2013-01-23, 21:08 | Link #1521 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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2013-01-23, 21:26 | Link #1524 | |
On a mission
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The issue is what are the potential sacrifices.
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2013-01-23, 21:41 | Link #1525 | |
blinded by blood
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Make rich people safer, that is.
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2013-01-23, 21:48 | Link #1526 | |
On a mission
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Still, gun control measures have affected the proletariat outside other countries haven't they? And some death and violence has been mitigated. Just because it's the way it is, doesn't mean inaction is the proper action.
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2013-01-23, 21:59 | Link #1527 |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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Here's a thought, how well are guns going to do against the government if they send drones after you?
Or how about a swarm of these (imagine with a small firearm attached). |
2013-01-23, 21:59 | Link #1528 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Virginia
Age: 46
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I'd like to ask Kyuu, Kaijo, and Sugetso to put themselves in syn's position, for a week. No "Star Trek" weapons, no guns, no nothing except your wits and survival instinct to get you thru your daily routine. What do you do if confronted by a robber or thief? Remember your equipment if your life's work, losing it means you don't eat or can't make the rent! What do you do, how do you act? For me; I have four years of Aikido under my belt, a collapsible baton, attaché case. But then I've had training. Now what about you?
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2013-01-23, 22:00 | Link #1529 | ||
Banned
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Well, considering the US is also one of the worst when it comes to income inequality, it would seem that making poor people richer via socialism, like many other countries do, tends to make countries safer as well. Huh... reduce income inequality and heavily regulate guns?
Not seeing a down side here.... Quote:
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Sorry, that reasoning doesn't hold water. Everyone has hardships. Everyone has faced things you probably wouldn't imagine. But if you really want to know, I'm not a rich-boy, if that's what you're trying to get at. True, I had middle-class parents, but they aren't rolling in dough. Dad was a blue-collar worker, and could barely afford to provide. I got a college loan, went to school part time and worked full time to support myself and pay my education. Moved back home for a couple of years after to save up money, then moved out into a cheap $500 a month place of my own. Lost my job in the recession, spent almost a year on unemployment, and almost two years on food stamps(which means I wiped out all my savings and had to borrow money to keep myself funded), before finally landing some temp jobs, and then back into a real one. Still only make $11 an hour, but I support myself and am paying off my debts. Oh yeah, did I mention the time I worked for Safeway(a grocery store) while working for college, and on a late night shift, we were held up by a pair of gunman? It was a bit humorous in retrospect, but it didn't exactly make me shit my pants and decide I needed a gun. Had to wait until my depression kicked up years later for that, and went into a gun shop in Arizona where, after a 30 min wait for a background check, I walked out with a gun. Had there been a month or even a week's waiting time, I wouldn't have been able to go through with it. Not that I"m blaming the gun... well, maybe a little. 80% my fault, 20% gun's fault. I got myself into my mess, but I also dragged myself out of it. I know what it's like to scrimp on food and to go hungry at times (skipped meals while in college to be able to pay for my apartment and books, and had to skip meals while in unemployment to keep my third-rate condo). I hear police sirens occasionally at night(my cheap place isn't in the best side of town, but I'll admit, not the worst, either). And I know people have been attacked out there. I was bullied in high school, and kept to myself in college. But through all this, I never felt like I needed any weapon to defend myself. I know a little akido, and I have a bow and arrows that I take out occasionally for fun, but that's about it. I had my depression, but outside of that, I've never let fear get to me. Perhaps it is not an easy thing for people to come to, but I've always been more logical and less emotional than most, so I can compartmentalize the threats and risks, and recognize how precious little control I have in this life. Anything could kill me. I could step out on the sidewalk and a have a speeding car strike me down. I could eat some poisoned food. I could be shot at, knifed, held up, or any number of things. I've come to understand how fragile life is, and as cold as I may be about people, I do recognize one timeless bit of logic as a nerd: "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few... or the one." As cold as I can be sometimes, I decided to never put my security above the needs of everyone else. I'm not so important, that I deserve special treatment at the expense of anyone else. And considering the extra potential for harm that a gun brings, I have decided to respect everyone else's security, by not supporting Big Gun and owning a firearm that can later be stolen and used to hurt people. Despite the dangers out there, despite having a gun waved in my face and told to get down on the ground, face down, I decided long ago not to let fear get to me. But that's just me. Last edited by Kaijo; 2013-01-23 at 22:21. |
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2013-01-23, 22:02 | Link #1530 | |
blinded by blood
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I don't think we should give up on trying to make everything better, but this is the world I have to live in now. I'd like to keep living in it, so I can contribute to making the world better for future generations.
