i don't understand banning guns.

I'd be happy to answer questions as to why one would wish to regulate firearms. However, you are asking a putative someone why they wish to ban all guns. Therefore, you are not addressing me.

Perhaps i ought not to have responded at all. But if you are contending that there are those here who propose banning all guns, why don't you just send them a PM? That way, you needn't have embarrassed yourself by posting a shamefully obvious strawman . . .

emcleam --------- the american government & the constitution allows the ownership of firearms. My government & constitution doesn't. I've never felt the desire or need to own a firearm. Now the american attitude towards guns is very pro. My question is this, Why do you want to own a gun ?
Do you feel safer ? Is it simply custom & practice ?
Now many ordinary people in fact fire a gun on a day to day basis ?

It's not fair to answer a question with another question. Is it?

I think the gun-banishers are living in a dream world. It's like the bumper sticker that says "Visualize World Peace." It's a nice thought exercise, but it's never going to happen. Just as you can't un-invent violence and war, you can't un-invent guns. They will always exist, and they will always be smuggled from places where they are legal to places where they are illegal. Because of that, there is no practical way to outlaw firearms.

YOU CAN'T GET A MAN WITH A GUN Lyrics

ANNIE OAKLEY:
Oh my Mother was frightened by a shotgun, they say,
That's why I'm such a wonderful shot.
I'd be am out in the cactus and I practice all day,
And now tell me what have I got.
I'm quick on the trigger with targets not much bigger
Than a pen point, I'm number one.
But my score with a feller is lower than a cellar-
Oh you can't get a man with a gun.
When I'm with a pistol
I sparkle like a crystal,
Yes, I shine like the morning sun.
But I lose all my luster
When with a Bronco Buster.
Oh you can't get a man with a gun.
With a gun, with a gun,
No, you can't get a man with a gun.
If I went to battle
With someone's herd of cattle
You'd have steak when the job was done.
But if shot the herder,
They'd holler "bloody murder"
And you can't shoot a male
In the tail like a quail
Oh you can't get a man with a gun.
I'm cool, brave and daring
To see a lion glaring
When I'm out with my Remington
But a look from a mister
Will raise a fever blister
Oh you can't get a man with a gun.
The gals with "umbrellars"
Are always out with fellers
In the rain or the blazing sun
But a man never trifles
With gals who carry rifles
Oh you can't get a man with a gun.
With a gun, with a gun,
No, you can't get a man with a gun.
A man's love is mighty
It'll leave him buy a nightie
For a gal who he thinks is fun.
But they don't by pajamas
For Pistol packin' mamas,
And you can't get a hug
From a mug with a slug,
Oh you can't get a man with a gun.


Sorry, emcleam, I didn't understand what you were asking, soooooooo

I've not yet had a response from the author here about to whom he (?) refers in speaking of those who wish for "outlawing all firearms." Without more specificity, this is just a strawman. Tarantulas' response partakes of the same fantasy, as though the both of them are refering to a specific individual or individuals. If you have someone in mind here at AckAck, then it would help if you simply contact that individual.

Otherwise, this is just an exercise in trying to sucker someone into a stawman argument.

I was wondering who "you" was as well, but Setanta already addressed it. There is something about starting a thread using the royal "you" that is almost as repugnant as using the royal "we".

oldandknew
I own a gun because I enjoy trying to improve my skill with it. I see no fire arms as a hobby similar to golf. I do not feel safer for owning a gun; I don’t feel any less safe not having it. I do not fire a gun every day, but do you engage in your hobby every day?

Setanta, I understand and agree with some of the regulation. I am trying to find out why people want them all out of privet hands. The question is aimed at any that would care to respond,(hard to PM them.)

and sorry it took so long to respond, i did not know you were waiting(all of 33 min.)

Do you see Em, why it appears to be a strawman? Had i come here to explain my thoughts on regulation, it would be like walking into the door. It would be all to easy to suggest that i favor outlawing all firearms, as that would be implicit in a response.

This is like the question: Have you stopped beating your wife?

I didn't see this at first. I'll pass on the juvenile sarcasm, thank you. You may be assured that i will not again darken one of your threads.

What is hard to understand about “i don't understand banning guns.”?
I am asking a question, What do you believe will be accomplished by outlawing all firearms?
That is what I want to know.

tarantulas -------- I posed a series of questions, one leading onto another. the purpose being to dig out the attitude as to why people want to own a gun.

Hi setanta --- I guess he's refering to Joe Public

Hi Letty --- cute song, i love when a score & a lyric come together

emclean, you would have been clearer had you titled this thread:

Do you believe in gun control?

Hey, oakman. We all know that music soothes the savage breast, right?

guns and butter
guns and butter
can we have one without t'other?

Personally, I like guns and don't much care about the gun debate in America.

But I do want to add that while you consider this issue consider the effect outside of a gun culture.

The maxim that "if guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns" is true but only to a certain point.

