IF it happened the way the guy describes it I have little problem with it. If someone enters your property illegally and has bad intent then I say shoot them. If they are killed then it saves the justice system a trial if the guy using the gun was justified. JMO
I have a problem with this guys story. He shoots the one guy and they both start running away, but decide to come back and "Get him" knowing he has a gun? :waitasec: He says his second shot missed. There could have been someone standing where his bullet landed.
BBM
That's not because people don't have guns. IMO, it's because the justice system is too soft and/or his department can't handle evidence or conduct an investigation properly.
Fear is a very strong weapon. Fear can be used to make countries declare war when it's not necessary, it can be used in ads for cars, it can be used to make people want guns or alarm systems, it can be used to incite hatred of another culture etc. etc. etc...
To quote Genesis (The band)
"We fear what we don't understand."
Assuming everyone is a crack shot every time. Otherwise you have a lot of wounded bystanders. A friend of mine worked the E.R. in Las Angeles and said that the only person who doesn't get hit in a drive by shooting is the intended victim.
Almost everybody thinks they are good enough to shoot and hit a moving target without any stray bullets when they get a carry permit. It's simply not true. I'm sorry for forgetting who posted it but their parents are cops and they stated police are told not to shoot into crowds. Your average gun owner doesn't know that or doesn't care because they think they're Clint Eastwood. JMO
In the Walmart scenario if three guys had swooped in they could have stopped it from happening any more. That's simply a case of
Bystander Effect, IMO.
Then why do you own a gun?
Here are my thoughts on guns and alarm systems. If somebody wants to kill you an alarm system or a gun isn't going to help you. In the case of an alarm system you'll be dead and they'll be gone by the time the police show up. The alarm system will help nail down your time of death and therefore the investigation into your murder. The best thing an alarm system does for you is the make the burglar move on to a house without one. If someone wants to kill you they can shoot you anywhere. Through a window in your house, while you're walking to your car, at work, when they pull up next to you at a light etc.. A gun won't help one iota in those situations.
Guns are great in the home provided:
You know how to safely use it.
If there is anyone else in the house that you can trust them to not use it on you. That is something a lot of people have found out the hard way.
You have it safely stored, especially if you have kids.
You can get to it and use it before someone gets to you.
If someone owns a gun and they use it against a family member, or their kid shoots themselves or someone else in the family with it, then it's just the consequences of idiocy by the person who is responsible for the gun. I have little sympathy for the gun owner but a lot for the victim. Nobody should live with someone that stupid. Sometimes a Darwin Award is merited for those things.
The biggest problem I see is that they are stolen during burglaries and then there are more illegal guns carried by criminals on the streets.
With a carry permit you need to be sure you can get the gun before the bad guy does. In a carjacking situation if you grab a gun it seems to me that the chances are slim that the bad guy will be shot most of the time. I think it poses a greater threat to the victim because it could be taken away.
If you're grabbed from behind a gun won't help you then, or in any other situation where you don't see it coming a long ways off.
Between 2003-2005 there were 5.9 murders per 100,000 people in the United States.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/oct/13/homicide-rates-country-murder-data That is all types of murders not just gun murders.
Gun Law data is provided by
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/...-world_n_807700.html#s222572&title=Australia_
Australia 1.3 (2004)
Gun ownership is strictly prohibited unless there are "genuine reasons" such as licensed sport, animal control or employment requirements.
Brazil 30.8 (2003-2005)
Brazilians over the age of 25 are allowed to own guns as long as they are registered and kept indoors. The country has the second-highest gun-related death rate after the U.S.
Canada 1.5 (2002-2004)
Canada's gun laws are significantly stricter than the neighboring U.S. To acquire a license, applicants must take a safety course, pass a criminal records check and be certified by a firearms officer.
China 2.2 (2004)
Chinese civilians are not allowed to own guns, except for hunting and protection from wildlife. Citizens can face the death penalty if caught illegally selling arms.
Czech Republic 2.2 (2004)
Czech guns laws are considerably more liberal than the rest of Europe. Applicants must pass a questionnaire on firearms, have no criminal record and show ID proving they are over 21 years old.
Germany 1 (2004)
Germany's Federal Weapons Act, enacted in 1972, restricts everything apart from replica guns to adults at least 18 years old, who must pass checks for "trustworthiness, knowledge and adequacy." A firearms ownership license, or Waffenbesitzkarte, must be obtained before a weapon can be purchased.
Italy 1.2 (2004)
Italians can have up to three "common" handguns in their home, but if they want to hunt or carry a concealed weapon they must apply for a license.
Japan 0.5 (2205) Japanese licensing requirements are considered a formality -- there is little enforcement of the strict laws. Despite this, gun deaths are among the lowest in the world.
Mexico 10.9 (2004-2006)
Strict laws, including criminal record checks, apply for Mexican ownership. However, there are growing concerns that smuggling from the US is undermining these regulations.
Russia 29.7 (2004)
Self defense is not a viable excuse for carrying firearms outside the home in Russia. Hand guns and fully automatics are prohibited, but adults with no criminal record can apply for a license for shotguns and air rifles.
The United Kingdom is not included on the global homicide list but here is their law;
Brits convicted of a criminal offense cannot handle, possess or shoot a gun. A license is needed for any firearm except low-powered air rifles/pistols. Self-defense is not a valid reason for ownership.
I think the data shows that some countries with strict laws have high murder rates, like Russia, and others with liberal gun ownership access, like Japan, have low murder rates. So why does America have the largest amount of gun related deaths? IMO, we're :chicken: We've been taught fear by the sensationalistic media (If it bleeds it leads). Shoot first and ask questions later.
You're chances of needing a gun, in most situations, is much smaller than the possibility of it ending up in the wrong hands. JMO
If you think you need one then get one, just make sure it doesn't end up in my face because somebody stole it from you.
