I am a swiss student and I have some question.

swiss96student · January 2019

Hello everyone
First forgive my faults in English, it's not my native language. I'm preparing a work to get my degree in Switzerland, the theme of my work is the relationship between guns and americans.
I would have liked to interview you directly but thousands of kilometers separate us so I prefer to do it directly on forums, you will surely find this post on another forum of firearms, in order to collect a maximum of testimony.
Please be the most honest in your answer, my goal is not to judge but to understand, if you want your comment to remain private for different reason, sent it to me at the email address: [email protected]

1) Why did you buy a weapon ?

2) Where did you get the passion for weapons ?

3) how would you describe the relationship between guns and americans.

4) Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion?

5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ?

6) Should we toughen the law on weapons in the USA ?

Thank you in advance for your answers,see you soon,I hope.

CHIRO1989 · January 2019

Welcome, hey.

Linefinder · January 2019

I approved this persons application for membership here because he was purely honest about his reasons for being here. I decline membership for a half-dozen applicants per week because they are obviously trolls or commercial ploys. This one felt different.

Keep it nice guys. If I'm wrong....well.......I can correct that.

Mike

earlyagain · January 2019

My grandfather grew up in a very rural area hunting an trapping to live. He later inclined to doing it for sport and passed the pursuit on to my Dad that intern passed it on to me.

The first gun I ever bought was a rifle intended specifically for hunting.

I assume a great many of my peers can say the same, but I can't really know for sure.

I believe at least in this country we do and should have a right to private ownership of guns.

Yes, IMO there's a link to the number of guns and killings. IMO it's significantly more important that there's a link between unconscionable and evil people and killings. I think people are born knowing how terrible it is to commit murder. This personal knowledge burned into our souls keeps most of us from seeking to destroy life. The reasons some people behave outside this basic principal is beyond what I can speculate about.

Strengthening the law to prevent the people that obey the conscience of their soul from obtaining guns will only make it easier for those without conscience to commit murder as they already act freely outside the boundaries of law and humanity.

Assuming you get a high volume of reply, it may not be truly representative the populace here. Welcome and good luck.

Diver43 · January 2019

First of all Welcome to the forum

I do not have time to give proper replies at the moment, but will say; your question # 6 is a little confusing. Should WE toughen laws? May I ask who WE is?

Linefinder · January 2019

I'm with Diver on this. I've been trying for over an hour how to best reply to the pretty vague #1 through #5 questions.

But, #6 kind of sealed the deal for me......I have no idea how the Swiss would accomplish this in the United States.

Mike

tennmike · January 2019

swiss96student said:

1) Why did you buy a weapon ?
I started hunting with firearms at an early age after hunting with an air rifle. My Dad taught me the safety rules. I bought rifles and shotguns for hunting purposes, as game supplemented what we grew on the farm. Pistols came later when I was over 21 years of age as 21 years was minimum legal age. They were purchased for both self protection and target shooting.

2) Where did you get the passion for weapons ?
I learned to love hunting at an early age. My Dad and my uncle and cousin all hunted, and I couldn't wait to be old enough to go with them. Hunting and fishing magazines also fueled that passion to hunt.

3) how would you describe the relationship between guns and americans.
The Revolutionary War was fought for many reasons, but the attempt to disarm the colonists was one. Whatever one believes about religion, every human has the right to self protection by the best means available and affordable to them. Evil is always among us all, and a firearm levels the playing field, the old, the young, the woman is capable of protecting themselves from the predators among us. That right of self protection is seen all through the animal world; the predators may have sharp teeth, but the prey possess sharp horns, sharp hooves, and some have tremendous brute strength. Even a mouse will sometimes fight when cornered. Our right to self protection is written in our Constitution in the Second Amendment. Having just fought a war, the founders of this new country saw the need for the people to be not only armed for self protection, but as a means to protect them from a government that might at some time go bad.

4) Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion?
For law abiding citizens who aren't convicted VIOLENT felons, or who are not mentally unstable, then the answer would be YES. That question can become complicated quickly, and is a subject of a lot of discussion and political maneuvering here now.

5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ?
Not really. Here are three web links that will inform you much better than I can.
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/sorry-despite-gun-control-advocates-claims-u-s-isnt-the-worst-country-for-mass-shootings/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081

https://nypost.com/2018/08/30/america-doesnt-actually-lead-the-world-in-mass-shootings/

I hope you can find these links useful as a source of information.

