D.C. Just a quick reply needed on this, What exactly is a “Straw Man” please?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

You see this is why people from the United Kingdom have trouble understanding gun-ownership in the United States; few here would imagine that you kept a, presumably loaded, semi-automatic (?) pistol between the seats of your truck! Is this normal, routine, legal?

Depends where I’m going. If I have to go deal with a business in some parts of LA I’m not going unarmed. Those days are very rare, so no, I don’t normally carry a loaded gun in my truck… & putting it between the seats isn’t legal.. however, having it laying on the dash or the seat next to me is… but I don’t want $700 worth of S&W sliding side to side every time I go round a corner or landing in my lap/on the floor when I accelerate or brake.

I’m tempted to cut one in half just to see what’s inside it 🙂

Now that’s where we do disagree…..I wouldn’t say that all the data backed that up.

I could agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong. I provided the link to the gun facts website which just collates data from other sources.

No, of course not, but if you weren’t armed he wouldn’t have to shoot you. He may also not have felt the need to come to your property carrying a gun.

Again, this only works if you happen to be carrying a loaded firearm on your person or can get to it before the criminal gets to you. Also are criminals known for their ‘fair play’? Wouldn’t a criminal try to catch you off guard or trick you or even shoot you in the back ‘just in case’?

Huh? The guy didn’t know I was armed, he was puling his gun out of his pants as he walked up to my door. I grabbed mine from between the seats & had it almost touching his retina before he got his up to window level. So he “felt the need to come to your property carrying a gun.” before he knew I had mine.
I don’t see why you are hell bent on being a victim.

I know we’re talking hypothetically here but there must be some validity to my argument.

Not when someone is pointing a gun at you.

One of your arguments for owning firearms is that it allows you to protect yourself but in both incidents that you have related the criminals also seem to be armed; doesn’t widespread gun-ownership just mean that criminals are more likely to carry guns too?

If both criminal and (intended) victim are armed doesn’t it just boil-down to who gets ‘the drop’ on the other; unless you carry a loaded firearm on your person at all times isn’t it most likely that the criminal will get ‘the drop’ on the intended victim?

So in your world it would be better if I was a dead, former truck owner? & we’ve already shown that more (legal)gun owners & less gun control = less crime. ALL the data backs up that claim.

The main difference is legal gun owners get to practice at gun ranges etc.. most criminals don’t so it’s not close to an even fight. People who aren’t supposed to have guns that show up at gun ranges quickly make themselves known by their behavior. I once watched 5 of them with one gun & 1 box of ammo (50rnds) fail to hit a pallet 30ft away, they put EVERY round in the dirt about 15ft from where they were standing. I doubt most of them could hit the broad side of a barn from INSIDE it. 🙂

Now that really is entering new territory; where in the Constitution does it say that?

On page 1. Unfortunately most Americans can’t separate mythology from reality when it comes to politics etc. When they bring it up I usually ask them what part of the bible the Constitution & Bill of Rights appear in. They can’t fathom how anyone can be both an atheist & a conservative.. 😀

Thanks for making my point, you didn’t NEED them, I recon you need to get another hobby.
Jim. Lincoln .7

Why? Because you don’t like it?

It would be possible to confiscate most of the guns, it wouldn’t be easy, but it would be possible. I don’t think it is likely, politically it would be suicide (at the moment), but it could be done. And that would be the only way to know for sure what the effect would be on all crime-rates, not just gun-crime.

What guns? I lost all mine in a tragic boating accident.

You know I’d really like to see a breakdown of the criminal background of those committing gun-crime or even just the number of homicides committed by legally-held firearms. The assumption is, and it is probably right, that most homicides are committed by those with a criminal history or with illegally-held firearms but there must be some that aren’t; I’d just like to see a breakdown of the figures.

Same mayor was on TV just last night talking about his. His city had 300 gun deaths last year. Amount committed by legally held guns: 1.

So that, Warren is why they have the words, “In God we trust” on their Dollar Bills, Well, someone has to carry the can, don’t they?.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Only since about the mid ’50’s. It wasn’t on there before that.

On your own admission, you own several weapons. How many times have you HAD used them to defend yourself?.and if so, in what circumstances.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Once, some banger decided he wanted my truck more than I did. He was wrong. Pissed himself a little bit, put his gun back in his pants & left the scene PDQ.

& I also forgot to mention in the previous post that I have sold a couple of guns to other collectors at obscene profit. 🙂

Future project?

Caption:
My assistant found this Bell UH-1H inverted in a scrap metal dump today. This is no way to treat a Huey! rescue mission underway.

From here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northwest-Helicopters-Inc/171199112900972?ref=ts&fref=ts

or for those who are FB disabled 😉
http://www.nwhelicopters.com/nwheli/index.html