posted
I think I stand a much better chance of facing a crook with a knife then with a gun. Why do you need a gun? You either run, or you face the crook. If a crook carried a knife, but doesn't know how to use it, then it'll be OUR advantage, not his.
------------------ If a diamond is a woman's best friend, why does a man has to settle for a dog?
This has to be the dumbest question I've heard in a LONG time (no offence intended). To defend yourself and your property! Wouldn't you feel much safer holding a violent man at bay at ten feet than two?
"If a crook carried a knife, but doesn't know how to use it, then it'll be OUR advantage, not his."
Who said anything about the hypothetical crook not knowing how to use a knife? Besides, say someone's threatening you with a knife. Are you really gonna take a chance on whether he knows what he's doing? How quickly can you pull YOUR knife? Quickly enough to prevent him from stabbing you?
Guns are the best method of defending yourself. Period.
------------------ "To disarm the people [is] the best and most effectual way to enslave them." - George Mason, American Statesman and Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
And I know this may sound crazy, but surely the robber would have to be right next to you to be effective with a knife. And surely he'd have to hit you in the right spot if he wanted to kill you with said knife. And surely you'd also have to be standing still?
With a gun, a criminal can hold an entire room at bay. With a knife, he can only hold one person. Just.
------------------ "I can't believe we're actually gonna meet Guru Lou. Everyone says he's the wisest man in the universe. He's sensitive, creative, has a great sense of humour, and he's a really smooth dancer. *giggles*" "You're confused Polly. We're not meeting Paul Newman." - Polly & Speedy; Samurai Pizza Cats
Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
I consider my drink to be my weapon. No, seriously.
I live in a downtown area of a small (read <75,000 people) city in CT. It's close to the police station...really fairly uneventful. One night at 3 AM, I went to the local Food Bag down the street t'get more caffeine. As I left the parking lot & entered the shadows, a guy came up asking if I had any change. When I said no, he pulled a smallish knife on me & told me to give him my wallet.
Now...I'm right-handed, so my wallet was (obviously) in my right pocket. I had a bag with a 2-liter bottle of Diet Pepsi in my left hand. I lied, told the guy I was left-handed & was going to slowly move the bottle to my right hand so that I could get out my wallet. The INSTANT the bag was in my right hand, I swung it up & knocked the knife out of his hand. The return swing down cracked him on the head & knocked his ass on the ground. I went back into the store to tell them to call the cops, but when I went back out, he was gone.
The point? ANYTHING can be a weapon--a firearm, a knife, a pointy stick, a bottle of soda, a PEANUT. Crime won't ever go away, but I'd like it to be a little easier to FIGHT it.
And on a similar note, why are pro-gun people always against registration, but have no problems with (& usually dutifully & responsibly fill out the forms for) gun LICENSES? What's the difference, eh?
------------------ "Do you know how much YOU'RE worth??.....2.5 million Woolongs. THAT'S your bounty. I SAID you were small fry..." --Spike Spiegel
posted
As for Liam's objections about how hard it is to kill someone with a knife, you are aware that it's possible to bleed to death, no? Hit any organ or a major artery ANYWHERE and, unless you recieve medical assistance or are REALLY level-headed, you're dead.
------------------ "To disarm the people [is] the best and most effectual way to enslave them." - George Mason, American Statesman and Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
posted
Yeah. There are a whole number of places on a human body that can be seriously damaged by a good knife/icepick stick. Hell, slide one in between the ribs and you've got a really good chance for a fatality.
I have a nice little dagger made just for that kind of thing, if anybody wants to test that theory.
Just for fun... Some startling statistics taken from Arkansas' (Clintonland) Benton County News Tribune on the 17th of Nov. 1999.
Number of physicians in the U.S. 700,000 Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year 120,000 Accidental deaths per physician 0.171
Further... Number of gun owners in the U.S. 80,000,000 Number of accidental gun deaths per year all age groups 1,500 Accidental deaths per gun owner 0.0000188
Do we maybe need a seven-day waiting period for doctors?
------------------ "Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi
[This message has been edited by First of Two (edited July 14, 2000).]
posted
Yes, I'm aware that it's possible to stab someone to death with a knife. I'm just saying it's harder.
