freedomdwarf1
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ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr
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ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1
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ORIGINAL: lovmuffin
And yet the Citizens of Great Britain have been effectively disarmed.
Actually, no. We aren't.
And surprisingly, the majority of us are glad that the populace, and most of our police force, is disarmed.
It makes for a much safer place to live and work in.
But there is a major difference between gun ownership in the UK and the US.
In the US, just about anyone can own a gun because they want one. Period.
In various tests, guns have been available even to those that by your own laws shouldn't own one.
And that is because your laws are so lax that it is difficult to find someone that actually sticks to the letter of the law when it comes to gun sales.
You can also buy just about any type of firearm you like in almost any number and in some circumstances, without any checks whatsoever.
A BBC reporter was able to buy a gun and ammo within 19 minutes of entering a gun show - even though it was obvious from his English accent that he wasn't even a US citizen, he managed to get one without too much trouble and no questions asked. And that was a legit sale, not something done 'under the table'.
That's how a lot of your crooks get theirs if they don't steal them from legal owners in the first place.
In the UK, we can have guns. That might surprise some people.
The difference is, you have to prove that you are trustworthy enough and mentally capable of holding a license. That would be the equivalent of your background checks which have recently been defeated (yet again).
You must also prove that you need a gun+license for a specific purpose (defense etc is not a valid legal requirement).
Also, you have to keep it locked up when not in use and the gun safe meets minimum requirements.
Gun licenses are only available for certain limited types and limited numbers of guns. You can't buy a mini arsenal either.
You cannot buy a gun without showing a valid license for the type of gun you are buying.
No guns are ever allowed in the street or on open display in a vehicle and must always be carried unloaded and breach open or in a locked carry case.
There is no such thing as 'concealed carry' in the UK - not even for special armed security personnel.
If there is ever a gun-related incident, we do have specialist Armed Response Vehicles which normally reach the scene within a few minutes no matter where it is.
Unlike the US where it could take quite a while because guns and gun-carrying police are the norm so they don't see it as anything special or out of the ordinary.
The major difference is, we actually prefer not to be armed because we realise that your Average Joe is not capable of due diligence and in many cases, just a nutcase and couldn't be trusted with one.
It's basic human nature - have toys will play. And for things like cars, pools, houses, boats, guns and even arm candy etc, there are quite a large number of people that just want to show off or 'keep-up-with-the-Joneses'.
And it's for that reason, despite all the protests when they brought in that law, that we are actually glad that most of us don't have, and do not want, any type of firearm.
Whilst those in the US see that as an erosion of civil liberties/rights (and in breach of the 2nd), we on the other hand think it's an invasion of our personal space/privacy that someone is actually allowed to cary/hold/use any firearm anywhere near us that puts us or our families at risk of being injured.
As Butch said; sometimes we dispair at US logic and common sense (or lack of it).
I could introduce you to plenty of people that have "foreign" accents that are, indeed, US citizens (and a couple of them are poms). So, that slant is facacta.
Not really.
The point I was trying to make was the fact that he was able to buy a weapon, with ammo, no questions asked, within a scant little time.
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ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr
As you mentioned, there are people that are violating the laws that are already in place. Hmmmm ... maybe we should enforce those laws, a little better?
Maybe you should tighten up the laws so they are enforcable and enforced at every single gun sale and not have sooo many opportunities where it is perfectly legitimate to purchase a weapon with no checks whatsoever.
Maybe you should have something similar to what we have when it comes to vehicle ownership.
When you buy a car, it is registered to you as the owner. When you sell it, you notify the authorities the date and time and who you sold the vehicle to. If you don't, you are still responsible for anything to do with the car - illegal parking, used in a crime, no tax/insurance/MOT certificate etc.
As the new owner, if you fail to notify the authorities that you have purchased the vehicle within 28 days, you are fined (unless you are a motor trader and have it as 'stock' for sale). In some cases, repeat offenders get their new car impounded and crushed.
That, at least, would make every gun tracable at every moment in it's life and it would make the legal owner a lot more diligent in where and how the weapon is kept when not in use.
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ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr
You make a point about people not caring about violating the laws that we already have. Could that be because it doesn't really cost them anything to violate the laws? Ding! Ding! Ding!
Perhaps because your laws are sooo weak that people are able to violate the laws with impunity??
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ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr
Lastly, you also (sort of) make another point: only people who are disposed to follow laws are going to follow any new ones, effectively disarming "good" people and insuring that the "bad" people will be better armed and more able to perform their nefarious work.
I don't follow that logic at all. It's the same strawman put up every time.
Yes, crooks will still get firearms. But if the availability of firearms is sooo limited, their choice of sourcing them is also extremely limited. And a good police force is able to stop most crooks from obtaining them.
The UK, Auz, NZ, and various other countries with very strict gun laws have shown that it is not only possible, but also extremely effective.
And don't go jumping on the bandwagon about it not stopping all of them.... of course it won't; it would be a complete fuckwad to think it would. But, like Domestos, if you eliminate 99% of it, that is far better than being overrun by it.
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ORIGINAL: DaddySatyr
All-in-all, I'm glad you're happy living in the UK. You can keep that lifestyle there and leave us to our own devices, here. Thank you.
Peace and comfort,
All the while you have a prolification of guns, that is the one thing you will never have... Peace and comfort.
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RE: Yet another campus shooting. - 
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