How do my fellow escapists feel about guns? (The real kind)

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I own a veritable armory and am fully competent with the operation and maintaining of each of my ten-some firearms. Take a guess.

 

[T8B95]

Rifles and shotguns for hunting are fine.

No problem with the occasional gun nut going to a gun club and shooting targets.

What I need help understanding is why a law-abiding citizen needs to keep an Uzi on their person. It shoots 900 bullets a minute. Are you telling me someone is going hunting with that.
(Sorry for no question mark, but my keyboard is fucked up again.)

I also have a problem with concealed carry laws.

 

[TheMariner]

I'm fine with people owning them so long as they keep them unloaded, with the safety on, in a locked case. It's not perfect, but gun control really all comes down to the responsibility of the gun owner themselves.

The main problem I have with taking guns away from everybody is that it won't lower gun-related violence by any meaningful amount. The way I see it, you'd only be taking them away from law-abiding citizens. The people who want to kill someone with a gun will still find ways to get their hands on guns.

Guns aren't the root of the problem anyway. If we somehow found a way to take guns away from everybody, both the lawful and unlawful, we'd see a rise in killings from cruder projectiles or explosives. And if somehow you manage to remove ALL weapons from the entire world, we'd start beating the crap out of each other with our fists, rocks, wooden planks, etc.

The problem lies not with the weapons we use to kill each other, but with the simply fact that we do kill each other. Taking weapons away will not stop the problem.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

'As an american I own several guns' ...

Doesn't only 20% of Americans own a firearm? It would be more apt to say 'Unlike most Americans, I own a gun'.

I dislike them. They are ugly, smelly, heavy and loud. If I want something ugly, smelly, heavy and loud I'd get myself a camel o.o

 

[TheFPSisDead]

How do the rest of you feel about guns and regular law abiding citizens owning one or two?

*stares meaningfully into the sunrise as the flag waves behind him*

what a biased what question.

you do realize that your gun will never save your life? The criminal will always have the drop on you. If you don't want to get robbed, its more effective to install a security system in your house, and avoid carrying alot of money on you if you do get mugged. Its easier to run for it if the mugger doesn't have gun either.

I notice some people talking about how criminals would just get their guns from the black market, but the black market usually gets its guns by stealing them from the homes of gun owners anyway.

Had he not had a gun, he'd have found another method of killing his target. Charging with a knife/blade, hit and run and so on. So eitherway, the attempted killing would have happened, America would have decended into backbiting and insulting each other, and the tea party and Palin would have been blamed.

yes he might still have attempted to kill her, but he wouldn't have caused nearly as much damage with knife. The crowd of people would overwhelm him. As for the car, well, maybe if he got going fast enough, he might have killed more people actually... but thats not the point, the point is that its usually a hell of a lot harder to murder without a gun.

Edit: forgot my other point - Earth to paranoid conspiracy theorists, this is a democratic country! When the government tries to ban fire arms, its because most people in the country want them banned!

My handguns are not for self-defense. They certainly wouldn't be of any use sitting in a gun safe with trigger locks installed. They are only used when i go to a gun range for fun, to shoot targets, to blow off some steam, whatever the use always for sport. Now tell me, how is that biased and whats wrong with that? I didn't purchase my handguns with the intent of saving my life, i bought them to have fun in a safe, responsible, and legal manner.

Furthermore, i do not have a concealed carry permit and have no interest in one.

 

[Nocturnal Gentleman]

Then its a good idea not to get in the way. Let the police handle it. The last thing we need is a fellow running around trying to be a hero. He'll not only be a danger to him self but a danger to others.

I don't know if you've seen my posts on matters like this before, but I've given many examples of when this cannot be done. Again, I work in the forest service and those illegal plantations I mentioned before are random. You might be surveying a forest and wander into one. I'm not talking about being the hero. I'm talking about being able to hold off your attackers. Those guys are trained to kill whoever walks on that land. Armed or not. 9 times out of 10 the police will not get to you in time. They may need to send a helicopter and that leads to other problems. Problems like, will the ensuing chaos of the chopper lead to someone running into your hiding spot and other things.

