I regularly use firearms in my business. I’m responsible for the safety of around 1000 animals of several species. I’m also responsible for ending their pain/suffering when necessary. Between predator and varmint control and euthanasia I probably use a firearm a couple times a week on average. Where I live almost everyone owns multiple firearms. Most children start hunting deer by age 8-10. There is no firearm crime. I don’t know of a crime involving a firearm in the last 20 years within a 25 mile radius of my house. In fact there is very little crime if any kind. An armed society truly is a polite society. Few lock their houses and most have several vehicles around unlocked with the keys in the ignition. The idea the presence of firearms equates with violence is absurd. The content of the character of the members of society is the deciding factor. I do not hunt, I only kill if it is necessary. I do enjoy shooting recreationally once in a while when time permits. I don’t suppose shooting is any different than golf really, just slightly different equipment and faster projectiles. I also enjoy researching new and different firearm technology and configuring/modifying my firearms so they best fit their intended purpose. I am a believer that a truly free society can only exist if the people are able to defend themselves from all threats to that freedom. Yes, I also believe I am safer armed. Traveling out of state one time I had an experience where the presence of a firearm deterred a merry band of tweakers from robbing me. If you ever come over to see the United States for yourself pm me and I’ll make sure you have the opportunity to experience my world firsthand if you’d like.
Yeah difference between US and Finland is HUGE when it comes to safety (or healthcare, education, social security, clean tap water and so on). World's Safest Countries 2019. From that site, Ireland is ranked #16, Finland #3, Iceland #1 (I think Iceland been safest country over 10 years now), United States #65, Philippines #128 - so America is about as middle as it can be (from safest to unsafest). People also can adapt a lot. By that I mean you need to be smart in places where level of risk is higher (violence, traffic, thieves/scammers, pollution, etc). I have to say, I really don't understand Americans - way of thinking is like from another planet. Level of ignorance, strong exceptionalism and plutocracy is those top things what I don't get - why society is build that way, makes no sense. Maybe there is sense somewhere, but I'm way too different to get it.
Most cultures are ultimately alien to all but those immersed in them. I have spent a lot of time among different cultures. After nearly fifty years in the US, I am now pretty well assimulated for the most part, but when I return to Ireland periodically, as soon as I step off the plane, I feel at home in the South or North as I have never felt here... not good or bad...just a deeper familiarity. Perhaps because of my time among different cultures I don’t see the US as most in the EU or elsewhere do, often seeing American culture with a high degree of uniformity and drawing overly broad generalizations about American Culture. Sure, the are many common characteristics, but I see much of the US as a great multiplicity of cultures, diverse backgrounds, accents, and beliefs and language across the country and even within the same cities. At times it results in misunderstanding, conflict, and even violence, but it works despite the warts, differences and the population size. As much as Americans might criticize and squabble among each other, if attacked by non Americans, they will be quick to stand together. Those voyeurs watching and trying to get a sense of things tend to get information that is often the product of internal differences, sensationalized for political and social effect that feeds the world with a confirmation skewed bias of non Americans that misses much of the reality. Americans are often criticized, but much of the world seeks to be protected by, trade with, and even move here. As is often said, America love it or leave it. How many have said the same of their family?
A gun gives me (an overweight 50 something man) a chance to defend himself and his family against the young and fit. Yes, I feel safer with a gun. I don't carry a gun with me, but I want to always have one in my home. I live in hurricane country. Between May and November, there is a chance that I will be without power and contact with the outside world for a week or so. If you don't want a gun, don't get one. Just don't get in my way of owning a gun, and we'll be fine.
There have been about 4 since 1934. At least one of those crimes was by a police officer using his duty submachine gun to rob banks.
Is the leftwing part of your government trying to take guns away? I know I wouldn't talk about guns if there weren't people trying to take my right to own them away. Our situation is not particularly bad. 25 years ago it was, and since then it's gotten much better. Our murder rate is about half of what it was in 1993. IMHO, the best way to reduce violent crime is to harshly punish the offenders and keep them in prison for a long time.
Nothing to take at this point and we really don't have need to have any if you're not police or hunter. Good it's getting better. Our murder rate is kinda low, 1,6 / 100.000 - in US it's 4,7 / 100.000.
Different populations. Has nothing to do with gun laws, but with the makeup of the U.S. vs. Finnish populations. In 1993, the U.S. murder rate was about 10.3 per 100k.
And this is why people get snappy with answers such as it's my right or it's none of your business because so often the person who asks why we have a gun is really saying why do you need a gun and in their mind we shouldn't feel the way we do.
The reasons are many, but it begins with firearms being part of our culture since the very beginnings of our country, to many Americans, (traditionalists') a firearm represents an integral part of our G*d given freedoms, allowing independence, self regulation and security while eliminating the need of a nanny state to take of us which is actually a form of slavery.
We have a Second Amendment and should have no security problems in our free States. States should be organizing more militia until they have no security problems. For-profit prisons are not the answer.
One thing you need to realize laws do not prevent crime, all laws do is act as a deterrent giving someone who is considering committing a crime an incentive to not commit a crime. If a person is truly determined to commit a crime, their is not a single firearms related law and there are about 20,000 of such laws in the U.S. that will prevent that crime from being committed. Reducing the amount of firearms present in a society, such as ours, really has no direct effect on reducing the number of crimes committed and in fact may actually increase crimes, because firearm laws disproportionate negative effect on the law abiding versus the criminal element amongst us. Now anti-gunners will claim parts of the U.S. with more firearm regulations have lower crime rates, but in order to prove their point they cherry pick the areas they make reference to, while ignoring areas where such dilutes their narrative proving it to be false. What does actually lower firearm related crimes is proper policing combined with vigorous prosecution of those who misuse firearms and that is a fact backed by U.S. Department of Justice studies.
