What do you think of our current President?

[mkloby]

Originally Posted by pbfoot

What happens when your not in the bedroom or do you have a weapon within reach at all times . Give me a sock full of pennies anyday.
The registration of all handguns has been required by federal law since 1934, and since 1968 permits to carry them have been restricted to a few specific circumstances, for example, use in target practice or competition, protection in extreme cases where police protection isn't adequate, and in certain jobs, such as transporting large amounts of cash or other valuables. Fully automatic weapons have been banned since 1977. The new law extends the registration requirement to unrestricted long guns such as shotguns and rifles and adds short-barrelled handguns and those discharging 25- or 32-calibre cartridges to the list of prohibited weapons.

Of course you may not even have easy access to your pistol or such at all times - but that is not the issue. Even when police protection is "adequate," they still cannot stop the initial commission of the crime, unless there is a police officer on duty at every single dwelling. Why wouldn't you want the means to protect yourself, your family, and your possessions?

[pbfoot]

The sock full of pennies is fine by me . I really am not that worried about the possibilities some body is going to assault me or my family in otherwords I am secure with my situation maybe if I felt that threat my view would change

[Aussie1001]

agree with marcel and pbfoot
mkloby- i can see your point however.
I guess it depends on your culture and personal beliefs.

[Marcel]

Originally Posted by pbfoot

The sock full of pennies is fine by me . I really am not that worried about the possibilities some body is going to assault me or my family in otherwords I am secure with my situation maybe if I felt that threat my view would change

Exactly what I mean.

[renrich]

I would be reluctant to go to a gun or knife fight with a "sock full of pennies" Is a "sock full of pennies" any more accessible during a burglary than a Colt Combat Commander in a 45ACP? To me, protecting your home and family is a matter of standing on your own two feet and not depending on some one else.

[Aussie1001]

Yes as you might have the sock in an accessible location,
In OZ it is illigial to have a firearm in a location that is not compleatly secure ie. a safe or something else of that nature.

[mkloby]

Originally Posted by Aussie1001

In OZ it is illigial to have a firearm in a location that is not compleatly secure ie. a safe or something else of that nature.

Well, that's just a silly law. Americans don't like the government sticking their beaks into our personal lives. We don't like the gov't telling us how we need to run our lives - historically anyway. There's an increasing number of Americans that seem to want the gov't to control everything, because of course the gov't knows best.

[trackend]

Same here Aussie licenced fire arms must be stored it a locked static gun case and the ammunition has to be stored seperate and secure.
I have never felt the need to be armed with anything when I go out, thats not to say that violent crime does not exist here but it has never touched me my family or any of my freinds or reletives. I am quite happy to go anywhere in the UK that includes Brixton & Plaistow which are supposedly the gun gang centers of Britain. Apart from the usual Saturday night punch ups its about the same as most other deprived areas of London any shootings that happen are fairly rare and make the TV news.

[Marcel]

Originally Posted by renrich

To me, protecting your home and family is a matter of standing on your own two feet and not depending on some one else.

Originally Posted by mkloby

Americans don't like the government sticking their beaks into our personal lives. We don't like the gov't telling us how we need to run our lives - historically anyway.

You see, there you have exactly the cultural difference between Europeans and Americans, general speaking then. Most Americans I know have this individual thinking in which the only one you can rely on is yourself. It's also the basis of the difference in the weapons laws as renrich demostrates above.
Here in the Netherlands, the government controls much more, but this also means that civilians are better protected, meaning in social laws etc.
Yet I don't feel less free than the Americans.

Mind I'm not saying one is better then the other, it is merely an observation.

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by Marcel

You see, there you have exactly the cultural difference between Europeans and Americans, general speaking then. Most Americans I know have this individual thinking in which the only one you can rely on is yourself. It's also the basis of the difference in the weapons laws as renrich demostrates above.
Here in the Netherlands, the government controls much more, but this also means that civilians are better protected, meaning in social laws etc.
Yet I don't feel less free than the Americans.

Mind I'm not saying one is better then the other, it is merely an observation.

Very well put Marcel!

[renrich]

Marcel, You nailed that cultural difference real well. My attitude is: Better to have it and not need it than to need it but not have it. Which is why there are numerous loaded cocked and locked weapons around my house and I always carry a weapon in the car when traveling any distance. The other thing though that maybe Europeans don't readily grasp about the US is that many of us live somewhat isolated in terms of distance to a police station. This is a big country unlike Europe. I remember reading that Warsaw is 800 miles from London. You can drive 800 miles in Texas starting from Texarkana and still be in Texas. As a matter of fact when I lived in Dallas I knew more people who had been murdered than I knew who had died in car accidents. Only one by a firearm.

[pbfoot]

Originally Posted by trackend

Same here Aussie licenced fire arms must be stored it a locked static gun case and the ammunition has to be stored seperate and secure.
I have never felt the need to be armed with anything when I go out, thats not to say that violent crime does not exist here but it has never touched me my family or any of my freinds or reletives. I am quite happy to go anywhere in the UK that includes Brixton & Plaistow which are supposedly the gun gang centers of Britain. Apart from the usual Saturday night punch ups its about the same as most other deprived areas of London any shootings that happen are fairly rare and make the TV news.

Same laws and I also have had nobody I know as a victim of violent crime

[Aussie1001]

Hmm yes in australia you would be considered paranoid and a bit loopy if you carried a gun in the car. Personally i think you are paranoid however differn't societies and cultures have differn't beliefs and values.
You yanks might think it a bit strange that we wrestle with Crocodiles !!!!

[Heinz]

Originally Posted by mkloby

Well, that's just a silly law. Americans don't like the government sticking their beaks into our personal lives. We don't like the gov't telling us how we need to run our lives - historically anyway. There's an increasing number of Americans that seem to want the gov't to control everything, because of course the gov't knows best.

No its not. For Australia its not you can't apply American laws to Australia. I think our dealing guns has been good and this may seem strange for me to be on a forum like this but I really dont like guns. Sport shooters and hunters I can tolerate but other than that there is no reason to own one in Australia.

I hope that our laws remain for the time being and stay as they are. Once again I wouldn't dream of applying Australian laws to American its a different country and with different values.

Neither is better nor worse.

[trackend]

Originally Posted by renrich

Marcel, This is a big country unlike Europe. I remember reading that Warsaw is 800 miles from London. You can drive 800 miles in Texas starting from Texarkana and still be in Texas. As a matter of fact when I lived in Dallas I knew more people who had been murdered than I knew who had died in car accidents. Only one by a firearm.

That is a very valid point renrich having done a bit of driving in the states I must admit it can seem very isolated once you get out in the sticks.
But then Oz is pretty big as well.