Dohh,Masherbrum etc this is becoming too silly.
Iceland was occupied by the British, and thank god that not so many firearms were around in town at the time, - it probably prevented shootouts in the first hours of confusion, while the army was just pouring in.
Most of the convoys were british, while americans entered escort duties and took over the island before Pearl Harbour.
Now war is war, and even us Icelanders had the sour taste of that. One of my great uncles was in the RAF as a volunteer, 2 of my great uncles were killed by German U-boats, and relatively we lost a lot more people than USA!
The occupation force, first British, then American, behaved very well, and there were very few conflicts between us and them, - much more friendship and gratefulness.
Can't see where handguns could have improved anything in there!
Anyway, my point is merely about handguns, and not hunting weapons. After all, I am a hunter!
And this thread was raised about limitations of civil arms ownership, not a military issue.
Handguns of the most common calibers are mostly useful against people, - that's my point. Why flood your society with a gadget who's sole "usefulness" is to pop or threaten someone in a hurry?
Handguns are fun, but sadly they are a lot more useful by the baddies, and them being around, no matter how hard-to-get the licence is, a lot of them will always find a way to the baddies. Sad but true.
And here is something for Rc51:
quote:
"We are the most heavly armed country on the planet thats one reasone why we will never be invaded easely.
I think it sad that the peoples of europe have to go thrue all the watermelon just to own a hunting weapon but it was you who let you governments strip you of your rights a long time ago.
Say if someday some nut (HITLER RING A BELL) comes alond and says gee i dont like those britts i think there weak and i am going to gas them all to hell.
What will you as citizene do then??
Cant always count on your military can you.
Oh I know what you will do you will call good old uncle sam and his country of pistol packin cowboys to come save your butts once again!!"
ROFL, did you read this!
Basically silly of me trying to answer this babble, but I shall try.
It was the British who declared war on Hitler. USA did not join, but started selling weapons to the Brits. The trade was cash, British firms and assets in the US, and intelligence. If not for Roosevelt, USA might have stayed out completely or even been on the German Side, and if not for Pearl Harbour, I wonder also if the USA had joined at all....
The Brits also bombed Germany heavier than the US did, and the RN was a more decisive factor in the North-Atlantic Campaign than the USN. Brits squeezed the Germans on to the run in North Africa, and the Brits held the naval supremacy in the Med.
Those poor poor defenceless Brits waiting for the gas, being saved by armed US civilians...
Now the USA is hard to invade from anywhere (save Canada, hehe) due to the sheer distance from other possibly hostile countries. And in case a Panzer knocks on your door, no handgun is gonna save you.
So: wanna arm the nation properly with bazookas, SAM's, heavy MG's and landmines? Wonder what civilians would be the first to use such.........
