nijinsky's fetlocks said:
You haven't made a single valid point, other than reiterating the same tired mantra that you have the right to bear arms and shoot intruders in your country without repercussions, and seem to see this as a wonderful empowering thing, whereas I see it as creating a gun control problem that is ever-spiralling out of control.
I'm not sure why you think that me owning a gun shows a lack of gun control? Your "gun control" appears to be a total ban, which is clearly never going to happen in the society in which I live. I believe is VERY strong gun control, including registration, but even that has been rebuffed.
I live in England, where the chance of an intruder breaking into my house with a firearm is remote, so although I may experience burglary at some point, I am unlikely to be shot.
I made that same point myself.
You, on the other hand, live in a society which has ratcheted up the domestic, (and global, for that matter, but let's not open that particular can of worms), arms race to a point where any intruder is likely to be armed, and therefore present more of a threat.
Another point on which we agree.
Now we all know you see yourself as some kind of crackshot because you have been trained to kill, apparently, but if an intruder gets to you whilst you are sleeping/wanking/watching the ball game, or whatever it is you shermans do to pass the time, then you don't get the chance to lock and load your personal arsenal, and are as a result at a considerable disadvantage.
See, THIS is where you go all wobbly.
I'm not a crackshot, and if you think "two to the body, one to the head" from 30 feet is a crackshot, I will put that down to your lack of experience with firearms. And, being "trained to kill" simply means knowing how to use a firearm effectively....where effectively means "neutralizing a threat, usually by death."
My "personal arsenal" is a semi-automatic handgun. I think you will find that is far anything remotely considered a personal arsenal. You are creating hyperbole from simple facts I stated.
As for your assertion that if I wake up to someone standing over me with a weapon, then I'm up shit creek, you are absolutely correct! My weapon is hidden from view, locked in a safe, for the obvious reasons. And, I'm the only one in the house who knows the combo, not even my wife!
Just how you have difficulties taking this basic fact on board is beyond me, and I should imagine the rest of the forum.
As you will see, I have not disagreed with most of the salient points, it is the extrapolation and hyperbole that I disagree with.
All you seem to do is live in a constant state of fear that some gun totin' psycho crackhead will burst in at the dead of night, sodomise your cat, and steal your bagels.
There's that hyperbole that comes from thinking I'm something I'm not. I mentioned earlier in the thread that there were sweeping generalizations being made about me, but it was ignored. I even commented on someone else's response that agreed with them on many of these issues.
I certainly do not live in a constant state of fear or paranoia. I live in a relatively safe, relatively affluent community. However, my next door neighbor has been broken into. When the perps were caught, they said they actually tried to get into MY house, but couldn't find a way in without making it loud or obvious, but they found a way into the neighbors house. He immediately installed a state of the art security system.
We don't live in such a state of paranoia and fear in this country - it's far from a crime-free bed of roses, but folk in the main feel fairly safe, both on the streets, and in their own homes.
And, in my opinion, one of the main reasons for that is the fact that most folks are not armed to the teeth.
Even intruders.
I agree that British society is generally not as violent. Whether I believe I could make the extrapolation to the reason being a lack of weapons, I'm not sure. I haven't studied the issue sufficiently to be educated on that matter.
I don't doubt that you will simply return to regurgitating your 'guns are good' rhetoric, because that is what your society teaches/brainwashes you to believe, but some of us fortunately think otherwise, and are not dysfunctional, neurotic permanently scared individuals as a result.
There - that wasn't so difficult, was it?
I'm IN FAVOR OF STRICT GUN CONTROL. I believe that committing a crime with a deadly weapon should be a very, very serious offense! Maybe we can empty the jails of people on stupid drug convictions and fill them back up with people who commit personal violence with weapons. I'm on the OTHER SIDE of the organized crime equation, not part of it!
FYI, I'm British! Born and raised. I live in the Chicago area because I work here and my wife is from here. So, this "brainwashing" of which you speak is silly. I'm immersed in a society when guns are prevalent...too prevalent. I have one for work and have been trained to use it, and am not afraid to use it judiciously. If that means that someone who is trying to make me a victim in my own home BECOMES the victim, I'm OK with that.....and frankly I'm surprised anyone would disagree with that.
Now I really am done with you, because if you don't grasp the salient fact that British folk are generally happier, more relaxed and saner than their US counterparts because we tend to see the bulge in a bloke's pocket as an erection rather than a firearm, then there is no point in taking this any further.
I'm glad you are done now. Really, really done, because your have projected your personal idea of American gun culture onto me, when it simply does not apply. I'm not part of that "gun culture," I have it because of the reasons I alluded to regarding law enforcement. I don't polish it, I don't wank to it, I don't even think about it until silly, hyperbolic, mistaken generalizations rear their ugly head. From the outset, I was Dirty Harry....mind made up! That's fine, because I'm sure you will never break into my house or threaten my family/life.
I'm quite happy with my stated positions and nothing I have read on this thread has dissuaded me of that notion. I have stated facts and tried to denounce the hyperbolic distorted generalizations of America which you have tried to project onto me, even though I have stated numerous times that they are far wide of the mark in my case.
Looks like we can go our separate ways believing we both "won." I will go away feeling like I learned a little more about you.
