gun in houses

I can certainly see your point, Yola. But also there are other reasons to keep guns than just for the criminals...just like the skunk I mentioned above, and we also have coyotes and alot of other wild animals around here who can get rabies and might need to be put down. Also we have bobcats here, and if one of them was ever attacking one of my pets or my child, or was rabid, I wouldn't hesitate to have hubby kill it.

I see your point too. Thankfully we are rabies-free here, and the authorities work like mad to ensure it stays that way.

I can see why now in as much as it might strengthen the pro-gun lobby case if we had rabies.

Just wanted to add that my pets do have their rabies shots, but if a rabid animal was attacking them, they wouldn't stand much of a chance, especially a bigger animal like a coyote or bobcat.

Guns - yuck. I fear guns, and the people who own them. I get jittery when I see armed police at airports.

Can I have a history lesson? When was the constitution written? Does it not need updating? Yeah, the "right to arm bears" (he he) 100 odd years ago, when there were wolves (?) and mountain lions roaming across the wilderness, was relevant, but is it still relevant?

What is the level of accidental shootings in a domestic situation?

I personally don't agree with hunting either (but that is another thread)

LDG, I am not anti-gun. I am anti-gun in my house becasue I have small children and run a daycare.

I grew up in a house w/ a whole menagerie of guns ( my dad was on the police force for 34 years) and I believe that adults should be educated about weapons. I also believe if I were to have one in the house, I would know how to properly use it.

I just do not feel comfortable w/ my children at this age.

More people are killed by cars, than by guns but I don't see anyone trying to ban cars. More children are beaten to death, by their parents, than are killed by gunfire. The majority of children, killed by gunfire, are killed in drive-bys and gang-related shootings, NOT by playing with their parents' guns. We do not need gun control, we need criminal control.

Flimflam, Our constitution was written sometime around 1787.
Here is the text of the second Amendment:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed

It is definitely open to interpretation. Our constitution provides us with a framework for a pretty good governmental system. However, sometimes, I think we spend too much time debating what the framers meant, and not enough debating what we need now.

I don't think that the government should have the right to take guns away from people who know how to use them properly.

As to accidental shootings, I am not sure of the numbers.

Cindy - I have to agree that criminals are able to 'work the system' and often can get away (literally) with murder.

I deplore (a good politicians word) the softening of stances against criminals. It seems everyone is more concerned with the rehabilitation of crims rather than supporting the victims of crime. However, I still don't know if keeping a gun for personal use actually deters anyone. It just means the crims keep guns also and the whole thing escalates.

If it works for the US and its citizens then that is fine by me - I don't have a major beef with it one way or the other. Only personally I don't think I would own a gun even if it was legal to do so, and I used to shoot pistols in competitions.

Originally posted by katl8e
More people are killed by cars, than by guns but I don't see anyone trying to ban cars. More children are beaten to death, by their parents, than are killed by gunfire. The majority of children, killed by gunfire, are killed in drive-bys and gang-related shootings, NOT by playing with their parents' guns. We do not need gun control, we need criminal control.

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Very well said, I couldn't have said it better.

I remember we got into a discussion at my last job about this stuff, and my ex-coworker had a really good idea: put ALL of the criminals on their own island, far, far away from civilization, & let them shoot, beat, kill each other off.

Originally posted by Tigger
... put ALL of the criminals on their own island, far, far away from civilization, & let them shoot, beat, kill each other off.

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I may be wrong (I often am ), but isn't that a small part of Australia's history, or is that just folk tales?

Yes, Australia was, originally a penal colony for Britain. There were, also colonies on Norfolk Island. France used French Guyana, in South America ("Papillon"). In this country, Alcatraz is an example of isolating convicts.

Here, in Arizona, prisons are built in isolated desert areas. With current tendency, toward mollycoddling criminals, though, I don't think that we'll see anything like penal colonies, again.

The closest that we get are the supermax prisons for the worst of the worst.

I grew up with many, many firearms in the house. Both my parents hunted, and my father is a collector. From a very young age we were taught about guns, how to use them (when we were old enough) and certainly to respect them. Like others, we never had toy guns. I remember getting in trouble for pointing a stick at someone while we were playing cops and robbers (or something like that). All the guns were locked up in a closet with a deadbolt up higher than most so we couldn't get into it. The ammo was kept in a separate room. We didn't have guns for protection, but for recreational use. I also have shot military grade semi-automatic rifles competitively.

Although it is not specifically spelled out in the Constitution, in other writings of the founding fathers they specifically state that part of the reason to keep arms is to make sure that the PEOPLE stay in control of the government. There can be no military government or police state here, the people are armed too well and that is also the point of the right to bear arms. One of the first things that Hitler did once be became fuhrer was to register, then outlaw the people having guns. He didn't want any resistance from his own people.

The problem is that like everything else, many people don't take the time to educate themselves and their children about the guns they keep in their homes. I think that if you take the mystery away and teach children what they are and to respect them, most of the accidents wouldn't happen. People want a quick solution to make them feel secure.

As far as keeping a gun as a deterrant for crimes not working, quite frankly neither is the justice system and the threat of prison time. For many criminals, whether they be driven by drug addiction, rage, greed or whatever, there is no real deterrant. However, there are many crimes that are stopped because of the victims' guns being used.

Heidi - well put. "Here Here!"

Laurie

I agree! Well said!!!

Thursday morning, at about 3:00 a.m., a local man heard an intruder in the house. He got his gun and searched. The intruder was in the kitchen, armed with a long screwdriver. The burglar advanced and the homeowner backed up (mistake), tripped and fell. He DID manage to shoot the guy but, in the process, shot HIMSELF in the hand! The bad guy is in the hospital in critical condition.

WHY this guy backed up, is beyond me. He should have just shot the burglar and had done with it! If you're going to keep a gun in the house, you had better be prepared to use it. Between Bill's military training and my Marine Corps upbringing, any burglar here will wind up in the morgue! (Saves a lot of taxpayers' money. Burials are cheaper than trials.)

Maybe he backed up out of instinct? I know when someone is coming at me, it's just instinct for me to back up, especially if they are getting in my 'personal' space.

I did not grow up with guns in my home. My dad was ex-navy, but was very adamant about not having them. When I left home and moved in with my first husband, his family was in law enforcement, and I was taught to shoot. Without going into a lot of details, I will tell you that I am alive today because I had a gun and knew how to use it. I had a home invasion in a very rural area. I was also attacked by my own dog and had to shoot it. It had my arm in it's mouth at the time, and had been going for my throat.
There is a female firearms expert that has several books out that some of you may find interesting. Her name is Paxton Quigley. The only title that comes to mind right now is "Armed and Female" and it is an excellent book. It is a bit dated now, but it is still excellent information for any woman that owns or is considering owning a gun. She has great common sense and the perspective of a mother with guns in the house.

Good for you, KrazyKat. I'm glad that I was taught to take care of myself.

Its not just defending myself: my dad made sure that I knew how to change a tire, check the fluids in my vehicle and do minor home repairs.

I did the same things, with my sons AND taught them how to cook, sew on buttons, do laundry and iron a shirt.

These things are, all basic survival skills.

Cindy - same here. Didn't grow up with guns, but got my first tool box as a present at age 8, and was taught how to use everything in it. Did learn to sew, but am just now learning to knit. So glad you taught your sons to be self-sufficient, everyone deserves to be!