Guns In Real Life

chrisisall

We're all fans of Bond here, and many of us think his PPK is cool and all, but I was wondering what the thinking is on owning real guns ourselves.
I'm an American, and as such I have a God-given right to own a gat & blast away at any physically threatening perp pissing me off so I can stand my ground!

But in reality I only own a couple of airsoft plastic pellet bb PPK replicas to shoot paper targets with.

Am I a p*ssy? Should I exercise my RIGHT to arm myself with REAL guns in case of, uh, a problem or something?
What if my government becomes crazy & institutes martial law & I need to shoot at tanks with my handgun?
Well, okay, not such a good example...

What if I were a girl living in a rough neighborhood where lots of assaults occurred? Yeah, maybe THAT.

Wanna discuss? 8-)

Blackleiter

I'm an anti-gun type myself. I feel that in the long run they do more harm than good. I don't advocate taking guns away from law-abiding citizens, but I think they should be a lot harder to get and much more strictly regulated. I'm positive the NRA would not consider me a friend.

Higgins

Blackleiter recently turns out to be an amicable guy! -{
Cheers to that - every single word!

Thunderpussy

I might be wrong but my perception of America is that basically
You can walk into a gun shop buy a gun and walk out. Then if you
Want another or fourteen, you just get them. Same goes for hand guns
Or automatic machine guns. So in my opinion that is a crazy system.
I can understand if someone is into hunting they would want a rifle
Even a handgun for home protect but you keep hearing about people
Keeping arsenals of weapons.
Also I might be wrong about this but it seems if a policeman or security
Guard shoots and kills someone, there's not even an investigation, until
The local community start to complain or take to the streets.
I have been told that the right to bear arms was meant to be as part of a
peoples army, in order to protect their country/community. Not a free for
All, with everything up for sale.
From interviews from the gun lobby, I really do think some gun fans love
Their guns more than their children, and don't care how many kids are shot
Either by mistake or by some disturbed person.
So endith my rant.

David Schofield

A very serious, no nonsense subject for a James Bond forum.

I can honestly say as a Brit I have an element of conflict over this. Even to the extent of arming the UK police force; once upon a time we used to laugh that beat coppers were too stupid to be trusted to carry guns, now the threat to them makes one reconsider.

And as a Brit householder, I can say I'd own a gun for home protection; the security of my wife, son and daughter are paramount, beyond other things in my life.

However, it would seem perfectly reasonable, even with the Right to Bare Arms of the US, to limit weapons to one per household for home protection. No one needs an Uzi to "protect themselves". However, the nonsense of American citizens openly carrying firearms in the street for "personal protection" - as I have seen admitted here on ajb and on other Bond wesites - is just insane. Do these people really have very small penises or do they really believe they're still living in the Wild West???????????????

A very sensitive issue for all right thinking human beings.

AlphaOmegaSin

Like David said, the Issue of Guns here in the UK hardly crosses anyone's Mind as we obviously don't have a Gun Culture here.

Number24

I too think the gun culture in the US has gone off the rails. It's OK to have a gun for home protection, a hunting rifle or a gun for sports. But having dozens of guns and some of them military grade weapons just doesn't make any sense. I was an active member a pistol club a few years ago and I'm planning to join the local pistol club in a week or two. I may very well buy a pistol or two this year. Here you need to be active in a pistol club to buy handguns. You must take security classes and the number of handguns you can buy depends on how active you are in gun sports. You are also obliged to have a gun safe at home. I think this is a good system.

Number24

To answer the second part of Chrisisall's question: I don't think owning guns is the best way to protect our freedom and democray. Instead we should inform ourselves using the best independent media available and based on this information vote for the best candidate in elections. If guns become neccesary to protect your freedom against the state you have failed being a vigilant citizen long ago and an assault rifle or five in the garage will make little difference.

Charmed & Dangerous

From what I've read and seen - and I'm thinking here of Bowling for Columbine (Michael. Moore's thought-provoking documentary), it's not the guns per se that you need to worry about, but the culture of fear and uncertainty that makes people feel they have to go out and buy guns to protect themselves.

There are plenty of media stories in the U.K. at the moment about British jihadists returning to the U.K. and how we all have to be extra vigilant- which is usually a PR exercise for whichever Government is in situ to start rushing through powers to limit individuals' freedoms or to allow the security services to invade our privacy a little bit more each time.

Which I find a lot more worrying than the thought of defending myself against some home invasion.

