Americans: You have te right to bear arms

[DannyCox]

Personally, I don't really care about this as it has little to do with me. I'm not against guns at all, when thought of and used correctly. People tend to forget that Canada also has a hunting culture and on a per capita basis, and excluding hand guns, we have more guns that people in the US do. But those are rifles and shotguns primarily used for hunting.

We just don't have a gun fetish up here as people tend to have in the US. Guns are just thought of as tools, and nothing more. When not in use, they are put safely away, and never even considered for personal defense. People don't sit around talking about there guns, and listing everything they have, it just isn't at all important enough to discuss. Hunters will always talk more about the hunt, than the guns they carried.

What scared me was when I was living down in Salt Lake City and Carol and I were walking around West Valley Mall. Here comes Mall Security, which was an 18 year old, pimply faced kid caring a Baretta side arm! I then found out that the son of one of the guys I worked with was intellectually slow yet he also was able to find work as an armed security guard at 19 years old.

I've never believed in actually carrying a gun for self-defense, or keeping a loaded gun in the house. I always thought that people that carry are really just looking for an excuse to use it. The statistics do show that gun cultures like the US have a much higher rate of gun deaths than countries without that culture. We aren't talking a little bit higher, but much, much higher. The US murder rate is almost equal to that of a third world country with a culture of violence!

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by DannyCox

....What scared me was when I was living down in Salt Lake City and Carol and I were walking around West Valley Mall. Here comes Mall Security, which was an 18 year old, pimply faced kid caring a Baretta side arm! I then found out that the son of one of the guys I worked with was intellectually slow yet he also was able to find work as an armed security guard at 19 years old.

I've never believed in actually carrying a gun for self-defense, or keeping a loaded gun in the house. I always thought that people that carry are really just looking for an excuse to use it. The statistics do show that gun cultures like the US have a much higher rate of gun deaths than countries without that culture. We aren't talking a little bit higher, but much, much higher. The US murder rate is almost equal to that of a third world country with a culture of violence!

You're making the point. Pimply faced has it. So we do too. You are right about the culture though. I won't deny that. As I said earlier, Americans don't "bend" well. I know I don't. In 22 years of carrying mine, I've never "looked" for an opportunity to use it. In fact, I've dreaded the though of ever having to. I get upset when I run over a critter on the road. I certainly don't want to kill anyone, or anything.
But, and this is the important point, I don't Ever want to be in the position where MY LIFE is at the whim of psycho. One of my closest friends owns a Pharmacy, and some wacko came in there with a gun to steal drugs. Held him at gunpoint. Dude is out walking the streets today because of the ineffectual law enforcement. And they KNEW who it was. I assure you, that will never happen again. Ever.