In the USA they have made an interesting experiment. Sheriff of one Arizona county decided that everyone should have and carry a gun. Everybody was therefore trained in handling and using guns. Everybody was made to carry it all the time under the law or pay penalties. Social results of this experiment were staggering. The crime rate dropped rate by 95%.
In my opinion if someone wants hurt somebody he will do it even if there are laws introducing a limited access to weapons
Watching few discussions concerning the incidents mentioned in the article, I did notice some Americans were really buying into the "militia being necessary to the security of a free State". Some of them would even claim they need weapons to ensure their freedom and defend themselves from the government itself if such need would arise. I'm not sure if those people really believed what they were saying, but this was pretty close to paranoia and conspiracy theories - with "them" out to get "us", and only our trusted guns being able to protect our freedom. An image of typical "redneck" with shotgun immediately comes to my mind and it's not a pleasant one. Or perhaps a vigilante, deciding on his own who's "guilty" - and he doesn't trust anyone except himself.
And even without all those incidents, I still question the need for such availability of firearms. Handguns I could see, but what is the purpose of an assault rifle in the hands of civilians? Why in the world would anyone "need" military grade weaponry for self defense? With such ordnance, a person becomes a bigger threat to innocent bystanders rather than actual criminals. Imagine what riots would look like if everyone had an assault rifle of his own.
As for Poland, I don't see the need for making gun access law less strict. Even with perfect screening and control of gun owners - which in itself is an utopia - mistakes and accidents are bound to happen. Besides, would an average citizen really be able to fire a gun and harm or kill someone in self defense? I know I wouldn't - at least not without being extremely desperate. Perhaps knowing about the risk involved with everyone being armed, criminals would become more ruthless and adapt "shoot first" policy?
I don't have a gun and don't feel the need to get one. The gains are questionable and don't convince me at all.
Personally I am a person who doesn't like disallowing anything without a good reason. For presented case I don't know whether owning guns should be disallowed. I respect current law and I don't have arms in my home.
The author of the blog entry presented many accidents from the USA in which people shot to the others. Kinga presented a fact showing the other side of the coin. It seems to me that during analyzing facts from the USA we have to remember that it is a big country with plenty of people raised in different cultures. It may be a reason why we hear about such tragedies in the USA more than in other countries.
I thing that if somebody wants to attack other people he will do it with or without a gun. I heard about tragedies in Europe when people kill using a chopper or knife. So nowadays I'm not against having gun in home until the police can't save people without gun.
"... big country with plenty of people raised in different cultures. It may be a reason why we hear about such tragedies in the USA more than in other countries. ..."
I admit that you could be right. This US culture mixture plus the ever lasting dream that USA is a country where everyone could build a financial fortune can end up with a lot of frustrated insane outsiders willing to use force against ordinary citizens.
Just like Grzegorz I am a person who doesn't like to limit the right of the people to do anything without reasonable reason. But if we are talking about guns I think that USA have too big freedom in this matter so they must to deal with different situations. Everybody knows that USA is a "home" for a people around the world so there you can find many different cultures. These cultures don't always live together in harmony and many times something happen.
We can read many articles like "America as a Gun Culture", and we can see how many citizens embracing and celebrating the association of guns and America's heritage so i personally think that this USA legacy and is better not to discuss this topic.
BTW. I agree again that if someone want to attack then he will do it anyway. We can read about about many attacks with homemade bomb and this is worse in my honest opinion.
I agree with this sentence that if someone want to hurt someone else he or she will do that in that way or another but on the other hand, why do we have them to facilitate that by given them easy access to the gun. I know that it is difficult because from one side I need to be able to protecting the people I care about and for sure gun will help with that but on the other hand try to ask people who have lost a loved one in a shootout I thin that they have different opinion about easy access to the gun. I think that good solution is in Poland where you need to have permission to buy a gun and before you get it you have meeting with psychologist and other people who have check that you are stable and so on.
I am a fan of the idea in which everyone who wants to have a firearm must regardless of whether a woman or a man to join the army. The army should train and equip a man with weapons and tools needed to safe store it. As a result, we have a trained army of people who want to have a weapon. In case of war, these people should serve country. The weapon however is owned by the army and some military police or other institution take care of this weapon and control if this person fulfill condition to carry the weapon.
I like this idea, it seems like a responsible way to do it. But I still think people should leave their guns at a shooting range and look for other options for self-defense.
