Topic: Gun control (The official gun thread!)

[billybobobrain]

This is one of my favorite toppics, lets see how you feel about it. I allowed for changing of votes just in case someone sees the error of there ways and wants to be a convert.

[Joe Mig]

Gun control is being able to hit your target ! 

[MCRider]

Gun control is being able to hit your target ! 

+1

[Markcb750]

gun control is YOU not having one.

[billybobobrain]

gun control is YOU not having one.

To late I have quite a few!

[boatsdickson]

This topic is about as volatile as the abortion topic. But I voted, let the bullets fly. 

[bobinvt]

I strongly believe in the "one gun a month" law. Of course that's a minimum and if you can't afford one, the government should buy one for you.

 

[CrisPDuk]

Increased Gun Control is all well and good, but since the populations of both Canada and Switzerland are both more heavily armed than the US, and who can blame them given their respective neighbours   I personally suspect that there is something more fundamentally wrong in America (the education system especially) than just who owns all the weaponry

[Duke McDukiedook]

I have weapons of all flavors to exercise my 2nd amendment right- freedom to bear arms to prevent the arbitrary and capricious rule of a tyrannical government.

Sic siemper tyrannus 

[upperlake04]

..the populations of both Canada and Switzerland are both more heavily armed than the US..

Nah, I don't think so CrispPD    Wikipedia

  Country            Guns per 100 residents  
 
 United States90.0        
 Yemen                61.0    
 Switzerland  46.0        
 Iraq                      39.0        
 Serbia                37.5        
 France                32.0       
 Finland                 32.0    
 Canada       31.5
 Sweden                31.5       
 Austria                31.0       
 Germany                30.0       
 New Zealand          26.8        
 Saudi Arabia        26.3        
 Greece                23.0        
 Angola                20.5        
 Thailand                16.0        
 Australia                15.5        
 Mexico                15.0        
 South Africa        13.1        
 Turkey                13.0       
 Argentina                12.6        
 Italy                12.1        
 Pakistan                12.0        
 Spain                11.0        
 Russia                9.0        
 Ukraine                9.0        
 Brazil                8.8        
 Colombia                7.2        
 United Kingdom        5.6       
 Iran                      5.3        
 Philippines             4.7        
 India               4.0        
 China               3.5        
 Nigeria               1.0

[MCRider]

One must define "heavily armed". Is it "guns per hundred population" where the stats show US leading. Or gun OWNERS per hundred population, which is where one might suspect Switz and Can to lead.

My WAG is fewer US owners tend to have many guns, while more individuals in Canada each have one or so. For example, and its a feeling, i have no proof.

[CrisPDuk]

You do surprise me upperlake.  Although I'm personally not sure that Wikipedia's source material is totally accurate in this instance?   That figure for the US is far higher than is usually quoted elsewhere, and the figure for Switzerland is lower, bearing in mind that every adult male member of the Swiss population is a member of their military reserve and is armed accordingly

Canada's figure again is lower than I've seen recorded elsewhere,  I know if I myself lived in a country where bears outnumber humans (and next door to you lot ) I'd make sure I was properly equipped

[upperlake04]

  I really don't know if those figures are correct either, I just cut and pasted the first page that came up on the google search. Handguns have been tightly regulated since the 1930s'. The federal government introduced a new stricter gun  registry a few years ago which caused a huge public outcry.  Many westerners (Canadian) ignored the deadline so no one knows for sure who has all the long guns or how many of them.
 You do know that even though those guys south of the 49th have built a fence along our border, hosed us in trade and overwhelmed our airwaves with their 'culture', they are our best friends and neighbors?   

[heffay]

crisP's and upperlake's figures also tell different stories... just like rider was pointing out.

upperlake's suggests that gun owners in the US usually have a lot or none
crisP's only pertains to how many owners are in 100... not how many guns are in 100 owners

don't argue statistics if you're not arguing the same statistics.   

