ShootersHillGuru said:

The Prince-e-Paul said:

Huskaris said:

HastingsRed said:

DaveMehmet said:

If only people had more guns out there, that would solve the problem.

I know your only joking, in Tel Aviv at the weekend however a Palestinian was shot by an armed civilian after driving into a crowd of people in a busy shopping street. No I'm not saying everyone should be armed but in that case it probably saved life's. 

It is definitely also a cultural thing and what people view guns as being for.

America has the highest civilian count of guns, at a staggering 1.2 guns per civilian.
Second place for context is the Falkland Islands at 62.1
Canada, the civilised cousins of the Americans, 34.7.

You just don't hear of the same level of violence per capita in these places. The murder rate in the USA is 23 times higher than Canada.

Definately it's about what guns are used for. I'm now living in Sweden and the couple living next door, she has a gun at home under license as she goes hunting and takes the 16 year old son with her (husband doesn't hunt). They hunt for moose, wild boar and deer etc and any kill is shared out amongst the hunting party (you couldn't take a moose home by yourself, they are like a cow on steroids) . Now as me and my wife are vegetarians, our invite round for dinner was met with confusion when we queried a menu without meat, but they have eaten at ours many tines now, so no hard feelings either way.

Back on topic. If people are taught that guns are for hunting and not to shoot people, then society can use them safely (in the main).

There does exist an increasing gun violence issue in Sweden with foreign gangs, which has got worse over the last decade, which is mainly contained in the bigger cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. This of course is fuel for the far right politicians who are in the ascendency, however this does not encourage gun ownership for personal protection, like in the US. 

You can if you go to The Millers.

cafcnick1992 said:

love in Vancouver but visit Washington a lot. only 15 mins from the border

SDAddick said:

EveshamAddick said:

SDA - I often wonder how it feels in America to be going about your daily life knowing there are a gazillion guns in the hands of volatile and unstable people. Are you confident when going to the shops, a ball game or a show , or on an internal flight that someone isn’t going to start shooting the place up…

EveshamAddick said:

SDA - I often wonder how it feels in America to be going about your daily life knowing there are a gazillion guns in the hands of volatile and unstable people. Are you confident when going to the shops, a ball game or a show , or on an internal flight that someone isn’t going to start shooting the place up…

It's a really good question, and I thought about it a lot after I saw it the other day. My answers are:

1) As others have said, a lot of the time you just don't think about it, and by and large, it doesn't really impact you. In LA, almost no one I knew or grew up around had guns. Here in Oregon, they are I would say more common, though I think a lot of that is just where I live in Oregon versus living in a major metropolis. 

Growing up we'd hear things like "oh don't get too much road rage people shoot people over road rage." And while I'm sure that has happened, I suspect it's less common than lightning strikes. Getting in a bad car accident is multitudes more common. 

A couple of things have happened for me personally that has made gun violence hit closer to home:

1) A little over 5 years ago I started working for the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs). Veterans have an incredibly high rate of suicide, and the most common method is via firearm. I've worked with some suicide prevention efforts within the VA, and one large risk factor is having a firearm in the home (this is true for non-Veterans as well).

I'm intentionally not including links to the above, but I can if people are interested. It's really grim and infuriating stuff.

2) Started dating my partner, who works in higher education, just over two years ago. And as mentioned previously, the occurrences between schools and mass shootings and how schools are "soft targets" made me think about those things a lot more. I don't have kids, my friends' kids are largely too young for school, same with my niece, so school shootings aren't something I had to contemplate in my own life as an adult until relatively recently.

I don't want to overstate how this impacts my, or our collective, day-to-day. Statistically speaking, I am at much bigger risk driving a car, or getting heart disease, or tripping and falling while I'm running and banging my head open. 

But the risk is still there. And I can only imagine what it's like for parents and teachers. 

EveshamAddick said:

SDAddick said:

EveshamAddick said:

SDA - I often wonder how it feels in America to be going about your daily life knowing there are a gazillion guns in the hands of volatile and unstable people. Are you confident when going to the shops, a ball game or a show , or on an internal flight that someone isn’t going to start shooting the place up…

EveshamAddick said:

SDA - I often wonder how it feels in America to be going about your daily life knowing there are a gazillion guns in the hands of volatile and unstable people. Are you confident when going to the shops, a ball game or a show , or on an internal flight that someone isn’t going to start shooting the place up…

It's a really good question, and I thought about it a lot after I saw it the other day. My answers are:

1) As others have said, a lot of the time you just don't think about it, and by and large, it doesn't really impact you. In LA, almost no one I knew or grew up around had guns. Here in Oregon, they are I would say more common, though I think a lot of that is just where I live in Oregon versus living in a major metropolis. 

Growing up we'd hear things like "oh don't get too much road rage people shoot people over road rage." And while I'm sure that has happened, I suspect it's less common than lightning strikes. Getting in a bad car accident is multitudes more common. 

A couple of things have happened for me personally that has made gun violence hit closer to home:

1) A little over 5 years ago I started working for the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs). Veterans have an incredibly high rate of suicide, and the most common method is via firearm. I've worked with some suicide prevention efforts within the VA, and one large risk factor is having a firearm in the home (this is true for non-Veterans as well).

I'm intentionally not including links to the above, but I can if people are interested. It's really grim and infuriating stuff.

2) Started dating my partner, who works in higher education, just over two years ago. And as mentioned previously, the occurrences between schools and mass shootings and how schools are "soft targets" made me think about those things a lot more. I don't have kids, my friends' kids are largely too young for school, same with my niece, so school shootings aren't something I had to contemplate in my own life as an adult until relatively recently.

I don't want to overstate how this impacts my, or our collective, day-to-day. Statistically speaking, I am at much bigger risk driving a car, or getting heart disease, or tripping and falling while I'm running and banging my head open. 

But the risk is still there. And I can only imagine what it's like for parents and teachers. 

Thanks for responding, interesting reading what you’ve said. Sounds to be like the risk and prevalence of shootings is somewhat overstated - though obviously the frequency of mass shootings, and those that occur in schools/colleges is truly horrific.

Chizz said:

https://x.com/PicturesFoIder/status/1766872141394243740?s=20 

What makes this so shocking is the comment by the woman in the blue sweatshirt.  She races to pick up the toddler to protect her.  But said later that she didn't immediately realise that it was a shoot out, because the sound of gunfire in her street is so common.  

None of the people in the video was hurt.  One man was shot, twice, in the thigh; his father saw the shooting and returned fire.  

Off_it said:

Chizz said:

Off_it said:

Chizz said:

https://x.com/PicturesFoIder/status/1766872141394243740?s=20 

What makes this so shocking is the comment by the woman in the blue sweatshirt.  She races to pick up the toddler to protect her.  But said later that she didn't immediately realise that it was a shoot out, because the sound of gunfire in her street is so common.  

None of the people in the video was hurt.  One man was shot, twice, in the thigh; his father saw the shooting and returned fire.  

Shocking, isn't it?

BUT, of course, more guns is the answer. If the toddler was also armed then the "good guys" could've easily taken down the "bad guys", like in the westerns.

You're right.  Also, better aim; because there were 47 shots fired and the bloke was only hit twice.  That's a lot of wasted bullets that could have been used to prevent many more crimes, just before they took place. 

Maybe they need more gun ranges too then? And perhaps mandatory lessons in schools to teach kids to shoot straight?

Friend Or Defoe said:

Could be worse, they could have mass stabbings that we have every minute. Nothing screams freedom louder than armed guards at schools.