Astonishing growth of the American gun culture in 3 graphs

[dissident]

http://www.thewire.com/politics/2014/02/astonishing-growth-american-gun-culture-three-graphs/358385/

I'd rather not get into my views just yet but sit by and let some responses come in and then join in later... though a search of past posts will show my position, a logical position based on rationality and not on emotional pandering mind you, the conclusion of an INTJ. I can understand why some feel the opposite as myself however.

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[Duane Vick]

The right to defend yourself is an inherent natural right. This data simply states the obvious...that Americans see an enemy in their midst and are preparing for it.

[Spendulus]

The right to defend yourself is an inherent natural right. This data simply states the obvious...that Americans see an enemy in their midst and are preparing for it.

+1

[practicaldreamer]

I'm in the UK - I don't own a gun.

If I get home from work next Tuesday and I catch Mrs.Dreamer at it hard with the postman  - they're both gonna get beaten with my baseball bat - maybe a few fractures might ensue.

But they won't get their heads blown off  And I won't do a life sentence.

I'm not going to venture an opinion as to wether the citizenry of the US should have access to firearms - as I know it evokes very strong responses.

I'll just say that I'm glad to be in the UK  .

[dank]

The government's walking into a suicide match.

[Duane Vick]

I'm in the UK - I don't own a gun.

If I get home from work next Tuesday and I catch Mrs.Dreamer at it hard with the postman  - they're both gonna get beaten with my baseball bat - maybe a few fractures might ensue.

But they won't get their heads blown off  And I won't do a life sentence.

I'm not going to venture an opinion as to wether the citizenry of the US should have access to firearms - as I know it evokes very strong responses.

I'll just say that I'm glad to be in the UK  .

If Americans didn't resist King George's attempt at disarming colonists, we would still be under crown rule.

[Wilikon]

I'm in the UK - I don't own a gun.

If I get home from work next Tuesday and I catch Mrs.Dreamer at it hard with the postman  - they're both gonna get beaten with my baseball bat - maybe a few fractures might ensue.

But they won't get their heads blown off  And I won't do a life sentence.

I'm not going to venture an opinion as to wether the citizenry of the US should have access to firearms - as I know it evokes very strong responses.

I'll just say that I'm glad to be in the UK  .

 

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/nancy-grace-slams-piers-its-not-really-right-brit-jump-upto-us-about-gun-control

[OrnateRock]

The guy in the article looks like Sabretooth from the X-men

On topic: Why US citizens are buying weapons so furiously anyway? Are they feeling threatened that someone will take away the "right to buy a weapon"? Because reason is clearly not a criminal rate...

[Wilikon]

The guy in the article looks like Sabretooth from the X-men

On topic: Why US citizens are buying weapons so furiously anyway? Are they feeling threatened that someone will take away the "right to buy a weapon"? Because reason is clearly not a criminal rate...

... On topic: Why Is the U.S. Postal Service Buying Ammunition? Are they feeling threatened that someone will take away the "right to buy a weapon"? Or is this  the American gun culture?
http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2014/02/06/why-is-the-u-s-postal-service-buying-ammunition/

... On topic: Why is NOOA (Weather Service) Buying Ammunition?  Are they feeling threatened that someone will take away the "right to buy a weapon"? Or is this  the American gun culture? (a "clerical error is said to be the reason why this happen?)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2918806/posts

... On topic: Why did the Obama’s Homeland Security Department Bought 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition? Are they feeling threatened that someone will take away the "right to buy a weapon"? Or is this  the American gun culture?
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/01/obama-administration-repositioning-homeland-security-ammunition-containers/comment-page-4/



Back then Janet Napolitano said it was for cost effectiveness for training practice. I am not a gun expert but hollow-point bullets for training practice on paper targets?

... On topic: Why is California using a law for "lead poisoning" to regulate bullets?
http://www.dailypaul.com/302217/governor-brown-signs-bill-banning-lead-bullets-in-california

Could this be a more general vision for controlling all bullet sales?
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_22917342/california-lawmakers-consider-regulating-taxing-ammunition

[Spendulus]

....
Back then Janet Napolitano said it was for cost effectiveness for training practice. I am not a gun expert but hollow-point bullets for training practice on paper targets?

There is a theory that the same ammo should be used for practice as for carry, the idea being that the recoil, accuracy at various ranges, and even the sound vary.  This gets technical pretty fast.   For example, supersonic vs subsonic ammo clearly is different - both in accuracy, sound, recoil, ability to fire successive rounds, ability to aim.

