Poll: Lets pretend the government passes a law stating that you can't have a gun anymore...

[144_v1legacy]

"As soon as your prove YOU can keep them safer than I can."

Who do you mean by "YOU"? Do you mean the government? What do you think they'd do with confiscated weapons? Just throw them in a dump somewhere?

 

[Riff Moonraker]

Americans are too soft to go to war over a hobby, which is really all gun culture really amounts to these days. There'd be a handful of extremist holdouts in the deep south and maybe Michigan who'd take a few pot shots at the police, and maybe even successfully kill a two or three of them, but tough talk of rebellion would be quashed and within a few days life would return to normal.

Personally, I'd wait for the Supreme Court to overturn whatever decision allowed this to happen and reclaim my weapons or use the compensatory check to replenish my arsenal. Failing that, it's not like they're tracked accurately enough that I couldn't just hide one until the heat was off.

Thats where you are wrong. And judging by the way you reference it, you arent an American. No, we would not take it lightly if our constitution was usurped. And no, I wouldnt give up any of the firearms I own. Its not a HOBBY. Its a right, and we DO take it very seriously.

 

[Vegosiux]

Thats where you are wrong. And judging by the way you reference it, you arent an American. No, we would not take it lightly if our constitution was usurped. And no, I wouldnt give up any of the firearms I own. Its not a HOBBY. Its a right, and we DO take it very seriously.

Your constitution or just Amendment II? Does something being a "right" absolve you of all the responsibility? See, if Amendment II got repealed that would legally mean guns are no longer a right...

 

[Vegosiux]

Meet Mary Bell.

This lovable rugrat, at the age of 11, was a killer with multiple victims.

All she needed; scissors and rocks.

Interesting. I mean, that kind of goes against claiming that a frail woman can't possibly be anything other than a victim...

 

[mrscott137]

I honestly don't see why any civilian would need a gun

1: The police can legally sit by and watch you die while they sip coffee
2: Even if the police did care, out where I live, it takes them nearly an hour at the best of times to respond to an emergency call (which by the way, they don't have to respond to).

That's why I need an equalizer, sunshine.

But the police sort of... don't? I don't know what things are like in America, but I know a few policemen, they're very good friends of mine, and they work themselves to death to make sure some bastard doesn't go killing people, and making sure they go to prison.
I don't know what to say to your police forces taking an hour to reach you, do you live somewhere rural or some such? And I'd have to refer back to point one about them responding, they do- I put a bit of trust in the police to do their job like anyone else would. (Also, I think guns aren't 'Equalizers' in your atypical situation unless you carry a pistol on your person at all times, you and 99.99% of the people i'm ever likely to talk to will be fine and responsible gun owners, but it only takes the 0.01% to pick up a rifle and shoot some poor sod who's only crime was being in the wrong place and time).

 

[Vegosiux]

Her killings weren't done in self defense, however. She sought out her victims to kill them.

Oh, I realize that. What I mean is simply that you likely can't trust anyone, and if they're armed, you can trust them even less, no matter what they say about themselves.

 

[hyplion]

Voted other, since i have no guns to give up and guns are illegal (except for a few gun license holders) here in holland, none of the other options were apropriate. I do not see any reason to own guns, so i'd say pass that law. Every now and again some nutcase shoots a bunch of people and it happens so bloody often it doesn't even shock me anymore, it has just become an event that will happen again in a few months, and again and again and again etc.

 

[mrscott137]

But the police sort of... don't? I don't know what things are like in America

That is what things are like in America.

Google Warren vs. DC and some other related cases. The police are not responsible or legally culpable for our safety.

That... surprises me quite a lot actually. I thought that was the exact definition of the police's job, and it is from the friends I see and talk to, to protect people.

(Also, I think guns aren't 'Equalizers' in your atypical situation unless you carry a pistol on your person at all times, you and 99.99% of the people i'm ever likely to talk to will be fine and responsible gun owners, but it only takes the 0.01% to pick up a rifle and shoot some poor sod who's only crime was being in the wrong place and time).

I carry a pistol on my person anytime I can legally do so, and I am wary to go into any establishment that doesn't at least allow me to keep at least one or two forms of self defense (my handgun is just one. I carry a retractable utility knife and pepper spray as well) on my person.

Also, very surprising. If one of my friends had a gun on them when we just went out, I would be shitting myself silly and would likely ask them to just leave it at home or something. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the culture or the upbringing but I come from a fairly large town and I can't think of anyone I know who has ever been a victim of any kind of crime beyond having their CD player nicked when the left the door open. I mean, I get pepper spray, but if someone where I live were to say they had a knife to protect themselves, we'd all think it was a bit... over cautious? Do many of your friends also have weapons on a regular basis?

 

[cynik]

Hide. Create a believable story how I lost them, or at least the ones most vital for me. Even better - buy something disposable earlier, give that away, claim to have bought them because old ones got destroyed or whatever. Present burned/mangled spare parts as a form of evidence.

 

[cynik]

I come from a fairly large town and I can't think of anyone I know who has ever been a victim of any kind of crime beyond having their CD player nicked when the left the door open. I mean, I get pepper spray, but if someone where I live were to say they had a knife to protect themselves, we'd all think it was a bit... over cautious? Do many of your friends also have weapons on a regular basis?

Well I live in a country where 90% of males I have met in my life have been at some point of their lives robbed, beaten up for no reason etc. News are filled with weekly reports of people being sent to hospital due to such random encounters. It tends to not happen to tall, well built adult men, but if you're less than average you're seen as a perfect victim on the streets, regardless of age. I am now fully capable of defending myself with my bare hands or a knife, but I dread the day I get old and weak and I do worry about my girlfriend when she's coming back home in late hours. All of this because we can't own guns in this country and I can't be watching over everyone I care, everywhere they are and surely not forever. And the police? A bad joke. Especially when all the cases of battery etc. get dropped due to "minor concern to society" or however does this stupidity translate.

 

[DataSnake]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_%281946%29

You were saying?

Anyway, suicide fighters do not equal american citizens, much less US home bases do not equal combat bases and FOBs in the field. But while we're talking about hunting rifles, many that a US Citizen can legal purchase can defeat any known body armor. (Remington 700 being one) You know who make the best shots in the US Military? Farm and Hunting boys from rural america. You know who has the most weapons per household in the US? Rural America.

That was a bunch of veterans against a local sheriff's office. Want to know what happens when a group of "farm and hunting boys from rural America" decide to take on the FEDERAL government? This [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege].

By the way, if you're really worried about the feds taking over, giving every yokel with an attitude problem a semi-auto rifle is counterproductive because it weakens the strongest REAL defense we have: the fact that the people who would hypothetically be ordered to become the new Gestapo don't want to[footnote]Yes, I'm sure there are a few exceptions, given the sheer number of soldiers we have. But MOST people who join the US armed forces do so because they think freedom is a good thing[/footnote]. Imagine you're, say, a drone operator. Which of the following would you be more likely to refuse to blow away?
1. A crowd of unarmed protesters.
2. A farm house full of lunatics taking potshots at US soldiers.