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guest said:
Why do you think, that you must own guns? Wouldn´t it be better, if you wouldn´t have to need them?
I think I must own guns because it's my right according to our 2nd amendment that I CHOOSE to exercise. It's all about freedom, the freedom to choose, the right to live or die defending my rights as a free person. It's not about if or why I use a gun for sport or protection (though I use mine for sport), it's because in a free society I can choose. I don't fear for my life in this country because of guns, I fear my LOSS OF RIGHTS if I don't have the freedom to own them.
None of what I just said may make much sense if you don't have a good understanding of American culture and how important our freedom is to us.

Regards,
 
Boy oh boy, there are not too many posts that make me laugh out loud when I read them, but the one from the German guy did just that!! I could see that there were 2 pages of replies and I knew exactly what those replies would contain!!

Well, you've got to admire the guy, but maybe he should just stay on websites that would welcome him a little more freely. I would suggest http://www.michaelmoore.com would be a good start!!

Take care all,

Ben
 
Is it true that the percentage (of population) of violent crimes comitted with a gun are greater in the United States than in other industrialized nations? I am curious if this is actually true. Other countries have poverty, drugs, inner-cities, and problems just like the U.S. does, but is the murder rate, armed robbery rate, armed assult rate, armed whatever higher or lower than here.

FYI: I shoot clays every week, have a concealed permit, etc... so I'm not an anti, just curious of the statistics that the German poster was supporting.
 
In America we own guns - not because we think we NEED them - but because we have the FREEDOM to own them!
It is our RIGHT.....

Read your history of Europe a few hundred years ago and see who had weapons and who controlled their ownership!!

Then you might be able to understand gun ownership in America!
 
Guest: We have the 2nd Amendment for self-defense purposes and to guard against tyranny. That way we can protect ourselves against a dictator like Hitler for example. He was your leader during WWII. Do you need any further reasons why Americans feel strongly about the right to private firearms ownership. The fact that you ask such a question worries me. :shock:
 
1. An armed person is a citizen.
2. An un-armed person is a subject.

Recently, an uninformed female was visiting my house. She looked at my gun cabinet, which proudly displays my collection, and asked why I have so many guns. I told her,"because I can." Reiterating what has already been said here, the 2nd amendment guarantees us the right to bear arms, and our forefathers felt it was important enough issue to place it near the top of the Bill of Rights, right under Freedom of Speech.

It's not that we feel we "need" guns, but we have the right. All of us here have never known what it's like to not be able to have guns, but I guarantee, no one here on this forum wants to see what it's like. Guns are a part of our national heritage. This country was built around guns, and defended with guns, when the english came a knockin in the 1770's. The " Well regulated militia" consisted of farmer's, businessmen and the like, with their squirrel rifles. They kept our country free from tyrrany. And will again if need be.

Hunting has always been a way of life in america, it brought the frontiersmen through, as there were no grocery stores back then. Although we don't "need" to hunt for food, many of us choose to as a way to keep our heritage alive.

And, again, if we didn't legally own guns, all guns would be illegaly owned, and crime would go up.

I would like to applaud our german visitor for asking his question here. He needed information, and I think he asked at the right place. Better here than at an "Anti" sight. We are glad to enlighten anyone who wishes to be enlightened. Ask again if you need. We'd be more than happy to inform people, rather than have people form baseless opinions.

Thanks
 
I own competition shotguns, modern long range target rifles and military antiques, pistols, revolvers in a huge range of calibers because I like they way they feel and they're fun to shoot. I just had my first 50 straight in trap and it felt great.

I live in a country where I don't have to justify my hobby, or ask anyone's permission to own the tools of the trade. I know this is a different mindset than what's common elsewhere in the world, but this is the USA. and be careful about what you think about us because next time we might not want to ride to your rescue next time you can't keep your homegrown dictators under control.

I also don't get wound up about the second amendment, because American politics are, and always will be, centrist, and its just politics as usual when the NRA and the antigunners have at it. and yes, I am an NRA member, because I think extremism should be fought with extremism.

a historical note. it would be wrong to say congress has been anti-standing army. congress has been more indifferent to its army and navy than actively hostile to it (except for the cavalry arm, where there was a marked hostility to maintaining "elite" mounted regiments of cavalry or dragoons). I believe in one fiscal year in the 1800s congress neglected to vote for funds to pay the troops. this indifference continued until the 1930s.

the president, on the other hand, has loved the standing army, US troops and marines have been used over 200 times abroad since the 1780s in undeclared wars all over the globe.

there has been a long tradition of state and local militias(not the pretend, wannabe losers of today's "militias") that took the place of the regular army as quasi-police on the frontier, so the american citizen was, and is, very familar with the tradition of bearing arms.

