attitude to guns

[reohn2]

I have seven good friends scattered across the US, only one, a woman living in Kansas City owned a gun. When she visited us she was nonplussed that my wife didn't own a gun. Some neighbourhoods seem to have more gun ownership than others....
Al

In a country where there appears to be more guns than people,it's a worrying thought that some loonie could quite litteraly take you out for arguing the toss over some mundain point,because they legally carry a gun,and that doesn't take into account the illegal guns in circulation.

....... if you live in a bear neighbourhood a gun might be seen as necessary.

Whilst I'd agree,but how much of the US population are likely to encounter bears on a trip to the shops?

[Vorpal]

There is an interesting timeline about the NRA is this article.

https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2022/0 ... ommentary/

As for the cultural elements, remember that there is still extreme racism in the USA, and that gun ownership (by whites) reinforces it.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -whiteness

[reohn2]

A very touching video by the father of one of the victims of one of the many multiple US shootings:- https://youtu.be/7n1iqiGoTNQ

[pwa]

My post was tongue in cheek.
it's the Texas philosophy though.

Don't worry. We got the humour.

[Mick F]

Bang, bang, I shot you down
Bang, bang, you hit the ground
Bang, bang, that awful sound
Bang, bang.

Sonny and Cher.
https://www.google.com/search?client=sa ... 8&oe=UTF-8

[Jules59]

If we all carried a loaded gun, every single one of us, nobody would get shot.

that's clearly not true. But conversely

"if nobody had a loaded gun , not even a single person, then nobody would get shot" would work

[Jules59]

My post was tongue in cheek.
it's the Texas philosophy though.

Oh yes, I know an American who firmly believes this. During Covid he bought 3 more additional handguns because he was convinced there would be riots and people attacking his house for food etc.
USA appears to have a paranoia epidemic of their own making.

[Audax67]

Madame belongs to a running group on Facebook. Recently she mentioned that we do not possess guns. Response from US member: "Wow, how do you protect yourselves?"

And: years ago - around Y2K - I mentioned to an online chum from Seattle that I'd love to do Highway 1 from there down to L.A. by bike. His immediate response? "I can lend you the firearms you'll need". I'll never ride Highway 1.

[Vorpal]

Madame belongs to a running group on Facebook. Recently she mentioned that we do not possess guns. Response from US member: "Wow, how do you protect yourselves?"

And: years ago - around Y2K - I mentioned to an online chum from Seattle that I'd love to do Highway 1 from there down to L.A. by bike. His immediate response? "I can lend you the firearms you'll need". I'll never ride Highway 1.

I've ridden many thousands of miles in the USA, including highway 1 and never considered a firearm necessary.

[thirdcrank]

Vorpal

If there was any American who wouldn't scare me as a lethal threat it would be you. Enough of the remainder do frighten me.

[Carlton green]

I’m wondering what the attitude in Eire to guns might have contributed to the ‘troubles’ and note that the changing government their also had concerns.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_ ... of_Ireland

With a confirmed firearm possession rate of 5.6 private guns per 100 population,19 civilian gun ownership in Ireland has yet to reach one-third the rate of 17.4 firearms per 100 people calculated across 15 countries of the European Union.

https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/cp/ireland

There doesn’t seem to be much of a problem on the continent, I wonder why or maybe some news doesn’t reach us. I think it best that firearms are heavily restricted to those who actually need them for working purposes.

[pwa]

Madame belongs to a running group on Facebook. Recently she mentioned that we do not possess guns. Response from US member: "Wow, how do you protect yourselves?"

And: years ago - around Y2K - I mentioned to an online chum from Seattle that I'd love to do Highway 1 from there down to L.A. by bike. His immediate response? "I can lend you the firearms you'll need". I'll never ride Highway 1.

I've ridden many thousands of miles in the USA, including highway 1 and never considered a firearm necessary.

And even if it were "necessary" it might not prove useful in practice. If you have a gun to protect yourself against an armed nutter, it is only useful if you are as quick at drawing the gun as your assailant is, which you probably won't be.

I live surrounded by countryside and I currently know nobody who has any type of gun. I have friends who live in a large farmhouse and who have free roaming hens and geese, and even they don't have a gun. The only guns I ever hear are used on pheasant shoots a couple of miles away. Shotguns. Two shots and you have to reload.

[Mick F]

I heard on R4 this morning, that there had been 200odd mass shootings in the USA so far this year.
Most never even get a mention in the press.

Can't remember the actual figure, but it was 200odd. They also said a "mass shooting" was defined as three people or more.

[reohn2]

I heard on R4 this morning, that there had been 200odd mass shootings in the USA so far this year.
Most never even get a mention in the press.

Can't remember the actual figure, but it was 200odd. They also said a "mass shooting" was defined as three people or more.

If true,and I've no reason to doubt it,that's incredible!

[Vorpal]

And even if it were "necessary" it might not prove useful in practice. If you have a gun to protect yourself against an armed nutter, it is only useful if you are as quick at drawing the gun as your assailant is, which you probably won't be.

I live surrounded by countryside and I currently know nobody who has any type of gun. I have friends who live in a large farmhouse and who have free roaming hens and geese, and even they don't have a gun. The only guns I ever hear are used on pheasant shoots a couple of miles away. Shotguns. Two shots and you have to reload.

I have done a couple of tours where I carried pepper spray. That was a combination of where I was going, some relatively recent incidents that made me worried, and likelihood of wildlife / loose dog encounters. My biggest problem as a 20-something female touring solo in the USA was encounters with men who thought they could take advantage of me. Or just thought a bit of casual harassment would be fun, or something.

I never used the pepper spray, and never felt the need for a firearm.