Brits find bullet!

[ScottishJohn]

The "american attitude" towards guns is not dangerous or obsessive. A gun is only dangerous if you dont know what your doing, which why you have to pass a test to go hunting, have a carry permit ect...

That is simply not true. A gun is always dangerous, in fact it can be more dangerous in the hands of an accomplished marksman intent on taking life than it is in the hands of a novice.

I would agree with Pogue that the American attitude towards gun is dangerous. I would also agree that in some individuals it is an obsession.

As for the lack of concern for live ammunition lieing around on streets, I just can't understand that.

I think xminionx is being somewhat more understanding of the cultural differences between British and American people in attitudes towards guns. As has already been stated, the majority of British people are in full support of the ban on handguns, don't see the need for handguns, and feel safer in a society where it is not the norm to have guns in every house and find bullets lieing all over the street.

 

[Treppers]

As for the lack of concern for live ammunition lieing around on streets, I just can't understand that.

Indeed. We were astonished over here when you had your most recent school killing rampage that the only illegal weapon the guy had in his armoury was a stun gun.

Do I like things that were designed for the sole purpose of killing? No. Do I like that fact that vast majority of our police don't feel the need to carry guns? Yes. Would I like gun crime and murder rates like those of the US? No.

 

[The Lone Gunmen]

Indeed. We were astonished over here when you had your most recent school killing rampage that the only illegal weapon the guy had in his armoury was a stun gun.

You do know that it's illegal to have guns at school, right?

 

[CCGirl]

In Canada, we also do not perpetuate the cultural of violence evident in the USA. The situation in the article would have been handled the same way here!

I am firmly anti-gun.

 

[The Lone Gunmen]

In Canada, we also do not perpetuate the cultural of violence evident in the USA. The situation in the article would have been handled the same way here!

I am firmly anti-gun.

I dug through my much depleted () collection of ammo. I'll have to post you a picture of what a .22 short looks like when I get the chance.

[staff edit]

I've got plenty of AK ammo though.

 

[Treppers]

.

 

[Ryder]

Apparently police, ordinary people themselves really *gasp*, are exempt from the 'guns are always dangerous' stuff. Exactly what is it about government employees that makes them better than everyone else, I'd love to know someday...

 

[Treppers]

If I want venison I go to the supermarket.

 

[ScottishJohn]

Nice Picture

As far as the UN is concerned I can't find the basis for this poster (knocked out on a hoplophile site) - doesn't appear to have any real relation to actual UN policy as far as I can see. The UN, including the US, are very much actively involved in trying to limit the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons, but I cannot find anywhere where they state that governments are the only legitimate small arms users. Indeed type that phrase in the poster including the quotation marks into google and all you get is 4 hits, two from the same site, not surprisingly all of them are pro gun sites. This is what the gun lobby are presenting a quote from the UN. Here is the source site:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=160152

Here are the other two:

http://www.libertyoutlet.com/store/byitemtype.html?itemtype=1&display=list&page=10&sort=category

http://www.libertyoutlet.com/store/bygroup.html?store=3&display=list&page=9&sort=category

As you can see it is pretty much the same gun nonsense being peddled on every site.

Having said all that, the relevance of this image has to be brought into question, because in the country addressed in the OP and subsequent discussion - the UK - rifles (as depicted in the picture) are completely legal, it is handguns which do the greatest damage to society, and it is handguns which are illegal in the UK.

 

[ScottishJohn]

Apparently police, ordinary people themselves really *gasp*, are exempt from the 'guns are always dangerous' stuff. Exactly what is it about government employees that makes them better than everyone else, I'd love to know someday...

It isn't a case of having to be better, it is simply a case of a tiny proportion of police who are armed being asked to do duties which the average citizen is not.

Most police in the UK manage without guns, and we prefer it that way and the police prefer it that way too.

On the odd occasion guns are needed, for example when you have criminals with illegal guns. While this is of course not anywhere near the scale you have in the US (because handguns are harder to get) the situation does arise from time to time, and it is safer for the police to deal with it with an armed response unit.

An excellent argument for gun control is that by cutting off the supply of handguns it keeps these incidents down to a minimum, and therefore limits the need for armed response units, and also keeps the number of mistakes lower than might otherwise be the case.

 

[theeyesoftammyfaye]

i never got the "gun obsession" bit. let me tell you a quick story.

when i was a kid, my brother and i were out playing with a bb gun that he had gotten for christmas. it was one of those pump action ones, where the more you pump, the greater the "force" with which the bb is shot. (and no, it wasn't one of those red rider "a christmas story" ones.) well, i was setting up a target and my brother accidentally shot me with this bb gun. he had pumped it really high, and i was standing extremely close to him. not ONLY did the bb penetrate the skin, but it lodged 1/4" from heart. it's still there, it's too dangerous to remove. now, i can't have an mri or anything like that.

point being that guns (even bb guns) can be extremely dangerous if in the wrong hands.

that's not to say that guns DON'T have a place in trained hands. but the obsession with all things weaponry is so - weird, to me.

i had this roommate a few years ago who spent all of his free time on the internet, looking up guns, ammo, camo attire and face paint - when he wasn't watching military videos of bombings and/or shootings. it was very - scary, to say the least. i asked, of course, why he hadn't joined the army. he said they didn't need him. imagine that.

anyways, i think the attached photo gives a better description of some of the gun nuts i encounter online and in person (roommate) than i could ever put into words.

 

[Sycophant]

New Zealand is quite similar to the UK in regard to firearms laws. I wouldn't be surprised if police were called to investigate live ammunition here also.

For the most part, it is illegal to own a handgun in this country (with the exception of certain people with collectors and dealers permits - which have strict requirements on storage and transport).

Rifles and shotguns can be owned by people with firearms permits (which can be obtained at 16 by undergoing a basic background check and safety test). People who want to hunt (for venison perhaps) can do so long as they have the correct permit.

Gun crime is quite low, and crimes commited with handguns even less so (and those are often found to be replica handguns).

Police are generally unarmed (although firearms are available to general duties officers if the need arises, and specialist firearms officers, SWAT basically, are always available on call).

 

[The Lone Gunmen]

Apparently police, ordinary people themselves really *gasp*, are exempt from the 'guns are always dangerous' stuff. Exactly what is it about government employees that makes them better than everyone else, I'd love to know someday...

Perhaps the NKVD or GRU could answer that question.

 

[Glaz]

I can understand their concern, if I owned a store and found a bullet on the doostep, I'd be suspicious.

 

[gort]

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