Carry a gun?

[Biker Biggles]

Well Ive been mugged,and been on the wrong end of a firearm.
Interesting that both happened a good few years ago,and not in this country.
More likely to get run over crossing the road here.

Originally Posted by Caddy2000

Very well said! A few questions that you might want to ask:
Do those who make policy really understand the nature of firearms? Do our Police forces and Constabularies actually understand the issues? And I mean at the top level.
Do knee-jerk reactions really solve the problem? Has the banning of the ownership of legal pistols and handguns really made a difference?

I don't think that senior Police officers and policy makers do understand the issues, and whats more I don't think that they really give a damn about making a difference - they're only interested in their pension (and votes)......

BUT I do not think that a right to bear arms would solve a single thing - it would just make it so much worse!
I've shot Air rifle, Shotgun, .22 rim, 9mm, 0.45 black powder, 0.303; both at clubs and in the field (by that I mean pheasant shooting and pest control).
It is quite easy for me to kill someone at 50 yards with a 11.5 ft lb .177 air rifle, now imagine a place where everyone had a Sig 9mm, or a .45 revolver.....

Ive only shot the SA80A2 (the one that works)... Thats an assault rifle and i think that sort of weapon should be left where it is (with the forces), with a susat i think a 500meter kill wouldnt be too difficult for a trained individual... Thats just stupid really.

As for pistols Youll be lucky to kill someone outside of 20 meters range... (unless you were training to do just that) they are inacurate and not particularly powerful... Closecombat is their best use... defending a home for example.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m9.htm

Originally Posted by Caddy2000

...why do we put so much faith in the tabloids? Why do we allow ourselves to be whipped up into such a frenzy?

Simple answer is most people are idiots. Half the people have an IQ less than 100, remember!

A more complex reason is that we as humans seem to need something to hate. Back in the day people hated Hitler or the Soviet Union with their scarey nukes, for example. Fair enough too perhaps.

Now we live in a fairly safe society but people still need to find other things to hate. Since we've not really got much in the way of a serious threat, people direct their anoyance at trivial things like motorcyclists, the gentle bloke who enjoys poping a few round off at the range from time to time, 4x4 drivers, those who've not sufficiently reduced their carbon footprint (god I hate that term)...

Tabloids don't so much whip up frenzy, the frenzy is already there. They simply decide where the fickle masses should focus their wrath for the week.

You calling me stupid?

Originally Posted by Grinch

You calling me stupid?

That will depend on which half you're in...