Right to bear arms

[Another2356]

I lived in the USA for 8 yrs and all my neighbours had guns, as a Brit I totally disagreed with this…. However since returning to the UK over the last 10 years, I’ve started to think they have a point. If UK law changes and I can purchase guns to protect myself and my family, I will absolutely do this. I feel I have the right to protect myself as the police are not available.

Haha, that was your angle! I wondered which way it would go.

Yes, they do have a point sometimes. But some of those getting hold of guns shouldn’t be allowed to hold them. My son emigrated there 15 years ago, and I do worry. 🤷‍♀️

In Texas many schools have armed teachers to protect their children.

Saw on twitter how a young lass in London was threatened by a man on the bus. She scuttled to the back and thankfully some men stepped in to throw the wannabe attacker off the bus. What should she have done, if the worst happened and she had nothing to defend herself with?

I don't feel guns would work in their country. But maybe pepper spray at least would.

In the USA gun control would not work as the criminals would simply just not comply. Chicago has super strict gun laws and yet such high gun crime. Contrast that with New Hampshire.

And you think that’s a good thing?

Yeah. It works and is a good solution (in Texas)

And if he had a gun the men who stepped in either wouldn’t have, or would have and got shot, or everyone has guns and there’s a mass shoot out.

You described a situation that was infinitely BETTER because no one has guns.

And I’ve lived places where people carry pepper spray ‘legally’. I’ve seen it used as well. Drug dealer gases drug dealer and everyone in a 100 metre radius chokes and throws up. Great idea. Especially on a bus. Good luck if you have asthma.

Yeah.. we have nothing in common. You do you.

Indeed. Why would we want to change that....🙄

I think it's worth pointing out that there was a shooting in Plymouth that led to an investigation why the perpetrator had been allowed to have shotguns. I believe that the recent investigation into Sarah Everard's death query why Wayne Couzen's behaviour hadn't led him to him being suspended from the police force let alone him being approved for being a royal protection officer holding a firearms licence. Sarah was walking from where I lived off Clapham Common Southside towards Clapham Park along the main road. I never walked that way even as a schoolgirl at night. My sister lives at Clapham Park and I think it was one of her neighbour's CCTV that showed her being stopped by him much to the horror of the police force who were looking for her and I think had drained the pond on Clapham Common
. We both went to school in Clapham Park. My sister is concerned about the knife violence in London which even after the Southport attack appears to be rife still. I understand that the attacker's parents are likely to face proceedings for not informing the police that their son had knives. He was known to the police and its clear his parents as well as the police were aware of his issues. He'd been expelled from school.

Just imagine if your wish was granted. Then it was granted again and again, in every country, until every person in the world had firearms at home. Doesn't take Einstein to fathom the outcome does it? Get yourself a German Shepherd and train it. Far safer.

Jesus Christ. Please don’t move anywhere near me

We would go instantly from a situation where, in the case that you were attacked, you can count on the attacker having a gun. The attacker is prepared. Their gun is in their hand. You would be surprised and then need to get your gun, aim it, and fire straight in an impossibly short space of time and under absurd stress. Can you not see how the outcome would be unfavourable to you?

This. The USA needs to tighten their rules. We do not need to sink to their level.

Low information, paranoid person, who doesn't understand what free speech is, intends to vote for Reform.

Stop the presses!

20,000 US gun suicides per year

No thank you

You have been tainted by US influence.

If anyone genuinley thinks owing a gun actually protects them and cant see any logical issues with it I would strongly suggest getting mental health support there is nothing normal about that and I would assume there is some other serious issues going in there

Texas has had at least two major school shooting incidents since teachers were allowed to carry arms, including Uvalde in 2022 which resulted in 22 deaths - which was one of the most deadliest US school shootings.
As compared to: zero school shootings in the UK since Dunblane in 1996 and much stricter gun controls.

Reducing school shootings by having stricter gun control is objectively vastly more effective than arming teachers.

Apologies if this has been posted already

'Everyone says it'll never be me' - Brown University student on surviving two mass shootings https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrknvqn97no

Unfortunately for you that won’t be happening

Would you shoot somebody? Could you really kill somebody?
How would you feel if your child got hold of that gun and the worst happened?
What would you do in the likely event your 'attacker' turns the gun on you. What would your child do without a mother.
If the gun was stolen and the thief murdered somebody with your weapon, how would you feel?
Would you be ok telling people that you have murderer another person?

Now take that and in your world multiply that by all the other misguided people in the world who equate personal safety with having a deadly weapon. You can see where I am going with this.

You see when you examine those realities I think you will see that your post is idle, silly musing (if you are a decent human being), or worse, if you aren't - well then you spent too much time in America and may need to return.

This is pigeon chess really. OP is not prepared to engage with the facts which show clearly that increased availability of guns puts everyone in more danger.

Doesn't work though, does it? In the US? I could see your point if they had a much lower rate of violent crime than us, but they don't - it's higher. Law-abiding people having guns doesn't deter crooks. And the crooks have guns. And a mugging / robbery is a lot more likely to end with the victim dead. American COPS get killed in the line of duty all the time. And they're trained in the use of firearms and do at least know, usually, when they're going into a dangerous situation. What chance do civilians have? The thing about criminals is that they don't tend to announce when they're about to rob you or attack you. They're not going to pause while you reach for your gun, load it etc. it doesn't work.

So what's the stats in the USA, awash with guns, on assault and rape per capita compared with non gun carrying UK OP? Do show the evidence that having guns stops these crimes. I'll wait.