4 ms·

Get real. Or a tin foil hat. I am mid thirties, grown up in the UK and not having guns here is amazing. People don't get shot, as a teenager in the council fla

by Loque 11y ago

Get real. Or a tin foil hat. I am mid thirties, grown up in the UK and not having guns here is amazing. People don't get shot, as a teenager in the council flats in the UK, no-one is going to turn up with a gun, or carry a gun. And unsurprisingly, people make mistakes with guns (accidents happen). I have been forever conflicted, as I love the idea of guns, I wanted them as a kid/teenager, the idea of having such a tool is fascinating. However they are reserved for video games in my life... The only time I may regret this is in some kind of completely hypothetical situation (zombies, aliens, gov gone crazy) which is so unlikely to happen I would rather the tools to kill each other very quickly were not legally available.

AI_Overlord 11y ago
Gov gone crazy is not as unlikely as you think. It may only seem that way because of our short lifespan.
- Loque 11y ago
  Maybe this is subjective, I personally do not think it will happen in the UK. I would also rather take that risk than allow everyone to own guns just for this unknown eventuality... If it assures you in anyway, my grandfather who was in the war, handed in his 1911.
  - geggam 11y ago
    All that tells me is you forget the lessons others have learned the hard way. Experience is a dear teacher but fools will learn no other way.
    - pjc50 11y ago
      Again, we actually had an armed insurrection in the UK in Northern Ireland, including civilians being shot dead by the military, and it offends me to see people fantasising about political violence as some kind of first resort. It went on for decades, killing and immiserating a large number of people.
  - AI_Overlord 11y ago
    The thing is, when the gov goes crazy it is usually against some group of people. If you are not part of that group then you may actually believe the gov is quite sane. Also, all it takes is some really bad times for nice people to elect a tyrant. We've seen it before many times in history. Trump phenomenon fueled on xenophobia, racism, and authoritarianism, which is scary for minorities, is an example of a gov that could go crazy.
    - Loque 11y ago
      I would argue that if Trump gets voted in, it is the people who are crazy. I do see your point though - I guess everything feels very nice and pedestrian here... nothing owning guns would solve anyway. I would also argue that all those xenophobic trump fans can legally own guns... After the last elections in the UK, I don't really trust the "general public" =D
      - AI_Overlord 11y ago
        The US founders also did not trust the general population which is why the electoral college was used to elect the president. Being young I could not understand why when I first read about it. I understand now why, the masses can be quite stupid as demonstrated many times by history.
    - magicGLASSman 11y ago
      I believed the negative hype about Trump till I actually listened to what he had to say in context. I don't agree with the guy on a lot, but the emotional reactions instead logical debate really need to stop >Trump phenomenon fueled on xenophobia, racism, and authoritarianism, which is scary for minorities, is an example of a gov that could go crazy. Sentences like this are not arguments they are emotional regurgitations of fear created by endless news cycles of ad hominem attacks and half truths. Trumphobia is the irrational fear of Donald Trump created by media attacks on a candidate they can not control.
      - AI_Overlord 11y ago
throwaway049 11y ago
Shootings are not rare here, but fatal shootings are rare. Here's a link from the same source [0] to a non fatal shooting last night in London. [0] http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/15/brixton-shooting-cctv-captures-gunman-firing-victims-tulse-hill http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/15/brixton-shoot...
douche 11y ago
I'm in my late twenties, in rural New England, and having guns here is amazing. People don't get shot, and accidents almost never happen. People that have guns typically have rifles and shotguns for hunting purposes (venison is delicious, by the way), and know enough about them to respect them and use them properly. In my state, provided you aren't a felon, you can purchase a firearm in about an hour, with a simple background check (from your local Walmart, even), and you can apply for a concealed carry permit at your local police station, which they are required by law to grant you within fourteen days, again provided you come back clean on the background check. It's a fantastic state, but then again, it's more akin to living in Iceland than the rest of the country I'm more likely to get hit by a bus or drop dead of an aneurysm than shot and killed by anyone. There's also just a metric fuckton of guns out there, so you'd have a hard time tracking them all down. I'm really not a gun collector, but I've personally got at least a dozen rifles and shotguns, and three or four pistols. You inherit these things... I work with a couple guys that are actually target shooting enthusiasts, and it's amazing the armories that they've put together.

by Loque 11y ago

AI_Overlord 11y ago

Gov gone crazy is not as unlikely as you think. It may only seem that way because of our short lifespan.