I've seen people murdered in the suburbs (neighborhoods usually lacking in crime) because of gang business that spilled into someone's house. In one of these situations the homeowner survived because he was able to hold off the armed gang members till police arrived. In another situation the guy was armed but some gangsters got a hold of him from behind, slit his throat, and that was that. So, like I said being armed is a mixed bag. It's usefulness depends on the situation.

I would never condone people being a moron vigilante but relying on the police is tricky business. They have a lot on their plate and may not be able to help you too well sometimes.

I would never rely on the news to give you all situations. Some criminals are so sneaky at what they do that they can get away with murder for decades. It's only till they get that one victim that fights back that the whole game falls apart. Quite a few of these situations will never make it on the news.

 

[Ampersand]

The short answer is I think they're shit, and I have very little to no respect for anyone who would use one.

 

[Baneat]

I don't know yet..
Both sides seem equally convincing so far

 

[TheFPSisDead]

The short answer is I think they're shit, and I have very little to no respect for anyone who would use one.

That being said, i assume as far as games are concerned you stay out of the shooter genre? just wondering...

 

[Capslockbroken]

Guns are for hunting and for the police.


However, we should not forget firearms are made for one purpose, and that is the destruction of life.


Automatic weapons should not be allowed to anyone but the police and the army.

They are guns. Designed to kill.

You're making a lot of common anti-gun arguments, and have demonstrated a common paradox in the reasoning. You claim that a gun's only purpose is killing, the destruction of life, etc., but you also claim that police should have them. Are the police supposed to be professional murderers? Are we employing government death squads to slaughter all the undesirables?
Obviously, I know that isn't what you are saying. What you are saying, whether you meant to or not, is that *you know* that guns have a purpose other than killing. You understand very well that the police need them to defend themselves from those who wish to do them harm. You know that they perform this function, most of the time, without ever leaving their holster, let alone being used to kill a person. You know that the threat of deadly force can actually prevent violence, simply by it's presence.
So why don't you think it works the same way with responsible, law abiding gun owners?

 

[Nocturnal Gentleman]

Guns aren't the root of the problem anyway. If we somehow found a way to take guns away from everybody, both the lawful and unlawful, we'd see a rise in killings from cruder projectiles or explosives. And if somehow you manage to remove ALL weapons from the entire world, we'd start beating the crap out of each other with our fists, rocks, wooden planks, etc.

This is a little unrelated, but this comment reminds me of a robbery that happened a few weeks ago. The guy didn't have access to a gun, so instead he beat the store owner with a giant walking stick and stole the money.

 

[PureChaos]

whenever guns are mentioned i always think 'i prefer swords' and i do

 

[YouCallMeNighthawk]

I love guns and would love to own one. Possibly a Mossin nagant, those rifles are awesome!

 

[Brawndo]

From my cold, dead hands - Charlton Heston

 

[Capslockbroken]

Rifles and shotguns for hunting are fine.

No problem with the occasional gun nut going to a gun club and shooting targets.

What I need help understanding is why a law-abiding citizen needs to keep an Uzi on their person. It shoots 900 bullets a minute. Are you telling me someone is going hunting with that.
(Sorry for no question mark, but my keyboard is fucked up again.)

I also have a problem with concealed carry laws.

No offense, but the Uzi has a rate of fire of only 600 rpm and a magazine capacity of 32, the user has to reload about every 3 seconds of continuous fire.
Also, like every other fully automatic weapon, they have been illegal in the United States for many decades.

 

[Sovvolf]

I don't know if you've seen my posts on matters like this before, but I've given many examples of when this cannot be done.

I have to say that I don;t recall seeing any of your posts on the matter.

Again, I work in the forest service and those illegal plantations I mentioned before are random. You might be surveying a forest and wander into one. I'm not talking about being the hero. I'm talking about being able to hold off your attackers. Those guys are trained to kill whoever walks on that land. Armed or not. 9 times out of 10 the police will not get to you in time. They may need to send a helicopter and that leads to other problems. Problems like, will the ensuing chaos of the chopper lead to someone running into your hiding spot and other things.

