1 vs 7: How many AET people own a gun?

ZiggyStar

Caveeze wrote:

our gun laws protect us as well.. the difference being we are allowed to have them.. us law abiding citizens that is.. not just criminals.. I love the fact that we are free to make our own choice on this matter.

Fair enough....agree to disagree.

CAVSTARR313

ZiggyStar wrote:

Caveeze wrote:

our gun laws protect us as well.. the difference being we are allowed to have them.. us law abiding citizens that is.. not just criminals.. I love the fact that we are free to make our own choice on this matter.

Fair enough....agree to disagree.

yes ma'am.. I enjoy our friendship to much to keep the bickering up..

ZiggyStar

Caveeze wrote:

yes ma'am.. I enjoy our friendship to much to keep the bickering up..

Oh I found this really interesting!! :thumbup: I love how I can talk to people on here and listen to their views and learn about their country and how they see the world etc. No bickering from me at all....I was honestly interested in your opinion....which is why I asked you so many questions.

CAVSTARR313

ZiggyStar wrote:

Caveeze wrote:

yes ma'am.. I enjoy our friendship to much to keep the bickering up..

Oh I found this really interesting!! :thumbup: I love how I can talk to people on here and listen to their views and learn about their country and how they see the world etc. No bickering from me at all....I was honestly interested in your opinion....which is why I asked you so many questions.

It is just a cultural difference.. but I get the feeling that Americans are viewed as wild and reckless cowboys in other countries.. And I try (the best i can, which is usually pretty shitty) to let folks know that it is not really like that.. We are nice people, we are shitty people, we are righteous, and we can truly suck at times. Just like anywhere else in the world.. all on earth are human..(except the animals, they seem to have it figured out pretty good)

Jennytree

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

Sheep with guns are dangerous X 10000000000000!

That reminded me of Cows With Guns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMbXvn2RNI

We're only allowed guns for hunting here. My Dad has one as he owns a farm. You need a licence for it, and you have to show the Gardaí that you have it locked away in a case before they'll give you one. We knew where it was, but never went near it, and my Da wouldn't be in too much of a rush to get it if someone was breaking into the house. He only uses it to kill foxes who are trying to take newborn lambs. There are some gun clubs around the area where they raise pheasants and then release them, only to go hunt them and shoot them, which seems utterly pointless!

Recently, a law was passed whereby you wouldn't get prosecuted anymore if you killed someone who was threatening your family on your own property - that was after a case where a man got jailed (and later released) after he shot a man dead who was breaking into his home. We have shootings/gangland murders here, but I don't think anyone would feel threatened enough to carry one around with them in the glovebox of the car etc.

pjfan31

So how common is it that a 'law abiding citizen' would carry a gun on them going to work? going to the pub? etc..

If you're out and you get into a heated exchange with someone and you just pull a gun on them... that can't be a good thing...

And how often are children accidentally shot? I know most would lock it up, but that is a problem we don't face..

God Bless America

And thank Christ for Australia...

ZiggyStar

Oh and just to set the record straight, you can get a licence in Australia for a gun as long as you can prove a genuine reason for needing one ie pest control, farming, target shooting or collecting. Self defence is not a valid reason. Apparently 5% of Australian's (765,000) own a gun for the above purposes. I don't know anyone with one. Never heard anyone talk about wanting or owning a gun. It's just not something the average Australian thinks about....ever. Be interesting to compare the ownership rate to the US.

ZiggyStar

In 1995, the number of guns in the US was 223 million. About 25% of adults in the US own a gun. About half of adult Americans lived in a household with guns. Less than half say their primary reason of ownership is self protection from crime. (source: Wiki)

223 million?? Wow!

The Oracle

Most interesting topic, and Ziggy - you asked all the questions I would have. Didn't watch the video. I'm sure it IS just a cultural thing in the USA. Look at their history compared to ours - a War of Independence, a Civil War, it is just enshrined in their society. Yet our history - a virtual immediate surrender by our indigenous people, no civil war etc, has had no need for the gun mentality for ordinary citizens.

I live in the heart of the area where there have been dozens of shootings in the past year - the last one on, of all days, Australia Day was 2 blocks from me, and what I thought was fireworks around 9pm was, in fact, gunshots (about a dozen). A bit shocked - the first time I've heard gunshots - but not worried, as all these shootings (with very few injuries) are between criminals. Mind you, I do wish they'd stop.

Different socities, different rules. Look at our Police Force - they're armed, yet isn't it so that the British 'bobby' is NOT armed. Now there's another strange one!

JonnyPistachio

ZiggyStar wrote:

I can understand the hunting side of things.

I find it strange that people in the US feel that their lives are soooo threatened that they need to protect themselves with guns. Is it paranoia?

What percentage would own a gun for protection? Heaps? Not many?

Johnny's story above about the gun going off near his head is scary....I don't like that people who obviously have no idea have access to guns so easily.

Funny thing is, Ziggy, that guy who accidentally discharged the shotgun was very well trained and is one of my most respected friends (still to this day). He was the officiant at my wedding! and he is now a COP. It was just an accident. Even the most well trained people are not perfect, and that's what scares me. Accidents are not 100% preventable. I'll never forget how shaky his voice was for weeks whenever he talked to me..he finally told me later that he felt like crying all the time because he couldnt stop thinking about how he would have faced my mother had he killed me on accident.

Also, its probably just too late to ban guns int he USA. Too many criminals do have them...but better regulations,-- ie magazine limits, caliber limits, are probably a good thing. And also stricter penalties for accidents and crimes committed using guns would be good to see.