Loque 11y ago
Maybe this is subjective, I personally do not think it will happen in the UK. I would also rather take that risk than allow everyone to own guns just for this unknown eventuality... If it assures you in anyway, my grandfather who was in the war, handed in his 1911.
- geggam 11y ago
  All that tells me is you forget the lessons others have learned the hard way. Experience is a dear teacher but fools will learn no other way.
  - pjc50 11y ago
    Again, we actually had an armed insurrection in the UK in Northern Ireland, including civilians being shot dead by the military, and it offends me to see people fantasising about political violence as some kind of first resort. It went on for decades, killing and immiserating a large number of people.
- AI_Overlord 11y ago
  The thing is, when the gov goes crazy it is usually against some group of people. If you are not part of that group then you may actually believe the gov is quite sane. Also, all it takes is some really bad times for nice people to elect a tyrant. We've seen it before many times in history. Trump phenomenon fueled on xenophobia, racism, and authoritarianism, which is scary for minorities, is an example of a gov that could go crazy.
  - Loque 11y ago
    I would argue that if Trump gets voted in, it is the people who are crazy. I do see your point though - I guess everything feels very nice and pedestrian here... nothing owning guns would solve anyway. I would also argue that all those xenophobic trump fans can legally own guns... After the last elections in the UK, I don't really trust the "general public" =D
    - AI_Overlord 11y ago
      The US founders also did not trust the general population which is why the electoral college was used to elect the president. Being young I could not understand why when I first read about it. I understand now why, the masses can be quite stupid as demonstrated many times by history.
  - magicGLASSman 11y ago
    I believed the negative hype about Trump till I actually listened to what he had to say in context. I don't agree with the guy on a lot, but the emotional reactions instead logical debate really need to stop >Trump phenomenon fueled on xenophobia, racism, and authoritarianism, which is scary for minorities, is an example of a gov that could go crazy. Sentences like this are not arguments they are emotional regurgitations of fear created by endless news cycles of ad hominem attacks and half truths. Trumphobia is the irrational fear of Donald Trump created by media attacks on a candidate they can not control.
    - AI_Overlord 11y ago

throwaway049 11y ago

Shootings are not rare here, but fatal shootings are rare. Here's a link from the same source [0] to a non fatal shooting last night in London. [0] http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/15/brixton-shooting-cctv-captures-gunman-firing-victims-tulse-hill http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/mar/15/brixton-shoot...

douche 11y ago

I'm in my late twenties, in rural New England, and having guns here is amazing. People don't get shot, and accidents almost never happen. People that have guns typically have rifles and shotguns for hunting purposes (venison is delicious, by the way), and know enough about them to respect them and use them properly. In my state, provided you aren't a felon, you can purchase a firearm in about an hour, with a simple background check (from your local Walmart, even), and you can apply for a concealed carry permit at your local police station, which they are required by law to grant you within fourteen days, again provided you come back clean on the background check. It's a fantastic state, but then again, it's more akin to living in Iceland than the rest of the country I'm more likely to get hit by a bus or drop dead of an aneurysm than shot and killed by anyone. There's also just a metric fuckton of guns out there, so you'd have a hard time tracking them all down. I'm really not a gun collector, but I've personally got at least a dozen rifles and shotguns, and three or four pistols. You inherit these things... I work with a couple guys that are actually target shooting enthusiasts, and it's amazing the armories that they've put together.