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If we had similar laws to US would you own a gun?

dulpit

Hey,

I was watching an interview recently and one of the people being interviewed mentioned offhand that he owned a shotgun. This was a bunch of liberal Americans, living in California (I think) and the offhand manner which they mentioned their shotgun for home security, it was like me saying I have a house alarm.

It got me wondering, if for some bizarre reason we adopted some of the US's laws re. gun ownership - would you own one? If so, why?

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The Mighty Quinn

No.

I think having a gun can lead to the situation where it's reached for in a moment of anger, hot-headedness and guns can end badly.

I'd guess they would be responsible for more domestic deaths than intruder deaths.

Gruffalux

Yes.
For after the zombie apocalypse. I will shoot first, questions later.
Seriously. Make my day.

Simi

Given how you're statistically more likely to accidentally (or intentionally) harm yourself or others you care about, than to successfully use it to defend yourself or those you care about, no.

ec18

probably...or at least I'd be a gun club member

12gauge dave

I already own a firearm here in Ireland as many do.

Irish law allows firearm possession on may-issue basis. With approximately seven civilian firearms per 100 people, Ireland is the 107th most armed country in the world.

Gruffalux

12gauge dave wrote: »

I already own a firearm here in Ireland as many do.

Irish law allows firearm possession on may-issue basis. With approximately seven civilian firearms per 100 people, Ireland is the 107th most armed country in the world.

We are probably among the few people in our remote area that don't have a gun. Rural farmers often have shotguns. Handy neighbours post apocalypse. That and the herds of cows for eating.
But it is surprising who has guns. Lived outside a seaside village once and was chatting to a neighbour along the remote road and she had a pistol. No fear in her of strangers calling. The same girl would shoot baddies handy enough. Not a bother to her.

Mr. Incognito

If we had similar education system then probably.

Lollipops23

No way. I'm far too clumsy.

ShyMets

Gruffalux wrote: »

We are probably among the few people in our remote area that don't have a gun. Rural farmers often have shotguns. Handy neighbours post apocalypse. That the herds of cows for eating.
But it is surprising who has guns. Lived outside a seaside village once and was chatting to a neighbour along the remote road and she had a pistol. No fear in her of strangers calling. The same girl would shoot baddies handy enough. Not a bother to her.

Was that in Ireland. As handguns are banned

Gruffalux

ShyMets wrote: »

Was that in Ireland. As handguns are banned

Yes. It was an illegal gun. Are you going to take it off her?

ShyMets

Gruffalux wrote: »

Yes. It was an illegal gun. Are you going to take it off her?

Think I'll pass on that suggestion.

jam_mac_jam

If we had a similar amount of crime that they have yes I would have a gun for my own protection.

If a similar amount of crime that we gave in Ireland no.

Wibbs

ShyMets wrote: »

Was that in Ireland. As handguns are banned

I'm probably way off here and no doubt I'll be corrected by expert folks in this, but many years back a Guard told me that pistols aren't technically banned here, but the chances of getting a licence to have one would be minute.

Ash.J.Williams

if we had their laws we would have to have guns

igCorcaigh

The Mighty Quinn wrote: »

No.

I think having a gun can lead to the situation where it's reached for in a moment of anger, hot-headedness and guns can end badly.

I'd guess they would be responsible for more domestic deaths than intruder deaths.

Yes, some tragic deaths of loved ones because of guns and fear.

No, I would not.

Arms are for the army.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Id only ever own a gun if I was an educated gun owner.

I'd want to be comfortable in my ability to use and secure the weapon properly and I'd want to have practiced using it under conditions designed to trigger an adrenal response.

I would never buy a firearm for funsies or store it unsecurely around persons who were not properly educated in its use.

It would most likely be stored in a gunsafe and therefore would not be likely to be useful in defense of the home against intruders.

Effects

ShyMets wrote: »

Was that in Ireland. As handguns are banned

That's not entirely true.

ShyMets

Wibbs wrote: »

I'm probably way off here and no doubt I'll be corrected by expert folks in this, but many years back a Guard told me that pistols aren't technically banned here, but the chances of getting a licence to have one would be minute.

No I think you might be right. My Father was a Guard and can recall him mentioning a grey area between a pistol and a handgun.

But a rule licenses are not given

Tabnabs

Pistols are licenced and legal, like other firearms in Ireland.

http://nasrpc.ie/pistol/

Wibbs

If we could have firearms other than shotguns and small calibre hunting rifles I'd probably have a couple, but from the historic/collecting side of things. I'd definitely have one of these.

