US shooting incidents

[dPmunky]

depends on what city/neighborhood you live in. A friend of mine has been broken into twice and assaulted/mugged 3 times! Several people at the office here have been victims of smash and grab type robberies in their homes. Luckily only 1 of them was home at the time. It happens quite a bit in the cities sadly. the suburbs and the country, on the other hand, arent anywhere NEAR as bad. but most people hear of these events and decide they "better be safe then sorry" and arm up.

so to answer the question, it's probably not all that common, especially in comparison to the UK or anywhere else, even in the cities but the level it is reported on and hyped is alarming to everyone

[Yankee_Gooner_Dandee]

you and i and everyone else on this forum will be long gone from this world before this country makes guns illegal. i personally hate guns, not a hunter, and will probably never own a gun. however, if you had kids and a family to protect and lived anywhere near a major city you would want to own a gun to keep in your house just in case something ever did happen. i mean, going at a burgler who has a gun, with a baseball bat in your hand doesn't really cut it.

Is being in your house with a burglar a common event in the states?

In England it's so rare that counter measures (i.e. having a weapon to hand) isn't really an issue it's just not something you have to deal with.

In fact, I always thought the "what would you do if a burglar had a gun..." scenario was scaremongering from the pro-gun brigade to justify their position - is it really that frequent an event?

it happens enough that you don't want to be the guy who's family was harmed or robbed and wasn't armed to protect them. i mean getting a gun here is as easy as paying $200 for the license and buying a pistol for another $250. if youve got a family and live in a city, its worth the money as insurance. i myself do not have either a family or a gun but you can see how people would want one.

honestly a lot of legal gun owners are hunters who own rifles and such, especially in the midwest, north, and northwest of the country where hunting is a rather large activity that a lot of people participate in. not that that makes it any different but thats why its hard to blanket gun laws because of people who do hunt. now if you wanted to outright ban handguns and semi-automatic rifles you could maybe get somewhere but it would take a lot of political power, and someone who would be willing to risk their political career. or say someone like Obama who cant run for office again anyways.

[LDB]

you and i and everyone else on this forum will be long gone from this world before this country makes guns illegal. i personally hate guns, not a hunter, and will probably never own a gun. however, if you had kids and a family to protect and lived anywhere near a major city you would want to own a gun to keep in your house just in case something ever did happen. i mean, going at a burgler who has a gun, with a baseball bat in your hand doesn't really cut it.

But instead you're going to have your gun in an easily-reachable place when the cat burglar comes calling, then you're going to back yourself to beat him in a fire fight. Unless you live in a mansion with vast open spaces I'd personally back myself to get in close and do him with the bat, especially if I get the jump. Besides, burglar or not I'd personally prefer to avoid killing a man if possible.

[Nos89]

you and i and everyone else on this forum will be long gone from this world before this country makes guns illegal. i personally hate guns, not a hunter, and will probably never own a gun. however, if you had kids and a family to protect and lived anywhere near a major city you would want to own a gun to keep in your house just in case something ever did happen. i mean, going at a burgler who has a gun, with a baseball bat in your hand doesn't really cut it.

Is being in your house with a burglar a common event in the states?

In England it's so rare that counter measures (i.e. having a weapon to hand) isn't really an issue it's just not something you have to deal with.

In fact, I always thought the "what would you do if a burglar had a gun..." scenario was scaremongering from the pro-gun brigade to justify their position - is it really that frequent an event?

it happens enough that you don't want to be the guy who's family was harmed or robbed and wasn't armed to protect them. i mean getting a gun here is as easy as paying $200 for the license and buying a pistol for another $250. if youve got a family and live in a city, its worth the money as insurance. i myself do not have either a family or a gun but you can see how people would want one.

honestly a lot of legal gun owners are hunters who own rifles and such, especially in the midwest, north, and northwest of the country where hunting is a rather large activity that a lot of people participate in. not that that makes it any different but thats why its hard to blanket gun laws because of people who do hunt. now if you wanted to outright ban handguns and semi-automatic rifles you could maybe get somewhere but it would take a lot of political power, and someone who would be willing to risk their political career. or say someone like Obama who cant run for office again anyways.

The bit i don't understand is when the NRA support the theory to beat gun crime is more people to own guns. It's a bit like saying the best way to beat obesity is eat more burgers. Considering the constitution was written in 1776 surely it needs updating/ amending to be relevant to modern day life. Or maybe bring in Chris Rocks take on it, allow guns but charge $10,000 per bullet. This really is the most critical event to happen in the US history because it was 6 year old children, if they don't change the laws after this there is simple no hope for the morality of the country.