6) Should we toughen the law on weapons in the USA ?

No. There are already literally thousands of gun laws on the books that are not enforced now, or are plea bargained down that essentially let the criminal go free of charges. Another law will do nothing to reduce crimes committed with firearms. Overhauling the criminal justice system needs a lot of work, though, and actually using laws already in existence. And crimes committed with firearms have been falling for years in the U.S., with the exception of a few very large cities that have ALWAYS been violent places throughout our history. And even some of those cities are seeing a slight reduction in firearms woundings and death due to better policing.

Thank you in advance for your answers,see you soon,I hope.

Welcome to the forum, too!

swiss96student · January 2019

First of all thank you for accepting me, and especially for taking the time to answer. This is not the first Thread that I post on an American forum on firearms, I have already collected a number of very relevant arguments on his forum today, if the subject interests you here is the link :

http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?11191-I-am-a-swiss-student-and-I-have-some-question&p=168128#post168128

then I'm here to be as neutral as possible, I do not support any camps, I'm just trying to understand everyone's arguments in order to do a good job and get my degree. Driver43, actually I made a mistake by writing "we" for question 6, we already told it on another forum (the link is higher if you want to know more). I'll have to write "you" instead, I'm going to change that. thank you for your answer, i will take the time to analyze them, but tomorrow because in swiss it is already midnight, the time to sleep. Still sorry for my faults in English I do not yet fully master the language,

Linefinder · January 2019

You actually do better with English than some of our more established members. LOL.

Mike

Buford · January 2019

I thought Switzerland gun owners had it pretty good?

CaliFFL · January 2019

swiss96student said:

Hello everyone
First forgive my faults in English, it's not my native language. I'm preparing a work to get my degree in Switzerland, the theme of my work is the relationship between guns and americans.
I would have liked to interview you directly but thousands of kilometers separate us so I prefer to do it directly on forums, you will surely find this post on another forum of firearms, in order to collect a maximum of testimony.
Please be the most honest in your answer, my goal is not to judge but to understand, if you want your comment to remain private for different reason, sent it to me at the email address: [email protected]

1) Why did you buy a weapon ? Because I wanted to. Like others, hunting was a big part of my youth.

2) Where did you get the passion for weapons ? I like machines. Cars, motorcycles, and guns, to name a few.

3) how would you describe the relationship between guns and americans. I can't/won't speak for the other 330 million Americans, but for me, guns are tools.

4) Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion? Yes, unless they are incarcerated.

5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ? Yes. Various governments killed over 100 million civilians in the last century alone. This was only accomplished after disarming the citizens, or "toughening weapons laws".

6) Should we toughen the law on weapons in the USA ? Nope. All gun laws in America violate the United States Constitution.

Thank you in advance for your answers,see you soon,I hope.

Welcome to the forum.

Diver43 · January 2019

Thank you for clarifying #6

1. Because i enjoyed shooting. At the range and for hunting.

2. Not sure where it came from as no one in my family used guns in any form. But I always wanted one, but my parents would have part of it. I had only shot a shotgun, once before joining the Military.

3. Relationship? Most consider it a right. Guns are tools used for enjoyment, hunting, and self defense.

4. Yes and in America, those of age and no problems with the law may purchase as desired.

5. Absolutely not. Again, a gun is a tool. Those with a desire to cause harm will use a gun, knife, club, pressure cooker, or whatever to harm others.

6. This one is easy, NO. There are already many laws covering guns.

das68 · January 2019

Buford said:

I thought Switzerland gun owners had it pretty good?

they do

more disciplined but still extensive

see a set of you tube videos by Bloke on the Range

to get the idea

with beer!!!!!!!!

don't be too unguarded if you respond to the thread

bisley · January 2019

I will state what I believe to be close to the 'total' answer, as simply as I am capable of.

Americans have traditionally embraced our own idea of 'freedom' differently from most modern Europeans. If Europeans were to trace the progress of their civilizations backwards, they might find something similar to the thought processes we have. They might have to go back hundreds of years, though, to identify the time when they were still taming their frontiers.

Although we no longer have an abundance of frontier, many of us still embrace the same ideas that allowed bold men and women to seek their own dreams of freedom. Switzerland, with its Alps, might still have people who define freedom in similar ways. Surely, if a person goes high enough and far enough into their Alps, they may eventually reach a place where they can do anything that their personal capabilities allow, without the intrusiveness of government.

