Poll: is he ignorant or does he have a point

[AWAR]

Gun laws in the U.S. are stupid as hell. SO many people die due to guns compared to other countries.

So no, I don't think you should get a gun.

I recommend watching that Columbine documentary from Michael Moore, gun laws are not the problem.

 

[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.

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.

Well put, I will agree with that.

 

[UnmotivatedSlacker]

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.

How is he ignorant? Guns are dangerous and accidents can happen even if you know how to handle a gun properly. Also a 16 year old kid does not need to own a gun. If the bf does not want guns in his house, the kid should respect that and just get one when he moves out if he wants it so badly.

 

[RelexCryo]

The issue isn't that he is 16. The issue is that his Mom's boyfriend thinks civilian gun ownership is inherently wrong. The poll question isn't, "Should 16 year olds have guns," the question is,"Is he right?" His mom's boyfriend didn't say 16 year olds shouldn't have guns. He said no civilians should have guns.

 

[Chupathingy_v1legacy]

Again, yes respect your parents, but come on, you have to agree do people only get things because they need it and therefore if they don't NEED it they shouldn't get it? Because saying things like "A 16 year old kid does not need to own a gun" is like saying "A 16 year old kid does not need to own a computer". I'm not saying its the same thing, but please choose your arguments more sensibly. If you base your argument solely on need, then please be ready to prove to me that you have never in your life bought something that was not a total necessity.

Also, as far as danger, it is also dangerous to turn on a car that is literally powered by explosive force, it is dangerous to consume even a drop of alcohol which (like most things) usually impairs your judgement and can either directly or indirectly lead to your death, it is dangerous to set foot on an aircraft that is propelled by a combination of fire and precision aerodynamics to make it move. It is dangerous to smoke a cigarette which is PROVEN to eventually lead to cancer and other health issues in later life if you continue. Despite these dangers, PEOPLE STILL DO IT. Why? Because flying is almost a necessity now, because drinking is how people cope with problems or just something fun to do with friends, driving IS a necessity in modern times, and I still can't find a reason people smoke..... You cannot tell me that "These things are common practice and everyone understands the danger and accepts the risk" because if they can be trusted to accept those risks and take responsibility for what happens, then why on earth can people not make the same decisions with firearms?

Alcohol is involved in approximately 75,000 deaths per year in the united states (Source below). Firearms were involved in 32,436 deaths in 1997, which just under half as many killed, which includes law abiding citizens defending themselves with legally purchased firearms. If you're so worried about saving american lives, the first thing you should do is work on prohibition of alcohol.

And please, for all the people who come on and say little more than "guns are bad, don't get it" or "guns are dangerous, don't get it" PLEASE, unless you are willing to back this up with proof or a logical, valid argument, keep it too yourself.



http://www.ehow.com/facts_4895060_statistics-alcohol-related-deaths.html

http://www.securityworld.com/ia-424-firearm-related-deaths-and-injuries.aspx

 

[Butterworm]

The issue isn't that he is 16. The issue is that his Mom's boyfriend thinks civilian gun ownership is inherently wrong.

don't know where you're getting this from, as the OP only states that his mum's bf won't live in the same house if the OP gets a gun.

The poll question isn't, "Should 16 year olds have guns," the question is,"Is he right?" His mom's boyfriend didn't say 16 year olds shouldn't have guns. He said no civilians should have guns.

all this aside, i still don't think it's a great move for any civilian to get a gun. in any country. just like i don't think it's a great move for any civilian to get a machete. or a compound bow. there will certainly be people who own these things, for various reasons, but their practical use for the majority of the population is extremely limited, and this is why i don't really understand the appeal of gun ownership.

if one of my really good friends told me that he was considering buying a machete, i'd seriously start to question his motives for doing so and i'd call him out on it. if someone i barely knew said that they were considering buying a machete, i'd do my best to keep my distance from them from that point onwards

 

[AgDr_ODST]

How is he ignorant? Guns are dangerous and accidents can happen even if you know how to handle a gun properly. Also a 16 year old kid does not need to own a gun. If the bf does not want guns in his house, the kid should respect that and just get one when he moves out if he wants it so badly.

okay I admit ignorant is the wrong word, but I don't think the moms bf should have any right to say wether or not he can own one. It should be up to both of his parents.

 

[RelexCryo]

The issue isn't that he is 16. The issue is that his Mom's boyfriend thinks civilian gun ownership is inherently wrong.

don't know where you're getting this from, as the OP only states that his mum's bf won't live in the same house if the OP gets a gun.

The poll question isn't, "Should 16 year olds have guns," the question is,"Is he right?" His mom's boyfriend didn't say 16 year olds shouldn't have guns. He said no civilians should have guns.

all this aside, i still don't think it's a great move for any civilian to get a gun. in any country. just like i don't think it's a great move for any civilian to get a machete. or a compound bow. there will certainly be people who own these things, for various reasons, but their practical use for the majority of the population is extremely limited, and this is why i don't really understand the appeal of gun ownership.

if one of my really good friends told me that he was considering buying a machete, i'd seriously start to question his motives for doing so and i'd call him out on it. if someone i barely knew said that they were considering buying a machete, i'd do my best to keep my distance from them from that point onwards

Do you believe banning guns would keep them out of the hands of criminals?

 

[Butterworm]

Again, yes respect your parents, but come on, you have to agree do people only get things because they need it and therefore if they don't NEED it they shouldn't get it? Because saying things like "A 16 year old kid does not need to own a gun" is like saying "A 16 year old kid does not need to own a computer". I'm not saying its the same thing, but please choose your arguments more sensibly. If you base your argument solely on need, then please be ready to prove to me that you have never in your life bought something that was not a total necessity.

all of the things that i have bought that i do not need, are not *weapons*.