Number24

Stopping government powers that allws them to use surveilance on EVERYONE is a good example of a fight where owning a gun or ten is of little help.

chrisisall

Blackleiter wrote:

I'm an anti-gun type myself. I feel that in the long run they do more harm than good. I don't advocate taking guns away from law-abiding citizens, but I think they should be a lot harder to get and much more strictly regulated. I'm positive the NRA would not consider me a friend.

Yeah, this about sums it up for me too.
The comments here have been very thoughtful. I was wondering how Bond fans would respond- I'm so glad it's like this. -{

Thunderpussy

Well most Bond fans are quite sensible -{ , except for one of course

CmdrAtticus

Until recently, I've owned firearms my whole life. I grew up skeet shooting and shooting paper targets. I had a healthy respect for these killing machines, but did not fear them. I still don't, but I have decided they are (and probably always) will be one of humanities greatest failures as a species.

I sold the two pistols I kept for personal defense. Why? Because I grew to dislike the fact that I owned tools that were made for only one purpose - to kill. They are the only tools we created that serve no other purpose. They were not made to create anything as most tools are - only to destroy.

Even soldiers (except snipers) and policemen with hours of training never become expert enough with firearms that allow them to enter a firefight where the outcome is predetermined by their accuracy, because unlike in movies, adrenaline/fear take over their trigger fingers, causing them to unleash every bullet they can hold hoping it will find it's mark. It's why you never see combat soldiers or law enforcement officers firing one or two bullets. They blast away at the enemy behind the hill or wall or at the criminal that they have outgunned five or ten to one until the crook ends up looking like the corpses of Bonnie and Clyde.

Firearms were not created for hunting and killing anything except humans. The fact it made it more proficient at getting game for the table before there was such a thing as a local food market (which makes the whole "sport" of hunting today invalid) does not change this fact.

This is the reason I sold my firearms and will never again own or fire one. Does that jeopardize the safety of myself and my wife? To a degree, possibly.
Did I feel safer when I owned these weapons? I did, but I came to realize this was a false sense of security. The chance of me ever having to use these in an act of self defense was always about the same chance of me accidentally shooting off one of my toes and in reality the chance of me being injured in either case was probably the same.

I don't have any personal dislike towards anyone who responsibly owns firearms for personal defense or hunting. I do have a problem with a culture that permits citizens to own such deadly machines without being licensed and properly trained. This should not be a personal liberty in a 21st century, densely populated society anymore than owning and driving a motor vehicle on public roads. Driving is a privilege granted by our democratic government that is regulated in order to ensure only qualified citizens can operate a machine that can kill anyone by accident or design. I feel now that personal firearms should also be in this category.

Does that mean criminals won't obey the law and get illegal firearms? Of course. Just as they can steal a motor vehicle and drive it without a license. So why have any laws at all if some anti-social types won't obey them? For the same reason we have speed limits (even though most citizens routinely ignore them).

I've come to accept the fact that the world is a dangerous place and will continue to be in my lifetime. I've come to terms with the fact that our species is a murderous species and will keep inventing new ways to kill each other (and other species) ever more efficiently.

I've personally decided that I no longer want to own a device that was only created to kill. I even grew to have a large dislike at the site of them for what their existence means. Seeing even a law enforcement officer openly carrying one in a civilized environment now gives me a temporary feeling of moral disgust at our species, because it only reminds me of how deadly we are.

In relation to the James Bond character and the films, I grew up viewing these as pure entertainment. Now that I have matured I see them for what they are. Though I still am entertained to a degree, it is tinged with the moral morass they carry. Bond kills and is licensed for it. He's trained to do it as emotionally cold as possible using the best killing machines designed to do it. No amount of plot laden with elements of sci-fi or humor disguises this for me now. What continues to draw me to the character and his challenges are how he can combat evil without using a weapon and how he tries to hold onto his humanity while at the same time losing some parts of it.

chrisisall

CmdrAtticus wrote:

Seeing even a law enforcement officer openly carrying one in a civilized environment now gives me a temporary feeling of moral disgust at our species, because it only reminds me of how deadly we are.

I can totally see where you're coming from. Question: how does your present view of firearms fit with your Bond fan status? Can you still enjoy the movies on a fantasy level when guns are in play?

CmdrAtticus

chrisisall wrote:

CmdrAtticus wrote:

Seeing even a law enforcement officer openly carrying one in a civilized environment now gives me a temporary feeling of moral disgust at our species, because it only reminds me of how deadly we are.

I can totally see where you're coming from. Question: how does your present view of firearms fit with your Bond fan status? Can you still enjoy the movies on a fantasy level when guns are in play?

