Gutter ball for "Bowling for Columbine"! (long)

[Collegeboy]

[-Carnifex-]

Personally I prefer knives and bats, they're so much more personal.

[shartley]

Originally posted by Collegeboy

[1stdeadeye]

Originally posted by Collegeboy

Because my 5'6" wife with a bat could not fend off a 6'5" large male intruder. To protect herself and my children, she can defeat that intruder with my Glock 17. The gun is the equalizer that a bat or knife can not be. It can allow a much smaller and weaker person fend off a larger and stronger attacker!

[Russ]

Thanks Sam, for expressing my point far more eloquently than I could've.

[Collegeboy]

I do own a gun, I own a 12 gauge over and under shotgun which I use to shoot skeet, trap, clay etc..... with. And by owning and shooting my gun I know there is a difference from clay targets, or paper targets, or that diet coke can then from a real life breathing person that is one second away from you.

They recently did a TV show that said most buglers will run away by a light coming on or a sound. And given that most burglaries are not armed (for it means extended stay if they were) means that by pulling out a gun you are introducing them to a weapon now. If you fire that weapon at them then good (You will be in trouble but you are safe), but if you freeze up in that 2 seconds or so it takes the burglary to reach you you are dead. No amount of training on a gun, no amount of shooting paper targets can train someone for that 2 second or so time frame where they shoot or not.

But this is not the question being asked. Why do Americans feel they need a gun for protection, when many if not most foreigners feel the opposite.

[shartley]

Originally posted by Collegeboy
I do own a gun, I own a 12 gauge over and under shotgun which I use to shoot skeet, trap, clay etc..... with. And by owning and shooting my gun I know there is a difference from clay targets, or paper targets, or that diet coke can then from a real life breathing person that is one second away from you.

They recently did a TV show that said most buglers will run away by a light coming on or a sound. And given that most burglaries are not armed (for it means extended stay if they were) means that by pulling out a gun you are introducing them to a weapon now. If you fire that weapon at them then good (You will be in trouble but you are safe), but if you freeze up in that 2 seconds or so it takes the burglary to reach you you are dead. No amount of training on a gun, no amount of shooting paper targets can train someone for that 2 second or so time frame where they shoot or not.

But this is not the question being asked. Why do Americans feel they need a gun for protection, when many if not most foreigners feel the opposite.

[Russ]

Why do Americans feel they need a gun for protection, when many if not most foreigners feel the opposite.

You keep asking, you keep getting answers (from a few of us). Why? It's the best tool for the job, IMO.

So,I guess I'll keep asking you, WHAT foreigners? many to most? The only other country I've read about is England & Australia...that ain't "most".

It seems to me that you are just trolling at this point...

[Russ]

Sam, you beat me to this time :)

[Collegeboy]

No one has said why Americans need/want a gun to protect them from burglaries and most foreigners don't. They say why they want one, but not what makes most Americans feel that way and most foreigners feel differently.

As to how I know this, it comes from experiences with foreigners from all walks of this earth. Many of which comes over the net, the rest come from personal experience.

[Skreemer]

Originally posted by Collegeboy

But this is not the question being asked. Why do Americans feel they need a gun for protection, when many if not most foreigners feel the opposite.

Then again how many foreigners have you interviewed and asked, "If being attacked in your home by an unknown person armed with an unknown weapon, and given the choice between knife, bat, or gun which would you choose?"


Someone else has said it and it brings to mind an old advertising quote, "God created man, Samuel Colt made then equal."

A gun is the weapon of choice for those that have that option because for the most part, it is an equalizer. You also mention that the person might freeze up or hesitate, the natural fight or flight response. This response would happen if the person is faced with some other critical and immediate descision. A car pulls out in front of you when you're traveling at 70MPH, what do you do? Some would swerve, some would slam on the brake, and others would do a combination of the two, and then again there are other folks out there that will freeze up with thier foot on the gas and plow right into the obstacle. How do we lessen the probability of that happening? Training and constant conditioning in both mindset and body.

