Merging Cultures Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Glad you feel safe! With a hand gun, of course, it also increases your chance of surviving if shot at first... If I was going to have a handgun, I'd have a .40. I think it is a good balance between stopping power and ease of use.9mm require good placement, .45s are heavy and hard to aim but will put a person down, a .40 is in the middle. Do you keep your shotgun loaded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wymsey Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Absolute horror, does make me slightly scared now when reporters ask people questions publicly... RIP to both. Surprised that when it happened, the camera went straight back to the host in the news room. If it was on BBC/ITV, there would probably be a message saying 'there's a technical issue with this programme, it will return shortly'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jattdogg Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 I know there are big differences between canada and usa in terms of gun culture. We do have gangs and illegal guns here as do so many countries. People do lose it and go postal. We also do allow people to have guns but its a privilege not a right. Most of us are willing to respect our neighbours and trust that we never will need to use a gun against them or anyone in our country. And for the most part we do well without them. gangs are gangs an will always shoot eachother up so long as they have access to guns legally or illegally. I hope our neighbours down south can be more brave without them and find solutions to take the illegal ones off the streets. A gargantuan task at best. Its very complicated issue and one that will take time to put solutions and checks in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 I own a rifle for hunting and a shot gun for home defense. I do not keep them loaded and keep the ammo in a separate, locked up container with only me and my wife knowing the whereabouts of the ammo. and separately hidden key. We also own a lockable security coded walk-in gun safe and have, at times, looked after other peoples guns at their request or at the request of their spouse. Not exactly for mental health reasons but say if someone has lost their Job, or their house, or a marriage break up. I also have personally called the police to inform them of a Friend who i felt was going through a stage of mental instability and owned a gun ( he was making erratic decisions possibly due to a mixture of reasons as mentioned above). I feel that gun ownership requires people to be acting responsibly not just on a personal level but also in society in general. I personally have chosen, at this stage, to not own a hand gun, but feel people should have a right to make that choice. My wife has chosen to own one. Due to a very personally tragic experience, she feels more vulnerable than me. Years ago, my son's girlfriend asked me to look after her gun while she was in the process of moving apartments. She must have forgotten about it since I had it for many months. The only time she asked for it back was when my son dumped her. Now that was a soul searching decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detroit Blues Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Ignoring the gun control issue which will never be solved: In the US if you do not have health insurance, there is no incentive for doctors to commit you for psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Even if they got the help they needed, they wouldnt be able to afford the medication (unless it was covered by medicaid). Many of our mentally ill citizens end up homeless, drug addicted or in prison. There's also a social stigma that inhibits the desire to get treatment for those who feel like they have mental health issues. If we could create a better healthcare system, many of these people would get help and be less likely to commit a violent crime. Another proponent is the war on drugs. Just as prohibition in the US lead to the rise of organized crime, and failed our country as a whole, so too has the war on drugs. A lot of people are hesitant to legalize drugs ("What about the children!"), but this system is clearly not working. If someone really wants to mess up their life and harm their health, there's nothing we can do to stop them. The very least we can do is control the distribution (like with alcohol and tobacco), the safety of the product (clean needles, etc), and make a buck to pay for other healthcare programs caused by drug use. You'd put the gangs out of business, and be able to reduce the spending ($30,000 per year per prisoner) for non-violent criminals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 I did! But we had a alarm system and a small dog. Never once were we a victim of crime. I've always thought, if I had a gun I'd have to use it, and be expert at it. Because if a thief enters your house, they would have to assume you had a gun and therefore they would have one. So, then you'd have to shoot first. And that is where the problem lies, the thief would have to think the same thing. Therefore both will shoot anything they see. Whether it is friendly of foe. It's a dangerous game that has resulted in thousands of family members being killed. The fact is that the majority of gun murders do not make the news. Why? Because they are often gang on gang, minority on minority crimes. So there is little incentive for everyday Americans to get rid of guns. And every incentive for the gun lobbies to perpetuate the fear that a gun can protect you from druggies. It may, but as I said, owning a gun makes you much more likely to die from a gun shot. My wife has always said that the only time that she would every draw her hand gun is if she felt her LIFE was in imminent danger. Not her wallet, or her credit cards but her life. And its a shame that there isnt a bit more of that attitude around... But yes, she does go to a shooting range and went on an dvanced users course to learn how to use it safely. It is of course worth noting that since the riots in Ferguson there has been a 700% increase in the sale and purchase of guns, to law abiding citezens. Similar sharp increase in the sale of guns in Baltimore since the riots there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merging Cultures Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 My wife has always said that the only time that she would every draw her hand gun is if she felt her LIFE was in imminent danger. Not her wallet, or her credit cards but her life. And its a shame that there isnt a bit more of that attitude around... But yes, she does go to a shooting range and went on an dvanced users course to learn how to use it safely. It is of course worth noting that since the riots in Ferguson there has been a 700% increase in the sale and purchase of guns, to law abiding citezens. Similar sharp increase in the sale of guns in Baltimore since the riots there. Fortunately I wasn't in B'more for the riots... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Fortunately I wasn't in B'more for the riots... Glad to hear that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bovril Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Fortunately I wasn't in B'more for the riots... That's why they rioted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Must admit, I don't understand why the United States get most of the attention when it comes to gun crime and gun laws. Its not even in the top ten when it comes to murder/death by guns... There's countries in South/ central America that have a much higher rations- some nations -4 or 5 times more deaths per 1,000 capita. Some nations in Africa too. But often its considered big bad America when it comes to guns and gun crime... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisFilter Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Must admit, I don't understand why the United States get most of the attention when it comes to gun crime and gun laws. Its not even in the top ten when it comes to murder/death by guns... There's countries in South/ central America that have a much higher rations- some nations -4 or 5 times more deaths per 1,000 capita. Some nations in Africa too. But often its considered big bad America when it comes to guns and gun crime... Because America has a terrible record in comparison with other well-developed nations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Because America has a terrible record in comparison with other well-developed nations. Think its more to do with the fact that people just love to hate America Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisFilter Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Think its more to do with the fact that people just love to hate America Whilst that's often the case, no-one needs an excuse in this case. It's lunacy that the NRA hold enough sway to prevent the banning of guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Whilst that's often the case, no-one needs an excuse in this case. It's lunacy that the NRA hold enough sway to prevent the banning of guns. Its the american people who won't want the banning of guns too. Feel free to read back - someone else has posted the statistics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Whilst that's often the case, no-one needs an excuse in this case. It's lunacy that the NRA hold enough sway to prevent the banning of guns. Americans Say Possessing Handguns Should Not Be Banned As support for stricter laws regulating the sale of guns has dwindled, the percentage of Americans who say handguns should be banned has remained low. About one in four Americans say handgun possession should be banned for everyone except the police and "other authorized persons" such as security or the military. A near-record high of 73% of Americans now say that handguns should not be banned. http://www.gallup.com/poll/179045/less-half-americans-support-stricter-gun-laws.aspx So we can't really blame the NRA now can we? So if politicians are true to their calling of wanting to represent the people, they really don't need to be campaigning for the banning of guns... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisFilter Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 I suspect NRA propaganda probably plays a large part in swaying the average person's opinion. But, regardless, that's an appalling statistic. WTF?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 I suspect NRA propaganda probably plays a large part in swaying the average person's opinion. But, regardless, that's an appalling statistic. WTF?! Its on a neutral website too - Gallop. No right wing sway on it at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merging Cultures Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 Its on a neutral website too - Gallop. No right wing sway on it at all...I read his point to mean that people have been brainwashed and that is why they voted that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 27 August 2015 Share Posted 27 August 2015 I read his point to mean that people have been brainwashed and that is why they voted that way. Its a bit of a cop out to suggest someone is brainwashed when presented with statistics that contradict something you thought was true, if that is indeed what he meant And what exactly does he mean by propaganda? Personally haven't seen a single NRA tv, radio or newspaper commercial in all the time i have been here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potter3 Posted 28 August 2015 Share Posted 28 August 2015 Must admit, I don't understand why the United States get most of the attention when it comes to gun crime and gun laws. Its not even in the top ten when it comes to murder/death by guns... There's countries in South/ central America that have a much higher rations- some nations -4 or 5 times more deaths per 1,000 capita. Some nations in Africa too. But often its considered big bad America when it comes to guns and gun crime... Because people from the UK (and a lot of Western Europe) can look at the US and see a country that seems very similar to ours in a lot of ways. I don't feel that way when I think about Mexico, Colombia, Honduras etc. Just curious, is your wife originally from the US? I assume you're British. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merging Cultures Posted 28 August 2015 Share Posted 28 August 2015 Its a bit of a cop out to suggest someone is brainwashed when presented with statistics that contradict something you thought was true, if that is indeed what he meant And what exactly does he mean by propaganda? Personally haven't seen a single NRA tv, radio or newspaper commercial in all the time i have been here... They are much more subtle than that, controlling politicians and policy, creating fear to push their agenda. However, must gun owners I know do not think the NRA represents them, but really represents the gun companies, and the NRA is too over the top. Southern states though... Different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl the Llama Posted 28 August 2015 Share Posted 28 August 2015 I can understand people resignedly saying that it's now futile to curb America's gunthusiasm, but I can't understand anyone trying to spin it as a good thing that American culture thinks it's acceptable to have a society where small children walking into schools with daddy's gun and accidentally killing another child is just an inconvenient side-effect of 'freedom'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr The Singh Posted 28 August 2015 Share Posted 28 August 2015 I can understand people resignedly saying that it's now futile to curb America's gunthusiasm, but I can't understand anyone trying to spin it as a good thing that American culture thinks it's acceptable to have a society where small children walking into schools with daddy's gun and accidentally killing another child is just an inconvenient side-effect of 'freedom'. It protects there civil liberties of being able to defending themselves from the government, so they say!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 28 August 2015 Share Posted 28 August 2015 They are much more subtle than that, controlling politicians and policy, creating fear to push their agenda. However, must gun owners I know do not think the NRA represents them, but really represents the gun companies, and the NRA is too over the top. Southern states though... Different story. Been living here in the South for 5 years now and have only ever met one person who is a member of the NRA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 28 August 2015 Share Posted 28 August 2015 Because people from the UK (and a lot of Western Europe) can look at the US and see a country that seems very similar to ours in a lot of ways. I don't feel that way when I think about Mexico, Colombia, Honduras etc. Just curious, is your wife originally from the US? I assume you're British. Yeah, im British born and bread but my wife is American. And for your first point... Now after living here for so long , I see it as a mistake to think America is similar to the UK in a lot of ways. Americans ( in my opinion)think and act very differently to British. And as a general point about the other countries you mentioned and the U.S, not specifically about guns... Its so much easier to see how they do something in another country( that speaks a different language, maybe looks a little different) that makes no sense, shrug your shoulders and subconsciously conclude that , well they are foreign and thats their culture Hope their happy kind of thing. Yet the U.S is not afforded that same thought process, presumably because we speak the same language and dress somewhat similar. Granted, the cultural differences are not as broad as, say the U.K and Saudi Arabia, but it really is a different mindset over here and it was quite a culture shock when i moved here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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