Weapons, do you own any?

[highlander]

My mum told me that she hated guns back at a time when my dad bought a sufficiently powerful enough air rifle that it needed a licence and a cabinet being installed which the police can inspect.

She told me she hated them because there was a family member who had accidentially shot himself dead while carrying a shot gun and crossing from one field to another through a hedgerow which triggered the weapon.

I just thought of another example. There is a guy I sat next to at a work related dinner a couple of years ago. I'd never met him before but talked to him for a while. Nice guy. He was accidentally killed in a hunting accident several months later. The bullet also hit his son. His children are now without a father. Guns shoot bullets and bullets are generally meant for hurting or killing. I just don't understand why an average person needs something like that. Risks far outweigh the rewards.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

nothing I don't use in the kitchen... though if someone presses me I have some pretty vicious knives in the kitchen!

and now for a quote from molly ivins that pretty much sums up my thoughts on things

I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I just thought of another example. There is a guy I sat next to at a work related dinner a couple of years ago. I'd never met him before but talked to him for a while. Nice guy. He was accidentally killed in a hunting accident several months later. The bullet also hit his son. His children are now without a father. Guns shoot bullets and bullets are generally meant for hurting or killing. I just don't understand why an average person needs something like that. Risks far outweigh the rewards.

Not in trained hands.

 

[highlander]

Not in trained hands.

It was still dark outside and one of the hunters saw something moving so the idiot shot it. Unfortunately, it was this guy and his son. It's against the law to discharge your weapon at that time in the morning. The idiot was sentenced to some kind of community service. For killing a person. There is now a civil suit in progress.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

It was still dark outside and one of the hunters saw something moving so the idiot shot it

Sounds like a problem between the ears to me.

 

[miss fortune]

but would have been harder to kill someone and injure someone else from that distance with a knife... or an arrow, to complete the point here

 

[Lark]

I just thought of another example. There is a guy I sat next to at a work related dinner a couple of years ago. I'd never met him before but talked to him for a while. Nice guy. He was accidentally killed in a hunting accident several months later. The bullet also hit his son. His children are now without a father. Guns shoot bullets and bullets are generally meant for hurting or killing. I just don't understand why an average person needs something like that. Risks far outweigh the rewards.

There's definitely risks involved, familiarity I think has a terrible effect on risk assessment too sometimes and judgement calls.

I have that ambivalence about weapons that I mentioned already but its ramped up when it comes to firearms, they're expensive, risky and carry a lot of burden of conscience issues I think.

 

[Lark]

but would have been harder to kill someone and injure someone else from that distance with a knife... or an arrow, to complete the point here

I'd love to have Green Arrow skills, way more impressive than The Huntress for my money.

 

[cafe]

Another risk thing for me is having guns accessible makes it more likely someone will successfully suicide. My husband and I both have a history of depression and we have a house full of teenagers. My mom was very fortunate to have survived shooting herself in the chest as a young woman. I know that if a kid really wants to get a gun s/he will, but I'd prefer not to make it easy for someone in a dark mood to leave us so easily.

That doesn't even count accidental shootings. It seems like it would be hard to have a gun secure from kids, but easy to get to in case of a home invasion, etc.

Plus, if people know you have them, you aren't necessarily going to be less of a target for burglary. Guns are just like jewelry and small electronics and tools for thieves: portable and high value. They probably won't try if they think you're home, but most of the time they don't anyway.

 

[Biaxident]

Several knives, no guns. I used to carry a knife pretty much everywhere. I no longer need those sorts of deadly weapons. I just use my INFP "Death Look®", and most people run away. And if that doesn't work, I bring out the big guns, the "Sad Puppy"®. If that doesn't make them run screaming for the hills, they aren't really human.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Several knives, no guns. I used to carry a knife pretty much everywhere. I no longer need those sorts of deadly weapons. I just use my INFP "Death Look®", and most people run away. And if that doesn't work, I bring out the big guns, the "Sad Puppy"®. If that doesn't make them run screaming for the hills, they aren't really human.

Goodness gracious...

It's been a while my friend.

 

[sprinkles]

Another risk thing for me is having guns accessible makes it more likely someone will successfully suicide. My husband and I both have a history of depression and we have a house full of teenagers. My mom was very fortunate to have survived shooting herself in the chest as a young woman. I know that if a kid really wants to get a gun s/he will, but I'd prefer not to make it easy for someone in a dark mood to leave us so easily.

That doesn't even count accidental shootings. It seems like it would be hard to have a gun secure from kids, but easy to get to in case of a home invasion, etc.

Plus, if people know you have them, you aren't necessarily going to be less of a target for burglary. Guns are just like jewelry and small electronics and tools for thieves: portable and high value. They probably won't try if they think you're home, but most of the time they don't anyway.

