One thing I like about Britain

[r1cko]

even in bowling for columbine, which is an ill-founded 'documentary', shows that gun deaths in the uk were *low*

lower than germany.. lower than france.. lower than australia..

i am certainly not proud, or happy that it only took one tragic event where people lost their lives, in order for everyone in this country to lose the liberty of owning a weapon.

that is certainly not a favourable position to be in, imv.

 

[Borris]

I haven't read this thread in total, but I just wanted to say one thing.

I like my guns (or I should say, I like my father's - I see very little reason to own one whilst living in the city).

I also like the fact that they are kept in a damn near nuclear (or nucular if you are GWB) proof strong box in the cellar, and that there are strict rules about where you can fire them and how you must transport them.

I like the fact that I have to be vetted heavily for my shotgun license (although I know people that have criminal records that have received licenses - just goes to show that no systems are foolproof).

I like the fact that, on average, the British criminal doesn't have a gun.

It means that I don't have to stare down the barrel of a Hekler & Koch Semi-Automatic Carbine when I drive 5 miles over the speed limit, and face the risk of being shot because the policeman doesn't understand my accent.

Because carrying guns is illegal, the only people carrying guns must, therefore, be criminals.

 

[dirtydog]

This is why I want airguns banned. You can jail people who misuse them but it's too late then, the damage is done.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2911177.stm

Two men who fired a series of shots from a flat at passers-by, blinding a woman in one eye, have been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail.
Adam Becket, 19, and Clive Martin, 27, used a .22 air rifle to shoot repeatedly at people leaving nightclubs in Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the pair hit four people, including bus driver Yvonne Shepherd whose right eye had to be removed.

Another victim, Carol Bayliss, needed surgery to remove a pellet lodged close to her heart as a result of the attack, launched from a flat in Lichfield Street on 1 December last year.

Barmen Eli Jacks and Christopher Walker were also targeted, but suffered comparatively minor injuries.

Judge Robin Onions described the air pellet attacks as half an hour of "utter madness and recklessness" which had been frighteningly random.

The judge allowed Mrs Shepherd to give a statement from the witness box before he sentenced Beckett and Martin.

The 34-year-old sobbed as she told the court: "The bullet is still in my face now. It can never be taken out.

"I have lost my job and as far as I am concerned, my life is over.

They should have thrown away the key but they'll be out in two years

 

[StixxUK]

I'd just like to live in a world with no need for any laws, where people lived in peace and harmony, didn't destroy our environment and everyone was happy all the time. That'd be nice.

 

[Vanilla]

I feel we should be able to shoot guns of any calibre, up to .50

Criminals use illegal guns to commit crimes. If someone owned a legal gun (back in the day) it would be kept locked in a safe. It just wouldn't be worth the trouble of breaking into a safe to get a pistol, not when they can be bought cheaply on the street.

How would people feel if live soccer attendance was banned because of soccer violence? How would people who own guns feel if they were banned bacuse of the aciton of a single man? oops they were.

Making more things illegal does not reduce the amount of illegal things owned.

If people have the right to self defence they should logically have the right to own the means to defend themselves. In todays world the best way for one to defend themselves is with firearms.

Countries with tight control laws do not, in general, have significantly lower crime rates than those with lax laws. There is no evidence whatsoever at a global scale that gun control laws help reduce crime, and no logical reason that they would. If you ban guns, only criminals will have guns; not their victims.

Nobody "needs" a gun, but that doesnt mean they dont have the right to own them if they choose to. A government-enforced ban on firearms is generally one of the first steps in establishing a totalitarian state (eg britain/nazi germany(lol)/etc), because its the first sign that a government wants to 'rule' over its people rather than to govern them.

Interesting Link

 

[JodieO]

I like the anti gun laws too. I don't think we should all be allowed to own firearms because it doesn't make you any safer. What could happen in a situation is you have a gun, someone tries to mug/attack you, you pull out gun, they take gun from you, you get shot possibly killed. At least at the moment it isn't that easy. I would not feel very safe living in a country that allowed people to carry firearms at all. There are too many irresponsible people to allow firearms to be widely used. There are of course a percentage of oeople that would take care of their guns, store them securely and handle them responsibly but there are just too many that wouldn't. The misuse of air rifles etc is very indicative of how people would treat firearms with live ammo. I would also like to see less people owning air rifles etc as a lot of young people that own them seem not to realise or care what damage they do with them. I'm not sure how strict the laws are on owning them but they should be a lot stricter.

 

[Stiff_Cookie]

I would rather get shot then beaten to death

 

[Gilly]

Originally posted by Vanilla
I feel we should be able to shoot guns of any calibre, up to .50

I, and many others, however, do not.

Originally posted by Vanilla

How would people feel if live soccer attendance was banned because of soccer violence? How would people who own guns feel if they were banned bacuse of the aciton of a single man? oops they were.

You can't steal a soccer fan, make him into a 'soccer thug' (of which there are VERY few now, especially in this country) and use him as an offensive weapon.

Originally posted by Vanilla
Countries with tight control laws do not, in general, have significantly lower crime rates than those with lax laws. There is no evidence whatsoever at a global scale that gun control laws help reduce crime, and no logical reason that they would. If you ban guns, only criminals will have guns; not their victims.
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No logical reason that they would? If the world had more tightly controlled laws, there'd be less guns that could be brought in illegally

Originally posted by Stiff_Cookie
I would rather get shot then beaten to death

Load of rubbish IMO.

You ever been in a fight? You ever been beaten up?

I can answer yes to both. I've never been shot though.

How many more times are you likely to die from a gunshot wound than a beating? Many, many times is my estimation. At least a hundred times, maybe more.