Yes - to a degree. I edited the end of my post to address this. The enjoyment is seeing Bond defeat evil, defend the innocent and maintain some of his morality. That there is evil he has to defeat and has to resort to firearms in order to do it will now always cast a slight shadow for me.

Higgins

Thunderpussy wrote:

Well most Bond fans are quite sensible -{ , except for one of course

I'll remind you on that - just when your nipples get hard again

Thunderpussy

) ) )
It nice to know my nipples are never far from your mind.

As for guns in the Bond films, he's a government agent fighting evil men
( and women) so they are a tool of his trade. In the same way I hate bad
Or inconsiderate driving, but I love car chases.

chrisisall

Thunderpussy wrote:

he's a government agent fighting evil men
( and women) so they are a tool of his trade. In the same way I hate bad
Or inconsiderate driving, but I love car chases.

That's a most no-nonsense way of putting it. Well done! B-)

Number24

Yes, I enjoy gunplay in movies. As long as it isn't too bloody and sadistic for purly entertainment purposes (movies like "Saving private Ryan" are a different animal) gunplay in Movies can be very entertaining. Guns and shooting guns (at targets on a shooting range, obviously) can be fun in real life too.

always shaken

I know a lot of our U.S agents, advocate keeping firearms as home protection ,and for the record ,you need to do what you need to do to protect your family, but if the criminals who intend on breaking into your home ,know there is a chance of
being greeted with a 357 magnum ,then where is the deterent , but as you say they are still always going to try to get in
surely the best way forward is instead of pussey footing around with suspended sentences ect is for someone in the GOVTs
to get a spine and announce that as of March 1st 2015 (you have to give these people fair warning ) anyone caught breaking into your home with intent to murder rape ect will on cup final /Rose bowl day be taken from their secure place of arrest ,taken to said stadium and one by one be fed feet first into a industrial mincemeat machine infront of their families
im sure this will work as the guy who is minced up will never murder/rape again im sure of that, )

Number24

Based on the laughing avatar and your adress (I understand there are people in less developed parts of the world who actualy believe that sort of thing) I'd say you are joking.


PS: Do your computer have a Full Stop key? If not I can really recomend getting one, sinse they are really neat.

always shaken

im afraid the penal system here in the UK ,has gone to rats s**T it currently costs £40.000 a year to keep a single person in jail . I don't see why I should have to go to work ,do 40+ hours a week with many not paid for , to then look forward to a
dwindling pension ,watch my parents get by on a pension ,so these vermin can rob, rape, murder, at will with no fear of retribution.Bring on the mincing machines. )

Number24

Seriously, AS. I don't want to pick on you, but seldom using full stop in your posts make them harder to read and sometimes confusing.
Just a bit of friendly advice.

cheld

Thunderpussy wrote:

I might be wrong but my perception of America is that basically
You can walk into a gun shop buy a gun and walk out. Then if you
Want another or fourteen, you just get them. Same goes for hand guns
Or automatic machine guns. So in my opinion that is a crazy system.
I can understand if someone is into hunting they would want a rifle
Even a handgun for home protect but you keep hearing about people
Keeping arsenals of weapons.
Also I might be wrong about this but it seems if a policeman or security
Guard shoots and kills someone, there's not even an investigation, until
The local community start to complain or take to the streets.
I have been told that the right to bear arms was meant to be as part of a
peoples army, in order to protect their country/community. Not a free for
All, with everything up for sale.
From interviews from the gun lobby, I really do think some gun fans love
Their guns more than their children, and don't care how many kids are shot
Either by mistake or by some disturbed person.
So endith my rant.

It would take quite a lot of effort to find a single post about US gun laws and usage that contained more inaccuracies than this one, save for the disturbing immunity given to government apparatchiks killing those they are sworn to protect.

All I will say is: read more Thomas Jefferson, and less Huffington Post.

Sir Miles

But he clearly states 'my perception' - and I don't think he can wrong in knowing his own perception

AlphaOmegaSin

It's his Opinion Cheld

Thunderpussy

Can I plead " The Fifth" )

Sir Miles

Thunderpussy wrote:

Can I plead " The Fifth" )

Stupid pleader

Silhouette Man

Thunderpussy wrote:

Can I plead " The Fifth" )

Ah, so you want to rely on the Constitution now! )

Thunderpussy

Like ALL politicians I'll twist it , so it works for ME ! )

AlphaOmegaSin

'No Pleading the in War Room'