Do you own a gun?

Which applies most to you?

  • I own one or more firearms. I practice using them regularly.

    Votes: 26 45.6%
  • I own one or more firearms, but do not practice using them regularly.

    Votes: 11 19.3%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, but am experienced in using them. I plan to acquire my own firearm soon.

    Votes: 5 8.8%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, but am experienced in using them. I do NOT plan on acquiring my own gun a

    Votes: 2 3.5%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, and have very little experience using them. I would like to get more expe

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, and have very little experience using them. I have no interest in increas

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • I have zero experience handling or using any type of firearm, but would like to get more experience

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I have zero experience handling or using any type of firearm, and have very little experience using

    Votes: 12 21.1%

  • Total voters
    57
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Tom

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Oogway said:
how is everybody having a gun to protect themselves from people with guns better than nobody having guns at all.

Two points:
1. This would be fine if you could push a magic button and make all guns disappear forever. Since no such button will ever exist, the criminals will always find a way to have guns, as they do everywhere in the world, no matter what words the politicians write down on a piece of paper.
2. The invention, and refinement, of the firearm makes the smallest weakest person able to resist a criminal attack from the largest strongest man, or a group of men. THIS is the benefit of guns to society. In the old days, the biggest strongest brutish man could basically do whatever he wanted to whom ever he wanted. Other weapons took a lot of skill, strength and speed to wield effectively, and even then, a large man could usually over come them. So, in a society where the strong prey upon the weak, a firearm is a very effective self defense tool.
 

Jacqui

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StudentoftheReptile said:
I didn't think it was getting heated....but I appreciate the comical pics either way!

Yeah, I was kinda at a loss as to the "getting heated" part too.
 

Tom

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Oogway said:
But where i live things are just the opposite, if i for example stab an intruder with a kitchen knife, i am the one who goes to prison - which makes denmark a country with loads of pacifists

I think it is criminal and disgusting when a government forces its citizens to live like lambs and submit to what ever any criminal decides to do to them. The basic right of self defense should never be a crime. If criminals do not want to be stabbed, shot or otherwise injured, they should find a something else to do that doesn't create victims who feel the need to defend themselves.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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Very well put, Tom.

I myself am NOT a large, strong person, so any advantage I have at my disposal is appreciated. Brains only go so far over brawn!
 

dmmj

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Favorite movie quote "Good? Bad?, I'm the guy with the gun."
Bonus points if you know what movie it is from, no fair using google.
 

GBtortoises

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CLMoss said:
GBtortoises said:
"Do you own a gun?"

Well, not a gun, but enough to arm my family and most of my friends. Pistols, rifles, shotguns firepower for most any purpose that I can think of (at the moment).


"Regional differences tend to be greater than partisan ones for gun politics in the United States. Jurisdictions that favor gun control are concentrated in parts of the Northeastern United States such as New York..."

Please don't make the assumption that New York state residents favor gun control (or elimination). Most outside of New York City do not! When you refer to gun control in New York, you're only talking about New York City, not the rest of the State.

Now did I make an assumption!!?? I believe that I stated that this information was from "WIKPEDIA". Don't put words in my mouth.
It wasn't directed at you specifically, just at the general stats.

Geez, you city people are so edgy all the time about everything, it's a good thing you don't all carry guns. LOL

Yeah, that last comment was directed at you-but only tongue in cheek!



futureleopardtortoise said:
Is it even legal to own a cannon in the states? LOL

It is in New York State, (with a permit of course)! A retired co-worker of mine builds cannons that fire bowling balls. They're such a hit that the West Point Cadets come up to his place once a year to watch him fire them.
 

Kerryann

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I have a friend that owns a cannon too.
It's important to know that just because you own a gun you arent really any safer than before. You have to know how to handle, load, and operate the gun. I pity the fool who thinks he can come into my house because theres only a "girl" at home. :D
Yes that was my best Mr. T. impression :p
 

dmmj

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Let the people who believe in freedom own a gun, and those who don't wan't to own a gun, congratulations you live in a free country and it is your right to do so, just don't infringe on my right to do so, and then we can all get along.
 

