How many people are seriously afraid of firearms?

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Guns, like knives, blunt objects, and human fists, are just tools. They can be used correctly, or incorrectly. However, a gun in itself, is just a tool. Nothing to be afraid of! Remember, guns don't kill people, people kill people.

Where I live, almost everybody is armed. We have very, very little violent crime in our town. In the past ten years we have had two murders. One was over drugs, the other was a man who went crazy and killed his wife. The first was with a gun, the second was with some blunt object I believe.

There has been one robbery in the past ten years also. It was of a store and they found later that it was set up betwee the manager and the robber for him to rob her and split the money. The town that I live in is out of the way, so people aren't passing through there. Most people know who everyone else is, which would make identifying a robber easy. I think the fact that everybody knows that almost everybody else is armed is one of the things that cuts down on the crime.

Most of what we have are traffic tickets and pot arrests.

Frances

Mutually assured destruction. Yes, that's an equilibrium solution too. The problem is once the system gets shocked into disequilibrium people are guaranteed to get killed. The alternative equilibrium where only criminals have guns is far more resilient.

Not all guns are meant to be used on people when they are purchased. Hand guns are usually for personal protection, unless you are a collector. Most guys I know have rifles or shotguns for hunting. Hunting is really big where I live. Everybody hunts, even quite a few women and girls. I don't. The grocery store is much easier, plus, I don't like venison.

Most hunters drive around with guns in their trucks in the gunrack. They also leave them unlocked with the windows down in parking lots. Kind of odd, I think. Nobody bothers them though.

Frances

You continually ignore my examples of safe nations where citizens are armed. In the UK, some people are armed, and a few get shot. In Switzerland, everybody is armed, and no one gets shot. As long as the majority, the law-abiding citizens, is armed, the minority, the criminals, will think twice about using their guns. Guns do not make a country less safe, and Switzerland is the undeniable proof of that.

I think open carry reduces the chance of violence. Say you decide to rob a store. You walk into the store and see five people in line, three of thich have handguns on their belt. Would you still rob the store? I wouldn't.

Frances

Here's a scenario: two people hold you up at gunpoint late at night and intend to rob you. Not a far-fetched situation in any of the world's big cities, bar a lucky few. Suddenly robber A accidentally blurts out the name of robber B. Robber B is currently on two strikes (or the equivalent for that particular nation) and is obviously worried about being identified. He's getting twitchy and he's nervously thinking about his next move.

Now, assuming only robber B is armed, would you feel more in control if you had an easy to reach, concealed firearm, or if you were completely defenceless?

Cool. With the actor who played Rodney McKay?

You've just demonstrated that everyone is safe as long as the majority of citizens are Swiss. Switzerland is the undeniable proof of that.



Exactly my point. Feeling in control is BS when multiple people have guns. If you have a gun in that situation, you're dead. If you don't you take your chances. The simple fact is law-abiding people who carry guns get shot a lot more than those who don't. The only effect of guns is to raise the stakes. This is basic game theory.

Last edited by fraac on 27 Nov 2011, 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No, with Jack Bauer.

Seriously though, my boyfriends dad is a qualified instructor so sometimes we'll go and shoot some targets.

So you rob the next store where they still have guns but they're concealed. That increases, not reduces the chance of violence. MAD only works if there is nowhere else to shop and all weapons are clearly visible.

Last edited by fraac on 27 Nov 2011, 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

What of when law abiding people are forbidden from owning or carrying any weapons? There's little risk then for crimes to be committed. And what of drive-by shootings? I lost a brother to that in '95 and although he had no weapons it didn't stop his murderers from repeatedly shooting him with shotguns and automatic assault rifles. I suppose it's the "one lone incident" and "anecdotal evidence" excuse you'll come up with to still say that the bs "game theory" is still right.

A certain, small amount of crime must be tacitly considered acceptable.

No, it's not acceptable. Criminals who murder need to be hunted down and crushed, not tolerated.

Make a show of it to keep people happy but, certainly, a small amount of all forms of crime must be quietly accepted. Otherwise society is ruined.

I've always been a gun owner and have no fear whatsoever, of any firearms or of other gun owners. I'm much more likely to get hurt/killed by someone's car on the street, than by any gun.

Charles