Are you a gun owner?

Do you own a gun?

  • yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • yes, more than one

    Votes: 1 14.3%
  • no

    Votes: 6 85.7%

  • Total voters
    7
  • Poll closed .

NewCreation435

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Do you own a gun? I'm not posting this to bash gun owners by the way. I'm just curious.

I don't see why anyone really needs a Ak-47. You shouldn't need to shoot that many times to kill bambi.
 

Stravinsk

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Do you own a gun? I'm not posting this to bash gun owners by the way. I'm just curious.

I don't see why anyone really needs a Ak-47. You shouldn't need to shoot that many times to kill bambi.

In other words you don't own one.

I can't say whether I do or not, for an acknowledgement of either could put me at risk, and for different reasons. Things are a little different here in Aus. However, I can say that from a purely aesthetic reckoning, that I prefer silent weapons. Less chance of waking a neighbor and all. An AK-47 is overkill for multiple reasons (pun intended), lol.
 

Tigger

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I still have my single shot 16 gauge I saved and bought myself when I was 16 yo.
 

tango

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Do you own a gun? I'm not posting this to bash gun owners by the way. I'm just curious.

I don't see why anyone really needs a Ak-47. You shouldn't need to shoot that many times to kill bambi.

You don't need an AK-47 to kill Bambi, but then neither do you need a V8-powered SUV to go shopping, nor do you need a McMansion, nor do you need many of the other things we choose to enjoy. In the US you have the right to bear arms. If you don't think an AK-47 or an AR-15 is an appropriate thing to own there's an easy option - don't own one.

Truth be told killing Bambi is irrelevant, the 2nd Amendment is nothing to do with hunting deer.
 

faramir.pete

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I do not own a gun and I see no good reason for owning one. I do not hunt so have no valid reason to own one in the U.K.

I am grateful I do not live in a society that allows and even encourages ownership and carrying of hand guns, as it appears to me at least, that this encouraged carrying just puts more guns on the streets and if I carried a weapon I would be looking for targets all the time, and inevitably that would result in someone getting shot.


Pete from Peterborough UK
 

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Not yet but i am strongly considering it.
 

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I do not own a gun. I live in an area where there are hunters and I can hear them sometimes...and on holidays LOL
 

tango

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I do not own a gun and I see no good reason for owning one. I do not hunt so have no valid reason to own one in the U.K.

I am grateful I do not live in a society that allows and even encourages ownership and carrying of hand guns, as it appears to me at least, that this encouraged carrying just puts more guns on the streets and if I carried a weapon I would be looking for targets all the time, and inevitably that would result in someone getting shot.


Pete from Peterborough UK

The trouble with UK weapons legislation is that it leaves the law-abiding individual totally at the mercy of the criminal element. For the criminal engaged in house breaking, robbery, maybe a spot of rape and murder, being caught with an offensive weapon is a trivial addition to their rap sheet - it might as well be a parking ticket. For the law-abiding professional being caught with an offensive weapon is a potentially career-ending proposition.

If you start from the perspective that it is a fundamental right to protect yourself from harm then it logically follows that the physically weaker members of society must be allowed to carry something with which to defend themselves from the more predatory elements of society. The only reason to outlaw the carrying of weapons is if you believe the individual does not have the right to protect themselves from harm.

It's easy to think that if you carry a weapon you'll be looking for targets but if that were actually the case then the 300,000,000+ lawfully held guns in the US would be behind a bloodbath like the world has never seen before. The rather silly notion that "more guns = more crime" really falls flat in the face of statistics from most of the US, where the average person owns more than one gun and the crime rate is still vanishingly small.
 

faramir.pete

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The trouble with UK weapons legislation is that it leaves the law-abiding individual totally at the mercy of the criminal element. For the criminal engaged in house breaking, robbery, maybe a spot of rape and murder, being caught with an offensive weapon is a trivial addition to their rap sheet - it might as well be a parking ticket. For the law-abiding professional being caught with an offensive weapon is a potentially career-ending proposition.

