Marilyn, there is no right or wrong to this conversation, please just remember that. This is debating, and that requires individual opinions, facts and statistics being the greater. All countries have their problems, America's is guns.

Holy cow, you do not know about those who kill, rape, rob and so on? They are not classified enemies but they are OUR ENEMIES! And for as long as there is no polici on every single block, every single street, near every single house WE NEED to arm ourselves!
I REALY WISH YOU TO MEET ONE OF SUCH ENEMY SOME DAY!

America's problem is not gun but its social and economic system, when epople do not have acess to health care and have to work their asses off to pay they bills! In Soviet Union short after the war most people had guns and THERE WAS NO PROBLEM!

Linda, I fail to understand how your saying to me, that America is that bad a place you NEED to arm yourself otherwise you WILL be raped, robbed or murdered! If America is that bad, then what the hell are you doing living their? Would you be better in another country than America? If America was that bad, why are there 330 million citizens? Who would want to knowingly live or migrate to a country where you are saying one MUST arm themselves or they will be attacked by some enemy?

Honestly, if that is your outlook on the country you live, maybe it be best for you to NOT have a gun with your PTSD and mindset!!!

Crime exist in ANY country. Do not know of Australia, though, but in those I had visited so far - definitely.

I do not say that I will be raped, killed or robbed if I do not have a gun. I want to be prepared for the case of attack.
If I do not have a fire extinguisher that does not mean that otherwise I will have a fire. But I want to be prepared in the case of fire.
Defending yourself from fire, attacker or whatever is NORMAL and NATURAL.
If I will be living alone i will have a gun. Because the only person who enter my house when I live alone is a criminal who is threatening me. And for me my life is more important that his.

I know that this is just a healthy debate and that no one is wrong, but it is depressing to think about the problems in the USA. Linda is correct in that we do feel we have to protect ourselves against criminals. Here in little old Jasper Missouri area, population about 1700 total including rural routes, there have been 4 murders, two rapes, and so many burgleries its not even news anymore. The murders were two domestic violence, two cops. The two cops were killed with illeagal guns, the two women were killed by their own husbands bare hands. I do not rely on a gun to pritect me though. I hate guns really. I'm so scared of them. I have a 110 pound German Shephard friend who protects me. He's fast as a wolf and smart as some people (well I'm a little biased about him I guess). He sleeps by my feet and is gentle as a dove with my kids. He is a very special friend. I do not go on walks without him. His name is Joshua. He is a beautiful black & tan.
Your view is somewhat positive about people Anthony, I like that. But in reality, our nation has so many social problems and so many people like me, as a social worker, who feel pretty helpless to effect positive change on a systemic level because of the rediculuos politics. It protects the rich few. Where as many other nations have gone more toward a socialistic society the United States is still very much a capitolist society where a very few get extremely rich and everybody else wonders if they will have enough money to make it from paycheck to paycheck. Yea we pay fewer taxes, at least the rich do, but we still fall very short on the mark of having a fair and equitable system of government. Please understand, guns are the least of our problems. Take away the guns then perhaps the (this is probably spelled wrong) bouseausee will have complete contol of we the proletariot. Better watch what I say. With this new so called Patriot act I could be investigated for just using that word online! Sometime when you have time, check out that act, you'll be both surprised and appalled. Perhaps you can trust your government to make good decisions. We have pedophiles in our government! Sorry my fellow Americans. Just a little disillusioned right now. I wish guns was our only problem! I know I started out in this thread displaying a bit of pride, but as I think more on the topic I realize how many problems do exist and wonder if other nations have such problems with teen pregnancy, domestic violence, child abuse & neglect, crime, poverty, functional illiteracy, chronic mental illness, homelessness, racism, covert sexism, discrimination, and socioeconomic disparity.

Just a few claifications.
1) There are not 70 million Americans with AK47s slung over their sholders like what you see in Mogudishu. These fire arms are kept, for the most part locked and stored with the ammo in another place.
2) All firearms are not designed to kill. Much of the weopons that I posess are for use as target rifles. I have not killed for the stew pot in many years. My facination is with the high speed projectile, put into the 1" target at 100 yards. Some folks shoot clay skeet.
All of those who I know have the same thing in mind when perchasing a firearm. They are collectors, hunters, target shooters and the like. Not criminals.
Firearms are machines that can be used for many different perposes. Not a single fire arm has ever killed one person. This weopon was either left out where someone unauthorised could access it, was thought to be empty and was not, or used in for self protection or in a crime. There is no demon in the metal. Just in peoples minds.
The problem in the States is much more complex than mere firearms ownership. While horrific as it is the shootings are dwarfed when compaired to the 1200 students on our national campuses that die every year from alcohol related deaths, and the 70, 000 rapes that occure from binge drinking every year. In the last 80 yrs, 250 students have died due to gunshot wounds. Absolutly unaccepible. But no where near the death rate from other factors. This is a screwed up world folks, no doubt about it.
If there was a no gun, no violence button that would solve all of our social ills out there, do not think for one moment that I wouldn't push that sucker. Well..... Dang it, there aint...........Until some one makes one, I'll have to keep going my own way.

Wayne

Marilyn,

I had planned to stay the hell out of the fray since I had stated my opinion and left it at that. But your comments about how so much is wrong really caught my attention.

