I never said that. And the re-quote about Hitler was wrong as well. The story was refferring to all privately owned firearms, not just hand guns.

I don't need no gun to defend my home -- I have a real whale harpoon standing by my door. It's a pretty heavy-duty item with a VERY sharp pointy end. Wouldn't want it stuck in me. A bullet would be way more better.

Mary, that reminds me when I lived in St.Croix. Gun laws were VERY stringent yet I heard gunshots all the time in town. I slept with my speargun loaded by my bed. BTW with a handgun ban down there, they had more crime per capita than New York City. Can anyone explain that one...anyone....Rolf...anyone?

"I don't need no gun to defend my home -- I have a real whale harpoon standing by my door. It's a pretty heavy-duty item with a VERY sharp pointy end. Wouldn't want it stuck in me. A bullet would be way more better."

Your forgetting the first rule of personal protection..."Never bring a whale harpoon to a gun fight"...LOL

Regards,
Bob

Mary, be careful about pepper spray indoors. Everyone (including yourself) will most likely be incapacitated.

Although when I worked in the farms, we used teargas in the soil fumagant as a tracer (you'd know if there were any leaks), so most of my staff of field help was pretty much "immune" to tear gas / pepper spray. Yes, it still makes you cough and tear up, but most of those guys (and myself at the time) could still operate.

So, there could be a remote chance that an assailant could be somewhat more capable of continuing an assault despite your pepper spray (if they were on drugs, or highly motivated, or just plain stupid).

If you notice police successfully using pepper spray, there are always more police than perpetrators...

http://www.snopes.com/crime/statistics/ausguns.asp

I found this to be pretty enlightening.

IMO the logic that guns dont kill people but people kill people is just crazy (Would you say the same about landmines for example?)
Guns are DESIGNED to kill, that is their sole purpose (unlike a car, baseball bat, or whatever).

The Virginia Tech massacre (32 kills) would not have happened if it where not so easy to buy a gun.
What added security does a gun bring anyway? If everyone owns one doesnt that cancel out its effect?
Criminals will always have a bigger gun than you and in what kind of neighborhoods do you all live if you sleep with a gun under your pillow? (Time to move?)

I don't have spray. I have gel. Goes out in a string.
I went into the store to buy a gun -- until I saw the prices. And I told the owner I didn't want to kill anybody, just incapacitate the bad guy long enough for me to wrap his whole body in duct tape.

What if one law-abiding, well-trained student had a concealed carry permit? That may have stopped Cho in his tracks.

OK, I'll go. I kind of like the machining and the workmanship of guns. I like to shoot trap. My grandpa, who was Lakota hunted to feed the family, but the information got lost with my parents generation. It's something I want to take up, but need someone to show me the ropes. So anyone that wants to take me hunting sometime, hint, hint.
And yes, I was trained to shoot by the fine instructors on Camp Pendleton Marine Base.
Here's what I'm packing:
HK USP .45


Grandpa's old Ithaca Model 37 20 GA with original receipt from 1958. Then I saw the 12GA version and had to buy it last year, then I found a 16 GA and am looking for a 410:



Mosin Nagant 9130 7.62X54r


Then on the cruising boat I keep a marinized Mossberg and pop a few clays here and there off the stern pulpit. There's a few others here and there in the arsenal, that's a good start. I'm also into archery, compound and traditional long bow. That's my home defense

J

I would LOVE to get into archery. It is quiet, so it is something that I could practice in my own yard (with the apple on Rick's head, of course) without the neighbors calling the police.

Hunting without a gun is more commonly referred to as "hiking", or "nature watching", or "going hungry"

While I am first to admit that a good portion of the population has no business even being CLOSE to a firearm, I am someone who appreciates the skill used in developing, manufacturing and using a firearm. In consider myself an "enthusiast" in the art of tactical deployment of firearms.

