-=> David Drummond wrote to Dan Clough <=-

 >> I do not now, nor ever have had the desire to possess a gun. I do not hunt
 >> for food so cannot perceive a need.

 DC> There are other uses for guns.  Here are a couple:

 DC> 1. Sport/target shooting.  Challenging and fun.

 DD> Shooting at innocent chunks of clay hurled into the air is
 DD> challenging and fun? How about you are the chunks of clay and see
 DD> how challenging and fun that it.

Yes, it's challenging and fun, as I already said.  You really are 
an idiot.

 DC> 2. Home/personal defense.  Here's a scenario for you - you're home asleep
 DD> at
 DC> 3:00AM, and are awoken by a noise.  Turns out it's a couple of thugs
 DD> breaking
 DC> into your house to steal your property and/or rape/kill your wife and
 DD> teenage
 DC> daughter.  They're crazed out on drugs and have no fear, and either have
 DD> guns
 DC> or some other weapon of deadly force like a club or knife.  They come at
 DD> you
 DC> with clear intentions to kill you.  What are you gonna do?  Call the
 DD> police?
 DC> Yell and scream for help?  What will either of those actions get you?
 DC> That's right...... dead.

 DD> Oh - a hypothetical situation. I would cast my magic spell and
 DD> send them to the nearest police station.

See above regarding "idiot".

 DD> The likelihood of your above scenario is so slim as to not
 DD> warrant mention. Remember - I DO NOT live in USA. Life is not
 DD> ruled by firearms here.

Life is not ruled by firearms here, either.

 DC> For someone (like me) who has a loaded pistol in my nightstand, the
 DD> outcome
 DC> will likely be two dead thugs, and my family and property safe.

 DD> You live in fear of being attacked by armed intruders?

No, absolutely not.  But it's nice to know that I'm not at their 
mercy if something does happen.

 DC> How can any sane person argue that that is not a valid need/use for a
 DC> gun?  Are you willing to give up your life, or your family's lives,
 DD> because you don't
 DC> "feel a need" to have a gun?

 DD> I see the risk of that happening as so slim that I can honestly
 DD> say "I do not feel the need to possess a firearm to defend myself
 DD> from armed attackers".

I guess you don't value your family's lives as much as I do.  


 DD> It would appear that a very large percentage of Australian
 DD> residents see it the same way.

 DD> Wikipedia tells us:

 DD> Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country:

 DD> 1  United States 120.5
 DD> [..]
 DD> 51  Australia 14.5

......

 DD> I can see why you're so terrified. Have you thought of migrating
 DD> to Australia... or maybe

Not terrified at all.  Prepared.

I've visited Australia several times.  Nice but not where I'd want 
to live.


... Ignorance can be cured.  Stupid is forever.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.07-Linux