tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35149323.post6826081150493762230..comments2023-10-06T04:59:22.835-04:00Comments on Raptor's Nest: Delayed UpdatesRaptorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14731103493582041052noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35149323.post-87880434829441892032007-04-26T10:32:00.000-04:002007-04-26T10:32:00.000-04:00Don't get me wrong, I am in favor of some moderati...Don't get me wrong, I am in favor of some moderation and limits (nobody needs a full-auto AK-47 or M16), but simply banning guns is not the answer. Like I said, look at Australia and the UK. While shootings are down in both these countries, violent crime itself has shot through the roof.<BR/><BR/>And in PA, if a burglar pulls a gun on you in your own home, it becomes self-defense if you shoot him. It's true; find Mr. Gicking and ask him. And if I pulled my trusty 12-Gauge on a burglar, I wouldn't make him leave; I'd hold him at gunpoint until the cops showed up.<BR/><BR/>What the boneheaded politicians either don't see refuse to understand is that a criminal is, simply put, a person who ignores and violates laws to get what he/she wants. So if we enact a law banning guns, criminals will ignore that law like they do others and will therefore obtain firearms, while law-abiding citizens will be unarmed and defenseless.Raptorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14731103493582041052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35149323.post-63843889776730886262007-04-26T07:41:00.000-04:002007-04-26T07:41:00.000-04:00I have no doubt that guns are scary enough to make...I have no doubt that guns are scary enough to make people leave, but they also could be scary enough to make people <I>pull</I> a gun. If I'm a burglar with a gun and someone takes out a shotgun, there's a chance I'll be frightened enough to take out my own.<BR/><BR/>In Philadelphia this weekend, there were 11 murders. ELEVEN! To get a gun in Philly, you go to Walmart and pick one up.<BR/><BR/>If we don't ban guns (which I am in favor of), we could at least make a waiting period (90 days), an extensive background search (including criminal and medical records, interviews with family members, etc.), and a mandatory gun-safety course.Sam Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00668682766434069529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35149323.post-7009673004775530062007-04-25T22:17:00.000-04:002007-04-25T22:17:00.000-04:00True. But guns in general are banned in Columbia. ...True. But guns in general are banned in Columbia. Tell me, what is the homicide rate in Bogota or Mendellin?<BR/><BR/>And in Switzerland, they have good control laws where you can't buy a gun unless you have a government-issued permit. Plus, every male age 17+ serves either in the army or the reserves, and therefore has a SG-500 assualt rifle in his closet. (I am not making this up. Go to wikipedia and look up "Gun Politics in Switzerland.)If you were a burglar, would you <I>really</I> break into a home where you <I>knew</I> the owner'd probably have an assault rifle? I think not.<BR/><BR/>And you don't have to actually shoot an attacker to stop him. Usually simply brandishing a gun will diffuse the situation.<BR/><BR/>Scenario: You're a cat burglar. You've broken into a house at 2:00 AM. You're in the living room, reaching for the silver candlesticks on the mantle when... <I>KLAK-KLAK!</I> you hear the sound of a pump-action shotgun being cocked right behind you. Unless you have a death wish, you're probably going to do exactly what the homeowner tells you to do.Raptorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14731103493582041052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35149323.post-19637532275495579662007-04-25T17:58:00.000-04:002007-04-25T17:58:00.000-04:00Only 1.4% of homicides are labeled (by the FBI) as...Only 1.4% of homicides are labeled (by the FBI) as "Civilian Legal Defensive Homicides". Also, "non-fatal" gun defenses to non-fatal violent crimes involving handguns is one to nineteen. In the U.S., where 29% of all households own guns, there were 13,429 handgun murders. In Switzerland, 1% of households own guns. Handgun murders? 33! (Per 100,000 in the U.S.: 5.28. In the U.K.:.06. That's 88 times!)Sam Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00668682766434069529noreply@blogger.com