I shudder at the thought of actually having to use a firearm to defend myself or those close to me, as taking a life is a big deal (not so much in the heat of the moment, but during the AAR or debriefing). Could it happen? Sure, if other defenses fail (situational awareness, conflict avoidance, defensive manauvering, etc).

How likely? Pretty unlikely for me, ALTHOUGH, the business next door to my office was just (two weeks ago) robbed at gunpoint in BROAD DAYLIGHT. My town is just over 400 citizens and is relatively new (built in 2006), so it's not some po-dunk ghetto. It was a bit disconcerting...


If I ended up in that situation, would I have used a weapon? Tough call, and honestly, I couldn't rule that out. It wouldn't be my first choice, but things happen so fast... Which is why training and education are SO IMPORTANT (yet so scarce for the general population)...


Police officers are placed on paid leave after a duty-related firearm discharge, and are usually required to attend counseling (especially if a fatal shot was delivered). Don't think it won't have an effect on someone who's not trained to handle that type of action...

Unless you missed and hit south of the apple!

Guns at school, that sounds like a great idea!
With so many people owning guns, I would say that fear is good for business.

“The Virginia Tech massacre (32 kills) would not have happened if it where not so easy to buy a gun.”

The Virginia Tech Massacre would not have happened if legal carry weapons were not prohibited from college campuses…the guy walking in knew it was like shooting fish in a barrel…he was brazen because he knew no one there was armed, and he had no risk of being stopped.

Anywhere legal carry is prohibited, they inadvertently create a perfect environment for those bent on mass murder. These people are cowards, and if they thought they would be stopped before they killed enough innocent people to make a name for themselves, they would try an easier target. They don’t want a fight …they want easy victims. When you disarm the population, you feed the very thing you claim you want to stop...

Regards,
Bob

or dating........

Marys decision is a logical one. Owning a gun for protection is not. The "playing field" will never be level. The criminal will always have the advantage. Most sane people dont want to kill other people.

"Lets not limit guns, the criminals will get them anyway". That is about as logical as saying "lets not limit the supply of heroine, the addicts will get it anyway". No worries about the people maimed, killed, crime, being a burden on society etc.

"Guns dont kill people, people do". Right, so why bother trying to regulate anyway. Open the sluices and let anarchy rule?



Do you really think that was the reason Hitler did not invade, or are you just trying to muddle the argument? I'll repeat it for you. Do the US have a gun problem, or do you really think it is a people problem?


I have no idea about the situation in St. Croix, never been there and dont know much about the place. Sounds like the gun control laws was not enforced efficiently and that crime rates soared to me. Want to hold the argument you made here up to the snopes report about australia?

For personal protection, the family have me, cell phones and neighbours/fellow citizens. The odds of somebody entering my home on chance to do me harm is so small that I sleep very well at night. If somebody hold me up with a gun, I have done enough armed closed combat training in the army to not try to pull my own piece or do some funky ****. Good way to get killed or crippeled.

Tony,

I think that is it, fear. Good way to control people, fear. Good for business as well if you sell guns or security.

No, that's more like jumping out of a building. Feels great for a few moments, and then cold, hard, reality hits you in the face.... HARD

I respectfully disagree that the criminal has the advantage. They may have a jump start, but the adroit person could easily turn those tables. This is especially true with home invasions. You know your house best, even in the dark. Use that to your advantage.

I sleep pretty easy at night, becuase there are so many dang pet and kid toys all over my house (motion activated of course!), an intruder is likely to think he/she stepped into a crowded rock concert with all the noise created.

How many homeowners kill armed burglars/criminals entering their homes. How many homeowners owning a handgun are killed by armed burglars/criminals? What you just wrote was like something straight out of a Hollywood script.
That was one example, how many others do you want to go through? If you are scared of somebody entering your home, lock the doors and install a security system. Buy a box of CS gas and you should be very safe. Confront criminals with guns and the odds are very good that you or your family will be hurt/killed. How many criminals have entered your house or visited your friends homes while the owners was home?

Criminals always have the advantage. Usually by surprise, but also in mindset.