[flash gunner]

Americans get all hot under the collar about there "right to bear arms" but maybe the people who wrote those constitutions hundreds of years ago got it wrong, has anyone ever questioned that? and its right to bear arms where does it say guns? Why not sell rocket launchers on every street corner? There has to be limits (as there are with rocket launchers) and if laws were passed to outlaw guns how the fuck you get them off the street is a headache but thats another situation all together. They have to ban or strctly limit guns all together to stop these kinds of school massacres!!!!

[LDB]

Americans get all hot under the collar about there "right to bear arms" but maybe the people who wrote those constitutions hundreds of years ago got it wrong, has anyone ever questioned that? and its right to bear arms where does it say guns? Why not sell rocket launchers on every street corner? There has to be limits (as there are with rocket launchers) and if laws were passed to outlaw guns how the fuck you get them off the street is a headache but thats another situation all together. They have to ban or strctly limit guns all together to stop these kinds of school massacres!!!!

The constitution was written before the USA had a proper army - keep the people armed in case the British returned

[g88ner]

With a population of >300 million, it's obviously impossible to monitor the changeable mental health of every single person with access to a gun (and "access" doesn't stop at the person who bought the gun! - which makes a mockery of these background checks) so quite frankly, choosing to arm many of these millions of people is akin to playing Russian Roulette with your own people. Statistically, it must be almost a certainty that this will lead to weekly shooting sprees, countless crimes of passion, a shit load of accidental shootings and God know's how many cases of mistaken identity ending with gun shots and death.

Yep, right on cue - another week, another murderous shooting spree in America

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20838925

Still, I'm sure gun laws aren't the problem. Ask the NRA... we need to arm more "good guys", that's all. Fucking idiots.

[flash gunner]

With a population of >300 million, it's obviously impossible to monitor the changeable mental health of every single person with access to a gun (and "access" doesn't stop at the person who bought the gun! - which makes a mockery of these background checks) so quite frankly, choosing to arm many of these millions of people is akin to playing Russian Roulette with your own people. Statistically, it must be almost a certainty that this will lead to weekly shooting sprees, countless crimes of passion, a shit load of accidental shootings and God know's how many cases of mistaken identity ending with gun shots and death.

Yep, right on cue - another week, another murderous shooting spree in America

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20838925

Still, I'm sure gun laws aren't the problem. Ask the NRA... we need to arm more "good guys", that's all. Fucking idiots.

Only just seen this and well said

[northbank123]

Anybody seen that Alex Jones bloke on Piers Morgan? Jesus what a lunatic. You have to go some distance to make Piers Morgan seem like a rational, intelligent individual.

[DB10GOONER]

Anybody seen that Alex Jones bloke on Piers Morgan? Jesus what a lunatic. You have to go some distance to make Piers Morgan seem like a rational, intelligent individual.

What did he say?

[northbank123]

Anybody seen that Alex Jones bloke on Piers Morgan? Jesus what a lunatic. You have to go some distance to make Piers Morgan seem like a rational, intelligent individual.

What did he say?

He just shouted over him for the full 12-13 minutes like a complete madman. If you feel compelled to check it out don't bother going further than the first 2 minutes, he acts like that throughout. He was just absolutely out of control frothing at the mouth. Very worrying given that he personally owns 50+ weapons and somehow has a huge platform to air his views (not just on Piers Morgan's show but apparently has his own show with a substantial viewership).

The normal refusal to listen to any sort of reasoned argument and the repeated labelling of the relative murder rates using guns (something like 35 in the UK and at least 10,000+ in the US, possible far more) as a "little factoid". Then blaming the Bush administration for orchestrating 9/11 and revealing the fundamental reason that every US citizen needs a gun (including semi-automatics) is to protect them from tyrannical government. He backed this up by saying the reason Mao was able to cause so many deaths was because he took away citizens' rights to firearms.

[DB10GOONER]

Anybody seen that Alex Jones bloke on Piers Morgan? Jesus what a lunatic. You have to go some distance to make Piers Morgan seem like a rational, intelligent individual.

What did he say?

He just shouted over him for the full 12-13 minutes like a complete madman. If you feel compelled to check it out don't bother going further than the first 2 minutes, he acts like that throughout. He was just absolutely out of control frothing at the mouth. Very worrying given that he personally owns 50+ weapons and somehow has a huge platform to air his views (not just on Piers Morgan's show but apparently has his own show with a substantial viewership).