HOWEVER - It's likely that anyone with a grain of sense would limit practices with $2-4/round ammo (eg high grade hollowpoint) to a very few very specialized operatives.  Think in terms of seal teams, CIA agents, stuff like that.  If in fact that's routine it would be extremely, extremely wasteful of taxpayer funds.

The primary way to get better training would be to simply train more often.  For example, most police train once a year.  One box of 50 shells.  Should be the cheapest that's reasonable similar in ballistics to the carry ammo.

[Slab Squathrust]

That last graph is quite laughable.  I grew up in a somewhat rural area, and I can say that colt refers to much more than a firearm manufacturer.  Perhaps Gauge is being used by electricians.  After all, gauge refers only to a narrow class of firearm, the shotgun.   

Secondly, I did not see anything in the article characterizing the increased firearm production numbers.  The US military and civilian police agencies purchase weapons from the very same companies as your average joe.  Combine this with "aid" that is supposedly not being sent to groups like they Syrian rebels or firearms for allied militaries, and you may see an increase in production.

Finally, violent crime in the US is at record lows.  I don't claim that that increased firearm ownership is necessarily the cause for that, but if increased gun purchases were correlated to a spike in violent crime, then there may be some cause for concern.   

[Spendulus]

....
Finally, violent crime in the US is at record lows.  I don't claim that that increased firearm ownership is necessarily the cause for that, but if increased gun purchases were correlated to a spike in violent crime, then there may be some cause for concern.   

it don't take many women in a city to be carrying heat before the wanna be rapists just plain quit.

[Wilikon]

[...]
"In the city of New York, you don't have a right to own a gun," he said as a barrage of gunshots rang out behind the double-pane glass that looked out on the firing line. "It's a privilege."

Or, as one member of the range put it, "When it comes to gun laws, there's the whole country, and then there's New York." While that may be a slight exaggeration, New York is indeed the polar opposite of lax states like Utah, Alaska, and Arizona, and is arguably the toughest in the country to own a gun. Here, no one is actually entitled to possess a firearm, at least not until the police give the go-ahead.

http://theweek.com/article/index/255963/home-on-the-range-with-new-yorks-gun-owners

[Hazir]

I loled at:


Remingoton, my son. Where is your brother Gunner?

[Holliday]

I'm in the UK - I don't own a gun.

If I get home from work next Tuesday and I catch Mrs.Dreamer at it hard with the postman  - they're both gonna get beaten with my baseball bat - maybe a few fractures might ensue.

But they won't get their heads blown off  And I won't do a life sentence.

I'm not going to venture an opinion as to wether the citizenry of the US should have access to firearms - as I know it evokes very strong responses.

I'll just say that I'm glad to be in the UK  .

So... let me get this straight.

Because you have murderous tendencies (you can easily kill someone with a blow from a baseball bat), people shouldn't be allowed to own firearms?

I'll just say that I'm glad you are in the UK.

[practicaldreamer]

I'm in the UK - I don't own a gun.

If I get home from work next Tuesday and I catch Mrs.Dreamer at it hard with the postman   - they're both gonna get beaten with my baseball bat - maybe a few fractures might ensue.

But they won't get their heads blown off   And I won't do a life sentence.

I'm not going to venture an opinion as to wether the citizenry of the US should have access to firearms - as I know it evokes very strong responses.

I'll just say that I'm glad to be in the UK  .

So... let me get this straight.

Because you have murderous tendencies (you can easily kill someone with a blow from a baseball bat), people shouldn't be allowed to own firearms?

I'll just say that I'm glad you are in the UK.

LOL - no - the point I was trying to make was that if I was put in a situation such as that described with Mrs. dreamer (for eg.) and the postman there would be a fair chance I would have a rush of hot blood to my head. It can happen to any of us - don't kid yourself. The difference is for me that I would resort to a cricket bat and not a firearm (I don't actually own a baseball bat - I suppose I only mentioned it cos thats what people seem to have as a last line of defence/protection in their homes, at least in the UK).

   I reckon the hot blood could last for maybe 45 seconds - the damage I could do with a cricket bat in 45 seconds is limited (especially since, lets not forget, that the only reason Mrs dreamer is banging the postman in the first place is that he's 3 inches taller, 2 stone heavier (muscle not fat) and 15 years younger than me  ) - but with a firearm the 2 of them are gonna end up dead in 40 seconds - leaving me 5 seconds with which to turn the gun upon myself.


