America's obsession with guns

[Brian37]

It's just part of the culture I suppose. There are a lot of people here who like to go shooting/hunting as a hobby, also people here like the idea of freedom from the government and they feel it is their right to own guns if they want to.

Reality doesn't give a fuck about anyone's feelings. Not yours not mine. What pisses me off about the far right on any issue, isn't that they have feelings, it is the utopia they build up in their brains that lacks any pragmatism.

You cant have no government, that never happens. Our species evolved to form social structures. For the same reason dictators like Un exist, and theocracies like Saudi Arabia exist, are the same reason our more pluralistic open west exist. Humans socialize and pooling power in numbers is how both friend and foe alike gain those power structures.

The often used bullshit argument against the left on guns is Hitler. The asshole right who brings up Hitler either are ignorant of history, or flat out lie about it and know better. When the allies defeated Germany after WW1 heavy arms regulations were part of the peace agreement. When Hitler gained absolute power right before starting WW2, he DID NOT ban all firearms. He extended gun rights to party loyalists while banning any political dissent or "undesirables" from legal ownership.

I get tired of explaining that it is not the rights I object to, it is the utopia attitude far too many go into when thinking about or owning a gun. Guns are not toys, and it isn't as simple as "no record at time of buy". Lots of teens think they know how to drive. I used to have a very lazy attitude about driving growing up. Took me a couple of speeding tickets and wrecks to take it seriously. 

I am sure KUSA along with most gun owners like to think it is a mater of "I wouldn't do that" or " I would do that" but again, reality doesn't give one fuck about your intent. I don't think KUSA is a bad guy, but just like on the issue of religion, I simply think he is falling for a utopia that does not exist.

KUSA is now saying "I have a concealed permit". Yea so what? To me that is as silly as thinking you have the same training as a Navel Seal. Sure it is by law legal, but to me a bare minimum. I think using a firearm takes far more training than most civilians want to accept. Owning a gun should not be treated like a pass time, it isn't a baseball game, even if you use it for target shooting for fun or for hunting. It is still a potential bomb regardless of your intent. Even with my driving, the one thing I finally grew up to realize, even with cars, and other vehicles on the road, the best attitude is to treat your vehicle as a weapon, no not aggressively, but keep your distance and know your speed. If you assume your car will kill, you are less likely to allow a distraction to get you into an accident. I don't see enough gun owners with that same attitude. They far too often treat it as if use will always end up like a Hollywood movie where the good guy always wins. 

I am not accusing KUSA of being a bad person, I am saying what he thinks is enough isn't the reality he wants it to be.

Again, he is arguing legality, I am arguing pragmatism.

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So you are stupidly assuming everyone who has ill intent has a knife?

Nope. You are asserting that.

Again what if they have a gun to your back or head? What then? You think life is a video game and they won't be able to pull the trigger before you draw? 

It is a video game. Have you ever heard of Duke Nukem? I would just enter the cheat code "God mode" and blast all the bad guys.

You might have a slight advantage over a knife sure, but what if the person has a gun?

God mode.

It is bluster. Knife or gun, reality does not give one fuck about your good intent. Constant training is what increases the survival of a stressful event, not the weapon itself.

I have honed my skilz on video games.

I think you should value more situational conflict training more than defaulting to use of a weapon of any kind. People also survive by deescalation and fleeing. Your brain, regardless is your most important tool. 

Not with God mode. I can do what I want.

Even outside the issue of guns, any sane lifeguard will tell you, TRAINING is what increases the chance, not only of your own survival, but also of the victim you are trying to save. 

I ain't playing in a pool.

Having a gun is not a utopia. It matters far more how you respond to stress, not the weapon you are facing. 

It is a utopia. When I hold it in my hand I feel the power of greyskull.

"I'm not going down without a fight" is Hollywood crap. Survival even with other life is adaptation, not always brawn or force.

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I have to think about my honor. A Thundercat never runs from Mumra.

KUSA, I grew up with nothing but bullies on my street. You'd be one of those guys who'd say "The only thing they understand is a fight". Not true, even when I did fight back, I got my ass kicked.

You should have made a superhero suit and kicked their ass.

That is more understandable as a kid. But as an adult you cant think like John Wayne or Dirty Harry or play street lawyer with a weapon.

I play John Holmes on the street.

I have avoided being robbed as an adult TWICE in my life without using a fire arm. I have also avoided being assaulted without a firearm as an adult. The reason I did, was situational awareness, remaining calm, and looking for the path of least resistance. Talk is cheap, and the ones who brag about being a hero are the ones most likely to be the first to get hurt.

So you have ninja skilz.

You are the idiot who thinks they can take on someone with a knife every single time and be success full every single time just because you have  gun. You know what I would do if someone pointed a knife at me? I would give them whatever the fuck they wanted, or I would run. 

The two times I avoided robbery was because of DISTANCE not brawn.

The first time was when I was working at a pizza chain. Got a call to a delivery to a motel. Prior to that our company had TRAINED US on protocol. It was drilled into our heads prior to leaving the store, never to get out of the vehicle if you have any suspicions about where you are going. A common robbery scam with pizza and cabs is they would call in a fake location you show up, they ambush you.

I showed up to this motel driving through the parking lot looking for the room number. I noticed a guy watching me, then suddenly run to hide behind split level open air sidewalk that split the two buildings. As soon as I realized I was on the other side of the building, I drove to the other side, only to see the same guy leaning over peering at me approaching on the room number called in. It struck me as odd, and they company said, if you are not sure always go to the lobby and and have them call the room and meet you at the lobby. I did that, and guess what, THE ROOM CALLED IN WAS NEVER RENTED. The guy watching me never stayed there, he called in a fake order walked over to the motel hoping to rob me. Probably had a car waiting a block or two way. 

A few years ago I had a guy who followed me in a empty parking lot slowly. I didn't shout at him, I didn't confront him, but I did notice the more I walked faster, the faster he drove. I simply ran into a busy Chinese food joint and guess what, he parked his car waiting and watching knowing I was walking.  When he saw that I was pointing his car out, he suddenly drove away circling the parking lot even around the back of the complex hoping I would not notice.

Even with bar conflicts. If you get in my face and threaten to hit me, my response is going to be "I am not going to fight you, but if you hit me, you'll go to jail, not me" I had that happen twice as an adult. I got called a wimp, but so what, I didn't get hit, and nobody ended up in the hospital. 

BRAINS matter more than the weapon. If you don't think with your brains no weapon will ever help you. Your ego is the problem, not your desire to survive.