I think that there are some reasonable benefits for the access to the gun. It is a well-known fact that weapons in the United States are often used by citizens for self-defence. There was a study conducted in 1993 by Kleck and Gertz that showed that approximately 2.5 million times per year citizens use weapons for defensive purposes. The number of people rescued exceeds the number of murders and suicides per year three times. In my opinion the probability of possession of weapons by the victim acts as a deterrent to potential criminals. Thus even a possibility of carrying a gun could decrease the use of weapon as a tool of crime. I would feel much safer having a right to carry a gun with me and have one at home.
A week back I had a talk about this with a consultant form the US who had visited my company. Just after a few hours he decided that he would show me photos of his favorite hobby - hunting. I said OK and we went through some of them on which he showed his trophies - a moose, ducks and even a bear. I was shocked seeing that he took his ~13 year old son with him, and even more when I saw his ~8 year old son shooting from a rifle (which was nearly as long as he was tall) to empty cans and bottles. I asked him how many firearms he had and he presented me a list of nearly 150 items! Apparently buying a gun in the US is as easy as buying a loaf of bread.
All of this just made me feel uneasy, especially the part of giving a gun to a child (which can easily end up in hurting someone). The funniest part was that my American friend was equally surprised seeing my concerns, as learning how to use guns was a big part of his own childhood (apparently this was a family tradition). He also told me that "everyone does it!".
So based on this story I can see a great cultural gap between Americans and Europeans when we talk about the use of guns. As listed in the article, having a gun is one of the primary rights for every citizen of the US and this right heavily influences their worldview. I can see numerous situations where public access to firearms can lead to tragedy but on the other hand I can also see the reasons why they would allow them.
I'm just happy that guns are not easily accessible in Poland (or any other European countries), as I feel much safer when I know that it's very unlikely that some mentally unstable person can shoot me on the street (or in the cinema). Still I can be stabbed or beaten up... hmm, I will probably spend my weekend at home... :P
If you think gun ownership is a problem now, just wait until 3D printers become commonplace and anyone is able to print a gun (that works!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGHOFxeaDr4
And then upcoming 3D metal printers (instead of plastic) will allow us to print even more powerful fire arms.
How do we prevent that? Maybe we should focus on limiting access to bullets? Can bullets be printed? I'm not sure, but this technology has the potential to disrupt gun restrictions in new ways.
The way I see it, more guns will always result in more gun violence in the long run. So I support the gun restrictions that many European countries have.
I've heard about the 3D gun printing and I think that this possibility is somehow scary. I believe that bullets 3D printing is not possible yet but 3D metal printers are on their way.
We live in a different society and it feels unnatural for us to poses a gun. For US people it is quite common I think.
It is a very serious device and providing common access poses a kind of a global responsibility on whole adult society. You must instantly take care that kids would not have a chance to play with it when left without adults’ care. I cannot imagine that in Poland we could introduce a freedom for guns possession.
At least when gun possession is restricted and regulated as in Poland there is a chance that someone carrying one can be easy spotted and controlled by services (police).
On the other hand I do not see any easy way remove guns form within US society. It is a huge amount of stuff – where to keep it all should this be taken away from ordinary owners.
The public disarming process itself could pose a risk. Certain individuals could try to use their weapon while being forcibly defused.
I believe that the weapon access law in Poland should not become any less restrictive. I would not feel safe knowing that anyone could carry a gun in their bosom.
I've got an insane idea regarding US weapon tradition. If you can and want to carry with you a gun every day every then there is at least one other device you would like to carry with the same frequency. It is your smartphone. So ... why not to merge them into one device, ... let's call it a smartgun. Ok, now you all know what revolutionary changes would be embedded into the iphone 6 :)))
I think that the provisions in the world are for the country I would not change anything. Everything is well. If you want to have a weapon we can get their permission. Not everyone should have access to weapons. Busier in Poland. Polish regulations are the most stringent in the European Union. To get the weapon we need to go through a lot of procedures. Poland should change the rules for the weapon. It should be easier to get a gun. The truth is that decent citizens is hard to get a gun. Dangerous bandits have a lot of weapons. What to do to get a gun? If you have a weapon should be protected against children, should be protected against theft.
I think we're used to these restrictions because of our communist past. In the US people won't even accept an obligatory government issued photo ID (because they don't want to give the authorities the power to ask: "Show me your papers!").
