Here is a reality check if anyone feels like being real.

I live in the US.
I , being a law abiding citizen with no criminal record, have to go through a waiting period to buy a gun.

If I get cancer and I am dying a slow, painful, agonizing death, a medical doctor can NOT prescribe heroin to me to kill the pain. Go to a sleazy street corner and a child can buy heroin if they want, as long as they have money!

My point?

Heroin is illegal.
Kids can buy it.

Guns are legal to own.
Law abiding adults must jump through hoops to buy them.

Making guns totally illegal will succeed as well as it did with heroin, people who don't mind breaking the law will be able to get guns.....

People who would rather not break the law will be left defenseless.

Originally posted by blupblup

Why was crime in general lower then, than it is now?
Why was there a community spirit and why did people have more respect and so on.... these are social issues, not gun issues.

Exactly. Banning various guns had no effect on the criminal minority, only the law abiding. The only effect on criminals has been that they now have less chance of being shot in the act.

What has the self loading rifle ban achieved?

What has the handgun ban achieved?

These were both promised as a 'solution' to stop mass killings.

Wow.... so one every 10-15 years?
Or one a week/month as in the USA.... Hmmmm and with all those guns over there to keep everyone safe too.

What have the previous bans achieved in breaking the consistent cycle over here for the last 20 years? Did the handgun ban stop yesterday's killings?

But this thread was prompted by an event in the UK and I am referring to the UK - where never in our history have old grannies carried a pistol whilst walking to the village to post a letter..

Carrying pistols used to be quite common in this country - especially among women. When my grandmother was my age, she could own a pistol for self defence - she's still very much alive and well.


[edit on 3-6-2010 by TheDarkTurnip]

Now I have at least a couple of mintues to make a post, I'll do one properly.
Let me expand on my view.
I'm not very good at explaining so bare with me please

I think for children and such; it'll be much easier for them to get to one own one. It's not like they can't I know, but still, I do think if someone sees a gun at least they'll report it or something? That's probably the main reason I'm against them - otherwise if ever martial law occurs...yeah I'm all for guns in that respect. With the amount of knife crime occuring - guns is just one step up; no one's going to not use them if they have access to them.

I don't want to go into school in fear of being attacked. It's just not right. Of course, if guns were implemented...yeah fine but it'll have to be at a very very high age. But just like with cigerattes, children get the older to buy it for them.

I think it's pretty okay for people to own a gun who we can trust - but how can you differientate them? However I'm not sure with the shooting - I'm quite against hunting sooooo...yeah. Maybe in overpopulated areas?

I want to own a gun...I asked many questions in some lessons and I think my teacher thought I was a terrorist haha. I don't want the government to have one and I don't? Don't trust them.

Society's crumbling under our fingers and yeah, maybe we should be armed. It appears in many countries that yeah with allowing guns to be legal, there's a lower crime rate. Maybe UK should go for it? A trial period?

So yeah - I think guns ONLY to good people; they deserve them if they want it but it's people's minds, backgrounds and influences which are the reason why people use guns for bad causes and they for sure should not have one.

[edit on 3/6/2010 by BlackPoison94]

I'd like to ask... What makes owning a gun turn a normal, sane, non-murdering person into a killer? The answer: nothing! Everyone who thinks guns should be banned acts as though the gun has a mind of its own.

Let me tell you, a gun is not going to go on a shooting spree all by itself!

If i wanted to hurt a lot of people, I wouldn't think about a gun, and I'm a gun owner. I'd grab a set of car keys. Then I'd plow through the nearest gathering of people as fast as the car would go. (If I were the type of person who could do such a thing, which in my mind isn't just criminal, it's insane)

The point is that it's easy to kill people. People who snap, go nuts, and decide to take people out will always find a tool to do it with, whether guns are "legal" or not.

A gun is just a tool. It's not the object that is dangerous, it's the intention of the person wielding it.

And never forget - "When seconds count, the police are just minutes away."

