Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Agreed. And I don't worry about that and that's also an excellent argument for why teachers shouldn't carry weapons in school. It's just statistically unlikely for it to happen. One occurrence, even a few occurrences of it happening, do not make for a justified large scale reaction. I'd venture to bet that even if every teacher in this country carried a weapon, the accidental firings (and subsequent injuries or deaths caused by them) or , by a child who'd somehow gotten his/her hands on a loaded weapon, would probably outnumber the amount of deaths caused by mass school shootings. We always tend to focus on the large-scale spree killings because it's a concentrated, truly evil act. But, let's say we arm every teacher and principal in America... I'd venture to bet that it's probably just as likely that 26 kids will die in a school year from those accidental firings in the first place.
What if instead of arming all the teachers, you make entering checkpoints heavily guarded... Like an airport?
As I previously stated. The percentage of people in which any crime may perpetuated against is extraordinarily low in the first place - and has been declining rapidly since the 1990's. Of the percentage of people who MAY have one of these rare events occur in their life (regardless of race), it is often low income, uneducated folks who are both at fault and who are the victims in these crimes. Crimes against middle class individuals, higher income folks, and the like? It's so statistically improbable that it's honestly not worth losing sleep over. In fact, you're probably more likely to die from the insomnia of your fear of not having a gun at this point than you are from an intruder breaking into your home.
Your stats are handy and make for informative reading. But stats are not definitive. They don't guarantee anything. They are just odds on paper. And just like the lottery (and the Ravens beating the Broncos this weekend) odds are broken all the time. My neighborhood falls within the stats that you pointed out that are the least unlikely to have break-ins. In the last year, we've had 5. That goes against stats, now doesn't it. Stats can give patterns and can help make predictions but should never be used a definitive sources for answers.
As for fear, I think you may be assuming too much here. I don't fear a break-in as much as I fear not being prepared for one. You assume we "gun-nuts" are afraid. To a degree, you are right. I fear for my family, and not being prepared to defend them from all dangers. We know that it isn't possible to protect them from 100% of all dangers, but I can at least narrow the odds a little by being prepared. And please, don't go giving me the stats about how often kids get hurt with family fire-arms. I've heard them enough to choke a horse. You've heard the arguments before about educating your children, and I can guarantee that mine know respect and care.
It's also amusing to watch people fantasize about this. It's an interesting perspective of humanity to witness... Those who really want to commit violent actions but are restricted from doing so by societal pressures and, well, the law. It's almost like the bulk of people just keep a gun around more in the hope of "killing an assailant" than "protecting their family." I think that's what the whole "gun nut" thing stems from, in my opinion. It's about "killin' stuff" and the best chance to legally kill "sumtin'" is when it breaks into your house. Otherwise, you just go down to target practice to shoot at human silhouette's and mimic killing someone.
This, I have to say is quite insulting. And I take offense that you would insult every gun owner by virtually claiming we are all closet killers. And, of course, using the southern/redneck accent is not only offensive but shows a little prejudice as well. Not to mention wrong (well, for the most part )
I have to ask. And I do out of curiosity only. Have you ever done any target shooting? It's quite fun, having nothing to do with "killin' sumpin' ". I compare it a wonderful golf swing, watching every action work perfectly, controlling the ball's flight, distance, direction , and landing 10 feet from the flag... as opposed to the bunker. Both sports are hard and take good hand-eye coordination, patience, practice, etc. It's a challenge.
I think it great that the statistics show that there is very little possibility of being attacked by an intruder in your own home. But I don't see how that is an argument against keeping a gun just in case that very remote possibility actually happens.
This, I have to say is quite insulting. And I take offense that you would insult every gun owner by virtually claiming we are all closet killers. And, of course, using the southern/redneck accent is not only offensive but shows a little prejudice as well. Not to mention wrong (well, for the most part )
I have to ask. And I do out of curiosity only. Have you ever done any target shooting? It's quite fun, having nothing to do with "killin' sumpin' ". I compare it a wonderful golf swing, watching every action work perfectly, controlling the ball's flight, distance, direction , and landing 10 feet from the flag... as opposed to the bunker. Both sports are hard and take good hand-eye coordination, patience, practice, etc. It's a challenge.
