What Is It With Americans & Guns

[Andy Moore]

All rather worrying.

Here.

[Hugh Jardon]

i would love to go along and do a bit of that, looks a lot of fun, better than a stupid slr on a tame range!

[Andy Moore]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jardon

i would love to go along and do a bit of that, looks a lot of fun, better than a stupid slr on a tame range!

Good grief.

[Hugh Jardon]

well i spent 10 years in the forces and never really got to have much fun with a gun and doing some shooting up, was usually on a range with 10 or 20 rounds target shooting which is very very boring. i used to do a lot of game shooting and hunting with rifle and twelve bore and 410 winchester style which was a great pastime.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

All rather worrying.

Because they can...

Wish I could have a go-it's not hurting anyone.

[Andy Moore]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Because they can...

Wish I could have a go-it's not hurting anyone.

Do you think it is a good idea to teach a small girl to use a machine gun?

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Andy Moore

Do you think it is a good idea to teach a small girl to use a machine gun?

YES - because then she will understand guns and treat them with the respect they deserve!!!

I was shooting real guns when I was 6 or 7 years old. I went on to shoot most kinds when we lived abroad.

I love guns - marvellous bits of engineering - but I have never even shot so much as a mouse!!!

Remember it is people who kill - in the Rwanda massacre they used machetes and spears because they thought it was more traditional......

Anyone noticed how guncrime has increased since Britain became the only country in the World to have a total ban on handguns?

[Hightower]

Looks like great fun. I must admit to squeezing out rounds of a 9mm when in Poland several years ago an it was great, but it was at targets in a gun range of a Bowling Ally . Just walk in, pay your Zloties and have a go.

Did get an invite to see an American's gun collection of 250 guns when working in Muncie a year and a half ago, I declined though, based on the fact I'd heard he'd shot himself in the leg sometime before .

[Andy Moore]

Originally Posted by codprawn

YES - because then she will understand guns and treat them with the respect they deserve!!!

Learn to treat guns with respect? Fine! I have nothing against shooting. However, civilians have absolutely *no need* to learn to fire machine guns.. They are for killing people.

And as for admiring guns as some sort of engineering work of art is -in my opinion- slightly unhinged.

[SOLENTER]

If you had ever handeled a english game gun i think you would appreciate the
engineering

[Poly]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Anyone noticed how guncrime has increased since Britain became the only country in the World to have a total ban on handguns?

can't say I have...

never been shot at or threatened with a gun (hand or otherwise). nor have I seen, or know anyone else who has. Have been threatened with a knife and shot at with an airgun both before we banned handguns... (but I lived in Glasgow back then so anything is possible).

...you've not been reading the daily mail again have you?

[Hightower]

Nothing wrong with guns! Its the person in control of the trigger that's the dodgy part.

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Polwart

can't say I have...

...

Come down to Brum then... shootings a weekly/fortnightly occurence these days... even non "inter gang" stuff now... Doorman at the NEC last week?

[Poly]

I'm not disputing that gun crime happens (and you are right some places are much worse than others) - I just think that its something the media have got hold of and blown out of proportion.

I'm always a little suspicious of government statistics but its hard to see where else you would get a more accurate picture:

http://www.connected.gov.uk/facts/statistics/index.html

These figures are for the year 03-04:

• There has overall been an increase in the level of gun crime by less than one percent. The number of offences has risen each year since 1997-98, but the 2003-04 rise is the smallest.
  

• The figures show a decrease of seven percent in the use of handguns from 2002-03.
  

• Excluding air weapons, gun crime as a proportion of recorded crime has remained static at 0.17 percent.
  

• There has been a 15 percent reduction in the number of homicides involving firearms (from 81 deaths in 2002-03 to 68 in 2003-04). Eight percent of homicides involved firearms in 2003-04, which is unchanged from the previous year.
  

• The number of robberies involving firearms has decreased by 13 percent in 2003-04. Firearms were used in four percent of all robbery offences.
  

• Imitation weapons were used in 21 percent of non-air weapon offences. The number of offences involving imitation weapons was up 18 percent in 2003-04 compared to the previous year. This is a smaller increase than the year before, which saw an increase of 46 percent.
  

• Gun crime remains concentrated largely in three areas – around two-thirds of firearm offences occur in just three metropolitan police forces: the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. Initiatives such as Operations Trident and Trafalgar in the MPS area, the Manchester Multi-Agency Gang Strategy and Operation Ventara in the West Midlands are focused on bringing down the incidence of drugs and gun crime.

So in actual fact gun crime has risen, but is 1% significant - I don't think so. The only other "negative" statistic there is that imitation weapons are being used more often - and to be honest whilst it would still scare the s**t out of me I would rather be attacked with an imitation weapon.

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Polwart

... The number of offences has risen each year since 1997-98.......

..so when was the legal possesion of handguns ended? 1997?

[Alice]

Felt very uncomfortable watching the clip. I don't really have a problem with guns per se, just Americans with guns. The whole redneck rifle association thing bothers me slighty. As for pistols and machine guns, these are for killing people no more no less, so what need has a young girl with one of these? Interesting that the men were all fat.

[Lawrence]

Since the 1997 ban the only people left with handguns are plods and criminals. Sometimes I wonder who are the more dangerous...

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Alice

.... As for pistols and machine guns, these are for killing people no more no less,..

Cobblers... typical reaction from someone who knows feck' all about firearms.. when did you see a pistol like a Hammerli free pistol used for any thing other than target shooting.. or a Webley and Scott .22 break top single shot? Neither pistol was as "deadly" as (still unlicensed and available) bows, yet you say they were designed for "killing" ?
Don't get me wrong, Dunblane was a feckin' tragedy of epic proportion.. but... and it's a big but.... it could have been prevented with legislation that was in place already.... how many people know that that fecka Hamilton had already been found in possession ILLEGALY.. and that his FAO had recommended that he had his renewal turned down?... over ridden by a senior officer who didn't want the hassle? What happened to that senior officer?... retired with his pension in tact, quietly?


PS…. I don’t think Yanks should be allowed pointed sticks… let alone firearms… but hey? That’s just me……..






That oughta start our Merkin Cousins off nicely….. *ducks head below parapet*….

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Jono

..so when was the legal possesion of handguns ended? 1997?

Absolutely, but if you look at all the statistics rather than one alone... ...all forms of gun crime are static or falling except for use of "imitation" guns. So in actual fact that might even suggest that the policy was effective. There has been an overall increase in gun crime but crimes with real guns, firing live ammunition has (according to these statistics) fallen.

[Jono]

Polwart.. your quoted statistics don't say that... only between the last two recorded years published.. hardly a trend... since '97 what has the trend been?