If banning guns works.....

[CorvallisBMW]

I'm not talking about wild animals, I'm talking about the paranoia that leads you to suspect every person you run in to on the street as being a possible mugger, murderer, robber or someone who otherwise wants to harm you, and therefor you must arm yourself 24/7. That's the very definition of paranoia.

[joshh]

I'm not talking about wild animals, I'm talking about the paranoia that leads you to suspect every person you run in to on the street as being a possible mugger, murderer, robber or someone who otherwise wants to harm you, and therefor you must arm yourself 24/7. That's the very definition of paranoia.

And that's what will make you a victim as oppose to someone willing to carry.

[joshh]

The good thing is there are so many weapons in Americans hands they'd have a very very hard time taking them all.
The only thing we need to focus on is stopping those who shouldn't have a gun in the first place. And give more training to those who can legally carry.

[rwh11385]

If banning guns works...

Why to other western countries with strict gun control laws have homicide rates < 10% of ours?

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cr...er-100-000-pop

I take it back, It's actually closer to 2-5% our firearm homicide rate. Only about 5 western countries even are listed because the rest have rates so low it hardly shows up.

Population size has nothing to do with it when you use statistics on a crime-per-x # of persons basis.

Countries with lower firearm homicide rates than us:
Uruguay
Ivory Coast
Poland
Bulgaria
Slovakia
Azerbaijan
.
.
.

A 'gun culture', such as the US, strongly promotes the use of guns (whether legitimate or illegitimate)...

You are a moron. Obviously if guns are illegal, it would be harder to kill people with guns. But people kill people, guns are just a means.

Poland, Uruguay, and Bulgaria has a HIGHER murder rate per capita than the US. They just do it with knives or other means. Educate yourself and stop being so stupid.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita

# 20 Poland: 0.0562789 per 1,000 people
# 22 Uruguay: 0.045082 per 1,000 people
# 23 Bulgaria: 0.0445638 per 1,000 people
# 24 United States: 0.042802 per 1,000 people

[Farbin Kaiber]

And the token statistics guy drops a bomb.

[KenC]

^^^^

Murder rates (any weapon or other means):

# 24 * United States: 0.042802 per 1,000 people*
# 25 * Armenia: 0.0425746 per 1,000 people*
# 26 * India: 0.0344083 per 1,000 people*
# 27 * Yemen: 0.0336276 per 1,000 people*
# 28 * Dominica: 0.0289733 per 1,000 people*
# 29 * Azerbaijan: 0.0285642 per 1,000 people*
# 30 * Finland: 0.0283362 per 1,000 people*
# 31 * Slovakia: 0.0263303 per 1,000 people*
# 32 * Romania: 0.0250784 per 1,000 people*
# 33 * Portugal: 0.0233769 per 1,000 people*
# 34 * Malaysia: 0.0230034 per 1,000 people*
# 35 * Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: 0.0229829 per 1,000 people*
# 36 * Mauritius: 0.021121 per 1,000 people*
# 37 * Hungary: 0.0204857 per 1,000 people*
# 38 * Korea, South: 0.0196336 per 1,000 people*
# 39 * Slovenia: 0.0179015 per 1,000 people*
# 40 * France: 0.0173272 per 1,000 people*
# 41 * Czech Republic: 0.0169905 per 1,000 people*
# 42 * Iceland: 0.0168499 per 1,000 people*
# 43 * Australia: 0.0150324 per 1,000 people*
# 44 * Canada: 0.0149063 per 1,000 people*
# 45 * Chile: 0.014705 per 1,000 people*
# 46 * United Kingdom: 0.0140633 per 1,000 people*
# 47 * Italy: 0.0128393 per 1,000 people*
# 48 * Spain: 0.0122456 per 1,000 people*
# 49 * Germany: 0.0116461 per 1,000 people*
# 50 * Tunisia: 0.0112159 per 1,000 people*
# 51 * Netherlands: 0.0111538 per 1,000 people*
# 52 * New Zealand: 0.0111524 per 1,000 people*
# 53 * Denmark: 0.0106775 per 1,000 people*
# 54 * Norway: 0.0106684 per 1,000 people*
# 55 * Ireland: 0.00946215 per 1,000 people*
# 56 * Switzerland: 0.00921351 per 1,000 people*
# 57 * Indonesia: 0.00910842 per 1,000 people*
# 58 * Greece: 0.0075928 per 1,000 people*
# 59 * Hong Kong: 0.00550804 per 1,000 people*
# 60 * Japan: 0.00499933 per 1,000 people*
# 61 * Saudi Arabia: 0.00397456 per 1,000 people*
# 62 * Qatar: 0.00115868 per 1,000 people*
Weighted average: 0.1 per 1,000 people**

[KenC]

Why is anyone even discussing banning guns? It's NEVER going to happen. It's a waste of energy to argue either way.

[rwh11385]

Why is anyone even discussing banning guns? It's NEVER going to happen. It's a waste of energy to argue either way.

Because hippies who obviously don't understand the principles the nation was founded on and enjoy skewed statistics that have little relevance to reality like to think that everyone is as carefree as them, so no one else ought to have the right or freedom to carry.

I lived in the UK and to know that only cops with the yellow circle on their car had guns themselves was quite the shock. Even with other people having guns, I feel less likely to be attacked in the same principle why some drivers having lo-jack works.

[KenC]

Regardless of your opinion on the matter, it's not feasibly possible.