[upperlake04]

 Hey Heffay, you're not a mod anymore so you can't tell me what to do. 

[heffay]

just makin' a point... i'm sure i could make it more understood at gunpoint!   

i wasn't trying to tell you what to do... just that arguing different stats will get us nowhere.   

[CrisPDuk]

Any politician (un)worthy of the name can manipulate any set of figures to illustrate any point he needs to make

That's why I'm naturally inclined to distrust* both politicians and statistics




*Except of course where one, or both, happens to subscribe to, and/or reinforce, my own particular prejudices

[BeSeeingYou]

I have weapons of all flavors to exercise my 2nd amendment right- freedom to bear arms to prevent the arbitrary and capricious rule of a tyrannical government.

Sic siemper tyrannus 

A common justification but looking back over the last 8 years how well did that work out?

[billybobobrain]

I have weapons of all flavors to exercise my 2nd amendment right- freedom to bear arms to prevent the arbitrary and capricious rule of a tyrannical government.

Sic siemper tyrannus 

A common justification but looking back over the last 8 years how well did that work out?

About the same as the next 8!

[Retro Rocket]

About the same as the next 8!

Somehow i doubt that Bill, no one could be worse than Bush...

Mick

[BeSeeingYou]

I have weapons of all flavors to exercise my 2nd amendment right- freedom to bear arms to prevent the arbitrary and capricious rule of a tyrannical government.

Sic siemper tyrannus 

A common justification but looking back over the last 8 years how well did that work out?

About the same as the next 8!

8!  You must be already feeling positive about Obama's reelection chances.  He has only been in office for 50 some days so how about we wait and see a bit.  We KNOW how the last eight years went.

[Duke McDukiedook]

I have weapons of all flavors to exercise my 2nd amendment right- freedom to bear arms to prevent the arbitrary and capricious rule of a tyrannical government.

Sic siemper tyrannus 

A common justification but looking back over the last 8 years how well did that work out?

About the same as the next 8!

No kidding, do ya really think the next 8 will be much different than the 8 before that, and the 8 before that? A lot of people still can't get over the false left/right paradigm that exists in our political system.
They all pretty much serve the same master: trans-national corporations that don't have to answer to anyone.

I am not happy at all with what our government has been doing lately here and abroad. A lot of corrections need to be made to get this country back to being a better place to live. I have hope though, that is important.

[billybobobrain]

I have weapons of all flavors to exercise my 2nd amendment right- freedom to bear arms to prevent the arbitrary and capricious rule of a tyrannical government.

Sic siemper tyrannus 

A common justification but looking back over the last 8 years how well did that work out?

About the same as the next 8!

8!  You must be already feeling positive about Obama's reelection chances.  He has only been in office for 50 some days so how about we wait and see a bit.  We KNOW how the last eight years went.

The same as the next 4 It relay doesn't matter who is in office the agenda is the same, Take away as many rights as possible. I don't think Obama is any different then Bush jr., Clinton, Bush sr., Reagan,..Blah...Blah...Blikity BLAH.... need I list more?

If you want some insight into how our beloved presidents are chosen and puppeteered, read the book "The Shadows of Power" by James Perloff.

But hey we are talking guns here! Enough with the political party crap! There are plenty of threads for that.
 

[fuzzybutt]

i have several handguns, all in a locked case now except for one, since theres a baby in the house now.

[boatsdickson]

How do you all feel about the increase of gun sales recently. Seems like as new legislation is passed or the obama term starts gun sales went through the roof. Setting aside the stats and the stories, how have all of us felt during this time? Personally everytime a new president takes charge, I feel the need to concider a new sidearm or case of ammo for the just incase theory. Not incase of an upheaval, mainly for fear that the guns or ammo that I want will be impossible to find or afford with each new law thats enacted. I dont have an arsenal of any sort but I want to feel like Im supplied with what I need for the weapons I do have.

How do times like these make you feel, and what purchases have you made lately that you might not have made if times were a little more cheerful?