In many of our largest cities, our own citizens come much closer to the ideas of governance that most Europeans seem to embrace. The fact that so many people are packed so densely together demands that they learn to get along with one another, simply because they cannot successfully avoid one another.

However, the USA still has vast areas beyond the coastal population centers, where people are spread out over a wide area. People in those regions have learned to provide for themselves to a greater extent, with regard to the way government attempts to provide essential services. Guns have a place in a rural household's 'toolbox,' and because of that, there are a lot of folks who are drawn to shooting, both as a sport, and for personal self defense. Even some big city dwellers yearn for the freedom of living a life unrestricted by laws that often seem to be designed for those who want to be taken care of.

Such people do not really begrudge others their desire to benefit from a government that sees itself as a benevolent authority, but they prefer not to be the subject of it, themselves. They do not assume that policemen will be there before they are needed, and would not like to have all of the 'down sides' to a police presence that could perform that well. They mostly respect policemen, but want them to mind their own business, to the extent that it might intrude upon those who have proven themselves to be 'law-abiding.'

Generally speaking, the right to gun ownership is a symbol of the traditional idea of American freedom, and is just as important as the right to free speech, protection from illegal search and seizure, or any of the more intrusive acts that government is capable of. Unfortunately, governments of any kind eventually become corrupt, in direct proportion to their size. As opportunistic politicians grow in number and power, they increasingly threaten the best interests of those people who need their help the least.

ADDED LATER:

I neglected to mention the possibility that we might someday have to defend ourselves from our own federal government. It has become a gigantic monolithic bureaucracy that is fully capable of dominating an unarmed population of over 300 million.

Although nobody wants that, and many people do not believe it likely, our politicians believe it, as evidenced by their persistent attempts to ban guns. They have made incremental advances, but have mostly been staved off by a handful of honest politicians, bolstered by a large segment of the population.

Bigslug · January 2019

Welcome!

1. Why did you buy a weapon?

My firearm focus has at times included recreational shooting, hunting, historical aspects, and professionally instructing others. Purchases have stemmed from all of those.

2. Where did you get the passion for weapons?

Early exposure to shooting from about age five from Dad and his friend. That, and an interest in history - the two tended to feed each other.

3. How would you describe the relationship between guns and Americans?

You'll get a different answer for each one of us, but at the core, the founders of this nation were tired of a tyrant dictating their lives from 3,000 miles away, and they had no desire to trade that for another tyrant living just down the block. The general view is that government in any form is a necessary evil, and that the firearm is representative of maintaining the ability to say "NO!" at the level of the individual.

4. Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion?

Yes. One of the key components of the U.S. legal system is the presumption of innocence - you are presumed innocent until you are PROVEN guilty. ANY system of background checks prior to permitting a firearm purchase turns this on its head. My general stance on the matter is this: rather than subject honest people to this process of "guilty until proven innocent", society should incarcerate, or in some cases execute, those who have demonstrated they cannot be trusted with the full liberties allowed by a truly free society. In short, if society is willing to let you out on the street, society should be willing to trust you with weapons.

5. Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder, etc...

Several layers to this answer:

**Yes, if tools are left exposed to unstable people, they will occasionally be used for unstable acts - but if stripped down to the most basic level, that tool can be as simple as an antelope thighbone in the hands of the biggest ape on the Savannah. I do not find murder with a rock any less appalling than murder with a firearm. The firearm at least has the advantage of cancelling out the Law of the Jungle, by putting a 95 pound woman on a roughly equal level as the 200 pound man with intent to rob, rape, or murder her.

**The chance crazy person who gets hold of a firearm might murder a few dozen people, but two of the most unstable individuals in history were Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin, whose ORGANIZED GOVERNMENTS murdered tens of millions of people. In order to do this, they first took steps to ensure they were the only ones with access to weapons. I would rather take the minimal risk of being killed by the former to preserve an armed and free society that has the tools to prevent the latter.

6. Should we toughen the laws on weapons in the U.S.A.?

No. We should in fact fully unrestrict them. CRIME is what laws should be toughened on - but only so long as "crime" is defined solely as committing an act of theft or violence against another person.

bisley · January 2019

Bigslug said:

Welcome!

1. Why did you buy a weapon?

My firearm focus has at times included recreational shooting, hunting, historical aspects, and professionally instructing others. Purchases have stemmed from all of those.