In the USA they have made an interesting experiment. Sheriff of one Arizona county decided that everyone should have and carry a gun. Everybody was therefore trained in handling and using guns. Everybody was made to carry it all the time under the law or pay penalties. Social results of this experiment were staggering. The crime rate dropped rate by 95%.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion if someone wants hurt somebody he will do it even if there are laws introducing a limited access to weapons
Interesting experiment. I wonder how he managed to "force" people to carry a weapon in the free country?
DeleteWatching few discussions concerning the incidents mentioned in the article, I did notice some Americans were really buying into the "militia being necessary to the security of a free State". Some of them would even claim they need weapons to ensure their freedom and defend themselves from the government itself if such need would arise. I'm not sure if those people really believed what they were saying, but this was pretty close to paranoia and conspiracy theories - with "them" out to get "us", and only our trusted guns being able to protect our freedom. An image of typical "redneck" with shotgun immediately comes to my mind and it's not a pleasant one. Or perhaps a vigilante, deciding on his own who's "guilty" - and he doesn't trust anyone except himself.
ReplyDeleteAnd even without all those incidents, I still question the need for such availability of firearms. Handguns I could see, but what is the purpose of an assault rifle in the hands of civilians? Why in the world would anyone "need" military grade weaponry for self defense? With such ordnance, a person becomes a bigger threat to innocent bystanders rather than actual criminals. Imagine what riots would look like if everyone had an assault rifle of his own.
As for Poland, I don't see the need for making gun access law less strict. Even with perfect screening and control of gun owners - which in itself is an utopia - mistakes and accidents are bound to happen. Besides, would an average citizen really be able to fire a gun and harm or kill someone in self defense? I know I wouldn't - at least not without being extremely desperate. Perhaps knowing about the risk involved with everyone being armed, criminals would become more ruthless and adapt "shoot first" policy?
I don't have a gun and don't feel the need to get one. The gains are questionable and don't convince me at all.
Strong point with this "short first" policy. I believe it could be true in certain cases.
DeletePersonally I am a person who doesn't like disallowing anything without a good reason. For presented case I don't know whether owning guns should be disallowed. I respect current law and I don't have arms in my home.
ReplyDeleteThe author of the blog entry presented many accidents from the USA in which people shot to the others. Kinga presented a fact showing the other side of the coin.
It seems to me that during analyzing facts from the USA we have to remember that it is a big country with plenty of people raised in different cultures. It may be a reason why we hear about such tragedies in the USA more than in other countries.
I thing that if somebody wants to attack other people he will do it with or without a gun. I heard about tragedies in Europe when people kill using a chopper or knife. So nowadays I'm not against having gun in home until the police can't save people without gun.
"... big country with plenty of people raised in different cultures. It may be a reason why we hear about such tragedies in the USA more than in other countries. ..."
DeleteI admit that you could be right. This US culture mixture plus the ever lasting dream that USA is a country where everyone could build a financial fortune can end up with a lot of frustrated insane outsiders willing to use force against ordinary citizens.
Just like Grzegorz I am a person who doesn't like to limit the right of the people to do anything without reasonable reason. But if we are talking about guns I think that USA have too big freedom in this matter so they must to deal with different situations. Everybody knows that USA is a "home" for a people around the world so there you can find many different cultures. These cultures don't always live together in harmony and many times something happen.
ReplyDeleteWe can read many articles like "America as a Gun Culture", and we can see how many citizens embracing and celebrating the association of guns and America's heritage so i personally think that this USA legacy and is better not to discuss this topic.
BTW. I agree again that if someone want to attack then he will do it anyway. We can read about about many attacks with homemade bomb and this is worse in my honest opinion.
I agree with this sentence that if someone want to hurt someone else he or she will do that in that way or another but on the other hand, why do we have them to facilitate that by given them easy access to the gun. I know that it is difficult because from one side I need to be able to protecting the people I care about and for sure gun will help with that but on the other hand try to ask people who have lost a loved one in a shootout I thin that they have different opinion about easy access to the gun. I think that good solution is in Poland where you need to have permission to buy a gun and before you get it you have meeting with psychologist and other people who have check that you are stable and so on.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of the idea in which everyone who wants to have a firearm must regardless of whether a woman or a man to join the army. The army should train and equip a man with weapons and tools needed to safe store it. As a result, we have a trained army of people who want to have a weapon. In case of war, these people should serve country. The weapon however is owned by the army and some military police or other institution take care of this weapon and control if this person fulfill condition to carry the weapon.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea, it seems like a responsible way to do it. But I still think people should leave their guns at a shooting range and look for other options for self-defense.
