Strangely, facts don't seem to help your position. Have a look at this. Google Answers: Crime Statistics by Handgun Caliber It shows well that the weapons you take issue with are not used in crime to any large extent. Very few crimes are committed with a rifle, they just are not convenient and tactically unnecessary. They are used in all the movie crimes though. Don't be afraid of the AR15's and AK's. Be afraid of that old .38 snub nose. The bigger gun in this picture weighs 28 pounds and its 50" long. Nobody is gonna carry that down the street or into a bank. Bigger is safer? OBTW, I ain't compensating:bootyshake::icon_wink:
Okay, so here goes my one and only reply to this post. Backs you said it all………. EDUCATION. While I refuse to debate gun control with any of you here, I do like to educate. In order to understand my stand against gun control you first have to understand me. Gun ownership to me is a part of my culture. It is history. It is a part of my heritage. I grew up in small-town USA. Rural America, that’s me. I live on land that has been part of my family for four generations. My family has farmed fruit and vegetables and raised livestock to feed the family on this land for four generations. My ancestors didn’t do this for fun, it was a necessity. Hunting and fishing to supplement the farming was just a way of life. Guns were not considered weapons but tools. While it is no longer necessary to do these things for survival, I still farm fruits and vegetables because I can. Those that have never nurtured their own food could never understand the satisfaction that comes from it. I also still hunt and fish as often as I can. I don’t KILL animals, I harvest wild game. There is a difference. Nothing is wasted. I say all this to get to today. Some of my most prized possessions are guns that have been passed down to me. So here I am, a law abiding citizen, hardworking taxpayer, steward of the land, responsible family man, active voter, public servant, and just an overall pretty good ole dude. BUT………………… I should sit back and smile while my guns are stolen away from me because some lunatic used his stolen, illegal, unlicensed, and might I add dirty and uncared for gun against someone. Did I do something wrong? No…….. Would this loss affect my way of life? Yes……… Is it my right to own firearms? Yes…… I would never ask any of you to agree with me on this issue. I only ask you to respect my feelings. I will respect yours. Whether you agree or not, this is my RIGHT in this country. I would never try to tell you what is right or wrong with your beliefs as long as your beliefs are within the law. I will never judge you on your religion, what church you attend, what foods you eat, your race, which school you were educated in, your profession, or your morals. These are all not only your personal beliefs but also your RIGHTS. And …………YES…… any of these things could be regulated by a law if left unprotected. The Sara Bradys of this country have said it loud and clear,” Gun control is just the beginning. We will not rest this issue until all private citizens are disarmed”. I for one will not sit quietly and watch this happen. You may say that I am comparing gun ownership with religion. Well, in my culture it is a religion. So there it is. This is a very personal issue with me. I don’t expect you to agree with me. To those that have never experienced this culture, I don’t think you could truly understand the passion involved. To those that don’t agree with me I only ask that you respect my beliefs. Please don’t try to FORCE your beliefs and rights (or lack thereof) on me and my family. While we may never agree, I would invite anyone of you to break bread with my family at my table any time. And one more fact of reality. Alcohol and prescription drugs kill lots more people everyday than guns ever will. And yet…………………………I hope to share a drink with all of you at TTR and we’ll share something to kill the hangover the next day. A handshake for all
You do sound like a "Good ole dude", Dale. Millions of rural Canadian's share your views and way of life. Cheers, Bruce
Dmac I think you said that so tastefully and respectfully that not many can argue your intent and that your an all around good guy............Cheers from me as well buddy and I look forward to sharing a beer with you and your family one day....
Maybe I should clear something up. Canadians can and do purchase firearms. It's not so much a"Right" as there is no law saying you can't. (Though some argue that the Magna Carta expressly states we have that Right. This document was incorporated into the British North America Act which brought Canada into being. It provides for the right to bear arms and was used as reference by America's Founding Fathers in drafting the Declaration of Independence) As it stands in Canada, you must first pass a safety test to get a firearm license. Then there is a background check (looking for things like past violent convictions, etc.) and a 28 day waiting period before you can purchase a firearm. That is in place to avoid someone getting hotheaded and deciding to go get a gun and shoot a chicken thief...lol. So after the 28 days and a clear record you are then free to purchase a rifle or shotgun. Only the police, some security agencies, collectors and target range shooters and most recently border guards are allowed to possess hand guns. In the case of collectors and target shooters there are strict rules regarding the storage and handling of handguns. Semi-automatics are also illegal to own. BB guns can be purchased by anyone....lol There are somewhere between 7 and 11 million firearms in Canada. No-one knows the number for sure. The gun registry brought in by the government a few years ago was ignored by many and is about to be scrapped. There are 3.8 million registered owners. The population of Canada is around 36 million. There are plenty of old guns around, as well, that the government knows nothing about. Lugers brought back from WWII, that kind of thing. Canadian gun owners don't speak of "their right to bear arms". But they do strongly defend their "right" to hunt and provide for their families. The largest proponents of gun control are city dwellers, particularly in Canada's largest cities.
(AP) A study has found that air rifles, paintball pistols and BB guns injure as many as 21,000 Americans each year, undermining the notion that such weapons are harmless in the hands of young people. Nonpowder guns kill an average of four Americans yearly, and from 1990 to 2000, there were 39 such deaths — 32 of children younger than 15, according to a report in November's issue of Pediatrics. Im just teasing Brewster....i was on a roll on google when i read your post, so i tried to find something funny, but found that instead, but figured ahh heck ill share what i found lol
You're fucking kidding me :icon_rolleyes:..........right? You must be trolling. Ok I'll bite I do use the AK47 at the range along with *gasp* my 15 other guns. Guns are my hobby, I get pleasure from shooting them and it's actually quite the challenge. There is no need for me to justify them.
Im just going out on a limb here, but from my past experiences, points are better proven with debates and facts , not all out arguements, I understand these topics get heated on both ends, but can we try to have healthy debates and fun debates with out the bashing and swearing and all out warfare.......cause when you start swearing and arguing the debates become personal, these are supposed to be debates on rights and laws of millions of people, not just the 5 or 6 that are sharing in this thread......not every gun owner feels the same as you, and not every anti gun person feels the same as them......peace people peace....lol
CBSNews.com This is a link to a website that I found that breaks down all the USA number for almost all gun related incidents and numbers....not something I found so that I am pro or against, but I wanted to find something with cold hard numbers for all of you to read and debate ....I havent read it all yet...
