Guns in the UK

Didn't know where to put this, it's kinda political I s'pose, but still a rant.

It's the guns thing, I don't get the point. I know it's a huge issue in the states but here it isn't, really. I've never had the desire to own a gun, I woldn't take a gun for free if it was on offer. I don't see the point in them...people, especially in the states, have this really hardcore attitude to gun ownership and I always found it odd.

I know I'll probably offend some folk and get some angry responses...it's like people buying guns to protect themselves from...other people, with guns. There are millions of nasty ways to kill someone, we don't really need one more in the UK.

You can get guns here, obviously, probably illegally. I'd hate it more people in the UK had guns, we have problems with knives particularly here in Scotland, gun crime is quite rare - but I've very little doubt that adding more guns into the equation would only help make it worse, we don't need them for anything. People say guns don't kill people, people do - it's stupid, though. That statement make sense if guns had a purpose, met some need, necessity...but they don't. In the same breath we would follow it with - and neither do nuclear weapons, they still do - they're invented purely for the purpose of destruction of some kind, what good are they? At least a knife has a function in society. People who want to kill can and will use anything they can get their hands on as a weapon...we might aswell campaign for our right to own hand grenades...why not? Just because some constitution states you can doesn't mean you should.

I use a similar analogy for guns and knives as I do bullies in general, people mostly become bullies because they feel if they don't try to fit in with the cool kids they'll become victims...if everyone chose the other route and became the victim there'd be no victims as there are no bullies to victimise them - the perpetuate the condition by conforming...knives are the same - kids here carry mostly because they're frightened of the company they keep and the situations they may find themselves in. Essentially, they carry weapons because their peers do...and they see each other use them, they're controlled by fear. Guns are the same, the minute they become available one guy needs one because some other guy has one, it's a stupid situation and can never lead to any good.

And I don't buy the sportsmanship aspect of it, if it's marksmanship you're into you can get non-lethal replicas and pistols etc that are suitable for target practice and what have you, if hunting is your game then forget it...kill away, enjoy yourself and that's all I'll say on that one. Why does it have to be so destructive? People, good, decent people - yet they worship there instruments of death...why?

I wanna know what good purpose they serve other than protect us against other people with other weapons? Just another weapon, another way to control, intimidate, torture and kill one another and any other living creature we've ever encountered throughout the ages...no guns, please - bad enough taking chances with the knives and the myriad other weapons that are readily available.

Now I've heard all the stuff about when tshtf, tptb will come and we will need to protect ourselves...the kids running around in the mass shooting sprees of which there have been too many of late are mind controlled zombies. They might be, I'm not disputing those theories, there's certainly a strange apsect to some of those cases...but it still happens on a daily basis, how many shootings a year in the states, on average? C'mon, they all mind controlled MK ULTRA victims? Nah, probably not - there are many ways to kill someone, crimes of passion, etc...people just losing it...I'd still take my chances with the knife...if the attack with the knife fails andI I survive, I can use the knife later to eat my steak...what's the gun for? S'pose I could use it to pepper my steak, I dunno.

The point is people do kill people with guns, guns make it a lot easier...it's quite hard to stab someone from across the street or whilst hanging out the backwindow of a car...drive by stabbing...doesn't happen often.

Yeah, we wanna murder people but from far, far away, make it easy as possible...so we made this - stick 'em up we're taking the loot, see? People running around killing one another willy nilly, for pride...respect, for money, for whatever dumb nonsense they care so much about, life is cheap. This serves only one purpose, it shows that we are not able or ready to be free...we do need control, tell me I'm brainwashed or a sheep...I don't think I am. I just see selfish people who want what they want and will fight tooth and nail to get it, and care not how it affects those around them, not just with guns, with everything. I don't think they're all government controlled sheeple, they're controlled by everything around them, their friends, their experiences, there are just nasty people, and probably always will be, and they'll steal, lie, murder, they'll do what they want and from where I'm standing it is getting worse, not better...we're mostly too intolerant and selfish to be truly free. Apathy rules.

