Bob, at 08:24 on Jun 01 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

BG> Same with that town in Texas (?) where almost everybody owns or carries 
BG> guns, and they have the lowest crime rate in the entire mainland US (can't 
BG> imagine why). :) 

BL> Nobody can ever recall the actual name of that town in Texas (can't
BL> imagine why). :0

As with most things American, I have no real interest in them (USR modems
aside, of course), but there was a doco about this place not long ago on
TV, and old grannies were sitting on their front verandahs, sipping
home-made lemonade, and all packing fucking great big gun on their hips!

BG> Would you advocate the banning of cars, just because 2,000
BG> people die in road accidents each year?

BL> Banning cars is a matter of cost/benefit analysis, and consent. The
BL> reality is that all of us use cars and accept the risk, while none of
BL> us are willing to accept the risk of the other 5% going armed with SLRs. 

That's not quite true though Bob.  When driving alone, I control my own
risk, but add a few speeding hoons to the equation, and the odds of my
having an accident fall quite dramatically.  Same with guns.  The ratbag 5%
fuck things up for the 95% of sane and decent gun-owners.

BL> If you don't use a car you are in no risk, you consent, but if a
BL> loony comes at you with a gun it's too late to consent. Being armed
BL> only makes sense if you are... and they aren't.

And how does that correlate with, for example, the 5 kids from Robert's
school who were walking home from a social one night, and were hit by this
fucking arsewipe (Lincoln Conquest; I'm sure you read about him down there,
as he only got 2 years, so the DPP is appealing against the leniency of his
sentence).  One girl was killed, and another young fellow is severely
brain-damaged.

BL> Gun nuts should be grateful they are being allowed to keep their
BL> pistols, sporting rifles, shotguns, target weapons and antiques.

Is that right?  I'm not legally allowed to keep a pistol here at all.

Regards, Bill
@EOT:

--- MsgedSQ/2 3.30