Almost had to kill the neighbor's dog

people that are way too trigger happy that really confuses, concerns, intrigues me. I love guns. I think they're awesome pieces of machinery and there aren't many things that are as firing a Glock or other well crafted handgun. At the same time, if there were no guns, there would be no need for guns. This country loves it's guns and that's why the US has somewhere around 50+ times as many gun deaths than any other country. The only thing that struck me that I just felt the need to comment on, was the first thought being, "I got me mah gun and I'm not a skeered to use it." That mentality strikes me as highly unevolved and dangerous. I'm not a bleeding heart at all. Liberal though, EXTREMELY. Not that that has anything to do with anything but I'm sure that's why I don't understand the way your average (and by average I mean, dillusional) Republican thinks. And didn't mean to turn this little anecdote into a gun control issue so I'm not gonna post on this anymore. I was just bored at work and it sparked my interest. Take care.

"At the same time, if there were no guns, there would be no need for guns."

England, which has some of the strictest of gun control laws, also has a horrible problem with violent crimes. Criminals have guns, and law abiding citizens do not . . . who would have supposed THAT might happen????


"This country loves it's guns and that's why the US has somewhere around 50+ times as many gun deaths than any other country."

I would truly LOVE to see your statistical information to back up such a claim. I would also like for you to quantify the actual number of gun related deaths per 100,000 people in the country. We have a lot more deaths due to guns here than say, IRAQ, but if you think the Hussein death squads didn't kill a much larger percentage of their population than were ever even threatened here, you are sadly mistaken.

Also, Israel and Switzerland have a MUCH larger proliferation of guns in their countries than does the U.S. This is true because almost everyone in each of those nations is required to perform military service (you know, that shoot first ask questions later place) and remain in the reserve system for several years thereafter. Both countries require a large percentage of their population to keep and remain proficient at the use of fully automatic weapons. Even so, they have a MUCH lower rate of violent crime (once you exclude Israel's terrorist attacks, which almost never involves the use of guns) than do we here in the U.S. Why? Because crooks there know full well that the homeowners there are armed and know how to use their defenses!

I agree we have problems with the gun violence in this country. But we have always had the guns, and the violence is a relatively new phenomenon. Huh . . .You don't suppose it could have anything to do with the changing CULTURE of this nation that has brought about the cheapening of human life, do you? I mean, we've only taught our kids that they are nothing more than highly evolved animals with no real rules to follow, only situational ethics for about forty years now. Are we really surprised that they have started to act like what we've told them they were???

I find your assertion that the average Republican is dillusional to be ludicrous, dismissive, offensive, and quite typical of many who hold your views. I understand why you use such personal attacks, though. After all, when the facts are not with you, what else do you have?

Guns kill so many more people than dogs do. Especially in this twisted country of ours.

Perhaps that is because there are more people than dogs in this country. And perhaps it also means that as a species people are more apt to put themselves into positions where they MUST be shot in order to stop their predations on other people.

At the same time, if there were no guns, there would be no need for guns.

BS, in it's purest form. The Colt .45 was called "The Equalizer". See if you can figure out why that name was applied to it.

This country loves it's guns and that's why the US has somewhere around 50+ times as many gun deaths than any other country.

I seriously doubt the accuracy of that statement. Especially when you are obviously using it in the context of that the guns were used in inappropriate or illegal circumstances. How many of those gun deaths were from the appropriate use of a gun in a self defense situation, that citizens of many other countries would not have as an option because their government DOES NOT ALLOW them to have guns?

Liberal though, EXTREMELY.

Gee, THAT's a surprise. Who would have figured THAT out?

But it seems the definition has changed to where it is 180 degrees from it's original definition. It used to mean, willing to accept change, live and let live, and have a liberal dose of common sense, understanding, and tolerance for other people's ideals. Now it means "My thoughts are the ONLY reasonable and logical thoughts. You, on the other hand, are just an unwashed right wing conspiracist brute, that will never understand my point of view."

Not that that has anything to do with anything but I'm sure that's why I don't understand the way your average (and by average I mean, dillusional) Republican thinks.

See previous statement by me. Pretty much proves my point.

I was referring specifically to Canada, our closest neighbor. Which has about 50 gun incidents a year, compared to our 3,000+. 2 cultures which are very similar, yet very different. It's a contrast that I find very interesting. And as far offending the right wing percentage of the population, I really have no remorse for that. Sorry.

I'm sorry, but I do not believe your statistical assertions. Please provide some evidence for what you have said concerning Canada's number of gun related deaths, please.

Actually, I just decided to get the information myself. Here it is on an apples-to-apples basis:

"Here are gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in the world's 36 richest countries in 1994: United States 14.24; Brazil 12.95; Mexico 12.69; Estonia 12.26; Argentina 8.93; Northern Ireland 6.63; Finland 6.46; Switzerland 5.31; France 5.15; Canada 4.31; Norway 3.82; Austria 3.70; Portugal 3.20; Israel 2.91; Belgium 2.90; Australia 2.65; Slovenia 2.60; Italy 2.44; New Zealand 2.38; Denmark 2.09; Sweden 1.92; Kuwait 1.84; Greece 1.29; Germany 1.24; Hungary 1.11; Republic of Ireland 0.97; Spain 0.78; Netherlands 0.70; Scotland 0.54; England and Wales 0.41; Taiwan 0.37; Singapore 0.21; Mauritius 0.19; Hong Kong 0.14; South Korea 0.12; Japan 0.05."

http://www.guncite.com/cnngunde.html

By the way, the article from which those figures were copied was one in which the gun proliferation in this country was cited as being a national health risk by the CDC. Hardly a right-wing perspective!