Bloody hell, this is a rant after all...still fun though, glad I got it off my chest.

I heard that gun crime in the UK actually went up after the ban..

It’s hard to argue about gun rights with people that don’t understand guns or there terminology.

We are from different cultures and areas.

From my neck of the wood we use guns to hunt. We use a .50 cent bullet to land us 200lbs of meat. What can you buy in the UK for .50 cents?

You live in an urban jungle, I’m guessing?, from where I live, we could be attacked by a cougar or bear at any time. Just last month a bear killed 3 of our cattle!!!!!

Im my area everyone carries a gun, theres no gun crimes. go a few countys south and its a gun free zone, 100's of people die from gun fire in that county a year. but what gives, its a gun free zone.

I would also like to note since 1986 there has been no massacres involving more than 3 people in a right to carrie state or pro gun state. Nearly all massacres happen in "gun free zones"

Our worlds are different.

reply to post by Juggernog


It probably did...not good, eh?

It's not something I think about, I live in a relatively rough area in Scotland, stabbing, attacks with axes, machetes etc are not as rare as I'd like them to be, but here guns are rare here, I hope it stays that way but it's unlikely...the people win more battles than they realise against the government.

Like when the whining public complained about the speed cameras that were put in place to stop people from killing pedestrians by driving like selfish maniacs...the people whined because they were hidden - in essence, they were unhappy that they couldn't see the cameras, no - human life is a game, you see - they want to know where the cameras are so that when they see them, they can slow down...and the idiot government gave in.

So it's ok, you can still speed - how awesome! I'm glad the retard who thinks being late fior work is worse than killing someone has a sporting chance.

Hope guns don't become more common here...dunno what's up with people any more.

reply to post by samerulesapply


Guns have many functions (target shooting, hunting, defense of any kind), the 2nd was established to keep the Brits from coming back and anyone else thinking they could change our way of life. A gun is a tool to be used as the holder intends, sometimes that is good sometimes it is bad; same goes for knives, cars, planes, ect. 90% of the time they are used for good things, but sometimes they are used to commit a violent act. You guys gave up your guns and you still have violent crime, assaults and knife attacks are up so are home invasions. I got an uncle over there and he has bats and clubs in every room, I wonder why....

Oh and look at this in Australia.. Cant get anymore fascist than this, a "forced" gun buy back.
Look at the 1:50 mark, gun crime also went up there after the ban.

reply to post by camaro68ss


It's not really an argument, that's something I realise - I don't understand that culture. I just can't think of any use for having a gun right now, if someone came over like - here's a gun for you...I'd probably think...what for? You keep it.

I had a thing about swords for a while, kids here use knives and swords - I never used them, they were ornate - never took them out of the house or anything, but i kinda got bored with that I suppose.

I've never found myself in a situation where I thought a gun would be handy, I've lost it once or twice and looking back, if a gun was there - I might have been stupid enough to use it. I know for a fact that if guns were more popular and easy to obtain around these parts it would be as common as knife crime, probably more common...cos it's easier.

reply to post by samerulesapply


Pretty sure the issue was running red not killing peds even though that did happen it was a cash scam for the gov. The real issue people have is taking photos of you w/o knowledge is an invasion of privacy.

reply to post by ParanoidAmerican


Yeah, a cosh in every room - isn't that fear or paranoia? Been there, still there - and that's the point, really...isn't it? I'm constantly on edge when I leave the house, I practice proper self=defence, careful what routes I take, where I go and who with - it's part of my behaviour...and always watching.

People are becoming mindless, seriously. I notice it more and more, I travel through Glasgow or Edinburgh city centres at night and it's live...that's how it feels, live, like there's a palpable tension, there's screaming, shouting, vomiting, fights breaking out here and there...people going crazy - volatile.