2. Where did you get the passion for weapons?

Early exposure to shooting from about age five from Dad and his friend. That, and an interest in history - the two tended to feed each other.

3. How would you describe the relationship between guns and Americans?

You'll get a different answer for each one of us, but at the core, the founders of this nation were tired of a tyrant dictating their lives from 3,000 miles away, and they had no desire to trade that for another tyrant living just down the block. The general view is that government in any form is a necessary evil, and that the firearm is representative of maintaining the ability to say "NO!" at the level of the individual.

4. Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion?

Yes. One of the key components of the U.S. legal system is the presumption of innocence - you are presumed innocent until you are PROVEN guilty. ANY system of background checks prior to permitting a firearm purchase turns this on its head. My general stance on the matter is this: rather than subject honest people to this process of "guilty until proven innocent", society should incarcerate, or in some cases execute, those who have demonstrated they cannot be trusted with the full liberties allowed by a truly free society. In short, if society is willing to let you out on the street, society should be willing to trust you with weapons.

5. Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder, etc...

Several layers to this answer:

**Yes, if tools are left exposed to unstable people, they will occasionally be used for unstable acts - but if stripped down to the most basic level, that tool can be as simple as an antelope thighbone in the hands of the biggest ape on the Savannah. I do not find murder with a rock any less appalling than murder with a firearm. The firearm at least has the advantage of cancelling out the Law of the Jungle, by putting a 95 pound woman on a roughly equal level as the 200 pound man with intent to rob, rape, or murder her.

**The chance crazy person who gets hold of a firearm might murder a few dozen people, but two of the most unstable individuals in history were Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin, whose ORGANIZED GOVERNMENTS murdered tens of millions of people. In order to do this, they first took steps to ensure they were the only ones with access to weapons. I would rather take the minimal risk of being killed by the former to preserve an armed and free society that has the tools to prevent the latter.

6. Should we toughen the laws on weapons in the U.S.A.?

No. We should in fact fully unrestrict them. CRIME is what laws should be toughened on - but only so long as "crime" is defined solely as committing an act of theft or violence against another person.

Excellent response.

I commend you for being able to answer the questions that were actually asked...as opposed to some of us who have to generalize the topic, so we can write a 'philosophical thesis.' Your philosophy is apparent, in your answers, without having to circle it until you have surrounded it, before coming to the point.

Bravo.

snake284 · January 2019

swiss96student said:

Hello everyone
First forgive my faults in English, it's not my native language. I'm preparing a work to get my degree in Switzerland, the theme of my work is the relationship between guns and americans.
I would have liked to interview you directly but thousands of kilometers separate us so I prefer to do it directly on forums, you will surely find this post on another forum of firearms, in order to collect a maximum of testimony.
Please be the most honest in your answer, my goal is not to judge but to understand, if you want your comment to remain private for different reason, sent it to me at the email address: [email protected]
____________________________________________________

First of all, welcome to this forum. I like to see people from other countries come here and share their ideas and we share ours. We both learn from this.

OK now to answer your questions and hopefully explain my answers so you understand why I feel as I do and where I'm coming from.

1) Why did you buy a weapon?

Because I wanted to hunt and shoot in general. And because I could. It was my right and since I loved guns I exercised my 2nd Amendment right, that is my constitutional right under the US Constitution.

And, I was born and raised in Texas. Texans by nature tend to be very pro gun, as most southern and midwestern Americans are. It's a big part of our culture. My dad introduced me to guns and hunting at a very young age.

2) Where did you get the passion for weapons ?

See the above answer and I'll add that like Califf said, I love mechanical things such as cars, boats, planes, and guns.

3) how would you describe the relationship between guns and Americans.

It depends on what part of the country and what size town you're from or if maybe you're from a rural background. The Southern US and the Midwest and some places in Western America have a strong relationship with guns. Even some in the Northeast and into New England love guns and believe they have a right to own and possess guns. Not everybody, but a majority of people from small towns and in rural areas of this country have been raised around guns and have hunted and some target shoot. Also, our country's Constitution has amendments and the first 10 of these amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. These are basic God given rights afforded to all law abiding citizens. The second one gives us a right to own and possess firearms. The actual reason for this second amendment isn't actually to have a gun to hunt, or even to keep to defend your home from an intruder, although that is legal under it. It was put in there in case a tyrant would be elected to be president and try to become a dictator. It was put in there so that the people had a means of protecting themselves from our own government. You may think or ask, "What chance does a person have against the government which has an Army with tanks and machine guns." I believe it is the collective might of the people that keeps this from happening. I also believe that our military being made up of citizens and those citizens being our kids and grand kids would keep the military from attacking it's own family members. Also, every member of our military takes a solemn oath to up hold the Constitution which should stop them from helping enslave the citizens. Remember, our constitution affords us basic God given rights. And our having guns makes it even more unlikely the government could enslave the people.

4) Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion?

Every non felon or rather law abiding citizen should have that right. And there is a movement now to allow some felons the right to keep and bear arms and vote, which they cannot do legally yet. Once convicted of a Crime, as the law is now you are not permitted to own or possess firearms or even to vote. However, this movement feels that If someone committed a crime that was of a non violent nature and has been rehabilitated for a specified period of time, he/she should be allowed to get his/her right to Keep and Bear arms returned.

5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ?

It depends on which numbers you're looking at. Some anti gun groups cook the books and make it appear to be so. The 2nd Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms to law abiding citizens, not criminals. So it depends on how many criminals per capita are in a society.

6) Should we toughen the law on weapons in the USA ?

No! Laws are already on the books. If a law alone was going to prevent crime there would be no need for police. Just pass a law and everything's peachy. The real reason for the laws we have on the books now is to have a reason to prosecute criminals. The law itself won't keep someone from breaking it, but if they have a law and it is broken it gives the government a right to prosecute the offender. It's already illegal to murder someone. If you kill someone and it's not in self defense you will go to jail, or worse, or you should.
If laws alone could prevent gun deaths then why is Chicago such a murder haven. Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the world and look at their murder rate. A lot of big cities have lots of gun crime yet they have some of the strictest gun laws.

Also, here in the US in most states there are laws that allow an individual the privilege to carry a firearm on there person in public for self defense. Some states limit how you can carry, whether concealed or out in the open. You take a course and you apply for your carry permit with the state. In most states there's a fee charged for this permit. However there are some states that are what we call Constitutional carry states. In those states there is no permit necessary to carry a firearm either concealed or in the open.

Here's some things to think about. Read them and think about them:

1. I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.

2. The police are only minutes away, when seconds count.

3. When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns.

Thank you in advance for your answers,see you soon,I hope.

And thank you for allowing us the opportunity to give you an American Perspective of firearms and firearms rights. We take them seriously here.

zorba · January 2019

Very honest and forthright answers!

swiss96student · January 2019

First of all thank you for your answers !!

Billy_Budd said:

Personally, I'd like to see Swiss96 give his/her own answers to his/her questionnaire.

1) Why did you buy a weapon ?

I do not have weapons yet, but I'll have one soon. Here's why : I have Swiss nationality so I will have to do the army just after my studies because the army in Switzerland is mandatory for all men, when you finish the army in Switzerland you have the right to redeem the assault rifle that you used during your class, like my uncle who has his assault rifle at his house, I think that once my class is finished, I will keep the assault rifle I used during my training in the army, it will surely be my first weapon. This opportunity to buy back his gun for almost nothing after the army partly explains why the Switzerland is one of the most heavily armed countries in the world in proportion to its population. This weapon "the sig 550" is especially the one that we see in the video that das68 posted earlier in this thread.

2) Where did you get the passion for weapons ?

I am not passionate about weapons but they do not bother me, I have already shot in a shooting range with a 9mm, my grandfather has a 22lr, my father has a Sig-Sauer P226 that he hides in a digital safe, only he knows the password, my uncle has his sig 550 etc. I must say that i was lucky enough to grow up in a very open-minded family, they never forced me to believe in this or that, they let me make my own idea of things, at home it just need respect, honor and value otherwise it was the punishment.

3) How would you describe the relationship between guns and americans.

I can not really answer this question, I did not live in the USA, I just went once to Los Angeles, at UCLA university to perfect my english. In Europe we have a lot of reporting on the United States and their weapons, these report are full of stereotypes, you know "The pro-trump racist American who never came out of his native Texas, who is overweight, who hates anything that is not American, who drinks beer with his gun in his hands and shoots everything what moves, with his American flag in all rooms of his house." Believe me, I'm barely exaggerating, personally I do not believe in these stereotypes even if he has to have some truth in it. But when I see people on this forum who seem cool and open-minded, I am convinced that all these stereotypes that I see in the European media do not reflect the reality, it pushes me to get to the bottom of things and see for myself the true reality.

