How many of you carry a gun as part of your cycling equipment? - Page 5

I'll say it for you and I'm NOT a NRA member - If you make guns illegal only crimminals will have them. This is true because there's already how many 1000's on the streets! You've never had a gun pulled on you, have you? When my daughter was in the 4th grade there was a shooting outside her school. I had to tell her what to do in case this happened again. Now do you think if guns were illegal this wouldn't have happened? Crime or the underlying reason for - almost always drug related - is rampant in some parts of this country. Where I live you might be walking out of a store and witness a crime. The actors see you and turn their gun on you. Now what are you going to do? It has happened to me.

I agree with you, Portrider, but I'm afraid you under estimate:


Gun Ownership Statistics

Total Firearms
The exact numbers are not known, but it is estimated that between 65 million and 80 million Americans own between 200 million and 225 million firearms. (Source: Department of Justice, National Rifle Association)

Fully Automatic Firearms
As of 1995 there were over 240,000 machine guns registered with the BATF. About half are owned by civilians and half by police departments and other governmental agencies.

Since 1934, only one legally owned machinegun has ever been used in crime, and that was a murder committed by a law enforcement officer in 1988. [source: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Guns Used in Crime and Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, by Prof. Gary Kleck, 1997)

Taken from: http://www.gac.20m.com/facts_you_can...tal%20Firearms

There's enough out there that even if they were completely banned at midnight tonight. They couldn't all be destroyed within my daughter's, grandchildren's lifetime, and she's only three.

200,000,000 is enough that if you could destroy 1000 a week it would take over 3846 years to get rid of them all if no new ones were introduced.
200,000,000/1000=200,000/52=3846+
And they really aren't that hard for some to turn out in their garage with a little know-how.

What you seem to be forgetting is that it is the minority of Americans who tend to make it difficult for the rest of us. Remember... if we carry, it is simply to stop the predators. We don't carry a weapon because we think everyone is out to get us, we carry because we want to be prepared.

The rest of your diatribe about hatred is nothing more than emotional grandstanding and doesn't deserve a detailed response.

Joe West

I still have yet to hear from you... funny... I might be lead to believe that you are only interested in responding in public because you love to pontificate.

Joe

Sad... you live in Arizona. I wonder if you are in Senator Gabrielle Gifford's district.

Well, Joe:

Why would I respond to you personally, when you apparently have nothing to offer in an intellectual exchange? Actually, I think you'll only be lead to believe whatever the NRA or your pet political buffoons feed you.

Sad....you need a gun to find your place in society.

Good for you. I'm sure your experience should be the model for every person walking the streets....'it happened to me, it's gonna happen to you....' This is a lot like the 'sky is falling' bit. Say, where do you think criminals get guns, fella? Say, if the y'all are so concerned about all the guns in the hands of bad guys, why is it that no one is pushing for tighter registration of guns? Required training for having guns....and training can't be just a few days. Months, maybe? Did any actually sit down and realize that if guns were more difficult to get that it might slow down the proliferation of guns in the criminal element? No, of course not. Because nearly every gun owner, it seems, believes that the gun problem...i.e. that so many bad guys have 'em...is a one sided/simple problem that can be solved with simple fixes.

This is all really pathetic. If people cannot get on their bikes and ride without a gun or if they can't be bothered to ride some place where they can feel safe enough to ride without a gun....what exactly can these people contribute to society? I'll tell you: they can contribute another piece of lead speeding off, that can't be recalled.

What a truly great society. Shoot first, think, maybe later.

I see, now. You're one of the Collective. You know, one of the mass that lets the central brain do your thinking.

Now, I definitely know that I would not let YOU have my email addy. Retribution is your party game. You know, when I'm walking with my daughter, you and your ilk are the kind of folks I point out when I tell my daughter, "They're the reason that we have war, honey. They're the reason innocent people die. They're the sort the have no original thought of their own, only what is fed to them."

Enjoy your gun Joe. Watch out for the Boogeyman.

as a fairly new member of this forum i was wondering if it had as many pontificating, self-righteous, and ad hominem-attack-using pricks here as my other forums. apparently so.

these people are stating that they use a gun to protect themselves. and all you do is attack the nra, political parties, etc. posters like you are a dime a dozen.

This thread never had any real 'bang' to start with and has just gone in the toilet as similar ones always do.

Joe West,

I think you can forget about having any kind of real exchange with alienator. He's one of those fellows who preaches tolerance yet he's done nothing but venomously attack every poster here who states their points in favor of something he doesn't agree with. Tolerance, yeah right. Tolerance as long as you agree with his position. Typical.

You are happy because you have no other choice. I don't particularly understand why a people from any country would let their government take their weapons away while the government has weapons. You are trusting of your government... they will take good care of you and will never hurt you.

And if they do ever decide to do something you don't like... you can roll over like a little puppy dog and submit. Why? Because you will have no other alternative.

In America... we will always have an alternative. The country is strong because our people are strong. We don't roll over for our government (okay... the liberals do), and we will never EVER let our government make us weak like you (and a great deal of the rest of the world) allow your governments to make you weak.

Our system works... and our position as the only remaining super power proves it.

JW

Anyone familiar with this conspiracy theory:

The only thing stopping the "new world order" from taking over the planet is the fact that too many Americans own guns -- it would be too hard to over power 80 million gun owners. So, the government (or CIA, or who ever) is poisoning the water supply which turns a certain percentage of susceptible indivuals into mass-murdering, gun ramaging psychotics, which will then strengthen the anti-gun lobby's position, which will result in most of the guns being taken off the Americans, so the new world order can take over!!!

I've got another one where the aliens will take over the planet in the year 2030

Wonder if it is the 'system' or the willingness to spend stupendous sums of $$ on weapons and new technology? In the beginning it was a pretty even playing field when the goverment and the people were armed with muskets, and squirrel rifles. Today, even a bunch of Ramos with AK-47s,RPGs and Glocks with hi cap mags would be no match for the current arsensal.

This thread is a cesspool of nonsense and should have been closed by the mods ages ago. There's no place for this sort of emotional political back-and-forth on the Equipment Forum. Take it to a general forum.

Cease.

Someone here really lives up to their user name...

Ride in safer places? I have been assaulted in RURAL areas more than I have been in town. No one has held me up at gun point but several have INTENTIONALLY ran me off the road. Using a car as a weapon is NO DIFFERENT than using a machete, firearm or poison gas.

Legal gun owners ARE concerned with improper use of firearms. Legal gun owners are DOING something about this "problem" in training (a firearm is much easier to use safely than ANY motorized equipment, wheeled or fixed, electric or gasoline powered) through programs offered by the NRA. Ever hear of the Eddie Eagle Program? This program for children is OPPOSED by close-minded school districts but where it has been allowed, it significantly LOWERS the risk to children.