Poll: is he ignorant or does he have a point

[Chupathingy_v1legacy]

I would say listen to your parents mostly just to keep from causing trouble. Personally I am 17 and have had a myriad of firearms for several years, and nothing bad has come of them so far. In fact, my competitive shooting for the past three years has taught me a great deal of discipline and patience.

I believe that there are some people who just should not have firearms. Psychopaths, violent criminals, children too young to understand death and responsibility, and people with mental or hormonal problems that may affect ones judgement. Past that, I believe that on top of the fact that it is ANY American's right to bear arms, the idea of knowing that other people are carrying firearms for self defense, means that people with bad ideas in mind will be hesitant to use those weapons.

I can't remember what movie I heard it in, a pixar or something, but the line was "When everyone is special, then nobody is" or something like that. Feel free to correct me. Anyway, the same principle can be applied to firearms. If most everyone in the world were armed, then every time any criminal pulled out a weapon in public to do harm, everyone around him would be fully capable of stopping him.

The problem with the concept of not letting people own guns is that the only people who will listen to this law are the people who would never have caused a problem in the first place. The law abiding citizens who generally speaking, have good intentions. All the people who we would be trying to get weapons away from would continue business as usual, dealing with weapons that were smuggled in or bought and owned illegally.

Okay so ya, thats my opinion. Sorry to be longwinded.

 

[DarkDain]

Honestly you should maybe just buy a bow instead, or MAKE one like i did when i was a kid. Practice bow awhile, they can be lots of fun and alot safer and more satisfying than a gun.

 

[JoshGod]

parental consent? how about your dad when you next see him.

 

[Slaanax]

Tell them you won't keep any ammo at the house. Guns no workie with no ammo. I'm surprised the fear and hatred of guns. I've known so many people who have kept weapons in their house for ever and nothing negative happened. I guess based on your region gun culture is very different. Man I was I had the money to buy myself some cool assault rifles. On a side note cars are way more dangerous in the hands of 16 then a Gun.

 

[pumuckl]

I don't think any civilian should be allowed have a gun unless it's for hunting.

Guns are extremly dangerous regardless of who is holding it and if his mother does not want a gun in her house then tough shit for the OP.

I love this point of view... it completley disregards the fact our county won our independance because of a bunch of hillbilly farmers had the cheepest shittiest rifles known to man but could still hit a target a few football fields away in a strong wind

gun ownership is a necessesity based soley (butchered spelling?) on history, and the fact even though we think we're safe now, it's inevitable there will one day be a hostile takeover attempt of sum sort and we'll all be saved (or if we're unlucky liberated some years later) by some miltia men who were waiting to shoot somebody legally for years...

 

[RelexCryo]

People who openly carry a handgun are far less likely to use them than people who hide them or keep them home.

A man carrying a handgun is far less likely to use it that a man who leaves it home?

Most shootings involving handguns happen within the gun owners home. Most people who openly carry handguns know that if even one of them opens fire in a Starbucks there will be another attempt to ban handguns. For every story you hear about someone with a handgun shooting someone, there are thousands of people carrying them in public that you don't know or hear about because they aren't doing anything to bring attention to it.

Pistols or handheld weapons, that's reasonable. But a rifle is pretty damn big and powerful, and is unecessary unless you occupy the universe of Fallout. Plus, if defending yourself and your family is the issue, other weapons besides guns exist in the world.

You ever tried to hunt a moose with a handgun? I've seen a moose take 9 30-06 rounds and still charge. Do you have any idea how many handgun round that would take? And at much closer range, what you'd get is a lot of dead hunters and animal population problems.

Standard S&W 500 rounds have as much energy as a .308 NATO sniper round. John Ross custom S&W 500 rounds have as much kinetic energy as a 30-06 Springfield, with a wider caliber. Arguably, more damage than a .30-06, due to the wider caliber. Surprisingly fast fire rate thanks to inbuilt comphensator and forward mounted wieght. The 30-06 has a *MUCH* longer range, more than a mile, but the S&W 500 is actually pretty damn impressive in terms of power and damage.

 

[RelexCryo]

he has a point, i wouldn't let my son have one if i had a son. Not because i'd be worried for my personal safety but the point is, people are dumb. For all the education in the world, people by nature don't change and this is ever more apparent in modern society. Look at how many people get killed because they got in a bar fight and beat the shit out of some guy, who then comes back and shoots them because he's a coward.