Finally, I'm a little amused about some of my gun owning brethern -- the ramboesque home defense crowd (not the competitors) -- but this is still a free country, and what they do with their guns and their money isn't my business.
 
Gun control is not about guns, it is about control.

Just like the founding fathers of our country, I and several other Americans are not going to watch our rights errode away. You are from Germany as you said, think about the history of your country. There was a fellow named Adolph Hitler whom made all gun owners register their guns and he seized ownership of several of them. He disarmed the people of YOUR country because he was afraid of them. The former leader of YOUR country, who brutally slaughtered millions of people, was for gun control. He did not trust your grandparents generation, and as a result, millions of people all over the world suffered. Guns are responsible for very few deaths comparitively speaking in America. Many more people die from cancers, AIDS, automobile accidents, tobacco, etc. However, do you think anti-gun advocates place the same emphasis on cancer research, fetal alcohol sysdrome, and anti-drug campaigns; no they don't.

So many people think that guns are a huge problem because of isolated incidents like Columbine. If one human wants to kill another, they will do it regardless of wheather they have a gun or not. They will stab them, poison them, whatever. Guns do not kill people, people kill people.

I need to own a gun, because I am an American, and I have the RIGHT to. And I am willing to fight and die to protect the rights that my ancestors fought and died for.

Andy Martel
 
I'm actually a Canadian, but I have an opinion for you as well. To me, for a large part, the ability and degree to which someone may own guns in their given country is a direct indication of the relative freedoms of the country.

I happen to have close friends in Germany, from Heidelberg, and have lived in Germany for a good deal of time myself.

Our friend (also a student) couldn't believe that we were allowed to own and use guns, he thought my guns were fake, like airsoft's. He was a little uncomfortable about guns at first but once I took him to the range he just loved it and kept wanting to go again. I think he fired at least a couple thousands rounds while here. More importantly, he has a new respect for guns and their safe usage. He realizes now that guns do not need to be dangerous, they can be fun just like anything else and possess no inherent evil.
 
i can only answer for myself on this topic. I choose to own a gun because i have a crazy ex-husband. there is no way that i can win a hand to hand fight. 240 pounds vs. 150 pound. its a no winner for me. and please don't tell me to call the police to protect me. they got lost the last time i called them. my protection is up to me and i will protect myself. i have a .357 2 inch snubby i will carry ( when i get my ccw) and a 20 gauge and 12 gauge pump shotguns for home defense. i think the odds just got even, don't you?
 
You're exactly right Cin. The Supreme Court ruled long ago that the police aren't responsible for your personal safety. It's YOUR responsibility. It's the law of the land. The police don't have the resources or constitutional responsibility to ensure all of our individual safeties.
 
Let me try to answer the question about why we need guns. Because we went to work, got a paycheck, went to the store, bought a gun, put in our gun cabinet and said, "I am a proud, hard working American citizen and there is NOBODY out there that is gonna take my pride away!!!" God bless the anti's (LOL), Matt Latham
 
im so sick of the damn goverment constantly debating about guns cause as evryone knows crimnals usually dont obay the law so banning guns would do nothing more that giving criminals a golden key to do whatever they want.not to mention crooks dont buy guns legally anyways. gun control will be just like proibition crooks will have it law biting citizens wont and in ten years we would have them back cause violent crimes will go up 100%. GUARANTEE
 
Stoeger, I have heard of the Tru Glo gobble stopper choke tube, though I have never tried it. If it works anything like their sights do, it has got to be awesome. Tru-glo sights are the bomb!! Even though HiViz is often cheaper where I go.... -Matt Latham
 
This is quite interesting topic here. I live in finland and we have plenty of guns here. Some 5 million people and 300 000 hunters which all have at least one gun. There are also people who practice shooting because of some other reasons. There are estimations that Finnish people own 1,5- 3 million legal guns (no one knows for sure).