I found it interesting that Canada, which has a population of about 31 million people, has a gun death rate of 4.31 deaths per 100,000 population. The comes out as a little more than 1,336 deaths by guns in Canada each year. Way more than your cited "50 gun incidents" per year. Also, these are actual deaths, not just incidents; the number of incidents must be MUCH higher, wouldn't you agree?

The United States? Well, we average 32,752 deaths per year by guns. How many of them are accidental, suicides, self-defense issues or homicides? I have no idea, but it is way too high a number regardless! However, we also average more than 40,000 deaths each year on our nation's highways and some 3,000,000 injured. Should we ban cars? No, it is the fault of the drivers that auto accidents happen, just exactly as it is the fault of the shooters when guns are misused.

So, I come back to my point about the changes of our own culture, which is truly slouching toward Gomorrah in many ways. You failed to address that issue, but it seems to me that the lowering of standards and the cheapening of human life brought about by the new liberalism of the 1960s took place at the same time that the rise of gun violence has been recorded. But that's just coincidental, right?

why you ask that i say that ? well two years ago i had left my apt. to got a doctors visit and then to work ( self employed) well after the docs office i decidedthat i needed to return to my house to get something i need at work for the day .I went picked up my help drove back to my apt. Although i lived in a "reasonably safe" neighborhood ,well this morning as i got out my neighbor asked if i had guests in my house ?? she had heard someone talking on the rear deck. Well of course i replied no and grabbed my gun from the seat of the truck.my helper who is a reasonably strong guy waswith me as i walked uo to the door i hear voices seemed more then just one person in my home where i lived alone other then snakes. yuo bet i had my gun in my hand as i unlocked the door i swung it open very fast to only find my helper out in the drive behind me and standing face to face with two guys one holding his hands full of MY STUFF !!! the other holding a knife in his hand .. the first one dropped and ran for the back door the second made the mistake of comming at me with his knife .I immeadiately reacated with 2 squeezes of the trigger and dropped this guy in my living room floor. the other one stoped at the back door and turned to lok i told him if he moved id shoot to kill him . by this time my neighbors had called the police and they arrived almost 2-3 minutes later. Now i did not think twice about pulling my gun and using it that day Why it was my HOME mySTUFF and MY life that was threatened .. un luckily i didnt kill the SOB with the knife but just severaly wounded him with one shot to the stomach and one in the upper leg. Now even though he was in MY house with no right to be there as obvious by the sliding doors busted own and glass and a brick in the kitchen floor. I was the one charged for assualt with a deadly weapon w/ intent to cause bodilt harm.. why Well from my lawyers words i should have killed him thern he could not have testified against me in court lol ... the courts finally dropped charges they filed on me and even let him go w/o being held in jail. the moral to this if guns were not around .. neither would i be as i feel with they close range of the guy with a knife and his help i would have been a victom rather then then them. if with out that gun im sure both ofthese guys would have taken the thought od 2 on 1 and went for me instead of the one dropping and running he was smart if both had ran i would have not shot anyone that day ( i think) but when faced with someone who has nothing bad bad intentions ... in MYHOME or vehicle ... id take a gun anyday over a friend .. .friends may not always want to have themsleves subjected to possible injury while a gun in the right hands can always equall out the outcome of a bad situation .

so i say if you dont like the way the US is run and you dont like people having guns .. move to where they banned and then tell me how much you like your life then ... hopefully well but chances are someone there has guns to ...

wasn't trying to start a gun control debate. And I in no way think guns should be banned. The second Amendment is just as important as the others. And by the way the first is to protect freedom of unpopular speech. Otherwise, it wouldn't be needed if everything anyone ever said was popular speech. It's too bad they're not all respected and upheld very often. I was just commenting on the menatlity that some people hold (and they have every right to) that guns take presedence to everything else. Gun freaks. Just pointing out the irony. Obvioulsy, it's a touchy subject that everyone has a different view on. It's fun to discuss though right? And by the way, my definition of liberal, and how I live it, is that every single person should have the right to make their own decisions with no interference from anyone. EVERY PERSON. And as far as I'm concerned, anyone who doesn't feel that way has a really warped sense of freedom. And these people are usually the ones that claim to be most patriotic.

Typically people who advocate legalizing assault weapons say they should have the right and freedom to own an AK-47 if they choose to. But these are the people that are the most likely to advocate many, many other freedoms be taken from everyone else. It's hypocritical and ironic. And makes no sense. And I just don't think people like that ever stop for a second to think about their stance or they would realize how ridiculous they look. Which was my whole point to begin with. That's all.

geesh i hate when i get so fast to express my self i do that .. none the less you get the point Guns are a needed thing here in the US and i have NEVER seen a gun kill somebody.... its the hand behind the gun that does the thinking

That's ridiculous. See the twisted and warped mentality that I'm talking about? I'm sure you went through a legal circus for probably years. For protecting yourself. I'm not against guns in any way. As a matter of fact, I agree that they play a very important role. What I don't care for, is hypocricy, stupidity and ignorrance. However, it is very hard to always be on the right side of a fine line. Guess that's just life. But you have to admit that in some instances situations happen that just turn out to make people look like morons. And if they would stop and think before snapping into whatever they're indoctrinated with, the outcome would be different. And alot more sensible.