Guns?

buzzard · Heavy Crude Joined: May 31, 2004 Posts: 104

If you were a Jew in World War II Europe, your chances of survival was greater if you participated in the Warsaw Uprising than if you meekly marched off to one of the camps.

threadbear · Expert Joined: Jan 22, 2005 Posts: 7502

I'm a knee jerk pacifist and Canadian, so have an almost genetic anti-gun predisposition....however--the argument that violence always begets more violence is flawed. It's an imbalance of potent force that rewards and emboldens the aggressor that carries the greatest risk for accelerating levels of violence. In Canada, I am in balance, without carrying a weapon. In the U.S, I may be more vulnerable.

In the Yugoslavian conflict of the early nineties, the Serbs, who had been the controlling force in the region, pre Glasnost, had access to guns. The U.N. intervened in the conflict and imposed an arms embargo on the region, leaving an armed and rampaging Serbian populace against an unarmed Croatian, Muslim, Kosovar population, with no access to arms. That clusterf*** went on for years longer than it would, had firepower been more balanced.

Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3252 Location: Maine

I think that the first line of defense is a locked door. At night we always lock up. Security lights are a great thing too. They can be bought in solar. That said the third line is a firearm. I have begun to realize that you need to have something ready in case people break in to your house who are not easy to reason with. Sad, but true.

Things are getting increasingly hairy out there. I think that a lot of people are moving into the anger stage now that denial isn't an option any more.

I don't think it pays to have too much firepower, but having some allows me to sleep a little easier.
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GeoJAP · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:33 pm Post subject: Re: Guns?

BigTex · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:38 pm Post subject: Re: Guns?

Cashmere · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Mar 27, 2008 Posts: 1971

To me it's really simple.

I guess I tend to try to find whatever black and white there is.

If you have a gun, you have a gun.

If you don't, you don't.

If you are the kind of person who believes that guns cause problems, then guns probably aren't for you.

I believe people cause problems.

People around me know that I carry - always.

What deterrent has that created in the minds of would be teeves and villains?

They know that they come to Cashmere's lair, they will be fired upon.

Sure, it might not help with the out of town folks, but anybody who passes by on a regular basis will often see me and mine - and hear - firing off semi rounds - lots of em.

You see a couple of liberals with PVs on their roof, a prius in the driveway, and they look well-fed -

That's called a zombie magnet.

Sorry for the "narrow labels" Pop.

I actually mean "liberal" fairly broadly to mean any idiot whose ideals are incommensurate with real life.

threadbear · Expert Joined: Jan 22, 2005 Posts: 7502

kjmclark · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 09, 2005 Posts: 318

Pops · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:46 pm Post subject: Re: Guns?

Surprisingly only 25% of the posts so far in this thread have been expressly attacks on either th Right or the Left, not bad I'm thinking.

In the overall scheme of things my plan is preemptive retreat. I am not trained in combat nor police action and as well I ai't 18 anymore. Seems my best defense is to remove myself from large populations, become known and valued in my area - which includes just a hint of "don't walk in unexpectedly".

Jack, a little WP would sure be handy at the front door - even if WP stands for Whistling Pete. Not quite the same result but perhaps to good effect.
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GeoJAP · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:51 pm Post subject: Re: Guns?

threadbear · Expert Joined: Jan 22, 2005 Posts: 7502

jlw61 · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:58 pm Post subject: Re: Guns?

Failure to use your brain is one of the leading causes of death.

Thinking a gun solves the problem of an intruder is like thinking a baseball bat hits a ball. The gun is a tool that, when used correctly, provides valuable options.

Case in point. Some years back, my wife was carrying a gun in her purse while we traveled through the Midwest. In one instance (do to my naivitae, I allowed a car to block us into a parking spot at which point the man jumped out of the car and came to my window. My wife did the following: put purse on lap, put hand on gun in purse, put a calm look on her face. I quickly changed my demeanor from shock (caused by my realization I did something stupid) to a similar expression of calm. Then I cracked the window.

The gentleman came to the window, looked in, mumbled something and left. To this day I believe he was up to no good, but the quick thinking of my wife saved the day. Could someone bluff as well? Yes. Could she or I bluff that well, I doubt it. Guns give options.

Now, if you think I'm going to try to defend a location post peak without other people in the area thinking as I do, then you are mistaken. The best way to defend yourself is to be amongst a group of like minded, prepared people.

As for the Heinlein remark. You will find that all fiction writers who discount the use of a gun allow their protagonists clever ways to defeat the enemy (unless running furthers the story). David Brin's book The Postman would have been quite boring if the hero had been able to kill the three attackers in chapter one.
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