Redneck shoots up Pensacola with AK-47

[laklak]

So many innocent bystanders, so few 30 round magazines.

[Gallstones]

I wish I was as clever as you are. That way, the next time that I miserably fail to make a coherent argument with facts to support it, I can gracefully switch to insinuating that my opponent takes his position because he's watched some movies, and surely they will see the error of their ways and capitulate to my superior wit and intelligence.

I think the movie argument is extremely valid.
Most my friends at school were extremely keen on guns and gunfighting, as was I. But most of us grew out of it by the age of ten.
That doesn't seem to happen in the US, and I point to Hollywood as a major part of the reason for that.

As well as movies, gunnies devour JT Edson books, and similar, and these were huge sellers in the states.
Obviously, a love of guns causes a love of violent movies and books, but it also works the other way as well.

[Gallstones]

Since we are on the topic, there are two men who live on the corner of the next block. They have been too friendly and I'm getting a bad vibe. If anything happens to me, it could be them.

I'm not joking.

I used to leave well-shot-up targets lying around my porch, maybe a couple with the best groupings and largest caliber tacked up on the door. Leave the occasional brass on the table or rail, etc...

Maybe if I wore this?





BTW, during my googling I saw some good ideas for making jewelry from spent brass.

[mistermack]

There's something sadly wrong with people who think they know what a person is like because that person owns guns. It's ignorant and presumptive to assume you know anything about a person based on so little.

Well, I'm just going on the flimsy evidence of the gun-loving people that I've met. Including plenty in the USA. And I've observed a law that seems to hold for every case.
The more guns, the sadder and more pathetic the individual.
Have you not noticed that?

[laklak]

The more guns, the sadder and more pathetic the individual.
Have you not noticed that?

No, actually I haven't. The guy I know with the most guns is a collector, has, hell, maybe 150 or 200 guns, something like that. Has a Class 3 so he has automatic weapons, including a vintage Thompson (now, that thing is fun). He's an educated professional (software engineer), seems well adjusted, nice family, agnostic if not atheist, likes a beer but doesn't drink too much, will do damn near anything for you. Just your basic good guy who happens to collect firearms (which are all under tight security, BTW).

I own a few guns, but nothing like he does. I like to think I'm reasonably well adjusted. Never shot up a strip mall because they ran out of mudbugs, but you never know. I have two reasonably successful, well-adjusted, job holding gun owning daughters who live with reasonably well-adjusted, hard working, job holding gun owning guys. They hunt and fish, one drives a truck, the other rides bikes, they've all got tattoos. They like camping, canoeing, sailing, skiing, etc, just like some real people. The only problem with them is they're Democrats and don't listen to country music, but you can't have everything I suppose. They're all pretty intelligent, read a lot, can discuss anything from paleontology to politics. You probably wouldn't like them, probably think they're sad or pathetic or something. I doubt they'd care, honestly.

OK, my next door neighbor is a bit strange and he owns guns, but he'd be strange with or without the weapons.

So no, I haven't noticed anything like that.

[mistermack]

Collecting is different.
It's a disease that can affect anybody, so I can sympathise with that.

But tattoos? I rest my case !!

[laklak]

But tattoos? I rest my case !!

Well, there is that.

[laklak]

I'm sure there are plenty of weird gun owners out there. There are plenty of weird computer gamers, for that matter. When I lived in the UK I knew one family that owned a gun, they lived on a farm outside Hebden Bridge and had an old single-shot 12 gauge. When I lived up in New York I don't think many people owned guns, but it never really came up. Here in the South gun ownership is the norm. I'm hard pressed to think of anyone I know that doesn't own at least one gun, and most own at least two, a long gun and a handgun. It isn't something that is talked about a lot, other than in an offhand way. There are a couple of people I would show a new gun to, but it really isn't the all-encompassing thing so many Europeans think it is. I have a concealed carry permit but it's actually rare I do carry, I got it because I ran a concession trailer and was often at fairgrounds or other slightly dodgy places late at night with a box of cash. There are areas of town that I wouldn't go through without carrying, though.

The general European (and particularly British) attitude towards guns is as puzzling to me as mine is to them. Owning guns is simply not that big a deal, there isn't the level of angst or concern surrounding the issue that there is over there.

[Wumbologist]

There's something sadly wrong with people who think they know what a person is like because that person owns guns. It's ignorant and presumptive to assume you know anything about a person based on so little.

Well, I'm just going on the flimsy evidence of the gun-loving people that I've met. Including plenty in the USA. And I've observed a law that seems to hold for every case.
The more guns, the sadder and more pathetic the individual.
Have you not noticed that?

I've met a few black guys who were criminals. Going on the same amount of evidence as you, I ought to be afraid that every single one of them is out to steal my TV.

[MrJonno]

They hunt and fish

Through I can understand why people my like shooting fury animals (not that I approve of it unless its for food) but fishing!!!

Can there be anything more tedious, if we have legal handguns in the UK the anglers would shoot themselves out of boredom and their bodies would pollute the rivers

[Wumbologist]

They hunt and fish

Through I can understand why people my like shooting fury animals (not that I approve of it unless its for food) but fishing!!!

Can there be anything more tedious, if we have legal handguns in the UK the anglers would shoot themselves out of boredom and their bodies would pollute the rivers

Here we shoot the fish instead.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

They hunt and fish

Through I can understand why people my like shooting fury animals (not that I approve of it unless its for food) but fishing!!!

Can there be anything more tedious, if we have legal handguns in the UK the anglers would shoot themselves out of boredom and their bodies would pollute the rivers

Fury animals can be dangerous.

[Gallstones]

They hunt and fish

Through I can understand why people my like shooting fury animals (not that I approve of it unless its for food) but fishing!!!

Can there be anything more tedious, if we have legal handguns in the UK the anglers would shoot themselves out of boredom and their bodies would pollute the rivers

Fury animals can be dangerous.

Teeth, claws, fondness for meat.
Just ask Coito.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Animals aren't that dangerous. I mean you can run off a polar bear by jangling your keys at it. Or so I'm told.

[mistermack]

Here in the South gun ownership is the norm. I'm hard pressed to think of anyone I know that doesn't own at least one gun, and most own at least two, a long gun and a handgun. It isn't something that is talked about a lot, other than in an offhand way. There are a couple of people I would show a new gun to, but it really isn't the all-encompassing thing so many Europeans think it is.

Obviously, what a society thinks of as normal rubs off on the young.
Your average southerner would qualify as a bit of a gun-nut in Britain. What one lot thinks of as normal would be strange somewhere else.

The romans used to think it fashionable and sophisticated to watch people fight to the death for their amusement. We could all debate that with them, if they were here, and they would probably think we were odd, and downright soft.

But in a way, we still do the same. Only now, people fight to the death for our amusement, only it's in the movies, or on tv, and it's not real, just pretend.
I know which is worse, but I'm not sure which is sadder.

I'm sure that if you could go back and talk to some of the Romans who enjoyed that kind of stuff, they would be solid citizens, normal and well balanced, just like all your gun owning friends. It only looks odd from the outside.