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Baby becomes gunshot victim

One reason why I don't believe in guns. People get angry and don't think about the consequences.

   

Would you feel better had the jerk used a knife?

Don't blame the gun. Blame the idiot who misused it.

A gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen is inherntly less harmful than a rock in the hands of a criminal.

By the way, if you ever meet a hungry Kodiak bear or a rampaging elk you'll become a 'believer' in guns pretty darned quick.

And I hope you'll be armed should that day come along that you'll need to be.

   

Blaming guns for violence is like blaming spoons for Rosie O'Donnell being fat.

   

one reason why i believe cops should shoot these bastards, without getting sued

   

I don't care who y'are, that thar's funny!!

   

   

I'm not blaming the gun... I blame the person who used it. But if there was no gun around, that baby would not have been in any crossfire.

I don't believe guns should be in the household. At least not here, where it is reasonably safe.

   

Hmm, yeah you could carry a gun to protect yourself from those animals. And if you're lucky enough to see them before they get to you, the gun you have stowed away might actually make a difference. That is, if it's not a 9mm handgun which frankly wouldn't even slow down either of those animals.

Or you could just wear a little bell on your backpack and they stay the hell away from you in the first place, because they don't understand what you are.

Two different ways of looking at the same problem, both with the same result (actually no, one results in no conflict, the other results in a dead bear). Personally, I prefer the bell.

It's just 2 different strategies:
- Assume the worst, prepare a radical solution no matter how dangerous.
OR
- Just do your best to make sure the worst doesn't happen in the first place.

This is one guy who has met plenty of hungry bears over the years and hundreds of elk (you have to be pretty retarded to get an elk to "rampage"), who has not become a "believer" in having guns for anything other than hunting or law enforcement.

- CamCKA

   

I've got a far-out radical idea...Let's implement the laws and punishments we already have in place. I'm perusing the Criminal Code, and seeing punishments like imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 - 10 years. Why don't we ensure judges dish out the penalties outlined, instead of seeing suspended sentences, minor fines...etc?

   

Agreed. Perhaps if we actually punish those who offend, others won’t be so quick to draw. The same can be said for all offenders. In my city, a man who lured his ex-girlfriend to a secluded area, and then stabbed her a dozen times got a very pitiful sentence.

   

That'll never work on either side of the 49th...too logical and efficient.

Except in Texas...they have it down to a science.

   

Here's the thing. Guns Are Safe!!!! It's people that aren't. Guns are machines, and they do what they are designed to do. Bullets only come out of a gun when the trigger is pulled. I can load a pistol, chamber a round, dis-engage the safety, place it on my coffee table and leave it there. When I come back to it a week later, it will be in the exact same place I left it, with no dead bodies piled up in front of it. As soon as I inject some unpredictable variables like children, alcohol, or high emotions, this is where the problems start. I am not opposed to the laws currently in place regarding firearms (except the registry of course - no-one shoot me!) When properly applied the laws regarding possession, ownership and storage are fair and are reasonably well written. As a firearm owner, I must ensure I am responsible and follow the laws in place. I have a child in my home, so I don't leave my guns lying around. My ammo is stored in a secure locked container seperate from my guns. I have never been involved in a violent domestic situation. Why should I be denied ownership of firearms? You are not going to alleviate domestic violence by removing guns. As a member of the law enforcement community, I feel I am qualified to offer a proffessional opinion. In a high-emotion scenario, where alcohol is normally involved, violence will rear it's ugly head and whoever is looking to do someone else harm is going to find an avenue to do it, whether it's a gun, a knife, a baseball bat, or a frying pan. We don't see the need for a knife registry (even though knives are the most commonly used weapon in violent situations), and I don't need to put trigger locks on my baseball bats do I?

   

True. guns aren't dangerous on their own. It's the combination of guns and children and/or people with bad judgement (permanently or temporarily due to anger or alcohol) that generally results in gun-related accidents.

But here's the thing:
Can't get rid of the children. Or the bad judgement.
CAN get rid of the guns (at least in MY house).

That's it.

Guns are for hunting or law enforcement. Period. Why the hell do you need a machine that is specifically designed to kill at home anyway? The only arguments I've heard are the following:

- "I hunt. I keep my rifle at home." Ok, no problem. I agree with that. rifle accidents are pretty rare. Just abide by storage the laws, and that seems fine.

- "Protection. I have a hangun at home because I want to protect myself from bad people." I haven't done the research on this, but from what I understand, the stats on gun accidents in the home far outnumber the people who have saved their family by pulling out their gun and pointing it at some lunatic who broke into the house. So while trying to protect yourself, statistically you're putting yourself in MORE danger. Someone please correct me if I am misinformed.

- "I have the right to, so I do." (the whole American 1st amendment thing for the yanks). You have the right to cut off your own leg too. Having the right to do something just means you CAN, not you SHOULD. You still need a REASON.

Frankly, if I learn that a friend of mine has a handgun at home, I wouldn't go to his house anymore, and I sure as HELL wouldn't let my kids go there.

-CamCKA

   

You raise some really good points Cam. I'm going to leave collectors, and sportsmen / sportswomen out of this thread as we seem to be talking mostly about restricted weapons (pistols). Keeping a pistol in your home for self protection is moot if your pistol is stored in accordance with the regulations. Unless you have a really fast hand with locks (trigger, secure container, then ammo container, then load) you aren't going to be capable of returning fire effectively. So bottom line, I agree with you somewhat.

   

Lily:

I was just trying to make a point with the gun on the table comment. Of course NO responsible firearm owner would ever consider doing that.

As far as children go...I question your opinion about them being predictable. I have a 4 year old, and I have no idea what she is going to do or say minute by minute.

   

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