Is it wrong to get into guns?

[Chantal25]

That’s all I ask. People who have a healthy respect for the deadliness of a firearm are generally those least likely to “worship” them.

Agreed!

 

[Blue_Goose]

No, it is not wrong to own guns and it is never wrong to take steps to defend your family should the need arise.

Guns can be an interesting and fun hobby as long as you don’t let it become an obsession.

I am a long time gun owner and lifetime member of the NRA. I gave guns (with parents permission) to each of my three grandsons. I taught them gun safety and shooting skills and take them out for gun safety refreshers often.

Many people are afraid of guns because they have never been around them. Maybe that is the case with your family. After you become comfortable with your firearms maybe you can slowly begin to educate members of your family and they will not be so resistant to the idea.

Have fun.

 

[Kelfa28]

My point was, you claimed that people shouldn’t keep “dangerous prescription at hand.” What could you possibly mean by that? You do know that people can overdose on Tylenol, right? And there are many prescription drugs that are very dangerous if taken in the wrong dose or by the wrong person?

Tylenol is probably the most common way for a person to overdose. It’s also one of the more dangerous ways because it often fails and often destroys the liver and the kidneys…tying the patient to a dialysis machine for the rest of their lives.

One of the most dangerous and effective ways to overdose? Tylenol PM. I used to work as a paramedic and have shown up to two houses where Tylenol PM was used to overdose. One died and the other nearly died.

A very common, perfectly legal, OTC and you don’t even need to be 18 to purchase it.

I’ve taken an so many patients in for suicide attempts I’ve lost count. The most common is overdosing but it’s the most likely to fail. I’ve shown up to a high number of successful suicide attempts and I’ve never been to one involving a gun. Most were overdoses of heroin or hangings.
I do know they happen…the few I know of were actually murder suicide attempts with mixed results.
The shootings I’ve responded to were violence against someone else while using a gun that they weren’t legally allowed to posses.

 

[The_Bucket]

I agree that’s crazy. They should be hoarding ammo and reloading components instead.

Haha.

But seriously, I personally know a couple of guys who are way into the whole “guns, food, gold and fuel” thing. Neither of them are churchgoers and they are filled with fear.

Plus the whole gold thing is just idiotic. If the world does completely go to hell there will be no worthwhile currency and no one will care a lick about gold. Fuel, non-perishable food and weapons, on the other hand, will indeed retain their value.

 

[SamH]

The real question from a public policy standpoint is how far should the state go to protect people from themselves? Personally I think it’s our job to protect ourselves and our loved ones for the most part. And we should also protect our neighbors as well. The more we cede to the state the less responsible we feel for our neighbors. The less responsible we feel for our neighbors, the less comfortable we feel in sharing Christ’s message with them.

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The state doesn’t have to protect people from criminals that they know are dangerous and usually make it a point of not proctecting citizens from criminals as a matter of policy. How are they going to effectively protect us from ourselves?

 

[Kelfa28]

That’s all I ask. People who have a healthy respect for the deadliness of a firearm are generally those least likely to “worship” them.

Coming from a person who is all about rights for gun owners and who has a license to carry and a handgun for home defense purposes.

I couldn’t agree with you more.

I’ve had this conversation with my husband many times. Weapons are a hobby for him. He knows so much about them I wish he would just go out and get his gun smithing license or become a safety instructor because he is knowledgable about most weapons systems. He is like an encyclopedia.

I don’t understand why someone would need to possess multiple weapons…such as multiple rifles…even if the excuse was home defense.
Seriously, in my neighborhood…using an AR-15 would go through your house and your neighbors house easily and put your neighbor in danger. Why not just have a simple handgun or shot gun?

I’m not saying we should ban high powered rifles. I can’t think of a better weapon to defend a large, multi-acre farm from intruders or to hunt with. But…people who collect loads of weapons? You are asking for more trouble then you need.

 

[The_Bucket]

I’m not one to argue that the state can effectively protect us from ourselves. Does locking up drug users prevent people from, you know, using drugs? That’s not to condone drug use. I don’t. And I don’t want people high on meth or crack or whatever running around on the street because they tend to engage in many other crimes to feed their addictions. I’m just noting that jailing them has failed. Rehabilitation centers do little better. People are going to hurt themselves no matter what we do.

We shouldn’t stop trying to protect folks from themselves, but we as a society need to drop the facade that somehow we could control everything and keep everyone safe if only we adopted “common sense measures” for X, Y and Z.

