My friend said that he learned in his sociology class that 1 in 5 Americans are held up at gun point. Don't know if this is true or not...but it sparked a debate.

A couple of people I know recently bought guns. They basically carry them around for protection, I guess. My one friend was explaining to me how his car got broken into and his xm radio and his glock were stolen. So basically, a couple of other people started buying guns because they feel this is pretty scary.

I was saying that in a neighborhood like mine, I really don't feel the need to carry a gun around with me. One guy says "well, you live in Drexel Hill, don't you?" We were having this discussion in his backyard in Upper Darby, which pretty much is Drexel Hill. I was like "come on...you have a huge single house, a nice deck, a pool in your backyard and a big lawn and you are going to tell me that you live in a crappy neighborhood?" Where I live is actually worse than his and it is pretty much all row homes. Also, I used to live in pretty much the shittiest part of Northeast Philly, so this kind of had me cracking up that he was acting like the part of the world he lives in is a warzone, just because his buddy's car was broken into.

Just wanted to talk about guns. How do you feel about them? Is it too easy to get them? Should people carry them around with them? Am I naive and the world is more dangerous than I realize?

I think there are places that, if you live there, you pretty much need to have a gun on you. The Philadelphia suburbs are not among them.

I don't like guns and I refuse to use/buy them, but I'm not about to say that I don't think people should use them because I am not a fan of telling people what they can do in their personal life.

This is funny. I was finally going to get around and attempt a comparative analysis on guns by state, as David requested. Looks like this thread will be a further impetus.

Here is my thing...if you get held up at gun point, chances are very good that the person really has no intention on killing you. As stupid as this may sound, I would actually rather not have a gun on me in this situation. If we both had guns, then people might start to get a little itchy and shots might be fired off or whatever.

I'm not trying to sound like a hardass or anything, but if someone sticks me up and asks me for my wallet, I'd rather stand there and be shot to death then give that mother fucker my hard-earned money.

Then again...this is easy to say since I've never been in the situation. Plus, I hardly ever carry more than 10 bucks on me, so I might just give the guy my wallet. Any cards and shit in there can get cancelled, no problem.

That's my line of thinking as well. I don't carry much if any cash, what with debit cards and all. So If I'm held up, I'm either getting shot or the guy is going to get a couple of bucks and then shoot me for the fact that all I had was enough money on me to make a long distance phone call.

A couple friends of mine have been collecting various forms of guns as in automatic, rifle/pistol, for a good year and now they each have a fucking aresenal which I find strange and very unsettling.

I always thought what Chris Rock said was pretty good, guns should stay the same price, but a bullet should cost ten thousand dollars.

That's a good point.

I have no problem with hunting weaponry, but as far as handguns are concerned, I don't really think they need to be legal. I don't think the personal protection argument really holds--look at NYC... Aren't guns outlawed there? I read a newspaper article there once that said 80% of murder victims there knew their killer beforehand. In other words, random violence is actually fairly limited. Anyways, just my thoughts...

i don't think i believe that 1 in 5 people are held at gunpoint. that seems way too high. also, civilians don't need guns.

Would this mean that fatal pistol-whippings would be on the rise?

Well, I live in a family of 5 and my father was once held at gunpoint.

Maybe but those killed by random bullets during drive-by's, would be down and those people who are getting pistol whipped probably would have gotten shot by the people doing the pistol whipping. Also it is easier to fight back if thats all the gun is used for. So i would rather have a rise in pistol whipping and a decline in innocent people getting shot .

I was being a bit facetious in my response.

I am extremely terrified of guns and I won't come within 10 feet of one, even if it's not loaded. There's been an increase of gun violence (especially drive by's) in Las Vegas and that doesn't sit too well with me. My step-dad and grandpa both have guns, but they are only there for protection. Me on the other hand, I have a metal baseball bat under my bed.

I carry mace pepper spray with me and if an armed person wants me purse, I will use it. But if I cannot, I will cooperate and give them my purse, hoping that they take it and leave.

I think that it's way too easy to get guns these days. Several times a year there are gun shows which are held in town. There are also places in town which sell them and I'm sure that it's easy to steal a gun now-a-days.

Guns are like anything else in our society: ignore them or lack education about them and risk being a victim of them. I can guarantee you that 99% of accidents with guns are due to kids not knowing about them and not respecting them. You simply cannot bury your head in the sand.

I have a best friend that has a small arsenal basically, but I'm never worried when I go over to his apartment, because I'm educated, he's educated, and all his friends are educated. We would never even take them out if we were intoxicated, always check the chamber, never point them at anyone even if we are sure they're unloaded, etc. You simply have to be educated about them and respect them.

I don't own a gun, but I respect the right to own guns and the second amendment for one very good reason. In every totalitarian state, one of the first things to be accomplished is gun registration and gun confiscation. In America we would like to think that we will always be able to solve our problems with the ballot and not the bullet, but this may not always be the case.

Heh, weirdo Americans

oh

How many people on here have ever fired a gun?

I shot a small rifle when I went to camp in New Hampshire about 5 or 6 years ago.

I've fired a normal 22, a 30-30, a shotgun, and a 30-06 (is that how it's spelled?). I may have the names of those guns wrong, but I think that's what they were.