Also, as far as danger, it is also dangerous to turn on a car that is literally powered by explosive force, it is dangerous to consume even a drop of alcohol which (like most things) usually impairs your judgement and can either directly or indirectly lead to your death, it is dangerous to set foot on an aircraft that is propelled by a combination of fire and precision aerodynamics to make it move. It is dangerous to smoke a cigarette which is PROVEN to eventually lead to cancer and other health issues in later life if you continue. Despite these dangers, PEOPLE STILL DO IT. Why? Because flying is almost a necessity now, because drinking is how people cope with problems or just something fun to do with friends, driving IS a necessity in modern times, and I still can't find a reason people smoke..... You cannot tell me that "These things are common practice and everyone understands the danger and accepts the risk" because if they can be trusted to accept those risks and take responsibility for what happens, then why on earth can people not make the same decisions with firearms?

people who drink to cope with problems should not drink.

Alcohol is involved in approximately 75,000 deaths per year in the united states (Source below). Firearms were involved in 32,436 deaths in 1997, which just under half as many killed, which includes law abiding citizens defending themselves with legally purchased firearms. If you're so worried about saving american lives, the first thing you should do is work on prohibition of alcohol.

alcohol is more than twice as easy to get your hands on in the US. compare the availability of alcohol to the availability of firearms. this is a straw man argument.

And please, for all the people who come on and say little more than "guns are bad, don't get it" or "guns are dangerous, don't get it" PLEASE, unless you are willing to back this up with proof or a logical, valid argument, keep it too yourself.



http://www.ehow.com/facts_4895060_statistics-alcohol-related-deaths.html

http://www.securityworld.com/ia-424-firearm-related-deaths-and-injuries.aspx

sure, here's one. when you pull the trigger of a loaded gun, a very dangerous, high speed projectile emerges from the barrel. this is why guns are dangerous. there are not many conditions that require the high speed projectile to emerge.
-gun is loaded
-safety is off (not always required)
-trigger is pulled (not always required)

 

[Communist partisan]

A gun isn't dangerus at all if you're careful so I don't know why you can't have one.

 

[Butterworm]

The issue isn't that he is 16. The issue is that his Mom's boyfriend thinks civilian gun ownership is inherently wrong.

don't know where you're getting this from, as the OP only states that his mum's bf won't live in the same house if the OP gets a gun.

The poll question isn't, "Should 16 year olds have guns," the question is,"Is he right?" His mom's boyfriend didn't say 16 year olds shouldn't have guns. He said no civilians should have guns.

all this aside, i still don't think it's a great move for any civilian to get a gun. in any country. just like i don't think it's a great move for any civilian to get a machete. or a compound bow. there will certainly be people who own these things, for various reasons, but their practical use for the majority of the population is extremely limited, and this is why i don't really understand the appeal of gun ownership.

if one of my really good friends told me that he was considering buying a machete, i'd seriously start to question his motives for doing so and i'd call him out on it. if someone i barely knew said that they were considering buying a machete, i'd do my best to keep my distance from them from that point onwards

Do you believe banning guns would keep them out of the hands of criminals?

no. but it would mean that they couldn't break into the house next door to get one before robbing me.
it would make it a lot harder to get them, and it would also mean that when criminals are being tracked down, finding out where the firearms came from would mean a whole lot more.

it means that i don't need to be worried about the domestic going on downstairs because i don't know if the psychotic crazed out guy has gun or not. (this would not affect whether i would intervene or not - i always go and check it out)

do you know anyone with a machete? i don't. i'm sure many undesirable criminals do have them. but my chances of running into this mysterious undesirable with a machete are currently a lot less than me running into someone with a gun. and this is *only* because guns are so freely available.

 

[Rakkana]

Do you actually have a reason beyond target practice? If not i would say no. You shouldn't have a gun.

 

[Butterworm]

A gun isn't dangerus at all if you're careful so I don't know why you can't have one.

i've copied an earlier post that i made.

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)

 

[Mechsoap]

evryone loves guns, we just hate em when we shot half the cranium out of our bretheren

 

[gellert1984]

Kind of ignorant, guns are dangerous things and having one in the house can cause a lot of problems, dont you have a gun club nearby you can join and just rent one or have them store your's when the need takes you?

If both your parents are set against it then I'd just hold off till your older or see if they're open to letting you get a low-powered air-rifle.

 

[Naheal]

You're 16. You don't need a gun. At that same rate, they're overreacting.

 

[thahat]

guns go bang is the most intelligent answer here.
or otherwise stated its not guns that kill people, its the people who use the guns.
if well maintained, stored, and used with care, shooting things can give a great satisfaction.
but this would only be for the mentally stabile.
though, to be honest, dad/mom/moms boyfriend > tells me enough to know that they should not be able to judge YOU.
yet, there are no rights and wrongs. its can and cants.
you live in her house? you live by her rules. c'est la vie. sorry guv'

 

[BrokenIcon]

To hell with your mom's boyfriend's opinion, it's not his place to have one. But your mom is also against it, and as it's been said many times already, her house her rules. You should respect your mother's wishes.

 

[RelexCryo]

alcohol is more than twice as easy to get your hands on in the US. compare the availability of alcohol to the availability of firearms. this is a straw man argument.

Cocaine and Marijuana are smuggled into the United States by extremely large amounts every year. Guns are manufactured in extremely large amounts every year by companies based outside the United States. In addition to Legal Hand Gun manufacturers outside the United States such as:

Taurus
Glock
Sig Sauer
Heckler & Koch
Beretta
Stoeger
Fabrique Nationale
CZ
IWI
Manurhin
Walther

There are many, many illegal handgun manufacturers on the Illegal Market. And this is only counting handgun manufacturers mind you.