     All for 45 seconds of hot blood.

[Duane Vick]

I'm in the UK - I don't own a gun.

If I get home from work next Tuesday and I catch Mrs.Dreamer at it hard with the postman   - they're both gonna get beaten with my baseball bat - maybe a few fractures might ensue.

But they won't get their heads blown off   And I won't do a life sentence.

I'm not going to venture an opinion as to wether the citizenry of the US should have access to firearms - as I know it evokes very strong responses.

I'll just say that I'm glad to be in the UK  .

So... let me get this straight.

Because you have murderous tendencies (you can easily kill someone with a blow from a baseball bat), people shouldn't be allowed to own firearms?

I'll just say that I'm glad you are in the UK.

LOL - no - the point I was trying to make was that if I was put in a situation such as that described with Mrs. dreamer (for eg.) and the postman there would be a fair chance I would have a rush of hot blood to my head. It can happen to any of us - don't kid yourself. The difference is for me that I would resort to a cricket bat and not a firearm (I don't actually own a baseball bat - I suppose I only mentioned it cos thats what people seem to have as a last line of defence/protection in their homes, at least in the UK).

   I reckon the hot blood could last for maybe 45 seconds - the damage I could do with a cricket bat in 45 seconds is limited (especially since, lets not forget, that the only reason Mrs dreamer is banging the postman in the first place is that he's 3 inches taller, 2 stone heavier (muscle not fat) and 15 years younger than me  ) - but with a firearm the 2 of them are gonna end up dead in 40 seconds - leaving me 5 seconds with which to turn the gun upon myself.


     All for 45 seconds of hot blood.

so you would trade the ability to defend yourself against an armed assailant because you doubt your ability to not go apeshit on a guy fornicating with your wife?

[Mike Christ]

I'm in the UK - I don't own a gun.

If I get home from work next Tuesday and I catch Mrs.Dreamer at it hard with the postman   - they're both gonna get beaten with my baseball bat - maybe a few fractures might ensue.

But they won't get their heads blown off   And I won't do a life sentence.

I'm not going to venture an opinion as to wether the citizenry of the US should have access to firearms - as I know it evokes very strong responses.

I'll just say that I'm glad to be in the UK  .

So... let me get this straight.

Because you have murderous tendencies (you can easily kill someone with a blow from a baseball bat), people shouldn't be allowed to own firearms?

I'll just say that I'm glad you are in the UK.

LOL - no - the point I was trying to make was that if I was put in a situation such as that described with Mrs. dreamer (for eg.) and the postman there would be a fair chance I would have a rush of hot blood to my head. It can happen to any of us - don't kid yourself. The difference is for me that I would resort to a cricket bat and not a firearm (I don't actually own a baseball bat - I suppose I only mentioned it cos thats what people seem to have as a last line of defence/protection in their homes, at least in the UK).

   I reckon the hot blood could last for maybe 45 seconds - the damage I could do with a cricket bat in 45 seconds is limited (especially since, lets not forget, that the only reason Mrs dreamer is banging the postman in the first place is that he's 3 inches taller, 2 stone heavier (muscle not fat) and 15 years younger than me  ) - but with a firearm the 2 of them are gonna end up dead in 40 seconds - leaving me 5 seconds with which to turn the gun upon myself.


     All for 45 seconds of hot blood.

so you would trade the ability to defend yourself against an armed assailant because you doubt your ability to not go apeshit on a guy fornicating with your wife?

We're still working on it.

[MrPiggles]

In Britain you're more likely to be a victim of every violent crime (short of murder) than in the USA where they can defend themselves.

Also our murder rate is based solely on convictions - 1 conviction of 5 murders = 1 added to the murder rate.

So it's entirely possible our murder rate is similar/higher too.

But Brits get all smug about how safe it is compared to the USA

[u9y42]

The right to defend yourself is an inherent natural right. This data simply states the obvious...that Americans see an enemy in their midst and are preparing for it.

There is a Rap News episode about this, that I found pretty funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxHvHi-MdIM.

Robert Foster: General?

General Baxter: Look, if the slaves want guns, leave them be; our supremacy doesn't depend on weaponry. With schools, media, money and meds we control every aspect of your lives through ideological hegemony. But if you think you need guns to stop tyranny, then what are you waiting for? We've already stripped you of your liberty, privacy, civil rights and dignity - you want some more?