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2013-01-23, 22:08 | Link #1531 |
Meh
Join Date: Feb 2008
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I have to say, at this point this thread is starting to become less about meaningful discussion and more about being a soapbox to toss hyperbole and ridiculous scenarios around, half the time by people who understands little of what they're actually saying.
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2013-01-23, 22:26 | Link #1532 | |
Banned
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Sometimes we can accomplish some things. But that only happens when we change our mindset, get involved, and spread the words. When enough people feel strongly enough about a change in direction, it happens. It happened in the UK and in Australia, when enough of the populace said, "Enough is enough! We don't need these guns!" And just like that, they got rid of the vast majority. They weren't the only groups of humans that did so. But thinking we, as Americans, are somehow mentally challenged enough that we can't get out of bed in the morning without a diaper and a gun... well, I don't want to let people continue to be brainwashed. If I can fight the RIAA and MPAA and their lies, I can fight the gun industry and it's lies. |
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2013-01-23, 22:36 | Link #1533 |
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Well, that got interesting quickly. Step away for a day and.....
I think we've reached an impasse. Apologies for those in the middle of making a response, or who want to get a last word in, but for now emotions are flaring and the topic has run its course. Before things get worse, let's just call it good for now, take a breather, and reconvene at a later date. Maybe by then we'll all have some fresh perspectives and calmer minds. Not that I'm holding my breath on that one. But hey, hope is hope.
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2013-03-06, 18:48 | Link #1534 | ||
=^^=
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: 42° 10' N (Latitude) 87° 33' W (Longitude)
Age: 45
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The priority of the NRA has long been directed towards gun sales. This is apparent after its dialogue after Sandy Hook. Therefore, it is wise for many gun people to disassociate from the NRA and actually get some sound solutions put forward. For the NRA to speak against increased background checks has been astounding; and thankfully, many sound gun people disagree with that. This is a small step forward, but it is a step. Eventually, the NRA should be dethroned as the dictatorship of all gun owners. I have reason to believe -- many gun owners actually do not support the NRA's views. This article may show just that. Quote:
People can have their guns. The rest of us can worry less about being randomly shot. Win-Win thinking.
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2013-03-06, 20:15 | Link #1535 | |
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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They have good reason to feel that way, too. Beyond the crazy rhetoric about how dictatorships started by banning guns lies the fact that there aren't many (any?) first-world nations with the access to and lax laws surrounding guns. Less than half of all Americans own guns - the numbers vary somewhere beween the low 30's and low 40's percentage-wise, meaning that gun owners aren't in the majority, either. So we see that many countries similar to us have already placed extremely heavily restrictions on firearms, and even here in America we don't have a strong majority who can be counted on to speak out against such restrictions. What's the best way to compensate and work against such an outcome? Be extreme, be aggressive, and be loud. The NRA does a pretty good job at all three.
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2013-03-06, 20:43 | Link #1537 |
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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Alienates may be too strong of a word. Others may view the NRA as being a bit batty, but what's the harm? They're not advocating that anyone be forced to do anything, nor that anyone be restricted from anything. It just means that anyone wanting to restrict guns will have to contend with the NRA and, given the reputation that they have established, the challenger will have to be very devoted to their cause and have a strong support network. The majority of the population is too apathetic to be up to the challenge.
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2013-03-06, 20:50 | Link #1538 |
formerly ogon bat
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Mexico
Age: 53
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I could answer that and have endless pages of pointless discussion. But I rather ask, what's the advantage? Most of the world countries do without private ownership of guns just fine. As a matter of fact, I can't think of one country where gun use is rampant where I think "Gee, I want to be like them!", can you?
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2013-03-06, 20:53 | Link #1539 | |
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 38
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2013-03-06, 21:03 | Link #1540 | |
Le fou, c'est moi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Age: 34
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...or not. If we Americans are such natural dickheads. I think we should fix that part. As for defending Liberty, don't give me that bullshit. I don't see the NRA opposing the military-industrial complex at all. Where is the NRA when the Patriot Act was passed, waving flags and crying 'Murrica? Where the hell are you people when the funny little clauses were inserted into the massive funding bill, NDAA? Why weren't you calling out on that piece of Congressional trickery, defending our liberty then, hmm? |
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