that moves, sitting around with a "make my day" attitude hoping to have somebody to shoot. This woman was a Mensa member and I'm sure universally voted for Democrats, and she didn't seem the least bit paranoid. But even she could see that when you live in a high crime area it might be prudent to own a gun to stop those not deterred by heavy doors, locks, and bars.


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## fauxhawk (Oct 26, 2008)

> But even she could see that when you live in a high crime area it might be prudent to own a gun to stop those not deterred by heavy doors, locks, and bars.


I can understand the desire to own a gun under those circumstances, but I still think that it's irrational. All the data indicates that owning a gun doesn't make you any safer, it just makes you more prone to accidental self harm.


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## jim695 (Jan 19, 2009)

I own a few guns strictly for fun and sport; target shooting since I was a kid. 

Apparently a lot of people think that gun owners own them to shoot people out of defense or criminal acts. We can thank our paranoid media for that.


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## jim695 (Jan 19, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> You could poke an eye out with that!!!
> 
> Those who wish to ban "assault rifles" will often look to silly cosmetic issues like can a bayonet be mounted on it to define what's "dangerous" and thus must be banned. Though I've never heard of anybody being stabbed by a gun. Obviously, a bayonet is merely for show in today's world.
> 
> Back in the days of the musket where being able to fire 3 shots per minute made you really fast, then I can see how you'd likely need to use your gun as a sword.


Ultrashy,
The SKS I got is a certified collectors item and it CAME THAT WAY. It is a VERY accurate 60 year old rifle with little recoil that only cost about 200 dollars. I got it because of it's accuracy and it was CHEAP !! Of course I do not need a bayonet!


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

fauxhawk said:


> I can understand the desire to own a gun under those circumstances, but I still think that it's irrational. All the data indicates that owning a gun doesn't make you any safer, *it just makes you more prone to accidental self harm.*


I'll agree that you can't accidentally shoot yourself with a gun if you have no gun. Those who wish to avoid the small risk of such accidents can choose not to have a gun in their home, as you do.

May I ask, would you feel fearful of visiting a home that contained a gun(s)?

I'll ask you the same thing I ask everyone who questions gun ownership. If you were in a life & death situation faced with an attacker wielding a knife would you prefer:

A) a loaded gun in your hand
B) a cell phone in your hand with which to summon the police to write a report about how dead you are when they arrive after the crime is over.

Everyone else can feel free to answer that as well. I'd be very interested in hearing from those who select B.


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## ericj (Jun 20, 2007)

UltraShy said:


> May I ask, would you feel fearful of visiting a home that contained a gun(s)?


That seriously freaks some people out... Even if they aren't loaded or accessible without some serious effort. Then again, some people believe they're all loaded and ready to kill without any human intervention. The first is obviously a good mentality to have about them for safety reasons, but the remainder puts it a bit over the top.


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## fauxhawk (Oct 26, 2008)

In a life and death situation, like a break in, how likely is it that a gun is going to be used correctly and effectively?



ericj said:


> That seriously freaks some people out...Even if they aren't loaded or accessible without some serious effort.


Yes, exactly. Guns need to be stored safely and are therefore "not accessible without some serious effort". In the event of a break in or an attack how likely is it that you are going to get to your gun in time, then get to your bullets in time (since it's recommended that you store the bullets in a second location) then once you collect everything you still have to execute. How experienced is your average gun owner with a real life scenerio under tremendous pressure?


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## ericj (Jun 20, 2007)

fauxhawk said:


> In a life and death situation, like a break in, how likely is it that a gun is going to be used correctly and effectively?


Rather likely if they are properly trained. I know people that have used them.



> Yes, exactly. Guns need to be stored safely and are therefore "not accessible without some serious effort". In the event of a break in or an attack how likely is it that you are going to get to your gun in time, then get to your bullets in time (since it's recommended that you store the bullets in a second location) then once you collect everything you still have to execute.


You don't store any you plan to use for this purpose in this manner. Some of us don't use them for defense or wouldn't need to use them for it without considerable warning.



> How experienced is your average gun owner with moving targets in a real life scenerio under tremendous pressure?


Self defense in a home invasion type situation is very short range. You effectively don't need to aim any more than you naturally would in the general direction of the target.


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## Bredwh (Jan 24, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> If you were in a life & death situation faced with an attacker wielding a knife would you prefer:
> 
> A) a loaded gun in your hand
> B) a cell phone in your hand with which to summon the police to write a report about how dead you are when they arrive after the crime is over.


So the only options are kill or be killed? How does that make me any different from the attacker? If I was really in this situation I would probably just run away because he can't hurt me from a distance with a knife, then call the police. Or I would lure the attacker into my house (if he wasn't there already) and defeat him using various booby traps like in Home Alone.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

fauxhawk said:


> In a life and death situation, like a break in, how likely is it that a gun is going to be used correctly and effectively?