This is part of the reason I got rid of mine. I decided I wasn't in a good place to have them.

This is also why I invested in just one gun (which was pretty darn expensive to me in itself)
I did have an SKS as well but it was a basic Chinese one with a fixed magazine - no drop mag, you had to feed the bullets in manually or by stripper clip which I didn't bother with, and I only bought ammo for it to shoot at the range and I'd use up what I bought or give it away.

I don't know if being a collector is necessarily good. Unless its hunting rifles or something. Even soldiers don't carry around more than two guns each...

 

[jryn1993]

I grew up with all sorts of weapons and I've got plenty now. My dad started teaching me about safety with guns and knives when I was a small child, and it has stuck with me for life. I cringe when I'm around people who don't treat them with the respect they deserve, and I make a point of calling them out on unsafe behavior. Education is the key to keeping people safe. Almost all of my knives are more geared towards being tools in daily life, although I have 1 dagger that is explicitly designed as a weapon. But that, along with my swords, blowguns, etc. are mainly for collector purposes but would be functional if it really came down to it. Each of my firearms serves some specific purpose, although I hope to never have to use the ones intended for self-defense.

Also, sprinkles, I don't quite see what you're getting at about being a collector. Soldiers don't carry more than 2 guns because it would be heavy and awkward, and you can't really utilize 2 firearms at the same time effectively (with very few exceptions). Additionally, different members of the unit carry different firearms so that the bases are covered.

 

[Bamboo]

Accidental discharges are a serious issue with firearms. Good training and handling practices mean a lot. I question the ability of many people to operate a mechanical instrument intelligently.

A long light pole/spear type object seems really nice. I carry knives sometimes, I'd like to get something faster deploying and learn some more technique, but really I want to get good with my hands and legs, which will probably serve my needs.

 

[sprinkles]

Also, sprinkles, I don't quite see what you're getting at about being a collector. Soldiers don't carry more than 2 guns because it would be heavy and awkward, and you can't really utilize 2 firearms at the same time effectively (with very few exceptions). Additionally, different members of the unit carry different firearms so that the bases are covered.

Well my point is that people have to respect the weapons, and that is on them. Gun culture is an influence on the uninitiated as well.

My uncle has dozens of guns and has kids in the house, but they all have a respect for them. I don't think they are a significant danger in this case.

At the same time though other people have dozens of guns and are incredibly careless and disrespectful of them. They idolize the gun but don't display the proper respect, and make videos of themselves shooting an AK full auto until the wood foregrip catches on fire from the barrel heat and people go "augh! look at these stupid Americans!" and other people go "whoa that is awesome! I want to try that!"

Edit:
Also there are kids these days that want an AK because they believe they might get in a firefight or something and it won't jam because it's the best gun or something. Or because it's gangsta. Most guns don't jam a significant amount for a civilian if they are taken care of. But old factory built AK's DO catch on fire because the wooden heat guard is often too close to the barrel. So they still don't have that uber gun that they are looking for unless they mod it. Anyone who is looking to have one should know that.

 

[jcloudz]

guns are so mainstream

i m trying to make one of these

 

[Lark]

guns are so mainstream

i m trying to make one of these

Its like some weird gizmo out of Fallout.

I remember seeing something you were supposed to be able to connect to a mobile phone and transform it into a tazer.

Illegal in the UK, if its even a real thing, which I doubt.

 

[jcloudz]

Its like some weird gizmo out of Fallout.

I remember seeing something you were supposed to be able to connect to a mobile phone and transform it into a tazer.

Illegal in the UK, if its even a real thing, which I doubt.

garage guns are not illegal i think. i dont believe that glove is a taser.

if people are so hard up for weapons, i dont understand why not just make some? im fond of the ones that incapacitates when shot from a distance. not the typical taser gun though

 

[sprinkles]

garage guns are not illegal i think. i dont believe that glove is a taser.

if people are so hard up for weapons, i dont understand why not just make some? im fond of the ones that incapacitates when shot from a distance. not the typical taser gun though

We can, at least here I'm pretty sure. There's stuff you can't make but if somebody wants to build their own rifle or something, they can. They just can't sell it without a dealer's license.

 

[Lark]

garage guns are not illegal i think. i dont believe that glove is a taser.

if people are so hard up for weapons, i dont understand why not just make some? im fond of the ones that incapacitates when shot from a distance. not the typical taser gun though

I know that I've seen UK websites for knife throwing and which show how the actual throwing knives are home manufactured, I'm talking side show or circus knife throwing here rather than ninjitsu if you get my meaning, the thing is that these knives arent for sale in the UK and any time they are sold on Amazon they get pulled quickly from availability.