I certainly support closing gun show loopholes and requiring some kind of background check for most if not all firearm sales. And personally I’d support mandatory safety lessons (at the state level) for first-time gun owners. We require drivers ed and a test for cars. Why not for guns?

But after passing those safety lessons, I’m way less restrictive than most on what one should be able to buy. You pass a background check and less-than-merely-rudimentary safety course? Go ahead and buy yourself a .50 cal machine gun. I don’t care. We don’t tell teenagers after passing their driving test that they can only own underpowered compact cars, do we? That might be the smart thing to do, but I don’t care for the state mandating that kind of restriction.

 

[SamH]

I’m not one to argue that the state can effectively protect us from ourselves. Does locking up drug users prevent people from, you know, using drugs? That’s not to condone drug use. I don’t. And I don’t want people high on meth or crack or whatever running around on the street because they tend to engage in many other crimes to feed their addictions. I’m just noting that jailing them has failed. Rehabilitation centers do little better. People are going to hurt themselves no matter what we do.
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So if they can’t effectively protect people from themselves what would a new law(s) accomplish?

Remember, never mistake activity for achievement.

 

[The_Bucket]

Well that’s like saying why bother with any laws at all since crime still happens. It’s a non-starter.

 

[styrgwillidar]

Well that’s like saying why bother with any laws at all since crime still happens. It’s a non-starter.

No it’s not. It’s say don’t pass pointless laws, pass laws which actually address the issue.

Unfortunately, that takes analysis and reason while politicians today want to cater to emotion.

It is saying that politicians should put thought and analysis into the laws being passed to achieve a purpose. That instead of passing laws which at best give the illusion of doing something while at a minimum imacting the civil rights of the law-abiding (at worst precluding them from being able to defende themselves); the effort should be directed at laws which will address the problem. Even the advocates of the laws being passed admit they wouldn’t have stopped Sandy Hook, they will not reduce the chance of spree shootings in the future, and they won’t reduce crime.

Points confirmed by a survey of LEOs (the guys on patrol, not the leadership which has to consider politics in getting support from their mayors)

policeone.com/Gun-Legislation-Law-Enforcement/articles/6183787-PoliceOnes-Gun-Control-Survey-11-key-findings-on-officers-thoughts/

Of course, this all assumes that the folks pushing the gun-control laws don’t have another agenda. That is, they know full well that these laws will not affect the criminals, only the law abiding. And that is their real goal.

 

[Kelfa28]

Haha.
Plus the whole gold thing is just idiotic. If the world does completely go to hell there will be no worthwhile currency and no one will care a lick about gold. Fuel, non-perishable food and weapons, on the other hand, will indeed retain their value.

Really?

The people of Zimbabwe would very much disagree with you. Their money is totally worthless and people are reduced to daily panning for gold just to buy bread.

Owning Gold is wise…not idiotic.

I’m a devote Catholic and I own gold. The price of gold has literally doubled in the last five years. I have cash reserves too…but when inflation hits and cash is useless…one would be wise to have gold coins in order to buy much needed supplies or just a way out of the country.

Not to mention what happened in Cyprus…the government decided to raid everyone’s life savings in their banks to pay off their debt. Insurance be darned. Owning gold is a secure way to keep your life savings totally safe. I can put my life savings in gold coins and be able to move them around easily because the price of gold is so high.

Regardless of whether the US goes down the path that Cyprus did…I’m not willing to take that chance. My money is perfectly safe. And if something goes wrong with my gold…virtually no one else is having a good day financially either.

 

[styrgwillidar]

Well that’s like saying why bother with any laws at all since crime still happens. It’s a non-starter.

Reading your prior post with some suggested laws, I think you’ve put more thought into effectiveness of laws with respect to specific issues than most lawmakers.

 

[EasterJoy]

A plastic bag takes planning?

A 4 year old foster child we had figured it out in a minute - and tried to kill her sister in the process.

A plastic bag gives you time to reconsider what you’re doing to yourself. Once the gun goes off, you can’t bring the bullet back.

What people attempting suicide do not realize, however, is that a gun is not a no-fail way to commit suicide. There isn’t one! Rehabilitation centers routinely see patients who made this mistake in choosing to attempt suicide, people who are learning how to do without the part of their head that they destroyed with a gun or killed off by depriving it of oxygen.

