I could fire this thread up with a simple one liner lol.. but I wont
Haha, you would be that guy. Seriously, why do you think it's such a polarizing topic for many so people, though? I understand where both sides are coming from, so I try to bridge that gap a little. The pro and con folks on this issue here in the US are pretty ugly to each other sometimes.
I think it is because here in the US we are so passionate about guns that we quite often present ourselves as being irrational. When someone asks an honest and sincere question the response will often be a terse one liner such as "Freedom Isn't Free" or ". . . from my cold dead fingers" or "What are you, a communist or something?" rather than their true thoughts and rationale. It comes off as arrogant but we don't feel we need to defend our position even if the personal position is 'I wanted a gun, it's legal so I bought one'.
So when an issue arrises that is gun related, we among ourselves have a difficult time dealing with that aspect.
In other parts of the world, there are still wildernesses full of dangerous animals, despotic governments, and criminals. They think about and deal with them differently. And yes, sometimes they use guns.
__________________
. . . It's pointless to race between Starbucks', around here they are 300 yards apart!
Last edited by Rory_L; 12-27-2012 at 11:26 AM.
Reason: minor edit,
I'm going to make an analogy that our UK friends might appreciate:
Buckfast's Tonic Wine!
A delightful alcoholic beverage that was developed by Benedictine monks (hey Aufitt, religion!) that is the preferred drink of hooligans out for a good time. Apperently, they will down a couple of bottles then go on to exhibit irrational behavior (excuse me, behaviour) and commit violent acts. They litter the streets with empty Buckfasts bottles and often break them to use as weapons to assault their victims.
A local government (in Scotland, I believe) tried to ban Buckfasts but was met with massive protests from the public.
You had to look for in the reports but while they were showing the UK rioting on TV here in the news you could always see some young men (14 year old kids actually) wearing jogging suits, heads shaved, with a bottle of Buckfasts.
It's not sold here in the US. I've never tried it. But I hear (some) people in the UK are upset because the government it trying to take something away that they hold dear and are downright if not conveniently passionate about.
It is different than gun control on one level, but is it really?
__________________
. . . It's pointless to race between Starbucks', around here they are 300 yards apart!
The Following User Says Thank You to Rory_L For This Useful Post:
Why don't you guys debate over the right to own stuffies? They are soft, cuddly, come in different sizes, shapes, colors, species....even in the shape of a gun. You can even toss them at someone and no one gets hurt. I have many stuffies ) j/k. Carry on!
__________________
WHY DOES TOILET PAPER NEED A COMMERCIAL? Who IS NOT BUYING THIS?
CBR500RA
CBR250RA (sold)
CBF1000 (sold)
MINI COOPER
JEEP TJ
SPORTSTER (sold)
Why don't you guys debate over the right to own stuffies? They are soft, cuddly, come in different sizes, shapes, colors, species....even in the shape of a gun. You can even toss them at someone and no one gets hurt. I have many stuffies ) j/k. Carry on!
It would degenerate into a fist fight !
__________________
. . . It's pointless to race between Starbucks', around here they are 300 yards apart!
I think it is because here in the US we are so passionate about guns that we quite often present ourselves as being irrational. When someone asks an honest and sincere question the response will often be a terse one liner such as "Freedom Isn't Free" or ". . . from my cold dead fingers" or "What are you, a communist or something?" rather than their true thoughts and rationale. It comes off as arrogant but we don't feel we need to defend our position even if the personal position is 'I wanted a gun, it's legal so I bought one'.
This is kind of the problem though. It gives us a bad rap, even if by foreigners who are exaggerantly misinformed. I think most of us are reasonable minded when it comes to personal protection, but these types of events cause the extremists to sensationalize it. It's kind of gross. Nothing seems to get done about it. Just a bunch of reactionary types on one side who equate banning all weapons to "making them go away forever" and the NRA on the other side, which is its own problem in and of itself. What frustrates me is why no one says "lets put our emotions aside and see what actually yields results".
I feel like everything gets too politicized here sometimes. Perhaps this wouldn't be the case if we weren't "passionate" about guns. I'd like to see them viewed psychologically as practical tools... Like a hammer or screw driver. I've never seen someone "passionate" about a socket wrench (okay, I have, but in their defense, they're mechanics). Self defense is part of life. It's not something people are comfortable with dealing with, so that may add to the fire that burns in both camps. I actually like some of you guys' proposed solutions.
__________________
C'mon, sko sko sko!
Last edited by Rusty Shackleford; 12-27-2012 at 12:33 PM.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Rusty Shackleford For This Useful Post:
SUMIKO
SUMIKO
SUMIKO
) j/k. Carry on!
!
