NationStates Jolt Archive

Just wondering...

How many of you have had a gun pulled on you before in a threatening way? (Excluding military and police service)

Have you witnessed it happen to anyone?

Do you own a gun?

Do you feel unsafe walking the streets without a firearm?

Do you know someone that has been injured or killed in gun violence?

Slightly more controversially, does owning an assault rifle or SMG make you feel safer than less powerful weapons would?

Would you ever use your gun, or would you keep it solely as a deterrent?

Just wondering...

How many of you have had a gun pulled on you before in a threatening way? (Excluding military and police service)

Never been mugged, not even with a knife.

Have you witnessed it happen to anyone?

Nope.

Do you own a gun?

Yeah, a crappy Chinese-made pistol.

Do you feel unsafe walking the streets without a firearm?

Not in the least.

Do you know someone that has been injured or killed in gun violence?

No.

Slightly more controversially, does owning an assault rifle or SMG make you feel safer than less powerful weapons would?

Nope. Not even at the border.

Would you ever use your gun, or would you keep it solely as a deterrent?

I'd only use it when absolutely necessary. Or for target practice.

Never been mugged, not even with a knife.

It's not just being mugged, I just remember someone yesterday posting that they'd been taunted with a gun for having anti-conservative bumperstickers on their car.

That type of not-so-subtle threat would earn you several years in jail over here.

As for me, i've never even seen a gun in public (apart from on police officers), even before tougher laws were brought in. We have occasional gun violence, but i've never seen it. I've been threatened with a knife though.

Yeah, I posted that. It happened to my Doctor from Michigan. She had John Kerry bumperstickers on her car, and at a stoplight, a dumb fuck with Confederate Flag bumper stickers pulled a gun on her.

It's good that you've just been threatened with a knife... Gun psychoes are usually a hell of a lot worse.

Yeah, I posted that. It happened to my Doctor from Michigan. She had John Kerry bumperstickers on her car, and at a stoplight, a dumb fuck with Confederate Flag bumper stickers pulled a gun on her.

It's good that you've just been threatened with a knife... Gun psychoes are usually a hell of a lot worse.

LOL, I didn't realise it was you who said it! :)

And yeah. These knife waving guys were a bunch of 16 year olds (or thereabouts) thinking they were being tough and cool by threatening random passers by. I didn't think they were serious, but unnerving just the same.

I don't actually own guns. My husband does. They are in the house. I know how to use them.
I believe that there are some crazy assault weapons that are totally unneccesary and just don't belong in the hands of the average citizen. Do you really need a semi-automatic weapon to kill some deer? PANSY! If you are truly a man, you should be able to chase the f@$cker down, tackle it to the ground and break it's neck.
On the other hand, the populace of any society needs to be able to defend themselves. Where do we draw the line?
I think that prior to carrying permits being granted, one must be able to prove they can actually use the gun. People need to be able to pass a driver's test before they can legally operate a vehicle, right? Same thing.
As far as an all-out ban on guns: that's dumb. Most criminals don't obtain their guns through legal means, so laws won't stop them! Why curtail the rights of a law-abiding citizen?

As far as an all-out ban on guns: that's dumb. Most criminals don't obtain their guns through legal means, so laws won't stop them! Why curtail the rights of a law-abiding citizen?

Would you support it if the police actually did crackdown on illegal weapons?

LOL, I didn't realise it was you who said it! :)

And yeah. These knife waving guys were a bunch of 16 year olds (or thereabouts) thinking they were being tough and cool by threatening random passers by. I didn't think they were serious, but unnerving just the same.


They sound like a bunch of pansies. I'd have given them something to think about.

They sound like a bunch of pansies. I'd have given them something to think about.

Then again, there were ten or so of them and one of me. I have some martial arts training, but i'm not suicidal. It just wasn't worth the risk.

Well then, I'll have to remember to carry a baseball bat in my trenchcoat if I happen to be in Melbourne.

Well then, I'll have to remember to carry a baseball bat in my trenchcoat if I happen to be in Melbourne.

Ha!

But hey, it's only happened once to me and you can avoid it as long as you don't go near scummy train stations. It's not very common. I don't know anyone that has actually been mugged.

While I've never been threatened with a gun myself, my brother-in-law was, at my house while I was at work.

I was just about to post that I didn't own any guns when I remembered the 2 22's and the 410 I got locked up in my closet. They're technically not mine, part of my late mothers estate that still needs to be devided and there's no ammo in my house. One will probably end up being mine though eventually.

No I don't feel unsafe in the slightest being unarmed, even in areas people refer to as slums, ghettos or hoods.

I see no need for a military grade weapon, That's rediculous unless you're planning on starting or participating in a revolution. I am considering buying a model 97 (lever action rifle) chambered in a pistol caliber such as .357 or .44. I don't like the idea of a pistol in my house, they're more likely to be stolen or misused and an 18 inch lever action is just as good for home protection. Plus it's more accurate.

I was raised around firearms, my dad was a cop. Plus I have some real world experiance. Anybody who thinks of a weapon as a 'deterent' but would never use it is a fool. My philosophy is don't pull it out unless and until you're prepared to use it. I once saw somebody pull a straight razor out and threaten someone with it. Instantly he was the threat to anyone around, even those who weren't involved. To make a long story short, in ten minutes he was lying bleeding in the gutter and his razor was in someone elses pocket. When I spent a lot of time on the streets I used to carry a Gerber Mark I survival knife in the small of my back under my coat. It's a wicked double edged stilleto with a needle like point. I vowed I would never do something as dumb as I witnessed in that razor incident. If I was ever in such circumstance that I needed to use it, hopefully the target wouldn't see it before they felt it. Harsh I know, but threatening someone with a weapon, even to disuade them from some aggressive act, is more than likely just gonna prompt them to back down and return later with a weapon of their own. I would never brandish a weapon hoping to deter someone. If I was ever driven to reach for a weapon, the circumstances would be dire enough where I would probably use it immediatly.

Would you support it if the police actually did crackdown on illegal weapons?
Support what? A police crack-down on illegal weapons? Well, yeah, sure.
I suppose I would support a police crackdown on almost anything: child porn, morons with assault weapons, white-collar criminals, illegal invasions of soveriegn nations that defy international law. That kind of stuff.

Support what? A police crack-down on illegal weapons? Well, yeah, sure.
I suppose I would support a police crackdown on almost anything: child porn, morons with assault weapons, white-collar criminals, illegal invasions of soveriegn nations that defy international law. That kind of stuff.

I mean, would you support a total gun ban if there was a reasonable expectation that the police could remove the vast majority of weapons from the hands of criminals?

I mean, would you support a total gun ban if there was a reasonable expectation that the police could remove the vast majority of weapons from the hands of criminals?
No. Absolutely not.
Because there is no way I would ever have a reasonable expectation that the police could remove the vast majority of weapons from the hands of criminals. Ever.

No. Absolutely not.
Because there is no way I would ever have a reasonable expectation that the police could remove the vast majority of weapons from the hands of criminals. Ever.

True, I suppose.

I do not own a firearm. But I hope to own one later for practical (target-shooting) and defence purposes.