I arrived at home 10 minutes early from class...

[Homem de Gelo]

... and found this stranger wandering in my backyard. He said he was looking for a lost dog and that my mom had let him in. But my mom wasn't even at home. So I told him to leave and he did. I didn't try any agressive action because, I don't know why in this world, he had our shovel in his hand I didn't want to risk being beat buy it, because I'm still recovering form my surgery and totally not in conditions to fight.

Anyhow, I'm sure the guy got in because he noticed that our garage's gate is bent, because my brother made the favour of bumping into it while trying to park the car. So all he had to do was push it and open it.

So now everyone at home is feelin' somewhat unsafe and watched, and we are going to fix the gate tommorow morning.

And the reason I started thius was because today, for the first time, I thought it might be better if we had a gun here at home, although now I'm again totally unsure about the idea. Not that I risk buying one, I'd rather spend my money on alcohol and pimpin'.

What do you think about it?
Do you have a gun at your home?
If not, do you think there should be one?
How safe, on a scale from 1 to 5 do you feel at home?

[Burrito]

nice one....

I don't have a gun, don't need or want a gun either....

I feel a 5 out of 5 but then again I'm not american.....

[Doza]

I live outside of town, so theives and baddies don't waste gas to rob a poor person when they could rob some rich person in town's house.

[NAZCA C2]

Hey man its a good thing you are alright. If that happened at my house that dude wouldnt have left without a minimum or ten shots in his ass! I think everybody should own a gun for their protection as long as they are responsible and not an idiot. I dont know what the gun laws are like in your country though.

[Egg Nog]

Originally Posted by NAZCA C2

Hey man its a good thing you are alright. If that happened at my house that dude wouldnt have left without a minimum or ten shots in his ass! I think everybody should own a gun for their protection as long as they are responsible and not an idiot. I dont know what the gun laws are like in your country though.

I think that HBoss acted how he should've. If everyone was allowed to own a gun, it would do a whole lot more harm than good.

Case Study: The United States of America

[NAZCA C2]

Originally Posted by Egg Nog

I think that HBoss acted how he should've. If everyone was allowed to own a gun, it would do a whole lot more harm than good.

Case Study: The United States of America

in this country (USA) guns are used many more times to prevent crimes than to commit them, but you only hear about the bad side of guns because sensationalism sells.

[Egg Nog]

Originally Posted by NAZCA C2

in this country (USA) guns are used many more times to prevent crimes than to commit them, but you only hear about the bad side of guns because sensationalism sells.

Of course they are used more to prevent crimes than to commit them, but how many times they are commited is what really matters. The bottom line is, if nobody has any guns (save for the police, of course), its a heck of a lot safer than it is otherwise.

Just for example, if an average gun prevents five crimes and causes one death, one person still dies, and that's awful.

[NAZCA C2]

Originally Posted by Egg Nog

Of course they are used more to prevent crimes than to commit them, but how many times they are commited is what really matters. The bottom line is, if nobody has any guns (save for the police, of course), its a heck of a lot safer than it is otherwise.

Just for example, if an average gun prevents five crimes and causes one death, one person still dies, and that's awful.

i dont know about canada but in the US guns are here to stay. if the govt said tomorrow that everybody has to turn in their guns it wouldnt make anybody safer. the criminals would still get guns just like they get drugs or anything else thats illegal. the problem is that laws in this country are nor enforced like they should be.

[Egg Nog]

Originally Posted by NAZCA C2

i dont know about canada but in the US guns are here to stay. if the govt said tomorrow that everybody has to turn in their guns it wouldnt make anybody safer. the criminals would still get guns just like they get drugs or anything else thats illegal. the problem is that laws in this country are nor enforced like they should be.

That's a little more like it

The real problem is the whole constitutional firearms thing... if it started being enforced, I'm sure the problems would be worked out over the following decade. The thing is, it doesn't really seem like there's a big movement for it

[cls12vg30]

