wow - I'm not an American, and its weird reading these endless stories and fantasies full of fear & terror - and all that will save you is GUNS!! I don't know anyone with a gun, and this weird fear filled gun culture of America is very strange from an outside perspective. Most of the writers of this stuff seem to be middle class people class people in safe neighbourhoods (can you ever be safe without GUNS !! I can hear you say...). So scaredy scaredy scaredy Americans.... harmless & sad but then hunting the world for BAD PEOPLE to kill.... such as muslims and anyone that doesn't like Israel. So many millions dead so that Americans can't their terror & cowardice.
To the displeasure of some, I will respond to this obvious Troll. While I don't advocate feeding Trolls, I feel my views warrant defending. On the off chance that Shane actually seeks to have a discussion or *gasp* a debate, I'm going to respond as if his comment were more rationally stated, and less sophomoric. Enjoy!
Shane, thanks for taking the time to respond in such a thought provoking manner; your challenging of my subject matter in the good neighborhood post, and my why own guns post, drips with respect, and cutting candor. You are an example to us all that people can be civil and courteous, even when they disagree; even on the internet. Please allow me to reply to your more spirited comment.
Your contention that gun-owning Americans live in fear is misconceived; in fact, quite the opposite is the case. Most gun owners who take the defense of their loved ones seriously live quite peacefully. This is because they are confident in their ability to protect their loved ones should it be required. They know they will not have to dial 911 and pray they don't get a busy signal, hope they dispatch someone immediately, and wish against statistics that they arrive fast enough to stop a crime in progress. If they feel threatened, they don't have to wait until they are attacked to call the police, who would otherwise ignore their request. They know that if they don't have cell service, they will still have a fighting chance. They know that they are the first line of defense for the loved ones who depend on them for safety.
Abdicating the responsibility to another (police)man is your prerogative and certainly your right. Obviously, no one requires you feel any responsibility or duty to protect yourself, your wife, or your children. Certainly not your government. Just know that some men and women DO feel that responsibility, that duty, and would be crushed beyond words if their failure to be prepared resulted in the death (or worse) of a loved one or innocent. Just as you find our "gun culture" strange, we find your "culture of cognitive dissonance" strange. Along with the "there was nothing anyone could have done" attitude citizens adopt after what should have been an eye-opening lesson in reality.
Good neighborhoods are safer; that's why we live in them. But while it is more safe to live in good neighborhoods, it is not 100% safe. Nothing is. Not even where you live. No matter how much of a gun-free bastion of public safety you seem to be convinced to have found in Sydney. Random acts of violence can visit anyone, at any time, and irrevocably shatter lives. Arguing that incidents like the recent "good neighborhood" story don't happen, is obviously moot.
It is extremely likely that I, like most gun owners, will never wield a gun in anger. This is fine by me. I certainly don't want to have to go through the legalities, personal expense, emotional trauma, or life-threatening danger of having to use a weapon to defend myself or my loved ones. I think we both agree though, that anyone who would hope to shoot someone, should seek professional help.
The intention of the good neighborhood posts is to enlighten the people who assume they are immune to crime and violence because they live in a "good" neighborhood. This perception of invulnerability seems to be something from which you suffer. You seem to be of the notion (please correct me if I'm wrong) that bad things will not happen to you if you live in a good neighborhood, or that if bad things DO happen, the police will save you and your loved ones. This perception is simply wrong. The perception is so common, and so obviously wrong, that I've covered it many times, and will not bother rehashing.
But I am not so entrenched in my beliefs that I cannot have my mind changed. If you have arguments that can convince me that guns are not necessary to protect my loved ones from harm, I will happily give up the added responsibility, sell all my guns, (except a few .22s for recreational target shooting) invest the thousands I'd get back, and enjoy my life with one less thing to concern me.
Please Shane, please convince me I don't need guns.
3 comments:
Maybe if Nancy wasn't so scaredy scaredy scaredy of guns, he wouldn't have to look at Liz II's ugly mug on his money every day. ;)
In retrospect, my response was overly angry & upset - maybe then I earned the crack about "trolls" and the sarcasm of your opening. Apologies. Its midnight here and I'm very tired. As you've gone to the trouble of such a considered response I'll read it properly later and hopefully respond in a more measured way.
I'd appreciate that.
I believe you guys over there are allowed to own firearms (in some capacity), and I'd like the opportunity to attempt to change your mind.
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