changeling | (no subject)

Current Mood: unimpressed

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Well done, America. Because, y'know, you don't have a big enough gun problem.

And people wonder why the only thing that's coerced me into possibly visiting the States is because I have friends there.

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*sigh* I promise that it isn't ALL like that. There are actually enclaves of sanity. :)

Oh, I know that. But the fact that I'm about a billion times more likely to be shot walking down the street in America than I am in Australia scares me shitless.

Well, yes and no. The vast majority of shootings happen in one of two contexts:

1. Inside homes (the whole 'I need a gun to defend my family, oh shit, my two year old just blew his head off' issue)
2. In ghetto areas (and even then, only some of them).

Put it this way, in all the years I lived in the US, I never saw a gun except in a home or a store.

Oh and for the record I'm totally for gun control. (God, I've turned into such a leftie! lol)

or, clause 1a: I didn't leave my gun locked up and now my 4-year-old/12-year-old/18-year-old took it to school and killed his/her friends.

And I didn't say it was necessarily a rational fear.

The stupid.
It burns.

I know.

It fires BBs. That's supposed to be a self-defense weapon. What the fuck am I supposed to say, "Stay away from me or I'll shoot you and you'll feel like you got bit by a really big mosquito! I MEAN IT!"?

Why do you need a gun to defend yourself anyway? What happened to pepper spray? Or those little keychain alarms?

HAHAHA!

Pepper spray? Dear God, woman, didn't you know that Americans are so dumb, 75% of the people who try to use pepper spray in self defense end up getting it in their own face. They don't take into account things like wind or, you know, GETTING AWAY FROM THE AREA.

Keychain alarms?

I would like to own a taser. I believe they're legal in AZ (at least, I know you can sell them here), but I'm not sure about FL, so not getting one.

Guns provide a sort of distance. You don't have to be up close and personal, like with tasers.

I, however, am all for harsher laws on guns. I think people need to get a license to use guns. Like when we get driving licenses. They need to go through tests and LEARN HOW TO USE THE FUCKING THING.

I'm still wishywashy on whether I'll ever get a gun. I would like to learn how to SHOOT a gun, that way if I'm ever in a situation where there is a gun, I know what to do. But own one? Eh...I dunno.

*shrugs* They weren't really meant as serious alternatives.

I don't even know (specifically) what a taser is. Self-defence here = learning aikido. And I wouldn't know whether it's legal to carry pepper spray or tasers (I would doubt it) here, or even where to get them.

I think guns are fucking evil and there's no excuse for anyone to have one who isn't a) sport or b) hunting or c) in the defence force. I would that guns were never invented.
I'm not saying that you, specifically, should not have a gun, I just think that the whole "right to bear arms" bullshit toted by your NRA is utter crap, as it was put in there when the US was fighting Britain. And didn't have automatic guns.
The US gun laws is one reason why I never ever want to live there.

A taser uses electricity. It shoots such-and-such amount of volts through the person you're using it on. Enough to put them on their knees, not enough to kill. They are part of the non-lethal arsenal in any police station, so they better not be designed to kill. And all cops who use them, have to have them used on him/her. Just like the pepper spray. Brave cops.

Of course, I'm guessing if you have, like, a heart problem or something, that whole non-lethal thing goes right out the door. But I would be much more comfortable having a taser for self-defense than a big freaking gun.

Although, I think you should need a permit to own a taser, just like you need a permit to own a gun. I wish there were ways to trace tasers, like there are ways to trace most guns. When tasers are used in crimes, it's usually for torture, and that's, to me, worse than just killing someone.

You're absolutely right. The right to bear arms was written because our hills were full of minutemen and that was our army. We had no real army, so the farmers and such had to be our soldiers and therefore we drafted part of the constitution to say that they could bear arms.

I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of not being ALLOWED to own a gun. Maybe it's because I'm American and was raised American, but my first reaction is, "Oh, yeah, try to take it away," which is weird 'cause I don't own a gun.

I dunno. I think in the right situations, guns are useful. I think most people who own guns are a menace, though. And I DEFINITELY think automatics are for cops and stuff.

(Personally, I haven't learned to shoot, yet, because with my temper, I was terrified to have a gun nearby for most of my life. I've dealt with my temper to a point where I'm 99% sure I wouldn't use it, even if I had it, but then I think back to the John situation. On the one hand, I was very afraid and he was very out of control and maybe a gun would have calmed the situation down. Just the threat of it. On the other hand...I kind of believe if there had been a gun in the house that night, I'd be dead. *shrug* I guess I'm just conflicted.)

But the duty-free shops can kevlarize your clothes while you wait....and just as a first time flyer special, all the airport fast food places will give you 20% off!

But if I get shot and I'm wearing my corset, no amount of kevlar will stop the damage to the fabric! >:O

I'm going there for the jelly belly jelly bean factory. I can think of no other reason (apart from LJ friends o' course)to go, really. Though, I hear Boston's nice.

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