4) Shoud everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion ?

Yes for honest people, but not for some who should not have a weapon in their hands, a single weapon never kill anyone, it is the person who holds it who kills. So no for some people who should not have a weapon because with this deadly tool and content of their "dark side" ( I could not find the word in English ^^) represents a danger too great for others and for the society. The problem is that weapons are left to unstable people. I think you need to control more the identity and profile of people who buy firearms.

5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ?

I can not answer that question yet.

6) Should we toughen the law on weapons in the USA ?

No for me. There are hundreds of firearm laws already, The main problem with these laws is that they do not work.

Here is what I think at the moment but this is likely to change as I study the question, especially for the last 3 questions, I need a lot more time to answer them.

I continue to study all your arguments even if it takes a lot of time, thank you for taking the time to answer me.

mosseybuck · January 2019

Only correction I would offer is that referring to guns as weapons is inaccurate. Some are never used as weapons.

#1-My first gun purchase was a 12 gauge shotgun used for hunting when I was a teenager, perfectly legal during early '50s.

#2-Was taken hunting by my father and uncle at an early age, pre-teens. Was taught gun safety and proper handling at an early age.

#3-Guns were important in the early history of America and most Americans still believe they are an important part of our culture.

#4-Everyone that is not a convicted criminal or mentally incompetent should be allowed to own guns.

#5-The number of weapons in circulation has little to do with number of mass killings or murders by deranged individuals. If there was any significant link, the number of killings would be many times higher due to the millions of guns owned by Americans.

#6-NO, the existing laws would be more than is needed, if the criminals were prosecuted for their crimes. Making it harder on lawful gun owners does nothing to reduce crime.

Teach · January 2019

The earliest reference to government control of weapons that I have found with a quick internet search is a Chinese emperor in the 14th. Century BC who refused to disarm his citizens at the suggestion of his military advisers. That was LONG before the invention of firearms. Fast forward to the Code of Hammurabi, which also recognized the right of citizens to self-defense. The Magna Carta also recognized the same rights. All of these foundational documents of civilization as we know it recognize the individual's right to do what is necessary to preserve his life, and the lives of his family and community, if necessary. The fact that the means of self preservation has evolved from hand-held stones, to spears and shields, to bows and arrows, and eventually to firearms has little if anything to do with the basic human right to security- - - -the tools have changed, but not the basic principle.

Your questions seem to imply that you have embraced the socialist fallacy that the right to keep and bear arms is a privilege bestowed upon citizens by government, not a basic human right that has been recognized for millenia. A document such as the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution and the other documents dating back for centuries is simply a statement of fact that these inalienable rights exist- - - -they cannot be bestowed or removed by the whim of an oppressive government. Free people allow government to exist to benefit the welfare of the people. The people do not exist to serve government. No matter what other uses arms might have- - - -sport, self defense, military use, etc., their basic reason to exist, and to be possessed with a minimum of official interference is to assure that government remains the servant of the people- - - -not their oppressors.

The Bill of Rights recognizes the "right to keep and bear arms"- - - - -that includes, but is not necessarily limited to firearms. The right existed long before firearms were invented.

Jerry

Jermanator · January 2019

Teach brought up some very valid points. I was not going to respond to this thread because many here have already given similar answers to my point of view.

I see the right to self defense is a "god given" or "natural law" right. What I mean is that every living thing on this planet-- purely by their existence has a right to protect their own life. A cute bunny rabbit or deer is going to make an effort to save itself. Humans also deserve that right and often, a firearm is the most effective way to defend one's own life. Denying firearm ownership to people denies people of their natural right to protect their own life. It would be like denying a person the right to breathe.

Jeff in TX · January 2019

swiss96student said:

Hello everyone
First forgive my faults in English, it's not my native language. I'm preparing a work to get my degree in Switzerland, the theme of my work is the relationship between guns and americans.

1) Why did you buy a weapon ?

2) Where did you get the passion for weapons ?

3) how would you describe the relationship between guns and americans.

4) Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion?

5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ?

6) Should we toughen the law on weapons in the USA ?

Thank you in advance for your answers,see you soon,I hope.