[KenC]

^^^^

Murder rates (any weapon or other means):

# 24 * United States: 0.042802 per 1,000 people*
# 25 * Armenia: 0.0425746 per 1,000 people*
# 26 * India: 0.0344083 per 1,000 people*
# 27 * Yemen: 0.0336276 per 1,000 people*
# 28 * Dominica: 0.0289733 per 1,000 people*
# 29 * Azerbaijan: 0.0285642 per 1,000 people*
# 30 * Finland: 0.0283362 per 1,000 people*
# 31 * Slovakia: 0.0263303 per 1,000 people*
# 32 * Romania: 0.0250784 per 1,000 people*
# 33 * Portugal: 0.0233769 per 1,000 people*
# 34 * Malaysia: 0.0230034 per 1,000 people*
# 35 * Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: 0.0229829 per 1,000 people*
# 36 * Mauritius: 0.021121 per 1,000 people*
# 37 * Hungary: 0.0204857 per 1,000 people*
# 38 * Korea, South: 0.0196336 per 1,000 people*
# 39 * Slovenia: 0.0179015 per 1,000 people*
# 40 * France: 0.0173272 per 1,000 people*
# 41 * Czech Republic: 0.0169905 per 1,000 people*
# 42 * Iceland: 0.0168499 per 1,000 people*
# 43 * Australia: 0.0150324 per 1,000 people*
# 44 * Canada: 0.0149063 per 1,000 people*
# 45 * Chile: 0.014705 per 1,000 people*
# 46 * United Kingdom: 0.0140633 per 1,000 people*
# 47 * Italy: 0.0128393 per 1,000 people*
# 48 * Spain: 0.0122456 per 1,000 people*
# 49 * Germany: 0.0116461 per 1,000 people*
# 50 * Tunisia: 0.0112159 per 1,000 people*
# 51 * Netherlands: 0.0111538 per 1,000 people*
# 52 * New Zealand: 0.0111524 per 1,000 people*
# 53 * Denmark: 0.0106775 per 1,000 people*
# 54 * Norway: 0.0106684 per 1,000 people*
# 55 * Ireland: 0.00946215 per 1,000 people*
# 56 * Switzerland: 0.00921351 per 1,000 people*
# 57 * Indonesia: 0.00910842 per 1,000 people*
# 58 * Greece: 0.0075928 per 1,000 people*
# 59 * Hong Kong: 0.00550804 per 1,000 people*
# 60 * Japan: 0.00499933 per 1,000 people*
# 61 * Saudi Arabia: 0.00397456 per 1,000 people*
# 62 * Qatar: 0.00115868 per 1,000 people*
Weighted average: 0.1 per 1,000 people**

Perhaps these stats indicate a necessity to be armed?

[z31maniac]

I'm not talking about wild animals, I'm talking about the paranoia that leads you to suspect every person you run in to on the street as being a possible mugger, murderer, robber or someone who otherwise wants to harm you, and therefor you must arm yourself 24/7. That's the very definition of paranoia.

I'm going to go out on a limb and imagine you've never been in a situation of this nature before.

I was working in an industry known for robberies (gas station), but I ACTUALLY have had someone pull a weapon on me and ask for the money in the register. Granted this isn't just walking down the street either, so I get that. Wasn't in a "bad" part of town either.

There all kinds of situations that arise, without being in the "hood."

There have been people mugged at knife/gun point after concerts, the State Fair, etc. Just in the last year.


A good friend of mine actually ended up in this situation the year before last.

Driving home after dark (approx 9:30pm), takes his exit to go to his house, someone rear ends him at the stop sign. He gets out to inspect the damage, only to be greeted by three hooded men with pistols. The put him in the back of his own SUV, take his money/jewelry/etc. Take him to the middle of nowhere and drop him off.

And that happened in Sand Springs, a little suburb of Tulsa, where the most serious thing that ever happens is a DUI.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Come on Buddy, don't you think he could have talked his way out of that situation with the liberal reasoning he gained in College as opposed to joining the Military? Really, could he had a different outcome had he had a CCW?

[rwh11385]

At least the USA is likely to survive Z-Day, along with Finland and Switzerland.

The Swiss have the third MOST guns per capita, yet #7 LEAST homicides per capita...
Finland is #4 in gun ownership, yet right by Slovakia for homicides per capita...

# 40 France: 0.0173272 per 1,000 people* homicides
#12 in gun ownership per person, 31.2 guns per 100 people

Saudi high in guns #7, #2 from bottom in homicides
Greece has 1 in 4 people with guns average, and 0.0075928 per 1,000 people* homicides
Norway #11 in gun ownership, near bottom of homicides
Similar with Germany and Canada, by the numbers.

[CorvallisBMW]

Are there situations where carrying a weapon is useful? Of course there are. Are there situations where carrying a fire extinguisher are useful? you bet. So why doesn't anyone carry a fire extinguisher on their hip?

It's fear and paranoia that drive people to arm themselves. You think you're more safe, more secure. But in reality you're still afraid of what's out there. It's a very pessimistic way to go through life.

And that's what will make you a victim as oppose to someone willing to carry.

A victim of what, exactly? This is the difference between you and I. You're paranoid, afraid and scared that at any moment someone may try to harm you.

I'm not.

Lets suppose this: You're walking down the street. Someone jumps out from an alley, pulls a gun on you and demands your wallet, watch and jewelry. You, being armed, reach for your gun. What's the first thing the robber does? 99% chance when he sees you go for your gun he's going to react violently and reflexively and shoot you. Now you're dead. What good did that do?

I'm not saying we should ban guns (no one is, get that out of your heads) but I am saying that the need to carry a weapon 24/7 in public smacks me of being small and feeble-minded.

[rwh11385]

Are there situations where carrying a weapon is useful? Of course there are. Are there situations where carrying a fire extinguisher are useful? you bet. So why doesn't anyone carry a fire extinguisher on their hip?

Fire extinguishers are installed in buildings and kept in kitchens where you might need them. There's no gun box in the ghetto you can borrow if you need it.

Is there a bong in your pocket, for when you need it? Like now, to make these awful logic-void arguments.