I changed my stance on gun control!!!

[Aldebaran]

No further elaboration needed - the answers are what they are

Then you understand my answers?

 

[Bradskii]

And you will get far different answers to those questions depending on which Americans you choose to interview, making your poll go the way you want is very easy.

Feel free to find any poll that says that says people want less gun control. Surely the NRA would ask the right questions to get the answers they want? And as I thought: your personal experience of life elesewhere? Zero.

 

[Aldebaran]

View attachment 309624

Australia didn't ban guns. Why would you think that? I've actually been thinking about getting my wife a couple of hours tuition at the local gun range as a Christmas present.

 

[renniks]

Why do they want want to come here if we are so crazy? Why do you?
Yes America is a very safe place overall, in contrast to what you keep saying about us being violent.
Just because we want to shoot our own skunks does not make us crazy.
You exaggerate quite a lot also, I don't sleep with a loaded gun. It's not even on the bed.
And I personally don't practice as much as I should but I do know how to shoot straight.

They do. And I can't wait for this pandemic to be over so I can get back there myself. My visa still has two years on it. Now I've been around the traps a fair bit. I've seen my fair share of countries. Just shy of fifty at the last count. Most of them experienced with my wife. And there have been a couple of very rare occasions times when I have felt that maybe we were in the wrong part of town at the wrong time and it might be the smart thing to do to head for somewhere a little busier. Somewhere that felt a little safer. But we never felt that in the US. Not once. And I'm not talking about a week or two. We've been there for months.

But you? You can't sleep in your own bed without a loaded weapon alongside you. Without practicing what to do if armed men invade your home. It's a war zone mentality.

 

[Aldebaran]

Any person who lives in a country where couples don't feel that they have to practice what they'd do in the event of an armed invasion of their property. So that would be almost everyone in any western democratic state.

It's good to practice (or at least plan) for any type of emergency is generally a wise thing to do, be it for fire, evacuation, home invasion, job loss, hurricane, earthquake, societal breakdown, or whatever else is possible. Without preparation, people often panic when an emergency happens.

 

[Astrid]

What any normal person would do. You secure your house so that it's exceptionally difficult to break in. Home invasions when the occupents are still at home are so infrequent that when they happen they become front page news down here. Home invasions when guns are involved are even rarer still.

Essentially zero chance anyone could break intp
this extremely secure flat.
When circumstances were different, I did what
I felt was best.
If Id not been assaulted I might have had more of
a " cant happen to me" attitude.

Why is this such an issue to you?

 

[Astrid]

It's good to practice (or at least plan) for any type of emergency is generally a wise thing to do, be it for fire, evacuation, home invasion, job loss, hurricane, earthquake, societal breakdown, or whatever else is possible. Without prepara tion, people often panic when an emergency happens.

Yep. The hyperalert obsessive phase of recovery is mostly
smoothed out but I really believe in " situational awareness ".

Defensive driving thro life.

 

[Bradskii]

Why do they want want to come here if we are so crazy? Why do you?
Yes America is a very safe place overall, in contrast to what you keep saying about us being violent.
Just because we want to shoot our own skunks does not make us crazy.
You exaggerate quite a lot also, I don't sleep with a loaded gun. It's not even on the bed.
And I personally don't practice as much as I should but I do know how to shoot straight.

You sleep in a room that contains a loaded gun, do you not? And you practice what to do if you are attacked by armed intruders. And you've just said 'America is a very safe place'. There's a dichotomy there somewhere, don't you think?

And anytime you're ready with that poll..?

 

[Astrid]

Have you been outside the USA? Talked to many people from other countries? Lived anywhere overseas? Travelled anywhere? Not only do people outside the US think that your gun situation is out of control, you are actually in a minority in your own country:

'Approximately 2 in 3 Americans surveyed for a new poll said that they support greater restrictions on gun ownership after a spate of recent mass shootings that have highlighted debates on expanding background checks and other measures.' 2 in 3 support stricter gun control laws: poll

So please, don't give me any bulldust about what people think outside the US.

I doubt one in ten know the basic laws in effect now

 

[renniks]

Why do they want want to come here if we are so crazy? Why do you?
Yes America is a very safe place overall, in contrast to what you keep saying about us being violent.
Just because we want to shoot our own skunks does not make us crazy.
You exaggerate quite a lot also, I don't sleep with a loaded gun. It's not even on the bed.
And I personally don't practice as much as I should but I do know how to shoot straight.

They do. And I can't wait for this pandemic to be over so I can get back there myself. My visa still has two years on it. Now I've been around the traps a fair bit. I've seen my fair share of countries. Just shy of fifty at the last count. Most of them experienced with my wife. And there have been a couple of very rare occasions times when I have felt that maybe we were in the wrong part of town at the wrong time and it might be the smart thing to do to head for somewhere a little busier. Somewhere that felt a little safer. But we never felt that in the US. Not once. And I'm not talking about a week or two. We've been there for months.

