Guns Because

[Hermit]

Of the three, criminal is potentially the most rewarding - if you're good at it. I'm surprised there aren't more criminals than cops or soldiers.

In Melbourne, in recent years, a fair proportion of the murders have been criminals shooting other criminals. One of the hazards of the profession...

Also, police acting as judge, jury and executioners of suspected criminals. I think there was a spate of about 17 cases in Melbourne in recent years, but cannot find a link to that at the moment.

Elsewhere, and most famously, there's the case of Sergeant Roger Rogerson in Sydney...

[Gallstones]

Today was day one of the Anaconda Veterans for Veterans Stand Down. We passed out stuff.
This was what I got.


I'm a Vet and I have been part of the planning for this event for months. I am also the Volunteer Coordinator this year and working the event. I'll be back to do it again tomorrow.

We received >52 pallets/4x4x4 crates of stuff that was made available to US Veterans free of charge. They picked up a bag at the door and stuffed it as they moved along the tables. Being a Vet and worker I got to stuff a bag or two myself.


Interesting thought I had, we passed out gear to veterans of three counties, a few hundred people at least. Tomorrow we open it up to whomever. If we, as citizens have to go guerilla, at least we are outfitted courtesy of the government.

The image includes a link to my Flickr page where there are notes about what everything is.

The grey jacket on the right has velcro patches on both shoulders. I'm going to put a III% patch on one and a Don't Tread on Me on the other.

My haul. This is what is important, I have the attire to open and concealed carry and oppose the government.
Y"all be jealous, I know you are. Your governments aren't as generous to Veterans as the US is.

[Hermit]

This is what is important, I have the attire to open and concealed carry and oppose the government.
Y"all be jealous, I know you are.

Include me out. I am that where I live, Australians' opposition to their governments is to vote them out of office on a regular basis, that quality media are able to expose scams by politicians and that we are free to successfully pressure governments' initiative to abandon fascist programs such as the introduction of the "Australia Card".

[FBM]

..also that as people kill people not guns, Americans appear to be ultra violent people.

Fuck you bigot.

Gallstones, staff would like to remind you that the above post contains a personal attack on another member. Please refrain from attacking the person and attack the ideas instead, as per TEH RULEZ.. Thank you.

[Collector1337]

I'll take the lower murder rate rather than your mystical "liberty"

Plenty of hunting goes on at Oz, and we often win medals for target shooting at the olympics, so we're not exactly a "no gun" society...

Can you own any semi-automatic firearms or an AR-15?

No.

For which we as a society are very thankful...

I'll pass on that weak shit.

[Seth]

This is what is important, I have the attire to open and concealed carry and oppose the government.
Y"all be jealous, I know you are.

Include me out. I am that where I live, Australians' opposition to their governments is to vote them out of office on a regular basis, that quality media are able to expose scams by politicians and that we are free to successfully pressure governments' initiative to abandon fascist programs such as the introduction of the "Australia Card".

Until you can't because they won't give up power...then you're fucked.

[JimC]

Of the three, criminal is potentially the most rewarding - if you're good at it. I'm surprised there aren't more criminals than cops or soldiers.

In Melbourne, in recent years, a fair proportion of the murders have been criminals shooting other criminals. One of the hazards of the profession...

Also, police acting as judge, jury and executioners of suspected criminals. I think there was a spate of about 17 cases in Melbourne in recent years, but cannot find a link to that at the moment.

Elsewhere, and most famously, there's the case of Sergeant Roger Rogerson in Sydney...

Yes, there was a spate of that in the past (10 to 20 years ago), but not so much now. Some of the cases were very dodgy, although some were actual shoot-outs with armed crims. Also, shootings of aggressive, knife wielding psychotics; the recent adoption of tasers (if used correctly by police) may reduce those...

[JimC]

I'll take the lower murder rate rather than your mystical "liberty"

Plenty of hunting goes on at Oz, and we often win medals for target shooting at the olympics, so we're not exactly a "no gun" society...

Can you own any semi-automatic firearms or an AR-15?

No.

For which we as a society are very thankful...

I'll pass on that weak shit.

It's not an unpopular view foisted on us by an authoritarian government - our system of gun regulation has overwhelming public support.

[Seth]

I'll take the lower murder rate rather than your mystical "liberty"

Plenty of hunting goes on at Oz, and we often win medals for target shooting at the olympics, so we're not exactly a "no gun" society...

Can you own any semi-automatic firearms or an AR-15?

No.

For which we as a society are very thankful...

I'll pass on that weak shit.

It's not an unpopular view foisted on us by an authoritarian government - our system of gun regulation has overwhelming public support.

Until it isn't...

By then it's too late and you're fucked because you gave your guns away. Just like the Jews did in Germany in 1936. Didn't work out so well for them, did it? You have far too much faith and trust in government. Government is a snake that can turn on you in an instant and destroy you, just ask, oh, just about anyone who's been through it.

Government is like fire, it's a useful tool that's extremely dangerous and needs to be kept small and carefully controlled so it doesn't get out of hand, and like anyone with half a brain knows, when you play with fire, you need to have the tools to extinguish it on hand because if it gets away from you it's too late to go looking for a shovel. I hope you understand the metaphor.

[JimC]

A certain degree of healthy cynicism about governments is a good thing. When it turns into rabid paranoia, linked to an unhealthy obsession with guns, I'll pass...

[Seth]

A certain degree of healthy cynicism about governments is a good thing. When it turns into rabid paranoia, linked to an unhealthy obsession with guns, I'll pass...

The salient question is whether government will pass on you...which it won't.

[Hermit]

This is what is important, I have the attire to open and concealed carry and oppose the government.
Y"all be jealous, I know you are.

Include me out. I am that where I live, Australians' opposition to their governments is to vote them out of office on a regular basis, that quality media are able to expose scams by politicians and that we are free to successfully pressure governments' initiative to abandon fascist programs such as the introduction of the "Australia Card".

Until you can't because they won't give up power...then you're fucked.

In our history governments have been removed via the ballot box on many occasions, and never in Australia's existence as a nation for 112 years has there ever been an occasion where governments thus thrown out have any of them entertained the thought of resisting the will of the electorate by undemocratic means for even one moment. There is no indication that this is going to change in the future.

[JimC]

The probability that an Australian government in my lifetime will become a tyrannical police state in reality, rather than in the paranoid delusions of extremists from the left or the right is so close to zero I will not give it a passing thought.

And if any tendency in that direction were to emerge, I would rather trust in an active democratic process and a (relatively) free press as a bulwark against it rather than survivalists with an unhealthy gun fetish.

As an aside, the current example of Syria makes me wonder whether attempts to overturn a dictator like Assad are really worth it, given the deaths, destruction and misery, particularly when Islamic fundamentalist are likely to pick up the pieces when the horror finally ends...

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Lol.
I quite like guns (or, more accurately, projectile weapons in general) I think they're interesting, fun and definitely have uses for defence against home invasion etc. - occasionally.
However, all this 2nd ammendment "protect ourselves from tyrannical government" bollox is just that...bollox.
If it came to that situation then the US government/army would just crush any violent resistance underfoot like an insect and they wouldn't even have to be physically present to do it. No amount of AR 15's or camo clothing is going to stop a smart bomb or hellfire missile from coming down the chimney.
(Ironically, Seth's comment (here or another thread - I can't be arsed looking) about taking a knife to a gunfight springs to mind here.)

[Pappa]

Yes, and that veiled bell end comment in the anonymous thread. You were wrong.

haha.... I just went and checked the anonymous thread. That bell end remark had nothing at all to do with you. Paranoid much?