In a gun culture like America the imediate effect would be similar to that proposed axiom.

But over time if gun control becomes part of the culture it is a very different story.

There are, indeed, nations that do not have guns and that have virtually no violent crimes.

Now emclean, to pre-empt your next step where you argue that only nations with guns and military have freedom I'll advise you to check those facts before making that claim, as it can very easily be refuted.

One time, I swear, I will start a thread: why are you pro speed-limit on motorways.

We here in Germany have a "freedom" which virtually no one else in the world recognizes as one: the right to drive as fast as possible on the Autobahn - similar to the one in the USA, namely to keep and bear firearms.

Both these "freedoms" can survive because there are very effective and vocal lobby groups behind them, even though a slight majority of the general populations in both countries may oppose them.

I will post a repeat of my posting that I answered sofia when she asked a similar question in the NRA thread:

I was raised as the son of a soldier. I fired my first M-16 at the age of 10 and remember firing a .50 caliber machine gun from the turret of my fathers tank when I was 13. (Amazing what you can get away with when you father is a First Sergeant)

The weapons I have were his prized collection and the only thing he had to leave me when he died. (I was 15)

I have since sold off a few of them when my little sister needed money for college and I have added to the collection as my finances have permitted. I enjoy shooting as a recreation (like some people are good at golf and others tennis, I am good at putting lead in the 10 ring). I like hitting targets and knowing that I am a fine shot. I truly enjoy being on the range and competing with my friends.

I own numerous military class weapons. (My father was an avid gun collector and was trying to collect one of each of the primary U.S. military firearms from the beginning) Firing weapons is great fun to someone and as long as you haven't proven irresponsibility in firearms handling, who is to say what is 'permitted' or not.

I own a '03 Springfield rifle from WW One, it has a 'star bore' (one of the first barrels off a new rifling die) and is accurate enough that I have gotten bullseye hits at 600 yards. Does this make me a potential sniper? No, I just enjoy the challenge of hitting something at that range.

I have a concealed weapons carry permit here in Florida. I carry my weapon on and off, depending on my mood and always have something in my vehicle.

Am I looking to hurt anyone? Nope... as a matter of fact, I catch a lot of crap from people at the gun range where I practice because I won't shoot silhouette targets, only target bullseyes. (I feel shooting at something resembling a person bruises your Karma a bit with every round.)

I just like shooting, am not a criminal, have never hurt anyone with or been negligent with my firearms (Like 99% of all gun owners) and yet I am viewed as some sort of 'gun nut' or potential clocktower sniper because I choose to exercise my right to Keep and Bear Arms.

I also shoot archery and enjoy the challenge that brings.

I stopped hunting when I was 17 and haven't been since but I still enjoy the fun of staying sharp in my marksmanship.

Thats the best I can give you.

On the other hand, I believe the Swiss are very heavily armed and have virtually no violent crime. I'm not sure there is a correlation between crime and the number of guns present.

Part of it is the culture in which 'we' live. I grew up in an era where everybody knew their neighbors, finding the house key was a major challenge because doors were almost never locked, you left your car with the windows rolled down and the keys in the ignition when you went to the store, nobody ever worried about somebody snatching their kid, and crime of any kind, let alone violent crime, was so rare it would send a shockwave through a ten-county area when it happened.

Everybody had hunting rifles and shotguns then, but nobody had guns for self protection.

Now I do have a gun for self protection. That's all it is used for as I have an aversion to killing animals for sport. (I even feel sorry for the fish and the worm used for bait.)

Now, burglaries, robberies, shootings, muggings, car jackings, child snatching, rape, domestic violence are so common we don't pay much attention to any of it unless it happens to us or somebody we know or to somebody famous. ("We" means me and mine here, not the 'royal we'.) To leave the house or car unlocked is unthinkable. Children must be kept close in public places and it is important to be aware of our surroundings at all times.

I know how to use my gun but I've never had to point it, much less fire it at anybody. But I could. If I or my loved one is threatened, I won't risk that the police will make it in time.

fedral - emclean----- I understand what you are saying about your guns, a safe attitude.
It's not the gun's fault if it kills, it's the sniper's
It's not the car's fault if it kills, it's the drunk driver's

An adult attitude & strict controls is what is required in a gun orientated society.

We get gun crime in the UK, so we can't preach or as the old saying goes ---- "don't try and teach your grandmother how to suck eggs"

I don't understand banning guns either, but I am surprised how much time has been spent on this topic here at A2K.

I'm not a fan of guns, or golf for that matter. I've never lived in a house with guns. Would this be a better world without guns? Of course - but ALL of the guns aren't going to go away.

I look at it this way. The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution guarantees your right to bear arms. Fine. I'll accept that as long as everyone also accepts the 1st Amendment. http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Amend.html - great site.

I like Chris Rock's attitude. Keep guns legal, just make the bullets very expensive.