Vainly trying to remember which psychologist said it, but it's far harder to stab someone to death than it is to shoot them. You're much closer, you have to do it in a way that you conect with them. It's a far harder thing to do than stand a few feet away and pull a trigger.
------------------ "I can't believe we're actually gonna meet Guru Lou. Everyone says he's the wisest man in the universe. He's sensitive, creative, has a great sense of humour, and he's a really smooth dancer. *giggles*" "You're confused Polly. We're not meeting Paul Newman." - Polly & Speedy; Samurai Pizza Cats
posted
I'd have to agree with that, Liam, but I'd respond that it's a lot harder to shoot OR stab someone with a gun than it is to stab an unarmed person.
------------------ "To disarm the people [is] the best and most effectual way to enslave them." - George Mason, American Statesman and Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
posted
But we've gotten off track. The numbers show that in the two countries being studied, crime has gone up significantly in both when guns were outlawed. The easiest way to kill someone is irrelevant.
------------------ "To disarm the people [is] the best and most effectual way to enslave them." - George Mason, American Statesman and Author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
posted
Omega, Omega, Omega. You see, you have left yourself at a unique disadvantage. My father is on your side of the fence, and we have had many a lengthy discussion on the topic. Might I point out a GLARING hole in your oh so righteous crusade, oh tutonic one? The weapons that were seized in 1996 were semi-autos and pumpactions only. You know what this means? That Australia, being a nation of multiple weapon owners did not have its security effected. Sure, they lost their semi-auto. But the lovely chaps of the SSAA (sporting shoorters association of Australia) still had their handguns, bolt actions, and lever actions. Guess what? All these homes still had their weapons minus one or two of the above. Thus, your entire argument is baseless. Now, lets take another look at the cause of the rise in crime. I know all ye right fundies like to blame it on the lazy leftist centrally controlled goose stepping KGB agents, but there are larger social problems which cause crime in the first place. And in the case of Australia, the rise in crime happened in spite of the guns being removed, not because of it. You see, after the removal of certain classes of weapon from the general public there were still sufficient weapons in circulation to keep the balance between the evil ravening hordes of home raiders and the pure and holy men of the corporation in their neatly trimmed suits with their lovely mercs. So, frankly -I repeat- the weapons buyback scheme had nothing to do with the rise in crime.
The cause of the rise was economic. In 1996-97 there was a little economc crisis called the Asian Economic Meltdown. *shock* This had a very adverse effect on our exports. Shite loads of people were laid off, and found themselves unable to meet their debts. (We got over that in a year an a half or so, and the economy is kicking along quite nicely at the moment BTW). So they turned to generating alternative forms of revenue. Now I won't say that the bulk of people did this, it would only be a small number who turned to crime. However the point stands. Any minor or even moderate rise in crime your rather questionable sources may claim there was can far more accurately be attributed to economic problems than to a shortage of weapons.
As for there being lists of who owns what, so what? These weapons are lethal, and thus should be kept checked for the safety of the general populace. Your suggestion of a govt using the lists to round up the people and disarm them is a rather 'out there' theory. I'd suggest that before you run for president you tone down the conspiracy theories just a little so they don't dump you in the loony bin with old Ronnie.
------------------ "Remeber, if there is a nuclear explosion, be sure to close your windows as the massive heat could cause objects within your home to catch fire".
posted
"but then clinton would declare martial law, and he'd take over the country using some form of giant robt shaped like Al Gore, and without our good ol' guns, we wouldn't stand a chance!"
I blame the Patriot. Those stupid flag-waving movies always get you Yanks excited, and it usually takes months before you've stopped blowing your own trumpets.
------------------ "I can't believe we're actually gonna meet Guru Lou. Everyone says he's the wisest man in the universe. He's sensitive, creative, has a great sense of humour, and he's a really smooth dancer. *giggles*" "You're confused Polly. We're not meeting Paul Newman." - Polly & Speedy; Samurai Pizza Cats
[This message has been edited by PsyLiam (edited July 15, 2000).]
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