There is not a way to attempt suicide that cannot leave you very much alive but still worse off than you started. I have asked doctors, and they confirm that this is true. Anything capable of killing you is capable of doing permanent and serious damage to you if it does not kill you, and the damage is usually at least to your mental faculties, because of the period of oxygen deprivation that near-death situations usually bring about. The human body is amazingly–sometimes almost miraculously!–resilient. Maybe you want to die, but be sure that your autonomic nervous system isn’t buying it! Until it is time for natural death, your body is going to try to live!

If someone wants to commit suicide, tell them their life is worth living, but do not stop there. Tell them that there is no way to try to commit suicide that cannot fail and leave them worse off. None. Zero. Medical fact, proven many times by experiment. Yes, if they try to commit suicide, their miracle survival may leave them with far more problems that they started with, permanent problems, totally avoidable problems. Combined with the pessimism of depression, that may deter someone from making an attempt. They will also know you are taking their talk of suicide seriously, and that killing onesself is no fantasy situation. It is very real, and it does not push people towards suicide if they realize that. We can only hope.

 

[EasterJoy]

Preventing Youth suicide:

nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/suicideprevention.aspx

Suicide Risk Factors

Certain characteristics are associated with increased suicide risk. These include:

Mental illness including depression, conduct disorders, and substance abuse.
Family stress/dysfunction.
Environmental risks, including presence of a firearm in the home.
Situational crises (i.e., traumatic death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse, family violence, etc.).

Suicide Warning Signs

Many suicidal youth demonstrate observable behaviors that signal their suicidal thinking. These include:

Suicidal threats in the form of direct and indirect statements.
Suicide notes and plans.
Prior suicidal behavior.
Making final arrangements (e.g., making funeral arrangements, writing a will, giving away prized possessions).
Preoccupation with death.
Changes in behavior, appearance, thoughts and/or feelings.

What to Do

Youth who feel suicidal are not likely to seek help directly; however, parents, school personnel, and peers can recognize the warning signs and take immediate action to keep the youth safe. When a youth gives signs that they may be considering suicide, the following actions should be taken:

Remain calm.
Ask the youth directly if he or she is thinking about suicide.
Focus on your concern for their wellbeing and avoid being accusatory.
Listen.
Reassure them that there is help and they will not feel like this forever.
Do not judge.
Provide constant supervision. Do not leave the youth alone.
**Remove means for self-harm.**
Get help: Peers should not agree to keep the suicidal thoughts a secret and instead should tell an adult, such as a parent, teacher, or school psychologist. Parents should seek help from school or community mental health resources as soon as possible. School staff should take the student to the designated school mental health professional or administrator.

No one is suggesting that people who seem to be at risk for suicide should be left alone with guns or ropes or piles of Valium. No one is even suggesting that gun owners do not bear the responsibility for keeping their guns secured at all times from those without permission to use them. The question is whether it is immoral to even own a gun or keep one where it can be accessed quickly because the risk of someone stealing such a gun for a suicide is so high. While it is fine to decide you don’t want to take that chance, that is not a foregone moral conclusion.

 

[EasterJoy]

If you have young children, any thing that they can swallow thinking is a candy, shouldn’t be at reach. If you have a teenager that is depress, it is highly recommended to remove thing that can inflict harm. Girl tendency is to use pill or raiser blade. Boy are gun or hanging.

I am sure you don’t argue with this.

All the best,

p.s.My original intent of posting in this tread was to offer OP my opinion because he was asking all of us for our opinion. As mentioned, he has already make up his mind. I have no attachment what you think of me, i replied to bring clarity but it seems that some of you use any opportunity to distortion my intention. I don’t play those game. So please, kindly let it go.** If you believe guns are cool and in no time we should worry about this, this is you and i honor your view, please kindly honor mine.**

No one is saying that guns ought to be left lying about with no care about who has access to them. The question is whether responsible home gun ownership is possible. It is, even with children in the house.

There is a “girl tendency” and a “boy tendency” when it comes to methods of suicide attempt, but it is only a tendency. All suicide risks, regardless of gender, ought to be kept from those things that they could use to harm themselves. The lengths to which those doing this ought to go depends on the assessed level of the risk. If it is very high, the would-be suicide victim sometimes needs to be kept secure and closely supervised in a very restricted environment until the crisis passes.

