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Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

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Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#601

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it quite likely Angola's reporting is broken. Coming up with accurate numbers even for a developed country is challenging. >Furthermore, i find US fascination with their theoretical ability to fight their government with small arms adorable and misguided. Afghanistan, a fractious nation mostly comprised of illiterate peasants, has been able to fight off not one but two superpowers using mostly small arms.

The Afghanistan thing is an easy narrative, but it isn't really an accurate one. More accurate: > Two superpowers found that Afghanistan, a fractious nation mostly comprised of illiterate peasants and devoid of exploitable industrial or natural resources, wasn't worth the price of occupying indefinitely.

> and devoid of exploitable industrial or natural resources

Isn't there massive amounts of lithium there?

Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#602
post #519

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's admirable about it? This is just a fiction that you Americans tell yourselves about the next revolution. Name one, just one way, that ease of gun ownership has protected Americans from their government in a way that citizens of other western democracies have suffered? There is no scenario in which any citizen with a gun in any country defeats their government. Your gun will keep you safe about as well as your…

"There is no scenario in which any citizen with a gun in any country defeats their government." In case you haven't seen the news, ~75,000 militants with AK-47s just conquered a country of 30,000,000 persons in a matter of weeks.

So you’re saying Americans with guns are like the Taliban? Hilarious, and probably true.

Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#603
post #96

There's something admirable about the idea that a government would not take away all the guns. The idea that people should not have to give up all of their ability to fight. The idea that people should not be entirely dependent on police for their defense. And the idea that physically weaker people (often women) can defend themselves against the strong. Does this idea work? Surprisingly well. If you had to guess the…

> But the U.S. murder rate is not all that remarkable, really The US is at 4.96/100,000 for 2012. For reference, Angola is better at 4.85. Bulgaria and Romania, the poorest countries in the EU, are at 1.3. France is at 1.2. If by not remarkable you mean 3 as bad as other developed countries, sure. The numbers are only for intentional homicide, not even counting accidents and suicides which are also made worse by the…

If you want to engage with the point accurately, you need to break out inner city gun violence rates from suburban/rural rates. Commenter's entire point is that high gun violence is geographically restricted. If you don't live in those areas, you live in a country where gun violence is as unheard of as a European country.

Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#604

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't understand the pride bit. I can't speak to the parent, but I take pride in self-reliance, and taking responsibility for securing and defending the well-being of myself, my family, neighbors, and community. I also am a volunteer, state-certified structure firefighter, and take pride in that for the exact same reason. You might find it interesting that, as part of our classroom instruction, my structure firef…

> the tragedy isn't the gun, but the necessity for one, and it's a tragedy inherent in our mortal existence. Well, they're sure not necessary here in Australia. I don't think I've ever met someone who owns one, certainly no-one has ever mentioned owning a gun to me. It's just not a thing. Seems to be just "a tragedy inherent" in the USA. I was watching every day, and supporting, the George Floyd protests, and after a…

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Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#605
post #424

There's something admirable about the idea that a government would not take away all the guns. The idea that people should not have to give up all of their ability to fight. The idea that people should not be entirely dependent on police for their defense. And the idea that physically weaker people (often women) can defend themselves against the strong. Does this idea work? Surprisingly well. If you had to guess the…

Every time I read the story of gun violence in American school it send chills down my spine. As a parent you don't want to worry about shootouts at your kid's school. And this is totally preventable if Government bans guns. I understand the idea that citizens need protection from government. But if fight really breaks out between government and citizens then there are weapons far powerful then guns that citizens don'…

If you're willing to trade freedom for an illusion of safety, that's your choice.

Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#606
post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But the U.S. murder rate is not all that remarkable, really The US is at 4.96/100,000 for 2012. For reference, Angola is better at 4.85. Bulgaria and Romania, the poorest countries in the EU, are at 1.3. France is at 1.2. If by not remarkable you mean 3 as bad as other developed countries, sure. The numbers are only for intentional homicide, not even counting accidents and suicides which are also made worse by the…

> Furthermore, i find US fascination with their theoretical ability to fight their government with small arms adorable and misguided. As an American, so do I. A citizen revolution vs US Military under the thumb of a dictator would be hilariously asymmetrical. There are no consumer predator drones.

You assume all of the military would side with the dictator. This may or may not be the case.

The various terrorist organizations in the Middle East fared ok against predator drones.

Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#607
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strange take. In 40+ years, I've never needed a gun to defend myself. Nor do I even _know anyone_ that needed to use a gun to lawfully defend themselves. So why should we all have something that A) the lawful uses of such are exceedingly rare, and B) ends up involved in a lot of unlawful or unintentional killings.

To begin with you're creating a premise that the only reason gun legality can be justified is self defense, particularly against other people. I do not accept this premise. There are many other premises for gun legality. That said, when I was very young my grandfather had to shoot a number of stray dogs out his car window while driving through a rough pasture because they'd killed a couple calves and were attacking h…

“I need guns because my grandpa once used his to kill some stray dogs”.

Surely this is a parody example?

Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#608

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a very simple litmus test. In how many countries can you openly (with lots of publicity) organize "Draw a Muhammad" or "Burn the bible" events.

How often do you make use of your freedom to make meaningless antagonistic gestures to Muslims or Christians? Would you rank it as more or less important than the freedom to go for a run in public without being shot or harassed (which is not really afforded to Black Americans [0])? [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/sports/running-while-blac...

How should I make sense of the fact that I saw several Black Americans jogging this week. Are they scofflaws and rebels?

Re: Women are nearly half of new gun buyers, study finds

#610

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't understand the pride bit. I can't speak to the parent, but I take pride in self-reliance, and taking responsibility for securing and defending the well-being of myself, my family, neighbors, and community. I also am a volunteer, state-certified structure firefighter, and take pride in that for the exact same reason. You might find it interesting that, as part of our classroom instruction, my structure firef…

> the tragedy isn't the gun, but the necessity for one, and it's a tragedy inherent in our mortal existence. Well, they're sure not necessary here in Australia. I don't think I've ever met someone who owns one, certainly no-one has ever mentioned owning a gun to me. It's just not a thing. Seems to be just "a tragedy inherent" in the USA. I was watching every day, and supporting, the George Floyd protests, and after a…

This reminds me of my first year of high school in Australia. I had come from the USA and everyone wanted to hear my war stories about people shooting each other (and for me to say 'Watermelon' over and over). It completely blew my mind how misinformed Aussies (granted we were young) were about life in America. It's a huge country, you gotta keep in mind the news and action movies sensationalize and glorify isolated violent events.
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