The normal refusal to listen to any sort of reasoned argument and the repeated labelling of the relative murder rates using guns (something like 35 in the UK and at least 10,000+ in the US, possible far more) as a "little factoid". Then blaming the Bush administration for orchestrating 9/11 and revealing the fundamental reason that every US citizen needs a gun (including semi-automatics) is to protect them from tyrannical government. He backed this up by saying the reason Mao was able to cause so many deaths was because he took away citizens' rights to firearms.

Fuck. It's arseholes like him that give the rest of us gun owners a bad name. And to be honest he sounds like the epitome of the type of person who really should not be allowed to ever own a gun. He's a spree killing waiting to happen...

[northbank123]

Anybody seen that Alex Jones bloke on Piers Morgan? Jesus what a lunatic. You have to go some distance to make Piers Morgan seem like a rational, intelligent individual.

What did he say?

He just shouted over him for the full 12-13 minutes like a complete madman. If you feel compelled to check it out don't bother going further than the first 2 minutes, he acts like that throughout. He was just absolutely out of control frothing at the mouth. Very worrying given that he personally owns 50+ weapons and somehow has a huge platform to air his views (not just on Piers Morgan's show but apparently has his own show with a substantial viewership).

The normal refusal to listen to any sort of reasoned argument and the repeated labelling of the relative murder rates using guns (something like 35 in the UK and at least 10,000+ in the US, possible far more) as a "little factoid". Then blaming the Bush administration for orchestrating 9/11 and revealing the fundamental reason that every US citizen needs a gun (including semi-automatics) is to protect them from tyrannical government. He backed this up by saying the reason Mao was able to cause so many deaths was because he took away citizens' rights to firearms.

Fuck. It's arseholes like him that give the rest of us gun owners a bad name. And to be honest he sounds like the epitome of the type of person who really should not be allowed to ever own a gun. He's a spree killing waiting to happen...

Exactly. Unfortunately it seems out there that when it comes to guns whoever shouts the loudest is the most important, which is crazy. I'm sure there are some intelligent people who can put forward some reasoned arguments as to why they feel far stricter gun control measures aren't warranted, but unfortunately that side is instead represented by redneck lunatics.

It speaks volumes that the debate is completely off-target. Nobody is going to completely ban guns there, everybody knows it's never going to happen and at most ownership control will be tightened and restrictions placed on ownership of semi-automatic weapons. Yet people like this repeated make threats about what will happen if "they try to take our guns away" and keep talking as if the government is on the verge of outlawing guns and going into people's houses to forcibly collect them.

[DB10GOONER]

Anybody seen that Alex Jones bloke on Piers Morgan? Jesus what a lunatic. You have to go some distance to make Piers Morgan seem like a rational, intelligent individual.

What did he say?

He just shouted over him for the full 12-13 minutes like a complete madman. If you feel compelled to check it out don't bother going further than the first 2 minutes, he acts like that throughout. He was just absolutely out of control frothing at the mouth. Very worrying given that he personally owns 50+ weapons and somehow has a huge platform to air his views (not just on Piers Morgan's show but apparently has his own show with a substantial viewership).

The normal refusal to listen to any sort of reasoned argument and the repeated labelling of the relative murder rates using guns (something like 35 in the UK and at least 10,000+ in the US, possible far more) as a "little factoid". Then blaming the Bush administration for orchestrating 9/11 and revealing the fundamental reason that every US citizen needs a gun (including semi-automatics) is to protect them from tyrannical government. He backed this up by saying the reason Mao was able to cause so many deaths was because he took away citizens' rights to firearms.

Fuck. It's arseholes like him that give the rest of us gun owners a bad name. And to be honest he sounds like the epitome of the type of person who really should not be allowed to ever own a gun. He's a spree killing waiting to happen...

Exactly. Unfortunately it seems out there that when it comes to guns whoever shouts the loudest is the most important, which is crazy. I'm sure there are some intelligent people who can put forward some reasoned arguments as to why they feel far stricter gun control measures aren't warranted, but unfortunately that side is instead represented by redneck lunatics.

It speaks volumes that the debate is completely off-target. Nobody is going to completely ban guns there, everybody knows it's never going to happen and at most ownership control will be tightened and restrictions placed on ownership of semi-automatic weapons. Yet people like this repeated make threats about what will happen if "they try to take our guns away" and keep talking as if the government is on the verge of outlawing guns and going into people's houses to forcibly collect them.

True. The NRA and pro-gun lobby in general have always used scare tactics.

Over here in Oireland most gun owners are very pro-restrictions on gun ownership. None of us needs a semi auto assault rifle to enjoy our sport, let alone 50 of the fuckers! And when you've seen close up what a gun can do to an animal (or indeed a steel target) it gives you a very clear understanding of how destructive they can be in the wrong hands and only makes you more concerned that not every idiot out there has access to them.