Stardog3..

I have a Red Rider BB gun and some mace pepper spray.

rick1zoo2

This happened here last week:

No charges for man who shot teens
65-year-old city man acted in self-defense in killing, wounding of teens, DA says

---

Mike Urban
Reading Eagle


A 65-year-old Reading man who was riding his bicycle was justified in shooting two teens - one fatally - who tried to rob him on a Schuylkill River trail as part of a crime spree, the Berks County district attorney said Thursday.

The teens, age 16 and 15, and another 15-year-old boy skipped school Wednesday and robbed two pedestrians in West Reading before they attacked the man as he rode on the Thun Trail in Cumru Township at 11 a.m., police said.

The man, whose name authorities withheld, will not be charged for shooting the teens because he acted in self-defense, which is legal under Pennsylvania's Castle Doctrine, District Attorney John T. Adams said.

"While I don't condone violence, the bike rider had no choice," Adams said. "It was justifiable homicide."

Julius Johnson, 16, of Reading was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday morning after he was shot in his chest with a handgun, officials said.

An autopsy Thursday by Dr. Supriya Kuruvila, a forensic pathologist at Reading Hospital, determined Johnson died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the county coroner's office. The death was ruled a homicide, officials said.

The 15-year-old shot in the neck remained in Reading Hospital on Thursday, officials said. Information about his medical condition could not be obtained. Police did not release his name because he has not been charged.

The third teen, Michael Gonzalez, 15, address unavailable, was charged with robbery, aggravated assault and related offenses and committed to the county youth center in Bern Township.

Officials said an investigation continues.

Johnson was a Reading High School student, and the 15-year-olds are Gov. Mifflin High School students, Adams said.

Adams gave this account:

Johnson was on probation for previous offenses. Juvenile probation officers had gone to his Oakbrook residence earlier Wednesday and found the three teens playing video games.

They told the two 15-year-olds to leave. The officers put an electronic monitoring device on Johnson's ankle, ordered him to stay home and report to their office with his parents at 4 p.m.

Instead, the three met up and decided to jump and rob random victims.

They first robbed an elderly man in West Reading shortly after 10 a.m., taking money from his pockets, then tried to rob another man in West Reading, kneeing him in the stomach and pushing him to the ground. Neither man was hurt.

The bike rider was on the trail between Reading and West Reading.

As he rode past the teens, the 15-year-old whose name was not released punched the man in the face, knocking him from his bike. Johnson ran and kicked the man, who was sitting against a chain-link fence along the trail.

As one of the teens ran toward the man, he shot Johnson and the 15-year-old.

People who found the man called 9-1-1 and waited for police to arrive. It was unclear if the people heard the shots or were on the trail.

The teens weren't armed, but the shootings were legal because the man was unable to escape, thought his life was in danger and had a permit to carry his gun, Adams said.

The man told investigators: "I was scared for my life. I was in big trouble. If I could have kept my bike on the trail, I would have gotten out of there."

The man was unhurt but shaken by the shootings, Adams said.

Adams did not know if Johnson's monitoring device had GPS tracking capabilities or if it simply triggered an alarm when he left his home. Adams said juvenile probation officers acted appropriately.

Cumru Police Chief Jed Habecker credited his department for its quick investigation.

He said the crime was only the second robbery to occur along the Cumru section of the Thun Trail in about a decade.

Adams said he has heard from many people in the community that the bicyclist was a hero for successfully defending himself.

"When your life is in danger, you have no choice but to use deadly force," he said.

Contact Mike Urban: 610-371-5023 or <!-- e --><a href="mailto:murban@readingeagle.com">murban@readingeagle.com</a><!-- e -->.

neilybabes86

:shh: :shh:

rick1zoo2

my thoughts on guns are that I like to shoot them, but I think they are too dangerous to have around so I will never own one. Too many stories in the news about kids getting shot accidentally while playing with guns that were supposed to be locked up.

And as the above article demonstrates, adding a gun to a bad situation can make it a lot worse. While that man may have been legally justified in shooting, he now has to live with the fact that he killed another person. And yes, what those boys did was very wrong, but I don't believe it should have cost one his life.

he.who.forgets

I hate guns...scared of em.

Monster Rain

I'd own one but I'm told it's very difficult to get a permit in NJ so I've never bothered. My dad was an INS agent and he said he still had a hard time getting a permit after he retired despite carrying one every day for 20+ years.

Mamasan23

I love love love shooting guns at a range. That being said, I could never have a gun in my house. When I was growing up, a good friend of mine shot himself in the head when he was 13 years old because his dad had guns in the house. Would he still be alive today if there were no guns in the house? Probably. Obviously the gun should have been locked away, but that's just one example of what can happen when people are careless about their guns. I'm not the type of person to tell other people what they can and can't do, I just know that it's not for me.

DS1119

Mamasan23 wrote:

I love love love shooting guns at a range. That being said, I could never have a gun in my house. When I was growing up, a good friend of mine shot himself in the head when he was 13 years old because his dad had guns in the house. Would he still be alive today if there were no guns in the house? Probably. Obviously the gun should have been locked away, but that's just one example of what can happen when people are careless about their guns. I'm not the type of person to tell other people what they can and can't do, I just know that it's not for me.

And in my opinion this is what it comes down to. Freedom of choice. :thumbup:

josevolution

No guns for me ....

mfc2006

i don't own a gun & i never will. i've never fired one & seriously doubt that i ever will.