In most cases merely pointing any gun at the bad guy is going to be enough to end the situation without the need to fire even a single shot. After all, how many criminals are going to stick around to find out if the gun is actually loaded or how good a shot you are? And to help you aim & further intimidate your target you can even put a nice red dot on where the shot will hit if you wish: http://www.crimsontrace.com/

One SAS member who rarely posts any more would often argue that one is unlikely to hit their target in such a frantic situation. Now that is certainly a valid point. This isn't the same as leisurely cocking the hammer and calming setting your sights on a non-moving paper target at a well-lit shooting range. I'm pretty sure anybody with a gun pointed at them will be moving and the lighting might not be so good.



fauxhawk said:


> Guns need to be stored safely and are therefore "not accessible without some serious effort". In the event of a break in or an attack how likely is it that you are going to get to your gun in time, then get to your bullets in time (since it's recommended that you store the bullets in a second location) then once you collect everything you still have to execute.


If you were expecting that you may need to use a gun in self-defense you certainly would not store it in such a manner that makes access so difficult that it's as useless as having no gun at all. You may have noticed how cops carry a loaded gun holstered on their hip all day long, not locked in the squad car's trunk with a trigger lock on it and ammunition in some secure lock box. Such a gun might be stored in your nightstand. And if it wasn't kept loaded, you'd likely have a full magazine ready to shove in your pistol or a speedloader waiting ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_loader ) to dump 6 rounds into your revolver all at once.



fauxhawk said:


> How experienced is your average gun owner with moving targets in a real life scenario under tremendous pressure?


Not experienced at all, but then even most cops don't have experience dealing with an armed attacker either.

Depending on the gun you'd likely have between 5 and 20 shots to hit the bad guy. If the bad guy didn't already flee, hoping your gun wasn't actually loaded, I suspect the first shot would in most cases be enough to encourage them to flee at that point. Given that most self-defense shootings occur within 10 feet or less it would seem that one has a decent chance of hitting their target.


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## Bredwh (Jan 24, 2009)

If the gun is mainly for intimidation then it doesn't even need to be real does it? Or even be a gun? I have a large sword collection and if someone came in I'd likely be able to scare them away with one of them just as easily as with a gun.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Bredwh said:


> So the only options are kill or be killed? *How does that make me any different from the attacker?* If I was really in this situation I would probably just run away because he can't hurt me from a distance with a knife, then call the police.


In this case assume one is cornered and can not flee. Perhaps this is a woman who has a restraining order against her ex, but he simply isn't impressed by a lovely legal document that says he's supposed to stay away from her. He breaks down her door and chases her up to a 2nd floor bedroom. He's holding a knife with which he plans to slice her throat. There is nowhere to flee to as he's standing in the doorway -- the only way out -- with that knife.

Now do you suggest she grab the loaded gun she has in her nightstand (bought knowing he wasn't the kind of guy who took legal documents seriously) or should she first grab the phone to call 911 so they can listen as he kills her?

I'd suggest she grab the gun first. She can call 911 after the attack is ended by the sight of the gun causing him to flee or by the attack ending with him either incapacitated or dead by being shot.

I'd agree with you that running away if possible would be a prudent option. In most cases people who break in are just looking for things to steal and wouldn't intentionally break into an occupied home -- where encountering the homeowner typically happens because they thought nobody was home, but were wrong.

But in some cases, as in my example, there is nowhere to run. And in my example I used an angry ex absolutely determined to kill, the sort of person who isn't going to give up simply because she runs. He'll run after her, so unless she has a means of defending herself -- like a gun -- she'd better be able to run faster than he can or she'll be dead.

Feminists should really enjoy my example. My example shows how firearms put everyone on a level playing field. It doesn't matter if he's a 6'6" mass of muscle and she's just a petite lady half his size. He's still going to drop when shot with her .45 regardless.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Bredwh said:


> If the gun is mainly for intimidation then it doesn't even need to be real does it? Or even be a gun? I have a large sword collection and if someone came in I'd likely be able to scare them away with one of them just as easily as with a gun.


Sometimes one actually needs to shoot and incapacitate or kill their attacker if intimidation alone doesn't deter them.

As for your swords, what if they're armed with a gun? A gun can shoot a lot farther than your sword can reach, so a guy with a gun may not be real intimidated by your sword.


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## orpheus (Nov 16, 2003)

not yet


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

Madison_Rose said:


> Not all guns are illegal here. You can own a shotgun or a rifle for hunting or controlling pests. You need a licence, I don't think they're that easy to get. My Dad was a farmer and he owned a .22 rifle which he taught me to use.
> 
> Handguns were banned after the 1996 Dunblane Massacre, in which Thomas Hamilton shot sixteen small children and their teacher with a legally held hand gun.
> 
> ...


You should get one of those stun guns that look like a cell phone. Or just tell assailants that your cell phone is really one of those stun guns that looks like a cell phone.


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## Draztek (Jul 5, 2008)

UltraShy said:


> Sometimes one actually needs to shoot and incapacitate or kill their attacker if intimidation alone doesn't deter them.
> 
> As for your swords, what if they're armed with a gun? A gun can shoot a lot farther than your sword can reach, so a guy with a gun may not be real intimidated by your sword.


UltraShy I agree with you on this issue. I want the power to decide my own fate if someone breaks into my house instead of being at their mercy.


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## jonesy0039 (Jan 28, 2008)

i dont have a gun unless a air rifle counts lol, been shot at a few times though.. i dont think people like me XD


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