Personal weapons

[Mark_d]

I have a question is it legal to own swords and knifes in the uk or nl??

We have a small collection the oldest being a chinese war sword circa 1870s.

dont know about the nl and not 100% sure of the law here, but if you are found carrying either of them on you in public you will be arrested.

as for having them in your own home for display purposes im not sure

[AzLaker]

Rez. wrote:

That I can 100% agree with and understand... I wonder though, carrying such a "defensive" weapon; should somebody find themselves in a inner city location and needing to pull a gun, would you. I've been in a few confrontational positions and I've had to make some big decissions quite quickly... pulling a gun in public surely will end with a fatality...?

Am I right in assuming that those that carry a gun ARE prepaired to kill another human; should that dreaded "life or death" situation actually happen?

I have a Conceled Weapons Permit from Arizona. Prior to this year, to get your permit, you had to take a two day training course. The first day was intense, dealing only with the laws and the consequences of pulling your weapon out and/or using deadly force. Very useful, very informative.

The second day, went over the first days info...then learned about gun safety before heading out to the range to qualify. You must be able to pass this test first.....then pass a written test when you get back. After that fingerprinted and a background check from D.P.S.(Department of Public Saftey), before permit is issued. Then every 4 years, a 8 hour refresher course to go over new laws and requalify on the range.

In this state you don't need a permit to carry a gun out in the open or on your side in a holster, just a permit to carry it conceled.

In case studies, 8 out of 10 that pulled out their weapon did not have to use deadly force, just showing it to a perpetrator was enough to scared them off.

States or Countries that have strict gun laws, have higher crime, it's a fact. Washington DC has the highest crime rate in the U.S. and the strictest gun control. States that have allowed Conceled weapon permits have some of the lowest crime, why, because the bad guys DON'T know who's packing.



AzLaker

[Guest]

I'm from the UK but the thing is that I would love to have a gun. I held a handgun once and I have to admit that it gave me a feeling of power that was weird as hell. Ok it was a starter pistol but still a guns a gun lol.

[Rez]

Az; I guess the perpotrator knowing that if the need arises he could be shot dead is a pretty good deterrant...

we have a burgular alrm on our house and I always say, they'll rob our nieghbours first - they don't have an alarm!!

i guess the logic is the same... is odd though, i can't imagine going out with a hand gun in a holster... such different lives we all have, very interesting.

[Lemming]

States or Countries that have strict gun laws, have higher crime, it's a fact.

Absolutely not true. Although, sadly, guns are becoming more common here and our society is becoming more violent, the murder rate in USA is still many times that of the UK. And that’s despite a massive proportion of the US population being in prison!

I quite accept that there is a big cultural difference in attitude to guns between USA and Europe. We don’t have much wilderness or many dangerous wild animals here. The divergence in attitude across the Atlantic is so extreme that there is probably even less chance of guns being legalised here than there is of them being banned in USA. As Rez says, the difference is interesting and stark. I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one.

[cattales1960]

I call it job security.<not really but get the point?>

[pan4gold49]

Hi Yall!

I know itrs a big differance between where I grew up. Not much crime there you felt safe there the crimes that had a gun involed were mostly shot by the other half that was caught ceating. In school most disuptes were settled using fists. Now they just shoot each other having never been taught personal honor. I was taught personal honor and what being an american was all about. All of my role models growing up were Veterns
men with who there honor was there word. I am on my 5th and last child to raise and yes she will know the code of west

[mazdog]

AzLaker wrote:
States or Countries that have strict gun laws, have higher crime, it's a fact.

Absolutely not true. Although, sadly, guns are becoming more common here and our society is becoming more violent, the murder rate in USA is still many times that of the UK.

Not sure how it applies to other countries...but within the US, Laker is dead on. My girlfriend wrote a 10 page paper on gun control a couple years back and i was shocked at lot of the sutff she learned. Changed both of our views on gun control.

One major major thing that you have to keep in mind is that here in the US we have a long history with guns and them being readily available. So there are alreay X amount of guns in this country, at this point it would simply be impossible to remove all of them. If we try to remove them they would only be removed from people who are law-abiding citiznes, resulting in only criminals having guns! That would be very bad.