Guns and great piles of painkillers ought to be kept secure at all times, however. When there are young children in the house who are of a certain age, we all know the lengths that the “suicide watch” has to rise to…no plastic bags in reach, no objects small enough to fit through a toilet paper roll, no open electrical sockets, no windows that will open enough for them to jump out, no bunk beds with accessible ladders, and so on and on. Once a child is older, those precautions can and ought to be lifted. There is such a thing as keeping a home too safe. We don’t all need to be treated like we belong in an asylum, not even when we’re 16!

I would go so far as to teach children (and gun owners) that emotional self-assessment ought to be part of the equations when keeping guns secure, or anything that carries serious danger. I teach my children, for instance, that alcohol should never be used as “a medicine for being sad”. The rule ought to be that when you are down and upset, you should not touch alcohol. Let your friends drink, but if you are down, it is better to enjoy your friends but stick with non-alcoholic refreshments for yourself. Save alcohol for when you are feeling good. The same goes with guns. If you are upset or down and especially if you are very angry, your rule ought to be that you will not go near them. No one in those conditions ought to handle them. Let it go until things clear up. I think that is a prudent rule, such that when someone is upset they should not express surprise to find that they’ve been locked out of both the gun cabinet and the liquor cabinet, and if they are really upset, probably denied the car keys, too.

 

[SamH]

I

p.s.My original intent of posting in this tread was to offer OP my opinion because he was asking all of us for our opinion. As mentioned, he has already make up his mind. I have no attachment what you think of me, i replied to bring clarity but it seems that some of you use any opportunity to distortion my intention. I don’t play those game. So please, kindly let it go.** If you believe guns are cool and in no time we should worry about this, this is you and i honor your view, please kindly honor mine.**

You opinion is basically “Everyone else is wrong and I am the only right person because I care about children”. It appears you seem to think that anyone that has a differing opinion can’t.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Really?

The people of Zimbabwe would very much disagree with you. Their money is totally worthless and people are reduced to daily panning for gold just to buy bread.

Owning Gold is wise…not idiotic.

I’m a devote Catholic and I own gold. The price of gold has literally doubled in the last five years. I have cash reserves too…but when inflation hits and cash is useless…one would be wise to have gold coins in order to buy much needed supplies or just a way out of the country.

Not to mention what happened in Cyprus…the government decided to raid everyone’s life savings in their banks to pay off their debt. Insurance be darned. Owning gold is a secure way to keep your life savings totally safe. I can put my life savings in gold coins and be able to move them around easily because the price of gold is so high.

Regardless of whether the US goes down the path that Cyprus did…I’m not willing to take that chance. My money is perfectly safe. And if something goes wrong with my gold…virtually no one else is having a good day financially either.

Texas said it wants its gold back.

[One of the congressmen from Texas, anyway.]

 

[SamH]

Well that’s like saying why bother with any laws at all since crime still happens. It’s a non-starter.

Actually that is far from the truth.

It’s against the law to kill people, and people break that law all the time and go to priuson for it. But these laws are restrictions being placed on the law abiding for the actions of the law breakers.

Rape is against the law. So to prevent rape the government is not going to aggessively prosecute the rapist, they will instead pass a law telling women they can only go out in public with a male escort. The government is going to restrict the rights of the law abiding without actually addressing law breakers.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Lost Wondered. It is sad that you lost faith in God this way, sorry for all the tragedy that happened to you that led you to feel that you can only take matter in your own hand.

All the best to you!

1. It is not lost faith in God. It’s in fact more faith in the brain God gave the human race, including me (and you).
2. Taking matters into one’s own hands is what free will is about. God gave you that remember?

 

[Monte_RCMS]

johnrlott.blogspot.com/2013/04/progress-on-what-people-should-do.html

progress-on-what-people-should-do

Well, at least they are now encouraging active resistance by victims and faster responses by police. It would be even better if they left people defend themselves with guns, but this is a small start. From The New York Times …

The speed and deadliness of recent high-profile shootings have prompted police departments to recommend … fighting in the event of a mass attack, instead of remaining passive and waiting for help.

The shift represents a “sea change,”

The traditional advice to the public has been: “Don’t get involved, call 911,” Wexler said, adding that "there’s a recognition in these ‘active shooter’ situations that there may be a need for citizens to act

Wexler and others noted that the change echoes a transformation in police procedures

“We used to sit outside and set up a perimeter and wait for the SWAT team to get there,”

“Now it’s a recognition that time is of the essence, and those initial responders have to go in,”