Mauser C96, one of the earliest semi automatic pistols, from the turn of the 20th century(design wise). Has been the basis for many science fiction pistols, including the ones in Star Wars. I shot one many moons ago in the US and for some reason it was the only pistol I tried that I could actually hit the target with. With the rest you'd probably be safer standing in front of me.

NeuralNetwork

In Ireland in general, if you're unfortunate enough to be broken into, other than in what are pretty unusual aggravated burglaries, there's very, very little chance of a gun being pulled. In the vast majority of cases you're dealing with opportunists.

If you're in the US and someone breaks into your house, you pretty much need to take for granted that they're probably armed with a gun. If a police officer pulls someone over, they have to assume they're armed too.

It just ends up as an arms race. Criminals get guns, the general public get bigger guns, the police get bigger guns, then criminals get even bigger guns and the cycle just goes on and on until, as you have now, there are more guns than people and little old ladies thinking they need automatic weapons.

ShyMets

Tabnabs wrote: »

Pistols are licenced and legal, like other firearms in Ireland.

http://nasrpc.ie/pistol/

Thanks. That's what my Father meant shooting pistols are legal.

Gruffalux

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

If we had a similar amount of crime that they have yes I would have a gun for my own protection.

If a similar amount of crime that we gave in Ireland no.

I have lady friends who live in very remote out of the way places and seriously the amount of bother they get from people turning up drunk at night or just chancing their arm Some have spray cans or big sticks near the door. Big dogs. There is always that subconscious awareness. Sometimes himself works away and I would be alone on a dark hill. Personally I think a lady in that situation should be able to fire off a few rounds up high out the window if needs be and sleep easy in her bed.

Wibbs

ShyMets wrote: »

a grey area between a pistol and a handgun.

A pistol is a handgun. Just another name for the type. Though I suppose there are "machine pistols", but generally speaking pistol = handgun.

JustAThought

With our countries suicide rates it would be madness to facilitate guns.

Was googling face transplants last night (! quiet year!) and its shocking to see how many attempted gun suicides end in shocking facial disfigurements . Shocking number of the face transplants in the US are young people whose gun aim did not match their intentions. Not fir the faint hearted.

Their Dept of Defence funds many of them as they are experimental and match the kinds of injuries soldiers are coming home from Afghanistan with :0 Another reason not to change our gun laws. & I’d like to think I wouldn’t get one, but if I lived up a laneway isolated in the middle of nowhere with our approach to crime & rotating door policy I might be extremely tempted.

jam_mac_jam

Gruffalux wrote: »

I have lady friends who live in very remote out of the way places and seriously the amount of bother they get from people turning up drunk at night or just chancing their arm Some have spray cans or big sticks near the door. Big dogs. There is always that subconscious awareness. Sometimes himself works away and I would be alone on a dark hill. Personally I think a lady in that situation should be able to fire off a few rounds up high out the window if needs be and sleep easy in her bed.

Yeah I can see why you would have a gun in that situation. It's a different situation from living ten minutes away from a Garda station in the middle of an estate.

If I was living in a remote area I could see the need for one.

[Deleted User]

I fired a handgun at a gun range is the states years ago. It was weird how easy it was to walk in off the street and then be on a live range with little to no instruction about 10 mins later.

I found the whole experience a little unnerving, knowing there were people to the left and right of me firing away and, if I wanted to, I could "go postal."

Plus, it didn't help that I'm left handed and didn't ask for a suitable pistol. Cue cases being ejected at my face.

Funny overall, because it was really something I was looking forward to as a "tick the box of things I've done" but I didn't enjoy it at all.

And I'm a really crap shot, it seems.

Eh, so no.

Sam Quentin

Yes I would and I'd have no hesitation using it if anyone came at me in my home or was taking my property without my consent.

whisky_galore

Gruffalux wrote: »

We are probably among the few people in our remote area that don't have a gun. Rural farmers often have shotguns. Handy neighbours post apocalypse. That and the herds of cows for eating.

Farming background, never had a gun on the household in my lifetime.
There were bits of war of independence guns lying around, all the complete ones were handed up to be destroyed maybe 50 or more years ago.

As a nation, don't have the hard-on for guns and their ownership that Yanks have and that can only be a good thing.

Gruffalux

Sam Quentin wrote: »

Yes I would and I'd have no hesitation using it if anyone came at me in my home or was taking my property without my consent.

I wouldn't shoot someone taking my stuff. Would just hide or escape. But if someone tried to rape me I would shoot them. If I had a gun.