America Quietly Dilutes Gun Laws

[Skippy 82]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9009000/Guns-in-church-and-weapons-for-the-mentally-ill-America-quietly-dilutes-its-gun-laws.html

Basically, lots of guns purchased this year around the holidays. In some places, it has become easier to buy and or carry firearms. Discuss.

[Chimetals 344]

i have the same stance on more guns/less guns as always--the guns are just weapons, its the people that use them that do the killing.

the only problem is that guns make it very easy to kill...much more so than, say, an oaken club. knives can be almost as lethal, though, and theyre p easy to buy.

and im sure there will always be the black market for guns...is there a comparison of gun legally/illegally obtained to the crime committed? as in, how many of those shootings were with an illegal gun?

[Skippy 82]

Generally speaking, anywhere from 65-95% of all gun crimes are committed with a gun that was illegally obtained. It depends on who is doing the figuring.

One must also take into account that guns are used around 2.5 million times a year to protect civilians in the u.s. within the letter of the law. And that's what's reported.

[Skippy 82]

What'd you go with?

[Knuckle 484]

I want a Desert Eagle

[Skippy 82]

Looked at it, shot it, saw the price of ammo, said no thanks

[Skippy 82]

I always liked the J frames, but never owned one.

That's my daily carry, Sig P238.

[Arachne 25]

To a degree I don't have a problem with the idea of owning a gun for personal protection, but education and regulation is necessary.

Firearms are pretty heavily regulated here in Canada, since gun registration is mandatory and you need a license. I have used a gun for hunting and sporting purposes before, but I don't feel I need to have one.

You have a very good point, Chimetals. There have been several years in Canada where knife homicides outnumbered gun homicides. But I mean, restricting knives would be much more difficult, since they're needed for everyday non-violent uses.

[Chase 390]

I love guns. No better weapon for deterring an attacker and the best way to defend yourself if you aren't trained in any form of hand to hand combat. Yes, they can be misused, but that goes with anything.

[Chimetals 344]

You have a very good point, Chimetals. There have been several years in Canada where knife homicides outnumbered gun homicides. But I mean, restricting knives would be much more difficult, since they're needed for everyday non-violent uses.

>>need a new set of kitchen knives

>>wait 6 months for a background check and approval.

i cant remember if you need to undergo training for your firearm in order to buy it. people really should, i mean, the average shmoe off the street can pick up a gun and pull a trigger, but when it comes to actually hitting the target and reloading, theyre going to be useless. and thats assuming the safety is off initially.

i figure the average person shooting would be like something from castle:

(castle and kate go in to arrest an armed criminal, kate gets disarmed, the criminal has her at gunpoint)

(castle picks up her gun off the floor and shoots the gun out of the criminals hand)

kate: "nice shot"

castle: "...i was aiming for his head" :\

[Skippy 82]

In most states, one needs no training to purchase a firearm, they just need to not be a felon, and not to have been adjudicated mentally ill. Some require a waiting "cool off" period, some require Firearm Owner ID's that require a training course to obtain.

Most states with concealed carry laws require a training course, I myself have taken quite a few. There are only two exceptions of this that I am aware of that require no training or licensing.

As for the castle situation, it's much more likely an inexperienced shooter wouldn't miss by that little, it's fairly common for a first time shooter to not hit anything if they have no real instruction.

[Ammonsa 308]

It's also fairly common for inexperienced shooters to injure themselves. Though that goes with most weapons I guess.

[Skippy 82]

The same can be said for inexperienced drivers.

Experienced shooters often do as well. A sheriff deputy I know shot his leg while disassembling his service weapon because he got complacent and reversed the steps for disassembly. It's a risk any gun owner takes, you can't afford to get complacent at any time, and precautions must be taken.

Like any tool, one must be aware of the dangers, and how to avoid them.

Take me for example. As I sit in bed right now, I have two firearms within quick reach of me, a glock 23 in a quick access safe behind my bedside table, and a Mossberg 500 pump shotgun in a picture frame safe above the bed. Both of these are loaded and ready to fire. I know the condition of these weapons at all times, and treat them as such. When they are loaded, I know it, when they are unloaded, I know it. That being said, anytime I pick one up, I open the action and physically inspect to see if a round is chambered or not. When I clean them, they are emptied, and magazines and ammunition are kept in my safe. It's a matter of being aware of your surroundings and making sure you observe the basic rules of gun handling at all times.

[Arachne 25]

I remember being taught that when I first held a gun: always check for ammo, and obviously never point at anything you don't intend to shoot.

Been reading about gun laws, and in Sweden you need to have two years' experience with guns before you're allowed to own one. In France they have different classes of weapons, including guns made before 1880 and certain knives.

[Chimetals 344]

It's also fairly common for inexperienced shooters to injure themselves. Though that goes with most weapons I guess.

got one word for you: nunchackus. learning to use those things results in pain. and when i switched to metal ones, and tried to learn a new move for a TKD demonstration, the welts on my arms had welts. my family used to say "if someone breaks in, and you need to defend yourself with nunchakus...hand the intruder the nunchakus."

ive also seen many a blackbelt beam themselves in the head with a staff....and ive personally nailed myself (in the back of the head, no less) with, again, those bloody nunchakus.

the urge to spell them nunchucks is just killing me. i keep reading that as "nun chah koos"

even ancient weapons have their dangers, i guess.