Hmmm... Let me see here... "It's almost like the bulk of people..." How does that equate to "every gun owner?"
My point is that there are a lot of people who talk about what they would do to an intruder like they have it all planned out in their mind. "Alright... If a guy comes in the back door I have my shotgun. Now, if the guy cuts a hole in the roof and drops in through the ceiling, then I have my AR-15. And, if the guy manages to creep into the bedroom, I have my .38 Special. Oh, and if I'm in the shower, then I have the .22 in the false shampoo bottle. Either way, I'm going to be protecting myself." There comes a point when it seems like paranoid delusion coupled with murderous fantasy though, admittedly, it's hard to tell which one is the dominant focal point.
And then, when all that's not working out, you go down to the gun range and shoot at human silhouettes to mimic the action of firing a weapon into another human being. To answer your question, yes, I have done target shooting. I was in the military and can probably fire an AR-15 with the best of them but never really saw the "fun" of it. Yee-haw, I get to point a metal object downrange and pull a smaller metal object with my fingertip so that I can release an even smaller metal object at a high velocity towards a piece of paper I'm pretending is my enemy.
Do you people ever listen to the news or read the newspapers. Home invasions occur on a regular basis. Tell these people that it is a rare occurrence.
Jaggy and Maggie are ill informed.
Do you people ever listen to the news or read the newspapers. Home invasions occur on a regular basis. Tell these people that it is a rare occurrence.
Jaggy and Maggie are ill informed.
Considering that "home invasion" is not even a chargeable offense in most municipalities, I challenge you to find solid proof that (a) they happen on a regular basis, and (b) happen more often than not (ie - you have more of a chance to have your home invaded than you do not).
While I most certainly watch the news and read the papers, I am also smart enough to realize that things appearing in the news do so for a reason - they are anomalies to every day life, which makes them newsworthy.
Hmmm... Let me see here... "It's almost like the bulk of people..." How does that equate to "every gun owner?"
My point is that there are a lot of people who talk about what they would do to an intruder like they have it all planned out in their mind. "Alright... If a guy comes in the back door I have my shotgun. Now, if the guy cuts a hole in the roof and drops in through the ceiling, then I have my AR-15. And, if the guy manages to creep into the bedroom, I have my .38 Special. Oh, and if I'm in the shower, then I have the .22 in the false shampoo bottle. Either way, I'm going to be protecting myself." There comes a point when it seems like paranoid delusion coupled with murderous fantasy though, admittedly, it's hard to tell which one is the dominant focal point.
And then, when all that's not working out, you go down to the gun range and shoot at human silhouettes to mimic the action of firing a weapon into another human being. To answer your question, yes, I have done target shooting. I was in the military and can probably fire an AR-15 with the best of them but never really saw the "fun" of it. Yee-haw, I get to point a metal object downrange and pull a smaller metal object with my fingertip so that I can release an even smaller metal object at a high velocity towards a piece of paper I'm pretending is my enemy.
Your were using numbers earlier. So, where's your stats that show "almost like the bulk of people" owning guns feel the way you describe? I think you're engaging in a little exageration and hyperbole. I was in the military myself. I never got anything from firing my M-16 downrange into a human silhouette. But i did receive satisfaction from doing a skill well. If you didn't, that's fine. But i think you're wrong in thinking the rest of us should feel differently.
Do you people ever listen to the news or read the newspapers. Home invasions occur on a regular basis. Tell these people that it is a rare occurrence.
Jaggy and Maggie are ill informed.
"A number of scientific studies, published in the world's most rigorous, peer-reviewed journals, show that the risks of keeping a loaded gun in the home strongly outweigh the potential benefits." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...062702864.html
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) 