Well I've always said on these forums that I don't mind Americans carrying guns when they are going camping or generally hiking through a forest. America isn't Briton (no shit) and from what I've heard, America still has plenty of predators wondering around in the local forests. Bears, Wolves and such. So it would be wise to go into a forest armed.

Though I've only made my way as far as Florida so I could be wrong.

So I don't mind firearms being carried in a forest and if you run into those plantations then it may be wise to defend your self. However it may be a wiser choice to get the hell out of there. In that situation, I'd just keep running. I wouldn't be stopping to open fire. However if you have to, you have to.

I've seen people murdered in the suburbs (neighborhoods usually lacking in crime) because of gang business that spilled into someone's house.

I have nothing against having a gun for home defence. However these situations are mostly isolated. Also, I don't have anything against people defending there homes when situations such as this happen... However I what I am against or those nutters that have watched one too many action movies. Those that go out of there house and start shooting when such situation arises.

I would never condone people being a moron vigilante but relying on the police is tricky business. They have a lot on their plate and may not be able to help you too well sometimes.

However, I think its much safer to rely on the police than you going out and trying to shoot up the bad guys. The police are trained for this and your not.

 

[Novania]

I can see and understand the difference between guns in games, (which I love) and guns in real life. (which I also love)

I know enough what happens when a bullet passes through your skull and I know that It isn't very fun. And the closest thing to being shot in the head was when my bro nailed me just above my eyebrow with his 420 fps airsoft gun...from about a metre away...that hurt like a mother fucker and left a bump for about a week.

Real firearms should only be used or owned by people who understand the damage they can inflict and the consequences for their actions. Non-lethal guns like paintball or airsoft are fine, and can be a tonne of fun as long as you understand the difference between them and real guns.

People should be allowed to own a gun if they are responsible for how they use it.

"Technology isn't intrinsically good or evil. It's how its used! Like the Death Ray!!"
- Futurama

 

[Capslockbroken]

whenever guns are mentioned i always think 'i prefer swords' and i do

I tend to prefer swords as well, but how much fun they are isn't really the issue. The People Who Know What's Best don't care whether it's guns, swords, nunchaku, or a woodcarving tool. Their philosophy is: everything that's pointy, loud, looks vaguely dangerous or we just don't understand is bad for the subjects. Prison is healthy though.

 

[Ampersand]

The short answer is I think they're shit, and I have very little to no respect for anyone who would use one.

That being said, i assume as far as games are concerned you stay out of the shooter genre? just wondering...

Not all the time, I don't like many shooters, but I like halo a lot and some others.
I still find the methods of characters who use guns questionable(I mean in my opinion the use of fire-power loses you some serious bad ass points) but I don't really mind playing as them, it is just fiction after all, no one really gets hurt so there's no problem. That being said I'd still prefer to play as a swordsman = )

 

[Atmos Duality]

Ok, I'm calling this one out. You are either lying about being Australian or you are shockingly ignorant about your own country. "We don't have guns", indeed. The reality is that Australia had, generally speaking, more relaxed gun laws than the US until the mid- nineties.
As always, unsupported claims and childish slander is a pretty poor substitute for hard data and, no matter what your professor may have told you, saying hateful things about the US actually doesn't make you look smart.

Thanks for calling him out.

Based on his response, he was using his non-argument as a way of projecting his hatred of the United States.
"Culturally inferior". "Culturally barbaric".
Oh yes. Such compelling arguments! I'm completely without culture because I'm too busy murdering them damn varmints with my assault rifle!

...Except in reality, my current town has had ONE gun crime in the last decade, and ONE murder over the course of the last 30 years.
We sure are mowing each other down here! And this is coming from a town with a LOT of hunters and firearms owners (lots of police).

Then again, this is the Internet. Why have a valid argument when you can just make shit up!