The reason Americans choose a gun over other forms of protection? Simple, we have that choice. It's ingrained in our society that a gun equals freedom of one sort or another. While we have a gun and the right to choose no one can force us to thier will. The gun can almost (not always) mean that might does not always equal right. The reason most Europeans won't make the same choice, is because they don't have that choice.


a side note: For all the folks that point out how great gun control is take a look at a few places on the map: Northern Ireland, That little pre-school in england that got shot up buy a guy that bought and illegal handgun, Beirut, France sometime last year where an Armored car was attacked with RPG's and then the remainder of the guards were gunned down, The british MI6 building where some dissedent launched an RPG at it, The prison in France where there was an RPG attack on it and prisoners were freed. What's up with this? When will these countries get around to banning RPGs? Why is the RPG a weapon of choice for these acts?

[shartley]

Originally posted by Collegeboy
No one has said why Americans need/want a gun to protect them from burglaries and most foreigners don't. They say why they want one, but not what makes most Americans feel that way and most foreigners feel differently.

As to how I know this, it comes from experiences with foreigners from all walks of this earth. Many of which comes over the net, the rest come from personal experience.

[Collegeboy]

You know that reading comprehension class, you might want to take it.

I said that no one has said why Americans feel they need a gun while many foreigners feel they don't.

I then said all that has been said was why you feel you need a gun. But no one has said what makes Americans different in that feeling.

People in GB can own a gun or a hand gun, (single shot 12 gauge shotgun, or a 22 caliber pistol) yet everyone I have talked too from GB, including my relatives, all said that they chose not to use a gun as protection. Why is that if it is so good at protecting your family and your house?

My idea is it is culture. In America people grow up loving a gun, thinking it is great and should be respected, they are constantly being reminded that it is our right to own a gun. People are told of how in the Am. Rev. War it was farmers with their shotguns that defeated the Brits (over exaggeration but ok). While in other countries the gun is looked at as an evil incarnation that shouldn't be in the hands of the general populace.

This is the idea I think that was trying to be portrayed in MM film. But no people tried to discredit the author instead of discrediting the text.

So I would still like to know why you all think that Americans turn to a gun for protection when most of the world wouldn't.

[Army]

3/4 of the world, has been under a King or some sort of Monarchy, that has always kept the commoners unarmed,for fear of insurection to the crown.

The crown has been well protected by it's very own personal army for many centuries, and crime was always punished by swift death, or the "dungeons". European mentality on personal safety has been to cower and/or run when confronted by evil people. The thought train has been; "The Kings men will save me, for I am unarmed and powerless to do anything to stop evil."

3/4 of the world STILL has this mentality when it comes to personal defense. Let's look at England...(again, sorry my Brit friends)...If you are confronted by an armed bad guy (knife, bootjack, club, doesn't matter), and you defend yourself to the point of physically harming that bad guy, YOU will be charged with assault! If you use anything that can be construed as a weapon, additional charges will be filed AGAINST YOU. Now, you tell me what incentive Europe has to defend themselves at all? (BTW, that scenario comes from a true case of an elderly gentleman beating the crap out of a hooligan with an umbrella, used like a sword, when he tried to rob the otherwise law-abiding gentleman.) England has laws that confiscated nearly all firearms, including most airguns, that have resulted in the rocketing crime rates they now enjoy, while our crime rates have steadily fallen as private gun ownership has risen.

THAT'S why America thinks differently from "the rest of the world" when it comes to personal defense. There's your answer, which requires no more questions from you. It's all spelled out completely, with no need to twist my words into the blather you enjoy posting.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must measure the rooms in my house for firing lanes.

[shartley]

Originally posted by Collegeboy
You know that reading comprehension class, you might want to take it.

I said that no one has said why Americans feel they need a gun while many foreigners feel they don't.

I then said all that has been said was why you feel you need a gun. But no one has said what makes Americans different in that feeling.

People in GB can own a gun or a hand gun, (single shot 12 gauge shotgun, or a 22 caliber pistol) yet everyone I have talked too from GB, including my relatives, all said that they chose not to use a gun as protection. Why is that if it is so good at protecting your family and your house?

My idea is it is culture. In America people grow up loving a gun, thinking it is great and should be respected, they are constantly being reminded that it is our right to own a gun. People are told of how in the Am. Rev. War it was farmers with their shotguns that defeated the Brits (over exaggeration but ok). While in other countries the gun is looked at as an evil incarnation that shouldn't be in the hands of the general populace.

This is the idea I think that was trying to be portrayed in MM film. But no people tried to discredit the author instead of discrediting the text.

So I would still like to know why you all think that Americans turn to a gun for protection when most of the world wouldn't.