[edit on 3-6-2010 by 30_seconds]

Originally posted by 30_seconds

A gun is just a tool. It's not the object that is dangerous, it's the intention of the person wielding it.

I agree with that. It's the person's intentions.
Though with the way society is turning out, many of those are for the worse.

And I think there is a very minute amount of people who would reform.

Originally posted by mamabeth
You know why I have a gun and a carry conceal
license to go with it?I would rather have a gun and
not need it,then need a gun and not have it!

And that is the main difference between the UK and USA.... we just don't need or want to carry them around with us.

It's the whole shoot first ask questions later attitude over there, from the average citizen, right through to the police and armed forces.
As Freeborn said, you can't compare our nations because they are so different.
You have a gun culture, an almost obsession and we don't.

You guys can't get why we don't want guns and we don't get why you think you need them.

Originally posted by TheDarkTurnip

Carrying pistols used to be quite common in this country - especially among women. When my grandmother was my age, she could own a pistol for self defence - she's still very much alive and well.

Aye, every village had a gunsmith ......

Even in WWII very few people had a gun - and at one stage that included the Home Guard!

Originally posted by 30_seconds

A gun is just a tool. It's not the object that is dangerous, it's the intention of the person wielding it.

[edit on 3-6-2010 by 30_seconds]

Too true.

But the more guns that are readily available the more will come into the hands of these nut jobs!

And more of the violent confrontations we have now will result in gun's being used instead of feet, knives, bottles, iron bars etc that happens now.

with a gun or without a gun -- it doesn't matter -
everything you can name can be turned into a death device.
a gun is just a designed to kill device -
rocks were used 2,000 years ago - they are still no laws banning their use.
you can kill someone with a thumb to the eye.... or a chop to the throat... but the reason I say guns should remain legal it's really simple - you dont bring a knife to a gun battle -- and since guns have a longer range than knives - you got maintain the right to reach out and touch someone before he reaches out and touches you,. Bang bANG BAbie YouR dEaD.

Originally posted by Anti-Evil
with a gun or without a gun -- it doesn't matter -
everything you can name can be turned into a death device.
a gun is just a designed to kill device -
rocks were used 2,000 years ago - they are still no laws banning their use.
you can kill someone with a thumb to the eye.... or a chop to the throat... but the reason I say guns should remain legal it's really simple - you dont bring a knife to a gun battle -- and since guns have a longer range than knives - you got maintain the right to reach out and touch someone before he reaches out and touches you,. Bang bANG BAbie YouR dEaD.

But with rocks, Knives, bottles, bats and so on.... you have a chance.
With a gun, you pull the trigger and it's over.... no going back, no second chances and no way of stopping it.

Now the difference is, some people see that as a good thing, others see it as a dangerous and bad thing.

And if I'm threatened by someone or have a problem with someone attacking me, I'll do what people all over the world have done for years... I'll deal with it like a man... with my hands, feet, head and perhaps an object that comes to hand if needed.

That's how we deal with our "Threats" and fights over here.... not shooting someone in an argument, or grabbing the gun because someone beats you up.


The point is... in this country, the UK, you have more chance of winning the lottery than you do of being shot and killed.



[edit on 3/6/10 by blupblup]

I do not own a gun and do not see the need to own one. I just do not feel like my home needs "defending". But i say guns because it is the best thing for everyone.
With you being allowed to own a gun you have the choice to own a gun or not own a gun. So if you are "anti-guns" then you could simply not buy one. And if you wanted to buy one then you could. But by banning guns you take away the choice that a person should be able to have.
Like i said i do not own a gun because i feel i do not need one but i do realize a part of my safety come from would be intruders really do not know if i sleep with a shot gun by my bed or not.

The point is... in this country, the UK, you have more chance of winning the lottery than you do of being shot and killed.

Even more so when gun laws weren't the strictest in the western world and we could engage in harmless sporting activities without going to prison for a minimum of five years.

The point is that these restrictions have done nothing to prevent:

A: Gun possession by criminals

B: Gun massacres