DeleteI think that there are some reasonable benefits for the access to the gun. It is a well-known fact that weapons in the United States are often used by citizens for self-defence. There was a study conducted in 1993 by Kleck and Gertz that showed that approximately 2.5 million times per year citizens use weapons for defensive purposes. The number of people rescued exceeds the number of murders and suicides per year three times.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the probability of possession of weapons by the victim acts as a deterrent to potential criminals. Thus even a possibility of carrying a gun could decrease the use of weapon as a tool of crime.
I would feel much safer having a right to carry a gun with me and have one at home.
Would you then feel safe if you would forget to take your gun with you one evening?
DeleteA week back I had a talk about this with a consultant form the US who had visited my company. Just after a few hours he decided that he would show me photos of his favorite hobby - hunting. I said OK and we went through some of them on which he showed his trophies - a moose, ducks and even a bear. I was shocked seeing that he took his ~13 year old son with him, and even more when I saw his ~8 year old son shooting from a rifle (which was nearly as long as he was tall) to empty cans and bottles. I asked him how many firearms he had and he presented me a list of nearly 150 items! Apparently buying a gun in the US is as easy as buying a loaf of bread.
ReplyDeleteAll of this just made me feel uneasy, especially the part of giving a gun to a child (which can easily end up in hurting someone). The funniest part was that my American friend was equally surprised seeing my concerns, as learning how to use guns was a big part of his own childhood (apparently this was a family tradition). He also told me that "everyone does it!".
So based on this story I can see a great cultural gap between Americans and Europeans when we talk about the use of guns. As listed in the article, having a gun is one of the primary rights for every citizen of the US and this right heavily influences their worldview. I can see numerous situations where public access to firearms can lead to tragedy but on the other hand I can also see the reasons why they would allow them.
I'm just happy that guns are not easily accessible in Poland (or any other European countries), as I feel much safer when I know that it's very unlikely that some mentally unstable person can shoot me on the street (or in the cinema). Still I can be stabbed or beaten up... hmm, I will probably spend my weekend at home... :P
If you think gun ownership is a problem now, just wait until 3D printers become commonplace and anyone is able to print a gun (that works!):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGHOFxeaDr4
And then upcoming 3D metal printers (instead of plastic) will allow us to print even more powerful fire arms.
How do we prevent that? Maybe we should focus on limiting access to bullets? Can bullets be printed? I'm not sure, but this technology has the potential to disrupt gun restrictions in new ways.
The way I see it, more guns will always result in more gun violence in the long run. So I support the gun restrictions that many European countries have.
I've heard about the 3D gun printing and I think that this possibility is somehow scary. I believe that bullets 3D printing is not possible yet but 3D metal printers are on their way.
DeleteWe live in a different society and it feels unnatural for us to poses a gun. For US people it is quite common I think.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very serious device and providing common access poses a kind of a global responsibility on whole adult society. You must instantly take care that kids would not have a chance to play with it when left without adults’ care. I cannot imagine that in Poland we could introduce a freedom for guns possession.
At least when gun possession is restricted and regulated as in Poland there is a chance that someone carrying one can be easy spotted and controlled by services (police).
On the other hand I do not see any easy way remove guns form within US society. It is a huge amount of stuff – where to keep it all should this be taken away from ordinary owners.
The public disarming process itself could pose a risk. Certain individuals could try to use their weapon while being forcibly defused.
I believe that the weapon access law in Poland should not become any less restrictive. I would not feel safe knowing that anyone could carry a gun in their bosom.
I've got an insane idea regarding US weapon tradition.
ReplyDeleteIf you can and want to carry with you a gun every day every then there is at least one other device you would like to carry with the same frequency.
It is your smartphone.
So ... why not to merge them into one device, ... let's call it a smartgun.
Ok, now you all know what revolutionary changes would be embedded into the iphone 6 :)))
I think that the provisions in the world are for the country I would not change anything. Everything is well. If you want to have a weapon we can get their permission. Not everyone should have access to weapons.
ReplyDeleteBusier in Poland. Polish regulations are the most stringent in the European Union. To get the weapon we need to go through a lot of procedures. Poland should change the rules for the weapon.
It should be easier to get a gun. The truth is that decent citizens is hard to get a gun.
Dangerous bandits have a lot of weapons. What to do to get a gun? If you have a weapon should be protected against children, should be protected against theft.
I think we're used to these restrictions because of our communist past. In the US people won't even accept an obligatory government issued photo ID (because they don't want to give the authorities the power to ask: "Show me your papers!").
Delete