CLMoss

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Geez, you city people are so edgy all the time about everything, it's a good thing you don't all carry guns. LOL

We use other methods... But to get to the point of what I was trying to bring out, is that you can't compare the warm states of the US to the 5 tortoise owners that live in NYS and/or the people that live on the north-east, on this forum. That was the point! I get edgy when people don't get the theme/concept of what is being said. If you want to poll the people upstate ny that have tortoises and guns, be my guest. Per-capita this poll would still have no relevance.
 

CourtneyAndCarl

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I have no problems with people owning guns, I just don't like that it's so easy to buy certain kinds of weapons (like cannons) in the middle of a country that hasn't had a war fought on its soil since 1865.
 

dmmj

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My school used a cannon to celebrate football touchdowns during games.
 

CourtneyAndCarl

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dmmj said:
My school used a cannon to celebrate football touchdowns during games.

I'm going to assume you mean like an oldtime or a circus style cannon? When I say cannon, I mean more of something along the lines of bazookas and other modern cannons :p
 

CLMoss

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Edna said:
dmmj said:
My school used a cannon to celebrate football touchdowns during games.

Ka-BOOM!

Aren't all the states "warm" states right now??

This is true! But for me: I Just Can't Wait Until Fall! LOL! To be honest I don't know anybody around here that owns a tortoise for a pet (except Larry in Queens, the breeder of my Stars). It is just not a popular pet.
 

Tom

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futureleopardtortoise said:
I have no problems with people owning guns, I just don't like that it's so easy to buy certain kinds of weapons (like cannons) in the middle of a country that hasn't had a war fought on its soil since 1865.

Why do you think there has not been a war here? Ever heard the phrase "Peace, through superior firepower" ?

Have you not heard the comments from the Japanese admiral about why they did not invade the West Coast of the US after Pearl Harbor, when we were relatively defenseless?

He basically said that they did not invade as they knew it would be suicide since every home had firearms and that all the civilians had marksmanship competitions and knew how to shoot. Paraphrasing here. Don't take my word for it. Look it up. The actual quote is much more compelling than my paraphrasing... Something about "... a rifle behind every blade of grass..."

On an interesting note (interesting to me anyway...) I find a correlation between how people feel about gun ownership and how they feel about society. Now I know we have a few baddies walking around, but I think MOST people are reasonably intelligent, trustworthy, and will do the right thing. Therefore, I have no problem with the majority of society being able to walk into a gun store and after a background check, being able to walk out with a gun. I think most people are "good guys" and I want the good guys to be armed. Now if you think most people are idiots, not trustworthy and will not choose to do the right thing, I can see why you would have an issue with people buying guns.

On another note, anyone who thinks its "easy" to buy a gun in this country, especially some states like CA, clearly has never done it. It is a huge hassle and expense. There are reams of paperwork, tests, licenses, fees, government background checks, waiting periods, etc... This is not even scratching the surface of what the gun store has to go through to be "allowed" to sell it to you. It is NOT like buying a ham sandwich. There are more than 22,000 gun laws on the books, and the number grows nearly every day.
 

CourtneyAndCarl

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Tom said:
futureleopardtortoise said:
I have no problems with people owning guns, I just don't like that it's so easy to buy certain kinds of weapons (like cannons) in the middle of a country that hasn't had a war fought on its soil since 1865.

Why do you think there has not been a war here? Ever heard the phrase "Peace, through superior firepower" ?

Have you not heard the comments from the Japanese admiral about why they did not invade the West Coast of the US after Pearl Harbor, when we were relatively defenseless?