In other countries that just don't have the guns available and already out there...the situation could be handled alot differently.

[AzLaker]

Lemming wrote:

Absolutely not true. Although, sadly, guns are becoming more common here and our society is becoming more violent, the murder rate in USA is still many times that of the UK.

Since the UK has passed stricter guns laws the last few years, violent crime has gone up. It wasn't as high before the law abidding Brit had to give up his or her gun or shotgun.

The states in the USA that have passed laws to allow people to carry conceled weapons, violent crime has gone down States that have strict gun laws like New York, Calif. and Washington DC for instance, violent crime is higher. In the UK where the goverment has pretty much outlawed any legal citizen to have a firearm, that's not going to stop the thug on the street from having a gun or knife, and doing bodily harm to you or your loved ones. I just don't want the goverment to tell me if I can or cannot have a gun, a knife, or a shotgun to protect myself and my family from some of the lunies we have.

Azlaker

[Rez]

THIS aticle (check out the date too ) reminds me of when my home was burgled... i took a crowbar in with me when i climbed into my own home (the front door was jammed closed from inside so i had to gain access the same way they did, through my broken kitchen window)... i was told that had I attacked the burglar with my bar that it would have been ME getting busted... what a fucked up world we live in... an eye for an eye in my world

[Lemming]

Since the UK has passed stricter guns laws the last few years, violent crime has gone up. It wasn't as high before the law abidding Brit had to give up his or her gun or shotgun.

It has always been illegal to carry a gun here. The changes in the law here were about the kinds of weapons collectors and target shooters could process. This has absolutely nothing to do with the rise in gun crime here.

As Mazdog says, the situation is different when there are already so many guns in circulation as in America but that’s no reason why we should flood Europe with guns too. I can’t accept that if everyone here was armed that my chance of getting shot would decrease rather than increase.

Love & Peace

Lem

[AzLaker]

Sad, very sad.

Before, if you shot someone breaking into your home and the local goverment deemed it justified, the criminals family could still sue you in civil court for monetary gain....not anymore, the State of Arizona passed a bill outlawing that practice.

Criminals have rights and victims don''t....Bull Shit

AzLaker

[AzLaker]

Lemming wrote:

I can’t accept that if everyone here was armed that my chance of getting shot would decrease rather than increase.

But Lemming, shouldn't it be the law abidding citizens choice to protect themselves as they see fit and NOT the goverment telling us what we can or cannot have to protect ourselves and our family with, because it won't stop the street thug from having a weapon.

AzLaker

[pansTX420]

I know one thing y'all if you outlaw guns only outlaws have them.

I mean seriously gee I am going to rob a bank or kill some one but having a gun is illegal so I guess I won't use one please?

Also I think that if the criminal in the USA knew that the public did not have guns I think that crime would go up and then it would not be the criminal getting shot it would be the law abiding citizen with no gun. If a criminal could break into your house with a gun knowing you did not have one what a treat for them hu.

and AK Biker.. what ever dude now you are telling me that a polar bear is the same size as a brown bear.

Also I would like to argue with you more on size but the main thing is I am here and I have seen them and you are there and have not so........................
I guess the main point is that I would rather have my 9 then no gun no matter what you think if I can Peirce armor I can Peirce bone........and no matter how big and bad a bear its skull is still made of bone and not titanium. and its head is not nearly as thick as its body, but as I said only there once a year and the main thing is mt lions as I said.

[foxflag]

From what I have read and experienced, US states that allow citizens (who have to be cleared by their local & state police agencies, and FBI background checks) to carry concealed handguns have significantly lower crime. Remember criminals are usually bullies, they pick on people who are least likely to resist, the bad guys don't know who might have a pistol in their purse or in their holster. It's been an effective deterent in many states, in fact with my permit I have reciprosity in 27 other states which honor my states licence laws.
I remember a book 'More Guns, Less Crime' being published which tracks crime in all 50 states and in every single state with a CWP law, there is less violent crime involving guns. However, I do believe flooding the UK and Europe with handguns would be the wrong action to take. Perhaps increasing prison sentences for individuals commiting crimes involving a gun would deter some, but not all.