I'm not sure what you mean by the "Constitutional firearms thing", but the states which have seen the largest drop in violent crime in the past 10 years are those states which have provisions for allowing law-abiding people to own and carry guns, and have also cracked down HARD on illegal guns. Virginia is a good case study.
On the other side of the coin (and the Potomac River) you have Washington, D.C., in which private ownership of firearms has been totally banned since 1976, and has the highest murder rate in the nation.
The fact is, unless someone can figure out a way to un-invent the firearm, I would much prefer to be able to legally obtain and carry a gun than to have criminals be the only ones armed.
It's very interesting, the European guys seem to think that the entire U.S. is a big shooting gallery, when in actuality, unless you're living a violent, criminal lifestyle your chances of encountering gun violence are extremely slim. Of course, when the statisticians make their numbers about gun violence, they don't differentiate between you, me, and a gangbanger in downtown Detroit.
One of the things the Europeans have trouble relating to is that many Americans, including myself, are fundamentally unwilling to totally entrust their safety and that of their families to any government entity, and that includes the police. The very idea is revolting.
I have a surplus Czech army service pistol on my nightstand. It's legally owned, I take it to a shooting range at least once a month, and at home I keep it loaded with MagSafe rounds to prevent a ricochet or wall penetration in the event I ever have to fire it here, which I consider very very unlikely. I live in an apartment complex in part of town that is quite safe, and I know several of my neighbors are also armed, which makes me feel even better.

[NoOne]

I feel pretty safe at home. I have convinced my wife that it is more important to have the doors locked when we ARE home than when we are out. Break in take what you want when we are not home, I don't care ... its all replaceable, break in and put a gun to my family ... I don't even want to consider that possibility.

My own opinion on guns at home, is that I'm totally against it, there is always the possibilty that the home invader could find it and use it against you, when they may otherwise be unarmed.
For people who have young children, the problem worsens, what if there is an accidental discharge? ...its not supposed to happen and 99% of the time it doesn't ... what about that 1%?

[cls12vg30]

My own opinion on guns at home, is that I'm totally against it, there is always the possibilty that the home invader could find it and use it against you, when they may otherwise be unarmed.

Well the only way I can see that the invader would find the gun before you is if you came home when the invader was still there, and he'd had time beforehand to find it. That's a valid concern, but when you think about it if that did happen, even if nobody was armed, odds are somebody's going to get hurt, and I think that the chances are greater that the weapon will be an asset to you in a home invasion situation than a liability. Even so, when I'm not home the gun is hidden, for the very reason you described.

For people who have young children, the problem worsens, what if there is an accidental discharge? ...its not supposed to happen and 99% of the time it doesn't ... what about that 1%?

If you have kids, the whole equation changes dramatically. No way would a gun even be in the house unless it was in a safe. As a matter of fact, leaving a firearm where it is accessible to a minor is a crime.

Among gun owners there is no such thing as an "accidental" discharge. The term used is "negligent" discharge, because if a gun goes off when it's not supposed to, it's no accident, somebody screwed up.

[crisis]

Originally Posted by cls12vg30

If you have kids, the whole equation changes dramatically. No way would a gun even be in the house unless it was in a safe. As a matter of fact, leaving a firearm where it is accessible to a minor is a crime.
Among gun owners there is no such thing as an "accidental" discharge. The term used is "negligent" discharge, because if a gun goes off when it's not supposed to, it's no accident, somebody screwed up.

For every responsible gun owner there would be two irresponsible ****wits. That as you say in the second paragraph is the problem. Unfortunately I dont think gun laws descriminate against ****wits until its too late. I know a few people who own guns. In particular the ones who are gun enthusiats , I would not judge to be of the character that should have them. But legally they can . In Australia the massacre in Tasmania caused a knee jerk reaction by the government which compelled people to sell their guns back to the govenrment. All semi automatic, automatic and pistols are illegal for public use. You can own pistols if you are a member of a gun club. The gun lobby of course cried foul saying that if all honest people gave back their guns only the crooks would have them. So you have the choice . If its too hard do nothing? If only crooks have these guns it will be easy to spot a crook. We have very few fatal shootings here in Australia. I heard today of an 8 year old in America being caught in the cross fire between two scumbags shooting it out in a public place. Thats not the world I want to live in. you can not uninvent guns but like drugs you can continually confiscate them when you find them. Does that solve the problem? No. Does it reduce the likely hood of them being used? It has to. Thats the best we can hope for.

[crisis]

[QUOTE=HBossWhat do you think about it?
Do you have a gun at your home?
If not, do you think there should be one?
How safe, on a scale from 1 to 5 do you feel at home?[/QUOTE]
Would it have done any good to call the cops?

[Homem de Gelo]

Would it have done any good to call the cops?

Not really, knowing the cops in town and the situation, the best they could do was tell people here at home to be extra careful and not bump into the stupid garage gate again.

So far all I have with me is a baseball bat and metal bar. Guns are deadlier, but one good hit on the head and I'll knock out the shit out of anyone in this world.