He basically said that they did not invade as they knew it would be suicide since every home had firearms and that all the civilians had marksmanship competitions and knew how to shoot. Paraphrasing here. Don't take my word for it. Look it up. The actual quote is much more compelling than my paraphrasing... Something about "... a rifle behind every blade of grass..."

On an interesting note (interesting to me anyway...) I find a correlation between how people feel about gun ownership and how they feel about society. Now I know we have a few baddies walking around, but I think MOST people are reasonably intelligent, trustworthy, and will do the right thing. Therefore, I have no problem with the majority of society being able to walk into a gun store and after a background check, being able to walk out with a gun. I think most people are "good guys" and I want the good guys to be armed. Now if you think most people are idiots, not trustworthy and will not choose to do the right thing, I can see why you would have an issue with people buying guns.

On another note, anyone who thinks its "easy" to buy a gun in this country, especially some states like CA, clearly has never done it. It is a huge hassle and expense. There are reams of paperwork, tests, licenses, fees, government background checks, waiting periods, etc... This is not even scratching the surface of what the gun store has to go through to be "allowed" to sell it to you. It is NOT like buying a ham sandwich. There are more than 22,000 gun laws on the books, and the number grows nearly every day.

I was using the term "easy" relatively, but part of me really doubts that there is a real correlation between the lack of war in the states and gun ownership. I bet it has a whole lot more to do with the trillions of dollars that the government spends on defense. That's a different topic entirely, though :p

I just don't see how private citizens of the US could possibly need to possess high-powered weapons. What possible good could ever come out of that?

And if the government would prefer citizens carry around their own guns to protect themselves when disaster strikes, that's fine, but then it begs the question of why spend the trillions of dollars every year?
 

dmmj

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I like ham sandwiches. But I can't protect myself with one.
 

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futureleopardtortoise said:
Tom said:
futureleopardtortoise said:
I have no problems with people owning guns, I just don't like that it's so easy to buy certain kinds of weapons (like cannons) in the middle of a country that hasn't had a war fought on its soil since 1865.

Why do you think there has not been a war here? Ever heard the phrase "Peace, through superior firepower" ?

Have you not heard the comments from the Japanese admiral about why they did not invade the West Coast of the US after Pearl Harbor, when we were relatively defenseless?

He basically said that they did not invade as they knew it would be suicide since every home had firearms and that all the civilians had marksmanship competitions and knew how to shoot. Paraphrasing here. Don't take my word for it. Look it up. The actual quote is much more compelling than my paraphrasing... Something about "... a rifle behind every blade of grass..."

On an interesting note (interesting to me anyway...) I find a correlation between how people feel about gun ownership and how they feel about society. Now I know we have a few baddies walking around, but I think MOST people are reasonably intelligent, trustworthy, and will do the right thing. Therefore, I have no problem with the majority of society being able to walk into a gun store and after a background check, being able to walk out with a gun. I think most people are "good guys" and I want the good guys to be armed. Now if you think most people are idiots, not trustworthy and will not choose to do the right thing, I can see why you would have an issue with people buying guns.

On another note, anyone who thinks its "easy" to buy a gun in this country, especially some states like CA, clearly has never done it. It is a huge hassle and expense. There are reams of paperwork, tests, licenses, fees, government background checks, waiting periods, etc... This is not even scratching the surface of what the gun store has to go through to be "allowed" to sell it to you. It is NOT like buying a ham sandwich. There are more than 22,000 gun laws on the books, and the number grows nearly every day.

I was using the term "easy" relatively, but part of me really doubts that there is a real correlation between the lack of war in the states and gun ownership. I bet it has a whole lot more to do with the trillions of dollars that the government spends on defense. That's a different topic entirely, though :p

I just don't see how private citizens of the US could possibly need to possess high-powered weapons. What possible good could ever come out of that?

And if the government would prefer citizens carry around their own guns to protect themselves when disaster strikes, that's fine, but then it begs the question of why spend the trillions of dollars every year?

I whole-heartedly agree.
 
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