What's YOUR number?????

Come on, you don't really believe all that "guns save lives" bullshit--do you?  I mean if I pointed a loaded gun at you, you would not take that as a nice gesture.

Despite all your attempts to normalise insane behaviour, deep down, you must sense that you are repeating nonsense.

Or do you?

“Please answer how many people you have known (people you’ve talked to) who have been the victims of gun violence? Suicide, accidental, murder… otherwise. No politics. … No judgment. Just a number.”

That number may surprise you.

About half the people I spoke with said their number was zero and they felt fortunate. Others revealed numbers reaching into three digits. For some, the number changed as they started thinking back, remembering incidents they had long put out of mind.

Now, about your gun not killing anyone?  Would you put it to your head and pull the trigger?

Of course, you wouldn't.

Please stop trying to bullshit me.  Guns are deadly weapons which can kill or cause serious bodily injury.

Unless we can agree on that point, there isn't any reason to go any further with trying to have a discussion.

Read more here

The Migration of the [Gun] Loon

via TYWKIWDBI

Click to make bigger

The Neighborhood Watch and Gun Owners

via Boing Boing.

I found the bullet holes in the upper sign very interesting. I wondered who did that, I mean what kind of gun owner. I don't suppose anyone who comments here would admit to ever having done something like that, or like this.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Concealed Carry Guns in Bars

The problem with this is twofold: The pro-gun crowd pretends all the concealed carry guys are responsible, which they're not. And they pretend all the bars are classy eating establishments where families go, which they're not.

Beer Drinking Hunters

FishyJay said, "Here's one that JadeGold should like."


I like it too.

A Really Cool Gun

"Designed for use against live targets, including targets protected with body armor, and unarmored vehicles (cars. trucks, etc.)"

The Gun Makes Me Feel like God

In the spirit of kaveman's satire, The Onion published a wonderful article, capturing perfectly the feelings of gun owners. I think when irony and satire are mixed just right, it's difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.

Believe me, I am not a gun person. Oh, sure, I played with cap guns and BB guns when I was a kid, but I never thought I would actually own a real one. But let me tell you, when I first felt the cold steel of this gun against my palm, it made me feel as if I had the strength of 10,000 charging centurions, as if I were capable of moving heaven and earth itself. I just hope I never have to fire the thing.

It is my earnest wish that this beautiful, beautiful gun and the godlike powers it bestows on its owner will stay locked away in a drawer forever, only to be used in the most dire of circumstances.

I will say, though, that this particular firearm is certainly something to behold. It has a mirror-polished stainless-steel finish and a "Python .357" insignia engraved on the chrome barrel that, to be honest, makes me feel invincible, as if the spirit of a warrior prince were flowing through me, urging me to punish all who lie trembling in my path.

Unlike the satire of kaveman, though, one wonders if the author of this piece might not be on to something. Exaggerated, for sure, but does it not describe the exact feeling and motivation of many a gun owner? What do you think?

A Nice Gift

That special little gift for the man who has everything.

Gun Laws in Brazil

Wikipedia, the oft disparaged source of information, has the following. Wikipedia haters should notice the many footnotes and citations to other more respectable sources.

Because of gun politics in Brazil, all firearms are required to be registered with the state; the minimum age for ownership is 25 and although it is legal to carry a gun outside a residence, extremely severe restrictions were made by the federal government since 2002 making it virtually impossible to obtain a carry permit. To legally own a gun, the owner must pay a tax every three years to register the gun, and registration can be done via the Internet or in person with the Federal Police. Until the end of the 2008, unregistered guns could be legalized for free. The total number of firearms in Brazil is thought to be around 17 million with 9 million of those being unregistered.

Some 39,000 people died in 2003 due to gun-related injuries nationwide. In 2004, the number was 36,000. Although Brazil has 100 million fewer citizens than the United States, and more restrictive gun laws, there are 25 percent more gun deaths; other sources indicate that homicide rates due to guns are approximately four times higher than the rate in the United States. Brazil has the second largest arms industry in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 80 percent of the weapons manufactured in Brazil are exported, mostly to neighboring countries; many of these weapons are then smuggled back into Brazil. Some firearms in Brazil come from police and military arsenals, having either been "stolen or sold by corrupt soldiers and officers."

It certainly sounds like licensing and registration are not working in Brazil. What do you think? Is it possible the high rate of gun violence is due to other factors and if the strict gun laws were removed the violence would be worse? Is that possible?

Could it be that like Canada, the problem is improper or ineffective administration of the licensing and registration program? Could it be done better in order to achieve the desired results?

Again from Wikipedia one of the best descriptions of the gun debate.

The issue of gun law has become a political and/or controversial issue in many societies. There are many differing views on how gun laws should be set up in a society. A typical disagreement is over whether guns should be prohibited in the interest of public safety, or whether citizen gun ownership improves safety and should be allowed. This debate is fueled by black market sales of firearms, illegal firearm manufacturing, cross border purchases, witness intimidation, self defense as a right, use of deadly force in self defense, victims rights, accidental shootings, use of firearms in killing sprees, criminal use of firearms originally purchased legally, use of stolen firearms by criminals, hunting vs. self defense use, alternatives to firearms, etc.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.