My first real question is one that everyone here has seemed to have missed. I'm not trying to be rude but what the heck is a degree "the relationship between guns and americans" ! This is an actual degree program??? Degrees don't have themes! I could understand this being part of a class assignment but not an actual degree???

My second question, what does one do with a degree in "the relationship between guns and americans"! once you finish?

Some seem stuck on question six. It's pretty clear to me and many have answered it. We the US have many gun laws, some good, most do nothing to thwart crime, only prevent some folks from having guns. As I tell my liberal friends, what gun law can you propose that will prevent mass shootings, yet not violate my constitutional rights to own a gun!

Example and this will be a follow up to your question 5 below:
Chicago IL has the strictest gun laws in the US. Basically you cannot own a firearm there, short of a act of god! Yet Chicago leads the US in homicides and gun related crimes. How can that be? You've disarmed your citizens, yet criminals don't care about laws. This was on of the primary reason we fought the revolutionary war over 240 plus years ago.

History is chalked full of lessons of nations disarming their citizens and the mass genocides and murders by the government that followed.

I love your question number 5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ?

The answer is "NO"! I point you to the UK. In London it's very hard to own a gun and get access to a gun. The UK surpassed NY City in murder rates, none with a gun all with a knives. Criminals and murders didn't stop killing because you remove one type of weapon! They moved to knives as their weapon of choice. The UK was proposing and introducing anti-knife laws quicker than the US could introduce and produce new guns laws. As if knives or guns were the real issue at hand. So the answer is no there is no link. Folks who want to kill are going to, weather with a gun, knife or a large truck or vehicle or some other weapon they think will do the job!

bisley · January 2019

Great post, Jerry.

I think our young Swiss friend is trying to be objective, and that is very encouraging to me. Very few people, outside of the US, have researched the history of arms, and related it to the situation that we have, here and now, or recognize it as the same situation that their own earlier generations probably faced at one time.

Teach · January 2019

The Swiss were once some of the most feared warriors on the European continent. Have you noticed who guards the Vatican, even to current times? It's a crying shame that virtually all of Europe has succumbed to the ideology of socialism, and it's highly unlikely that individual freedom and responsibility will ever return to that part of the world!

Jerry

das68 · January 2019

Jeff in TX said:

The UK surpassed NY City in murder rates,

let me see......no.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-crime-murder/london-murders-back-below-new-york-levels-but-set-for-highest-rate-in-a-decade-idUKKCN1NZ1S2

LONDON (Reuters) - The number of murders in London has fallen below that of New York City but could still hit a 10-year high if it continues at the current pace, police data analysed by Reuters shows.

Provisional figures for February and March released earlier in the year suggested that the murder rate in London had overtaken New York for the first time in modern history.

But the number of murders in New York so far this year is now double the number in London, according to figures from the NYPD and London’s Metropolitan (Met) Police.

There had been 112 murders in London to October this year, compared to 238 in New York. But with more murders in London in November, the total for the year stands at 127, on pace to reach the highest number since 2008, when there were 154.

for those not passed the crayoning stage

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030353/uploads/editor/n2/gkocwj8xclaj.png

february only

but jog on though sport

it is only the internet

das68 · January 2019

you would be surprised how many degree students have the beginning of a budding career

in journalism

Jeff in TX · January 2019

das68 said:

Jeff in TX said:

The UK surpassed NY City in murder rates,

let me see......no.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-crime-murder/london-murders-back-below-new-york-levels-but-set-for-highest-rate-in-a-decade-idUKKCN1NZ1S2 for those not passed the crayoning stage

february only

but jog on though sport
it is only the internet

You are correct as I was sent a link a while back which I saved and referenced! I provided it below. It was Feb of 18. I could have done a bit a due-diligence and checked for more updated info but I didn't. So glad I have folks like you to call me out, shame me and do that for me!

However, London's murders are now predominately being done with knives and not firearms. If you take one weapon away, folks with the desire to kill will find another way!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-43610936

BTW, I love coloring with crayons and I can even stay in the lines. Just ask my granddaughter! She loves coloring with her grampy!

das68 · January 2019

Jeff in TX said:

das68 said:

Jeff in TX said:

The UK surpassed NY City in murder rates,

let me see......no.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-crime-murder/london-murders-back-below-new-york-levels-but-set-for-highest-rate-in-a-decade-idUKKCN1NZ1S2 for those not passed the crayoning stage

february only

but jog on though sport
it is only the internet

You are correct as I was sent a link a while back which I saved and referenced! I provided it below.   It was Feb of 18.  I could have done a bit a due-diligence and checked for more updated info but I didn't. So glad I have folks like you to call me out, shame me and do that for me!

all good

However, London's murders are now predominately being done with knives and not firearms. If you take one weapon away, folks with the desire to kill will find another way!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-43610936

you are correct

latest one

a 14-year-old child who loved motorbikes

but not his own

too young

no licence

no road tax

no insurance

no plate on bike

the photo of the child on BBC site

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-46828537

The family of London teenager Jayden Moodie say he had no links to gangs and was "murdered in cold blood".