Tptb should give us alsorts of devastating weaponry and just back off and leave us to it, it'd be great fun, god - I'm such an old stick in the mud at times.

reply to post by samerulesapply


Had his home invaded after your gun ban was passed....I call in self preservation more than fear...but thats just me.

reply to post by ParanoidAmerican


I'm sure had the ban not succeeded, it wouldn't have happened...did he own a gun prior to this incident?

Things like that happen all the time here and have done for ages...guns wouldn't help it, would they? From my perspective, no - it'd just give them better access to a tool that makes killing even easier.

I heard a really horrible story a few weeks ago from several people, but one person who knows the young family involved told me and I don't doubt a word of it, not only because she told me but because it's such a common thing 'round these parts - it's not a nice story so heads up...

Not far from me, about 6 weeks ago, some lads got chased through a neighbouring part of the city because they weren't from there...they ran but the guys chasing them were gaining ground...only 2 guys being chased by a gang of boys, not sure how many but they outnumbered their target.

Eventually, the boys came to a quiet residential area, terrified one ran into a strangers house pleading for help, the other boy kept running - here's where it gets fun for all you lovers of gore and violence. The lads chasing followed the boy into the house, all hell broke loose - a young mother and father and their children were subject to a 10 minute or so attack whereby they kicked, punched, stabbed, bottled and stamped on the poor lad, killing him - and they all lived happily ever after. Meybe if the boys being chased had guns, it'd have a happier ending, where they all became friends and went for a picnic...yeah right. They solve nothing, they simply add to the problem...people seem to think guns are a solution of some kind...exactly how? We need more bombs, too...if a gun can solve a problem imagine what we could achieve with bazookas.

Had they had guns, both lads would have most probably been gunned down while they ran, in the above scenario, one boy dies the other gets away, a day he won't forget - a young family witnessed a murder and several other youths were charged with the crime. We're so ready to ascend and be free - throw off the shackles - trust one another, love thy neighbour. People are sick, we should give them guns, obviously - for it is the cure to the ever-growing instability of human nature...yeeeeeeeah!

Apologies for the harrowing story, just wanted to highlight a point.

I hear stories like this all the time, I've witnessed such things. I work between Glasgow and Edinburgh around central and waverley train stations and have seen this kind of thing first hand, it stays with you for sure. I've seen people scramble to their feet and run after such attacks and survive, it'd be so much more worse with guns.

The one thing that really struck a chord with me when I heard that story was the intrusion into the home of that young family who were powerless to help, they had to sit and watch that, young kids witnessed that event, things like this happen too often here but the brazen invasion of the home is too much, it simply confirmed what we already know...life is cheap to some people, not just government, authorities, whatever, just people in general, from all areas, all walks of life...I'd prefer them not to have guns and if it means I can't own a gun then it's a no-brainer 'cause I don't particularly want one. We can assume it might have ended differently had the family in question owned a gun, but then what if they all had guns for "protection"? A bloodbath, surely.

Those kids chased those two boys with the intent of killing them, it's that simple...so intent on killing someone were they, that they decided to follow one who'd sought refuge in a strangers home...now when I first heard that story at first I expected it to transpire that they continued to chase the boy who was running away...I was sick to my stomach when I heard what they did, even more so on learning some children - infants - saw the whole thing.

I dread the day they obtain guns, I really do.

reply to post by samerulesapply


Who knows if that would have made a difference, but yes he did own firearms several where shipped back to the states. For me it is about having equal ground, cons do not follow the laws so a gun ban leves me vunerable should I ever need it. Guns are not a solution but a last resort had one of his friends been armed just the sight of it might have been enough for him to have survived (look at the clackamas mall situation). Like I said before guns are tools sometime they are used for good things other times not. Owning a gun does not change me I am still a caring person with family and friends, who helps his neighbors; I regularly donate time to local causes, the majority of responsible gun owners are the same.