We have restrictions here and if you are violent criminal with record or mentally disturbed person you cannot get gun legally. If youre an normal citizen without criminal record or you are not suffering proven (or strongly suspected) mental illness you can get gun license quite easily and without further investigation. After we went to EU and under middle european command there is threat that german laws are effecting to our laws and the gun control will be more tight.

I agree totally with you that it is almost impossible to take guns away from criminals just banning them from law abiding citizens. Laws can only tell what are the consequences when you break the law and criminals break them by definition. If you use common sense you end in conclusion that just owning something that is not harmful by itself cannot be crime at all. I am very concerned about what will happen to finnish hunters and their guns in future europe.

And no, we dont shoot each others all the time. I usually keep my doors open when not at work and forget carkeys in the car quite often without anyone trying to steal from me. (i live in rural area some 50 km from our capital helsinki). I have never even imagined that i needed gun for self protection.

There may be some amount bad english in my text but i hope i made my point clear.

regards Jouko
 
There is also another reason as to why we are allowed to own firearms if we so choose. To aid in national defense as it would take the "organized militia" (the military) to respond to any invasion of this country (US) so the "unorganized militia" (the adverage citizen) to respond until the military is able to fully react. In this day and age the modern military can react with lightning fast speed. But back when this country was being formed was still "weak" national defense was considered an "all- hands" responsibility. Back at the end of world war two the Japaneese government was asked why they never invaded mainland United States or its territories. Their reply was simple. too many people were allowed to own firearms and they felt that they would not have made it too far off the beach. (please do the research on that if you wish). Firearms can be used in both good as well as bad. It is up to the populace to keep them from being used in criminal ways. and to severely punish those that choose to use them to commit crimes with. IMHO I feel that if someone uses a firearm to commit a crime that person should be locked up under federal charges for not less than 70 years. If it was used and resulted in a death or serious injury then they should be locked up for life or executed within 60 days of sentencing.
 
As has been pointed out, there are many reasons we own them. We don't own them because we "need" them (though some people truly do), we own them because we are allowed to and we want to.

I LOVE to hunt, even though I don't get to do it as much as I'd like (I've got bills to pay, just like everybody else). Yes, there is a certain warm, fuzzy feeling I get at night when I know if some not-very-pleasant guys break into my house (which is not likely), I'll stand a much better chance of surviving. The main reason I own them and shoot them is simply because it is an enjoyable and very satisfying activity. Seeing your marksmanship improve is very rewarding, whether it is putting holes in very small areas on a paper target, or watching clay targets disappear in a puff of blue dust. Not only that, there are a lot of BEAUTIFUL guns out there. Owning a fine firearm is like owning a functional piece of art or a very nice car, only they (usually) cost much less. All you have to do is look at some websites of companies that make expensive double barrel shotguns, and you'll see what I mean.

We don't see her on the board anymore, but there was a member named Vagabond. She is a very dear friend of mine, and she used to hate guns. Once I warmed her up to the idea a little (by being your average gun-owning American and not being stupid), I took her to the range. That was the end of her anti-gun days. Once she shot my .357 magnum, she was just as addicted as the rest of us.

Yes, there are quite a few people out there that are very close to crazy and probably should not have guns. There are the short-fused idiots that run their mouth and say the stupidest things imaginable in the presence of the anti's and give us a bad image. There are even the idiots that go to shooting ranges and act stupid and irresponsible and risk causing injury or death to innocent bystanders. Fortunately, they are a small minority, and the much larger society of RESPONSIBLE gun owners usually do a good job of keeping them in line.

We are certainly not trying to convince you to become an avid gun nut like us, we're certainly not trying to convince you to go out and try to buy one of your own. We will treat you like any other uninformed person on the street asking the same questions, and we will simply try to help you understand why WE do it. If it were possible and you were interested, I'd gladly take you to a local range and cover all expenses so you could try it out in a proper setting. Once people actually try it, they usually understand it, and most of the time they even enjoy it! Having proper instruction makes every bit of difference, as it makes sure that you have an enjoyable and SAFE experience.

Good luck with your paper. I hope it turns out well. You're welcome here anytime. We'll be glad to answer any questions you may have.
 
I just realized my post was about a month after the previous post :oops: . He's probably got his paper done by now and isn't even reading this any more. Oh well. I'm sure somebody will learn something :wink: .
 
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