Jayden Moodie, 14, was stabbed to death by attackers who knocked him off a moped in Leyton on Tuesday in what police believe was a targeted attack.

no gangs

not a drug mule

not a money mule

no black on black crime

no father in sight

they are eating their own children

his facebook photos

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030353/uploads/editor/gt/46dzxvy2y67z.png

they are £50 and £20 notes

the three stabby men did save him from a life of crime though

as far removed from me as it is from you

Armoredman · January 2019

swiss96student said:

Hello everyone
First forgive my faults in English, it's not my native language. I'm preparing a work to get my degree in Switzerland, the theme of my work is the relationship between guns and americans.
I would have liked to interview you directly but thousands of kilometers separate us so I prefer to do it directly on forums, you will surely find this post on another forum of firearms, in order to collect a maximum of testimony.
Please be the most honest in your answer, my goal is not to judge but to understand, if you want your comment to remain private for different reason, sent it to me at the email address: [email protected]

1) Why did you buy a weapon ?

2) Where did you get the passion for weapons ?

3) how would you describe the relationship between guns and americans.

4) Should everyone have the right to buy a weapon in your opinion?

5) Is there a link between the number of weapons in circulation and mass killings, murder ... ?

6) Should we toughen the law on weapons in the USA ?

Thank you in advance for your answers,see you soon,I hope.

1. I bought my first firearm because my father started me shooting at age 9, and I liked it, fun and fascinating hobby. I don't call them weapons due to the fact that a firearm is designed to do one thing - expel a soft metal slug out a metal tube by the action of expanding gasses - where that slug goes is up to the user.
2 See above, shooting at an early age, realizing it was fun. Started my son shooting at age 10.
3 We started this country with firearms in our hands, useful tools for hunting and defense. We realized during the War for Independence that the FIRST thing a tyrannical government does is disarm the people, a theory born out all over the world. The Founding Fathers attempted to short stop that with our government by binding it with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, though it has not been followed particularly well both federally and locally, better in some states, (Arizona, where I live), worse in others, due to the also experiment of states being mini legislative experiments all of their own.
4 Yes. We do recognize and have done so for centuries that felons who have demonstrated their complete disregard for human life/laws should be barred from legally purchasing firearms, but otherwise, I think any law abiding citizen should have the right, (and does, according to theory), to purchase whatever firearms they want that they can afford for whatever legal purpose they wish to put them to, without governmental interference. Check the crime stats for Chicago, where it has been VERY difficult to legally purchase or carry a firearm for decades, to Phoenix, where we have no permit necessary to purchase or carry any firearm openly or concealed. Hard to argue facts.
5 No. Norway still leads the world in number of people killed in one mass shooting event. Tightly controlled firearms laws there. Mexico is the second most dangerous nation in the world, and there is ONE legal gun shop, run by the army, in Mexico City. Gun laws there are very harsh - everyone is armed, illegally.
6 No. We need to remove several, such as the National Firearms Act of 1934, Gun Control Act of 1968, and many state laws that directly or indirectly violate the Constitution of the United States.

Thank you for your polite questions and I wish you good luck in following your dreams.

Edited to add two points - I deliberately did not read any of the responses before posting mine. Nice to see how many are similar!
Also, I work in Corrections - I know skin suits* that should never be given access to a staple. I have also met inmates that if they were standing behind me with a loaded firearm, I would not be worried - they'd hand it to me and say they weren't supposed to have it. Admittedly that number is VERY small, (2 in 16 years), but not everyone in prison is a horrible person, either.
Again, good luck with your quest, and please come visit us sometimes, I am willing to bet members here would be more than happy to to take you to the range while here!

*looks human, no humanity inside

Jeff in TX · January 2019

I saw this stat and did a bit of digging, it's pretty much spot on!

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