Grenadier wrote:

Lateralus wrote:

It would seem like an easy target if the man didn't have the right to protect himself with a firearm. A firearm puts everyone on a level playing field in a way. Whether your a single 100 pound mother, a gay couple or a 70 something man or woman with 5 different health problems. If I were in the business of home burglary or assault in a place that didn't allow for self defense with a firearm, I would exploit that by targeting the weak and elderly.

Personal freedom does have a price, but so does over regulation.

Some further thoughts and remember I like guns being ex-Military. I just don't think everyone should own (or is capable/well-trained/intelligent enough to own) a firearm.

"Gun violence in the United States results in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries annually. In 2013, there were 73,505 nonfatal firearm injuries (23.2 injuries per 100,000 U.S. citizens), and 33,636 deaths due to "injury by firearms" (10.6 deaths per 100,000 U.S. citizens)".

In 2010, there were an estimated 5,419,000 crashes, 30,296 of with fatalities, killing 32,999, and injuring 2,239,000. About 2,000 children under 16 die every year in traffic collisions. Records indicate that there have been a total of 3,613,732 motor vehicle fatalities in the United States from 1899 to 2013.



That's right, more deaths by firearms than RTAs.

Every time a gun in or around the home was used in self-defense, or in a legally justified shooting, there were four unintentional shootings, seven criminal assaults or homicides, and 11 attempted or completed suicides.

That's one self-defense shooting for 22 accidental, suicidal or criminal shootings -- hardly support for the notion that having a gun handy makes people safer.

Other studies show that women and children are disproportionately the victims of such gunshots, and that when children commit suicide, guns in their home or at their friends or relatives' homes are used.

In 2014, there were an estimated 1,729,806 burglaries.

Gun deaths consisted of 11,208 homicides, 21,175 suicides, 505 deaths due to accidental or negligent discharge of a firearm, and 281 deaths due to firearms use with "undetermined intent". Of the 2,596,993 total deaths in the US in 2013, 1.3% were related to firearms.

Surprisingly, most burglaries occur between 10 AM and 3PM. Many homes are empty during this time while people are at work. Burglars know this and use it to their advantage.

2.5 million victims use a gun to scare their offender. That's almost 5 law-abiding citizens a minute. However, victims only shoot their offender 8% of the time.

Gun related killings as a % of all homicides, US 64%, UK4.5%

Not the most comforting stats. Does all the other mayhem derived from gun ownership (and I haven't dipped into the media's favourite: mass shootings) warrant gun ownership when deaths during robbery/burglary only accounts for 0.04 of all attempted robberies.

Slideywindows wrote:

The problem with widespread gun ownership is that if it was allowed in England, then the burgler in this case would have come into the old chap's house armed with a gun, rather than a screwdriver.

If I'm going to be woken in the night by an intruder, I would rather he be armed with a screwdriver than an assault rifle - even if I owned an assault rifle myself.


I have something beside my bed that could deal with a scrote with a screwdriver, so I don't need a gun......

Lateralus wrote:

There is no logic behind disarming a populace and then importing many people from other cultures who hate your way of life.

The men often imported into Europe don't care about your laws and values if it doesn't comply with their holy book, meanwhile the London mayor wants ban knives and people are getting acid thrown onto them.

The west as a whole seems to have been domesticated to a point where it's becoming very vulnerable in my opinion. I can respect that each country has its own laws and culture but what I hear and read out of Europe and even here in the US has many of us worried.

You lot sure do need educating to the Western world and history
I was stood in front of this castle last week when a bus load of Yanks got off and started calling it a Church

Lateralus wrote:

Yes of course there are tough people of all shapes and sizes. I guess being unarmed is good incentive for the elderly to get in shape and learn martial arts or boxing so they can fight 20-something criminals.

Let's be real though, if youre a criminal and know some old lady using a walker, living alone and has nice things, you are going to pick her place to loot or assault. There's a good chance she isnt a kickboxer. If she has access to a firearm, her odds just went way up.