If you start from the perspective that it is a fundamental right to protect yourself from harm then it logically follows that the physically weaker members of society must be allowed to carry something with which to defend themselves from the more predatory elements of society. The only reason to outlaw the carrying of weapons is if you believe the individual does not have the right to protect themselves from harm.

It's easy to think that if you carry a weapon you'll be looking for targets but if that were actually the case then the 300,000,000+ lawfully held guns in the US would be behind a bloodbath like the world has never seen before. The rather silly notion that "more guns = more crime" really falls flat in the face of statistics from most of the US, where the average person owns more than one gun and the crime rate is still vanishingly small.

I am afraid you have a view of the U.K. which I do not recognise, you seem to believe that most of the criminals here carry guns too. Whilst I accept some do the vast majority do not, and the reason for this is armed robbery or any other crime is treated proportionately heavily when the criminal is caught and they know it.

I think that you are projecting American standards on the U.K. and it does not fit.


Pete from Peterborough UK
 

NewCreation435

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I do not own a gun. I live in an area where there are hunters and I can hear them sometimes...and on holidays LOL

There must be a shooting range near us because I can hearing shooting quite often near our house, maybe a mile or two away.
 

Josiah

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I do not own a gun..... I don't want a gun..... I have not even touched a gun in my life (even a toy one, my parents didn't allow toy weapons)...

BUT I'm okay with hunters (as long as they don't hunt bunnies, hunt as humanely as possible, abide by all conservation laws and consume what they kill).... and I don't have a HUGE problem with those who have a gun for protection (although they need to take every step possible to protect their own family and innocent people from that gun). But I would not so choose. I've read often law-enforcement say that by far the best thing you can do if criminals break into your home is not engage them - they can have my cell phone (I have insurance), I value the lives of those in my family more (can't replace them). But that's ME.
 

tango

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I am afraid you have a view of the U.K. which I do not recognise, you seem to believe that most of the criminals here carry guns too. Whilst I accept some do the vast majority do not, and the reason for this is armed robbery or any other crime is treated proportionately heavily when the criminal is caught and they know it.

I think that you are projecting American standards on the U.K. and it does not fit.


Pete from Peterborough UK

You do know I'm from the UK, right?

Regardless of what weapons a criminal carries, they are weapons that are denied to the law-abiding. A criminal carrying a knife bigger than the pathetic restrictions within the UK is dangerous, sufficiently so that the law-abiding may reasonably wish to protect themselves from such a person. A criminal breaking into your house wielding a screwdriver as a weapon is likely to be dangerous.

Armed robbery, when "armed" means with a firearm, is treated severely although from a legal perspective the "armed" appears far more concerning than the "robbery". Personally I want the freedom to protect myself from someone breaking into my home, regardless of whether and how they are armed.

It's also a problem when "if they are caught" is a major part of the focus. I can't say I'm familiar with the mindset of a burglar but I'd hazard a guess they typically don't wait until the police are nearby to commit their crimes. In the UK if you harm a burglar during the course of his crimes the chances are you'll face charges. Across much of the US if you shoot a burglar the chances are you'll be investigated but end up not charged with anything.

ETA: Regardless of the presence of weapons, what is a slightly built person supposed to do if confronted by a much larger aggressive individual? Even if the thug isn't armed in the sense of carrying a knife or a gun, the balance of power is overwhelmingly in their favour. Do you believe that the victim in this case has no entitlement to protect themselves from harm, and that their only legal option should be to hope that the police find their attacker and hope that the courts hand down an acceptable punishment?
 

tango

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I do not own a gun..... I don't want a gun..... I have not even touched a gun in my life (even a toy one, my parents didn't allow toy weapons)...