But you? You can't sleep in your own bed without a loaded weapon alongside you. Without practicing what to do if armed men invade your home. It's a war zone mentality.

 

[Aldebaran]

You sleep in a room that contains a loaded gun, do you not? And you practice what to do if you are attacked by armed intruders. And you've just said 'America is a very safe place'. There's a dichotomy there somewhere, don't you think?

And anytime you're ready with that poll..?

What is your definition of "practice"? Do you envision people in America constantly doing drills about how they'd grab their gun and empty a magazine if a burglar broke in?
In reality, a person could have a shotgun next to the bed that they could theoretically use in a situation, but it helps to actually try grabbing it while in bed to see if it's actually doable in a meaningful way. If the gun gets caught on blankets, or snagged on furniture as the person tries to maneuver it, or is too clumsy, they may discover that a pistol is far more practical. But this "practice" isn't like a daily thing.

 

[Bradskii]

Essentially zero chance anyone could break intp
this extremely secure flat.
When circumstances were different, I did what
I felt was best.
If Id not been assaulted I might have had more of
a " cant happen to me" attitude.

Why is this such an issue to you?

I've lived in Hong Kong. And I know that, unless you're Spiderman, there's only one point of entry to most apartments. Secure that and you couldn't be safer. As to getting to and from your apartment and how you protect yourself - that's a decision for you. There are some areas where I wouldn't argue against you feeling the need to be armed.

 

[renniks]

You sleep in a room that contains a loaded gun, do you not? And you practice what to do if you are attacked by armed intruders. And you've just said 'America is a very safe place'. There's a dichotomy there somewhere, don't you think?

And anytime you're ready with that poll..?

You are thinking of another poster. I never said where I keep my guns or if I have any currently.
Forget polls, look at trends:
"The trade group in August noted that nearly 5 million Americans bought a firearm for the first time in 2020, pointing to factors including the pandemic and nationwide protests against police brutality that at times included violence and looting. "

U.S. gun sales surge to record high in 2020

How anyone can question preparedness after 2020's general lawlessness is beyond me.

What do you need to decide to be prepared? More riots? Already happened. More crime? Already happened, and still happening.

Nevermind, go back to sleep.

 

[Bradskii]

Forget polls, look at trends...

I think you'd best forget about polls. Because they show you to be in the minority and for some reason you'd prefer not to be. I'll call back to the thread when you find one that says the majority want less controls. Can't be hard if, as you said, you ask the right questions.

 

[Aldebaran]

I think you'd best forget about polls. Because they show you to be in the minority and for some reason you'd prefer not to be. I'll call back to the thread when you find one that says the majority want less controls. Can't be hard if, as you said, you ask the right questions.

If you think the minority are the ones who care about being prepared, then it explains why so many are so unprepared when disaster strikes.

 

[Astrid]

I've lived in Hong Kong. And I know that, unless you're Spiderman, there's only one point of entry to most apartments. Secure that and you couldn't be safer. As to getting to and from your apartment and how you protect yourself - that's a decision for you. There are some areas where I wouldn't argue against you feeling the need to be armed.

Of course you can get in trouble in any city.
And yes, my building is super secure.

Where in HK did you live? When.

Have you been in Taipei?

 

[Bradskii]

Of course you can get in trouble in any city.
And yes, my building is super secure.

Where in HK did you live? When.

Have you been in Taipei?

Happy Valley for a couple of years around 1980. I was working on the MTR when it was being built.

 

[renniks]

T

I think you'd best forget about polls. Because they show you to be in the minority and for some reason you'd prefer not to be. I'll call back to the thread when you find one that says the majority want less controls. Can't be hard if, as you said, you ask the right questions.

Yes most people just blunder through life without asking what they will do if something bad happens. Like the somethings that have been happening, riots, tornados, crime, ect.
The minority that are prepared are the wise ones. Why be one of them?

 

[rturner76]

Australia didn't ban guns. Why would you think that? I've actually been thinking about getting my wife a couple of hours tuition at the local gun range as a Christmas present.

I was under the impression that Australia's government made people turn their guns in. Looks like I didn't get the whole story.

 

[Bradskii]

I was under the impression that Australia's government made people turn their guns in. Looks like I didn't get the whole story.

After the Port Arthur massacre, some weapons were made illegal. There was then an amnesty when gun owners could hand in their now illegal guns and any others they felt they didn't need (and get paid for them). Both sides of the political divide supported this at a federal and state level and the public was overwhelmingly supportive.

We have a medicare levy which is 1.5% (don't get me started on national health schemes) and this was increased to 1.7% for one year to help pay for it. I'm sure somebody must have complained but I literally don't know anyone who didn't think that it was a great idea.