I’ve been following the gun debate on these boards. I had my own debate with raww on AGW around June 2001. There are wider issues at stake than I first realised. I have some questions and I’m seeking answers. I’m not trying to rubbish anyone’s beliefs, and I’m not picking on anyone in this post.
Looking at Ripsnort’s initial post, with the signs etc., it seems that the principal reason for owning a gun is to keep it in the home to ward off an attack from outside. Now I know that many of you guys claim to enjoy shooting at firing ranges or the like, but I would stick my neck out and estimate that of the total number of gun licensees in the US, fewer than 5% use their guns for sporting purposes. In fact the figure is probably closer to fewer than 1%. What I don’t quite understand is why so many of you guys feel threatened when many of you live in smart middle class neighbourhoods. In fairness, I have to say that were I to be compelled to live in some run down toejam hole like the Cabrini Green housing estate in Chicago, or parts of Los Angeles like Compton or the Watts district, I might be happier with a gun. But I’d be far happier to move out. But in the areas of the US where I lived – Concord,CA, NYC upper west side – I never felt threatened, and slept well at nights. Ripsnort has a nice car, and in an earlier post outlined the provision he’d made for his kids so it follows that he lives somewhere nice. So why the need for a gun?
Perhaps the most interesting comments come from Lazs. He has visited London in the past, and would not have been allowed to bring any guns into the country. In
one of my earlier threads about Venice, Lazs said this:
A fellow flight sim guy took me to a bar in a seedy part of london that was supposedly risky.. I felt about in as much danger as I would at a church bingo nite...
And yet Lazs keeps a gun in his own home where, one assumes, he feels threatened. Now I know that Lazs goes to firing ranges etc., but is this the
only reason he keeps a gun at home? I suspect not. It is more likely that like may others here, he keeps a gun for self defence. So there we have it. Lazs feels safer at a rough bar in a risky area of London than he does in his own home.
Why is this? Lazs is not the only American to visit London, and all the ones that do come would have to leave their guns behind. And when they do come, they feel safe. Why? Well, there are far fewer guns in England than in the US, and the murder rate is lower. But to listen to the pro-gun lobby - guys like raww on AGW, one is led to believe that a gun owner is
a better citizen than a non-owner. People are saying that guns prevent more crimes than the number of crimes involving guns. And if the average gun owner is a stable, responsible person, why does he feel threatened in his own home? I can think of a few possibilities, but here are the first ones to spring to mind.
- Maybe you are a responsible citizen. But to keep a gun to ward off a threat from outside undermines the belief that gun owners are safe and responsible. If you really believed that, you wouldn't need a gun because the only other people with guns would be safe and responsible. But you do keep a gun for self defence, and the answer must be that you know there are criminals out there with guns by whom you feel threatened, ie American gun control laws don't work.
- You don't really feel threatened, but you own a gun because the law allows it, and you want nothing more than to exercise your rights.
- Paranoia. I said that many Americans visit London/England, but the number is down 20% since September 11th, 2001. People are afraid to fly these days. In the aftermath of the al Qaeda atrocities last year, many people went out and bought guns. Why? Were they expecting bin Laden to show up on their doorstep? Or do they have conceal/carry permits and fancy themselves as self appointed guardians of the law?