Since the first time a small group of people banded together in a village until today, there have been problems. From a Neolithic tribe living in some jungle that has never been seen to modern society, there are problems. But if all you focus on is the problems, then all you’ll see is the problems.

It’s like watching the news at night -you go through 30 minutes of stories and get to the very end and they have a 30-second blurb of a human-interest story about someone doing something good in the community to help others. When in reality, people helping others, working to make a better community and better lives are more real and happen so much more often than the sensational stories. In my opinion, they have their formats backwards. Unfortunately, nice doesn’t sell advertising space.

Maybe I am the naïve, Pollyanna my father always accused me of being. Honestly…if I am, I’m glad that I am and don’t give a damn what others think. There’s too much good in the world, too much good in people to just write everything and everyone off as a lost cause. Problems, yes…but problems can be fixed.

One thing I’ve worked to do for more years than I can remember is to try and find one redeeming quality in everyone I meet…at least one. But if I can take an unpleasant, hateful, generally awful person and find even one little thing good about them, then I find it just gives a little more hope for me and for all of us.

Pollyanna (and her opinions) signing off.

Lisa

Thank you Marlene. You are a precious soul! With people like you in this world, there is hope!

Marilyn (Humbled)

I am not trying to irritate anyone, however, I find it very comforting to have at least one weapon in my house for home security. Yes, we have hunting weapons too, Ed was a hunter prior to meeting me. He now only hunts what can be placed on our table for them to eat. I don't believe in senseless killing, Prairie Dogs, Ground Hogs, Birds, or Coyotes. I feel live and let live. I feed them our left overs in fact. But....If I hear something outside at night it is definately a more secure feeling to know we can defend ourselves if we have to. My children were taught how to shoot as well and are very responsible. My littlest has not yet learned. We keep our weapons empty, with safety on, and trigger lock. Ammo is kept away from weapons also. If someone is stealing my car, they can have it. If someone is taking anything material, they also can have it. However, if someone is coming in to mean harm, I have to stop them.

Possible ****Triggers****

Needless for me to say, I have my own view on firearms ownership. [ I am for responsible US citizens owning guns]. I am a U.S. citizen, BTW. That does reflect on how I see the USA. I'm probably going to ramble on here. I also think that friends + relatives of gun owners should goad the G. owners into taking a [hunter safety course] every 3-4 years. A hunter's safety course has an instructor walk you through how to safely handle, use and store firearms and ammunition.

The statistics tell me- that in 2002, 40,000 people in The U.S. died from firearms. The statistics also tell me that in 2002, 40,000 people in the U.S. also died from automobiles. So, if we outlaw machines because of large number of people dying from their use, In an ideal nation, the U.S. Govt would take all the firearms + all the automobiles/cars away from the U.S. civilians until most of them could use these objects safely.

However, I don't think that the US banning the first 40,000 or the second 40,000 is going to happen anytime soon. The Govt and the US people will not accept either of those.

I think most of the needless crippling accidents and needless killings by guns in the USA is from a society-based or a do-whatever-I-want attitude that too many people in the USA have In my opinion.

There are too many Am. young men + others that think: "hey, freedom to: vote, speak, vote for my govt, free to live anyplace, free to buy near anything-then I can say or do anything I want".
Whoa, Tarzan, that's not what Gen. George Washington + the boys wanted when they created the U.S. government. It's not "free to do whatever I want, IT IS: freedoms of :live liberty + pursuit of happiness. [and other Fs].
But read the laws-freedom of pursuit of happiness is only allowed if your pursuit of happiness does not take away the rights of others and does not threaten the life and limbs of other people.

If I buy a WW2 style 45 cal. pistol, that is probably ONE OF the most dangerous objects I can own. it can spit a lethal metal part [a bullet] out at 800 feet per second. So, I then have to check my shooting grounds to make sure that no one is between 0 to 830 feet between my gun and the target. ALWAYS. If I don't, people can die. Guns aren't toys. I have to treat a gun as seriously as when I drive a car at 30 mph. [ A car hits me at 30, most likely, I'm dead]. I also have to treat a gun like: a chainsaw or an ax with a 10 pound Ax head. [10 pounds as in weight]. I have to be damn careful with these objects.
If I fool around with the ax and drop it on my boot, goodbye toes.
I think a lot of America's problems with firearms is that a lot of people are not careful enough with dangerous items, including guns, in the US. Far too many people need to learn to be responsible with dangerous tools + objects in my nation, especially when they're out to have fun. . I know 4 men from college. Real fools they are. I don't have to go into detail their foolish experiments involving urine and anti-cattle electric fences, do I?? You can figure out on your own what foolishness they were up to. Yes sir. Those 4 guys are my countrymen. Sometimes I weep for my country.

A lot of people I know need to learn to be mature + safe with dangerous machines and guns in my nation. For some in the U.S., finding novel ways of [cheating death or cheating bodily mutilation] is a way of entertaining themselves. DON'T DO THAT.Please. That has to stop. example. One relative of a US guy, Evel Knievel, jumped a 300ft gap in the Grand Canyon with a ramp and motorcycle. Sir, how about you don't fool around + nearly cripple yourself or nearly kill yourself by playing with a high speed motorcycle and a Very Big hole in the ground?
Let's go play horseshoes or volleyball instead.