BUT I'm okay with hunters (as long as they don't hunt bunnies, hunt as humanely as possible, abide by all conservation laws and consume what they kill).... and I don't have a HUGE problem with those who have a gun for protection (although they need to take every step possible to protect their own family and innocent people from that gun). But I would not so choose. I've read often law-enforcement say that by far the best thing you can do if criminals break into your home is not engage them - they can have my cell phone (I have insurance), I value the lives of those in my family more (can't replace them). But that's ME.

I agree that it makes sense to avoid engagement as far as possible. The trouble is it's hard to know when that line is crossed. If someone breaks in wanting to steal the TV and cellphones that's one thing. But how do you know if they plan to harm your family? At what point do you find yourself wishing you had something more potent that could be used to protect them?
 

faramir.pete

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You do know I'm from the UK, right?

Regardless of what weapons a criminal carries, they are weapons that are denied to the law-abiding. A criminal carrying a knife bigger than the pathetic restrictions within the UK is dangerous, sufficiently so that the law-abiding may reasonably wish to protect themselves from such a person. A criminal breaking into your house wielding a screwdriver as a weapon is likely to be dangerous.

Armed robbery, when "armed" means with a firearm, is treated severely although from a legal perspective the "armed" appears far more concerning than the "robbery". Personally I want the freedom to protect myself from someone breaking into my home, regardless of whether and how they are armed.

It's also a problem when "if they are caught" is a major part of the focus. I can't say I'm familiar with the mindset of a burglar but I'd hazard a guess they typically don't wait until the police are nearby to commit their crimes. In the UK if you harm a burglar during the course of his crimes the chances are you'll face charges. Across much of the US if you shoot a burglar the chances are you'll be investigated but end up not charged with anything.

ETA: Regardless of the presence of weapons, what is a slightly built person supposed to do if confronted by a much larger aggressive individual? Even if the thug isn't armed in the sense of carrying a knife or a gun, the balance of power is overwhelmingly in their favour. Do you believe that the victim in this case has no entitlement to protect themselves from harm, and that their only legal option should be to hope that the police find their attacker and hope that the courts hand down an acceptable punishment?

Well it seems you would feel more at home in the USA as you clearly have similar opinions to their gun lobby activists.

I wish you and your family luck


Pete from Peterborough UK
 

Krissy Cakes

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I don't own a gun as for safety reason as my husband thinks I would shoot myself and why would I need one when I have a military man to take care of me. :king:
 

tango

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Well it seems you would feel more at home in the USA as you clearly have similar opinions to their gun lobby activists.

I wish you and your family luck


Pete from Peterborough UK

I just believe in the right to self protection from anyone, or anything, that would cause me harm.
 

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I'd considered at least taking lessons when I lived in the states. Where I lived was going down-hill quick; it wasn't the best community in the first place, but where I lived was a historic area with not much stuff going on. Over a year or so, there was more crime coming in, more dope deals, and robberies at a gas station that was kitty-corner to my apartment. My bedroom window overlooked it. So I was starting to hear gunshots, and guys running down my side-street toward a wooded area at the end. There was also vandalism going on - spray painting cars and windows being smashed out. Keep in mind, a few years before, none of this was going on. And I didn't trust the police to be very quick if anything did happen. There were worse ends of town that I'm sure took most of their time. So the idea of keeping a gun was not something I was comfortable with - but it did cross my mind.
 

tango

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Well it seems you would feel more at home in the USA as you clearly have similar opinions to their gun lobby activists.

I wish you and your family luck


Pete from Peterborough UK

Just out of interest, do you believe that if you are attacked your only legal option should be to hope it doesn't hurt too much?
 

faramir.pete

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Just out of interest, do you believe that if you are attacked your only legal option should be to hope it doesn't hurt too much?

If I am attacked I will defend myself, but that does not include carrying and using a gun.


Pete from Peterborough UK
 

tango

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If I am attacked I will defend myself, but that does not include carrying and using a gun.


Pete from Peterborough UK

So would you defend yourself using a knife? At what point do you believe you have the right to tip the balance in your favour, given you're the innocent victim?
 
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