If someone physically assaults you, I am fairly sure it isn't wrong to shoot them. Would letting someone beat you to death make you less of a coward?

 

[Chupathingy_v1legacy]

I don't think he means bringing a gun to a fistfight, I think he means beating a dude up, walking away and then another day he gets shot by the dude he beat up because he has a bruised ego. THAT is cowardice.

 

[pigmypython]

O.K. I live in Canada (which for those that don't know has a HIGHER ratio of guns to people then the States) but have been in the military 14 years. I have seen well trained people have very dangerous accidents with firearms. Frankly some so called "trained" people scare the hell out of me (that bad). We have a lot of rifles in Canada because there is a lot of hunting. However I agree with many of the people here that at 16 no one should own a rifle. While I don't believe guns should be banned no one NEEDS a handgun or carbine etc.

Interesting side note. Switzerland has fully automatic rifles in every household BY LAW and they report less than 30 deaths by gunshot every year. Compare to the States who average around 11,000 a year. Attitude about guns goes a long way and unfortunately your part of the gun crazy attitude part of the world.

 

[RelexCryo]

I don't think he means bringing a gun to a fistfight, I think he means beating a dude up, walking away and then another day he gets shot by the dude he beat up because he has a bruised ego. THAT is cowardice.

Would it be less cowardly to get self defense lessons and beat him up with your bare hands? Short answer: No. It would not.

 

[asinann]

People who openly carry a handgun are far less likely to use them than people who hide them or keep them home.

A man carrying a handgun is far less likely to use it that a man who leaves it home?

Most shootings involving handguns happen within the gun owners home. Most people who openly carry handguns know that if even one of them opens fire in a Starbucks there will be another attempt to ban handguns. For every story you hear about someone with a handgun shooting someone, there are thousands of people carrying them in public that you don't know or hear about because they aren't doing anything to bring attention to it.

Pistols or handheld weapons, that's reasonable. But a rifle is pretty damn big and powerful, and is unecessary unless you occupy the universe of Fallout. Plus, if defending yourself and your family is the issue, other weapons besides guns exist in the world.

You ever tried to hunt a moose with a handgun? I've seen a moose take 9 30-06 rounds and still charge. Do you have any idea how many handgun round that would take? And at much closer range, what you'd get is a lot of dead hunters and animal population problems.

Standard S&W 500 rounds have as much energy as a .308 NATO sniper round. John Ross custom S&W 500 rounds have as much kinetic energy as a 30-06 Springfield, with a wider caliber. Arguably, more damage than a .30-06, due to the wider caliber. Surprisingly fast fire rate thanks to inbuilt comphensator and forward mounted wieght. The 30-06 has a *MUCH* longer range, more than a mile, but the S&W 500 is actually pretty damn impressive in terms of power and damage.

It ended up taking 11 rounds to bring down this moose, if it hadn't been slowed by water when it started charging, it would have gotten to us before we could bring it down. Note to moose hunters, don't shoot them in the forehead, if that's the only visible target, leave the damn moose alone.

 

[blalien]

If you've really been trained in gun use then I think your mother and step-father could be more understanding. And guns are awesome. But it's their house, their rules. You can set off on your own in two years and buy all the guns you want.

Maybe you could compromise by getting a rifle and keeping it in storage at the shooting range.

 

[AgDr_ODST]

Yes, he is. I'm an advocate of strict gun control, the only people who should be allowed guns are the police, the military, and licensed shooting ranges for recreational purposes. And I say that as someone who has used guns before, fired both blank and live ammo, and has had training in how to maintain and use an L-98 rifle as well as other weaponry.

I guess my point is, don't get a freaking gun, you idiot!

ooh don't even get me started mate. With all due respect its people like you and the Brady Campaign who keep guns out of the hands of honest law abiding citizens(like me and my parents) and by doing so make it easier on violent criminals(and convicted felons) who don't give a damn about gun laws and will go to any means if they desire enough to obtain them. And before you even say thats what the police are there for(to stop said criminals) on average it takes at least 5 minutes for police to arrive on scene after getting the call depending on where you live and in that time a criminal with a gun(or a knife) could have robbed, killed or raped thier victim and started making thier get away. Where a man or a woman with a gun could scare off or defend themselves against that same "criminal".

As for the OP: I'd say your moms BF is very ignorant and that as long as your responsible and practice good gun safety then by all means go ahead and get it.

 

[mechanixis]

Inalienable rights do not go "out of date", access to whatever force needed to keep your rights inviolate foremost among them.

