Political Ramblings

Quote: just a little gem from rufus. Could you please explain where this came from? most of your links are in Spanish and judging from your comments I suspect you would refuse to learn a foreign language. Did you even filter the links you posted to us or was this done in haste?

cupman said:

just a little gem from rufus. Could you please explain where this came from? most of your links are in Spanish and judging from your comments I suspect you would refuse to learn a foreign language. Did you even filter the links you posted to us or was this done in haste?

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Try the translate icon in your browser... or is it more titillating to harass Rufus?

chickened said:

The whole approach to crime in the UK is flawed. They think the answer is in taking away things from the law abiding. The answer to crime is punishment and following through with it.

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The UK authorities view is that it's better to reduce the incidence of violent crime by limiting the possession of deadly weapons. You seem to be saying that it's OK for violent crime to be committed provided that the culprit is caught and punished afterwards. That just doesn't make sense.

I see on the news broadcasts this morning that the US has suffered yet another tragic event involving the shooting of innocent people. It probably isn't much comfort for the victims and their families to know that the gunman was 'neutralised' after his shooting spree.

cupman said:

just a little gem from rufus. Could you please explain where this came from? most of your links are in Spanish and judging from your comments I suspect you would refuse to learn a foreign language. Did you even filter the links you posted to us or was this done in haste?

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What makes you think I wouldn't learn another language? I live in Arizona and we are pretty much a bi lingual state.

bakerjw said:

Kitchen knives typically are weapons of opportunity. An alternative would be a sheath knife, but tou never know, there may be regulations about purchasing them in the U.K. That could be why kitchen knives are under scrutiny.

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There are laws, introduced quite some time ago, about blade length and shape and your right to walk the streets carrying any knife that might kill or maim. Pointed blade kitchen knives aren't necessary in the home kitchen and are an obvious omission from the law on knives.

I never found the law to be a problem while I lived in the UK. When I went hill walking I always had a Bowie type knife where I could reach it easily but out of sight. I could do that within the law because the knife was part of my survival kit. Once off the hills, the knife was tucked away in my rucksack.

No-one in or from the UK has ever complained to me that they wish they could wander around public places carrying guns and knives.

thaiturkey said:

The UK authorities view is that it's better to reduce the incidence of violent crime by limiting the possession of deadly weapons. You seem to be saying that it's OK for violent crime to be committed provided that the culprit is caught and punished afterwards. That just doesn't make sense.

I see on the news broadcasts this morning that the US has suffered yet another tragic event involving the shooting of innocent people. It probably isn't much comfort for the victims and their families to know that the gunman was 'neutralised' after his shooting spree.

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If I am armed I stand a better chance of surviving a shootout. People manage to possess guns in the UK also only difference they have no ability to protect themselves individually which the keyword is individual as in individual rights. Our cops did take care of the shooter and quite frankly saved more possible victims and the shooter got what he deserved. Kudos to the cops.

Itis a huge comfort to the people still hiding in the mall.

chickened said:

If I am armed I stand a better chance of surviving a shootout. People manage to possess guns in the UK also only difference they have no ability to protect themselves individually which the keyword is individual as in individual rights. Our cops did take care of the shooter and quite frankly saved more possible victims and the shooter got what he deserved. Kudos to the cops.

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Yes, the cops sorted it out. That's how it should be. It should not be the job of self-appointed vigilantes with guns stuffed in places around their anatomy. They would be out for themselves, not the public good.

Guns can be owned legally in the UK. The owner must have a licence. To get one, he must show the police that he has a reason to own a gun, he is a fit person to own one and the gun will be kept in an approved safe or at at gun club. Hand guns have been banned, except for military and specially trained police officers, since the Dunblane massacre:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_school_massacre

Is it a surprise that there was a demand for better gun laws after an incident like that?

Then there was the Hungerford massacre earlier:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford_massacre

It occurred to many people that it wasn't quite acceptable that a nut job could legally own powerful semi-automatic guns, take them from his club and shoot up his mother and others in the local town. Common sense prevailed and now semi-automatics are banned. You see, it's impossible always to identify the nut job before he's killed a few dozen people. Then it's too late.

Criminals can still get guns,of course, That can never be completely stopped. However, the incidence of gun crime is low in the UK. It's really comforting to know that, if someone does pull a gun in a mall, there won't be a few dozen wannabe John Wayne's pulling guns from their socks and various orifices and shooting back. One gunman is easier to escape than several.

thaiturkey said:

Yes, the cops sorted it out. That's how it should be. It should not be the job of self-appointed vigilantes with guns stuffed in places around their anatomy. They would be out for themselves, not the public good.

Guns can be owned legally in the UK. The owner must have a licence. To get one, he must show the police that he has a reason to own a gun, he is a fit person to own one and the gun will be kept in an approved safe or at at gun club. Hand guns have been banned, except for military and specially trained police officers, since the Dunblane massacre:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunblane_school_massacre

Is it a surprise that there was a demand for better gun laws after an incident like that?

Then there was the Hungerford massacre earlier:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford_massacre

It occurred to many people that it wasn't quite acceptable that a nut job could legally own powerful semi-automatic guns, take them from his club and shoot up his mother and others in the local town. Common sense prevailed and now semi-automatics are banned. You see, it's impossible always to identify the nut job before he's killed a few dozen people. Then it's too late.

Criminals can still get guns,of course, That can never be completely stopped. However, the incidence of gun crime is low in the UK. It's really comforting to know that, if someone does pull a gun in a mall, there won't be a few dozen wannabe John Wayne's pulling guns from their socks and various orifices and shooting back. One gunman is easier to escape than several.

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Taking guns from Americans would be like taking tea from the Brits... it just isn't gonna happen, politicians have figured out it is the end of their careers if they support it. We have a pretty good system in place and get most whack jobs before they go a shooting. What is more disturbing is the option when you have no guns then they just use bombs... Ireland??


Easy on the Duke there TT that is sacrilege.

chickened said:

Taking guns from Americans would be like taking tea from the Brits... it just isn't gonna happen, politicians have figured out it is the end of their careers if they support it. We have a pretty good system in place and get most whack jobs before they go a shooting. What is more disturbing is the option when you have no guns then they just use bombs... Ireland??


Easy on the Duke there TT that is sacrilege.

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I can see that it will take quite some time for attitudes to change. Let's hope that not too many lives are lost in the meantime. I don't see much evidence that 'whack-jobs' are stopped before they go shooting. Then of course, there's your every day gun toting robber who will shoot up a shop just for cash from the till.

Your reference to NI is incorrect. The IRA, thanks to Gaddafi and funding from across the Atlantic, had plenty of guns and probably still does. It also made money from crime. The Protestant paramilitaries too had plenty of guns. They seemed to fund themselves mainly from crime.

chickened said:

Taking guns from Americans would be like taking tea from the Brits... it just isn't gonna happen

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Nope... Not happening...