The phrases "well regulated Militia" and "security of the free State" are also in that amendment, so unless you're anticipating an invasion by a hostile country, the right becomes less and less about "all guns, all the time." It says security of the State, not security of the people or security of individuals.

"Why do you need your own car?"
"Why do you need your own house?"
"Why do you need your own vote?"
This is America, comrade. The only reason you're entitled to as to why I pursue something is, "I want one."

First of all, the instant jump to communism was hilarious. And cars, houses, voting? None of those were invented and designed to kill stuff. Buying a gun recreationally is like buying a bomb recreationally, or a vial of neurotoxin recreationally; all it is is a liability. Stories about kids shooting themselves accidentally because their parents left guns around surface all the time. You want freedom, but you don't want to have to exercise responsibility with that freedom.
Some people may have a legitimate case for gun-ownership - they honestly fear for their lives - but I think it's a much smaller number than is currently permitted in the US.

A rifle doesn't serve any other practical purpose than shooting at a ranged target. Humans being predisposed towards violence will inevitably grow bored of shooting a nonliving target.

As an aside, I'm sorry, but that's...very, very bad reasoning. Saying that humans are inclined to simply act violent for no other reason than acting violent?

Yeah, but look at Canada, gun crime is extremely low because guns are tightly regulated and such.

Correlation is not causation.

Hang on, that's like saying "We put the cat in a box with a live grenade and five seconds later the cat died. We have absolutely no reason to suspect this was due to the grenade." You're hiding behind a logic technicality to rationalize your position.
But no, I'm sure the real reason there's less gun crime in Canada is their Vitamin B intake or something, right?

If you have the right to a rifle for shooting skeet, then I want the right to a live neutron bomb for a lawn chair.

 

[Beastialman]

I don't think any civilian should be allowed have a gun unless it's for hunting.

However disregarding that I suppose he is being irrational, guns are only dangerous in the hands of idiots.

Not even self defense?

Why would you need a gun in self-defense? If it comes to the point where you're resorting to a gun to protect yourself, then you are one paranoid person. The Human body is a fantastic weapon and if people are scared for their well being then they should take up a form of Martial arts or self defense class.

Well the biggest reason I can think of is a bad neighbor hood.

 

[Butterworm]

I don't think any civilian should be allowed have a gun unless it's for hunting.

However disregarding that I suppose he is being irrational, guns are only dangerous in the hands of idiots.

thats what i said! but he thinks it can kill on its own.

i signed up with escapist purely to respond to this.

guns are always dangerous. it doesn't matter who is holding one or whether it's sitting by itself on the table. the attitude "guns are only dangerous when someone other than me is holding one" is precisely where problems start happening.

if you ask a chef whether knives are dangerous, they will say 'yes'. it is the knowledge that knives are dangerous that leads to them being respected in the kitchen (always either in use, being cleaned or put away). and despite this, chefs still cut themselves. trained professionals who know what they're doing, still injure themselves.

gun related accidental injuries are far more serious than knife related accidental injuries. if you don't have a gun, there is no chance that you'll accidentally injure yourself or others.

and before you start comparing how knives are useful tools to have in the kitchen, i'll say this: you don't use guns to chop your veggies up (and if you do, you shouldn't ever be allowed near a gun again)

 

[Chupathingy_v1legacy]

I don't think he means bringing a gun to a fistfight, I think he means beating a dude up, walking away and then another day he gets shot by the dude he beat up because he has a bruised ego. THAT is cowardice.

Would it be less cowardly to get self defense lessons and beat him up with your bare hands? Short answer: No. It would not.

Honestly if the dude is stupid enough to not only get in a barfight, but get bent out of shape about it enough to shoot his opponent in a non-necessary situation AT ALL he needs to learn some self discipline before he should have a gun anyway.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

since the question is, 'is he ignorant or does he have a point' you might have wanted to think a bit more about the answers you selected as 'yes' and 'no' could go both ways here. I put yes because yes, he has a point although that could have also been taken to mean 'yes he is ignorant'

Anyway I see it like this: 16 year old boy wants gun in a home occupied by himself, a mother and, a stepfather [or boyfriend] as a 16 year old with a step-father, I would have liked to [and even fantasized about on the darker days] horrible things happening to my stepfather. Not saying horrible things would happen to yours if you had a gun or anything but, why not wait until you can legally get one without parental consent and just sneak it back home? You probably haven't got too long to wait anyway