Guns, Guns Guns

Daryl wrote:An interesting and accurate post cthia. The strange thing though is that despite us having all those lethal creatures it is very rare for someone to be killed by any of them. Steve Irwin who you quoted was killed by a sting ray, which normally isn't considered dangerous.
Sorry if you get emotional about gun access discussions, it's just that most people in the developed world (including many in the US) don't share the guns maketh the man ethos. One aspect that I find strange is the delusion that having a gun makes you safer, like it comes with a force field. If I was holding a person at gunpoint I'd be unlikely to shoot them, but if they pulled a gun then I would.

Life Down Under
More humor. I'm gonna get in truuuuuuble...

Riddle me this. Is there a such thing as a picnic in Australia?

Not for the wildlife, but for people. People are the picnic.

Heck, you've got a stonefish that has a sting so painful you simply crawl up in a ball, and just say f**k it and die. And he's sitting on the bottom of the ocean, just in case you wanna be a smartass and think you can tip-toe ashore. You have the most venomous this, the most venomous that, heck, you don't just want dangerous creatures, you gotta have THE MOST DANGEROUS in their species. It's as if God made a lot of dangerous creatures one day, then fell asleep. It must have been day six when he rested. Then he woke up and found they had all gotten out somehow and he said, "Oh shoot." Then he opened up heaven and let 'em all fall to Earth. Guess where they all fell? Go on, take a whack at it, I promise you'll get it right!

I've been to Aussie several times. Always in a nice hotel in the big cities. Now that I saw a certain documentary to make me aware of just how much danger lurks down under, I won't ever make the trip again unless I'm allowed to book and bring a tank. And if I see a croc, I'm gonna blast it. If I see a snake, I'm gonna blast it. So be forewarned. If you invite me to your home, expect me to roll up packing in an M1A1 Abram. So do make sure you clear your lawn of any toys. Because if it looks like a spider, walks like a spider, you're gonna end up with a huge crater in your front yard!

And then I still won't exit the tank until I treat a large area with a flame thrower, 'cause your frickin bull ants ain't no joke either. What the heck did Australia do to the big man upstairs? I saw a video where a kangaroo kicked a man's ass. There's a big bird who has a kick that breaks bones. A big freakin' bird! I thought big bird was a gentile Sesame Street character. MY ASS! I would imagine American kids wouldn't like seeing big bird in Australia. And Aussie kids seeing Sesame Street probably wants to kick big birds ass for being an imposter.

Your snakes look so dangerous that they frighten you in a photo. A funnel web spider, a taipan snake. Heck, even the name itself of most Aussie creatures frighten you. Australian creatures frighten you worse than a horror movie. One of my friends said that documentaries on Australian wildlife is like watching a rocky horror picture show. Even your ants can't just be called an ant. Oh no! He's a BULL ANT. "I ain't just an ant you American punk. I'm a BULL of an ant."

What the heck does Australians need guns for? You're already surrounded, out venomed and out numbered. You wouldn't want to shoot at anything and simply piss something off, would you?

"WTF!? Did you just shoot at us? GET HIM!"

On that website, it gives two numbers like so, 10/10. The first number is the danger level. The second number is the chance of seeing one. The chance of seeing one is listed as a 10 for all top 30 creatures. I assimilate that as being the same as warning you that they're everywhere!

Be afraid. Be very afraid when you come down under. I am. I'm very am!

When Crocodile Dundee came to NY, no wonder he was bored out of his wits.

The only reason you really need a gun in Australia, is to shoot yourself if you get cornered.

The sky isn't safe either, the Australian Magpie is up there. It's related to the butcherbird family. The butcherbird family? A bunch of butchers?

Then you got the Southern Cassowary on the ground that stands 6-ft tall and weighs 130 lbs, the big bird I mentioned a while ago. Really Australia, really? Do you really have to have a bird that's tall enough to look a man in the eye? It has razor sharp spurs and has one of the strongest kick forces of any animal. It says he's very territorial. Cool, he can have the entire Northern and Southern territories for all I care. If he perceives a threat, he will attack. No wonder you don't care for guns. Guns are perceived as threats. They'll only serve to get you killed in Australia.

"Human intruders in Cassowary habitat have been ripped open, disemboweled, or killed instantly by the slicing force of a Cassowary attack." OMG!

I've seen several jellyfish incidents on beaches in my lifetime and it looks painful as hell. Screaming galore. But America's jellyfish are little jellyfish compared to -- you guessed it, Australia's. You simply have to be the best, predator wise, huh Australia?

Running from bulls in Spain. Please. Australians have to run from everything.

What's the national pastime in Australia? Running for your life!

Australia has what, of course, the largest species in the world called the lion's mane jellyfish. A lion of a jelly fish? WTF Australia! 8 ft. head, 10- feet of tentacles, weighing in at a hefty quarter ton! That thing is so big it turns lifeguards into women. I know that for a fact because they've taken to wearing pantyhose for protection. Don't worry, no man in Australia is ashamed of wearing pantyhose if they've got the balls to live down under! Then I find out that they've been found in New Hampshire, here in the states. One set of tentacles broke off stinging 150 people. Do me a favor Australia. Do keep your pets down under please.

Then Australia has the Portuguese Man O' War that's responsible for 10,000 stings a year. I was under the impression there's only about 11,00 people in Australia. This damn thing is attacking everybody. And everybody knows a gun won't shoot underwater. LOL

Then there's the Irukanji jellyfish. The smallest box jellyfish that's only 5mm in size. I suppose it has a Japanese-like name cause it's so small you never see it coming. Like a ninja. But it has the venom a whopping 200 times that of a cobra. Of course, you guessed right again. THE MOST VENOMOUS animal toxin ON EARTH!

Now I know what happened to the dinosaurs.

The idiots took a detour through Australia one day. They didn't make it.

"It seems to go without saying that the most poisonous, deadliest and meanest of all the jellyfish inhabits Australia. The variety of box jellyfish known as the sea wasp or marine stinger is widely regarded as one of the most deadly creatures on earth. Along with other box jellies they have been responsible for at least 5,568 deaths recorded since 1954.

The 15 tentacles can reach up to 3 metres (10 ft) long and each is covered in around half a million venom infused, microscopic darts. It is estimated that each animal contains enough venom to kill 60 adult humans. The venom acts fast too and it can kill within minutes causing cardiovascular collapse. It also attacks the nervous system and skin cells.

The actual sting has been compared to being branded with a red hot iron. It is said that the pain can be so severe that it may result in shock leading to drowning or heart failure on its own. Whilst stings are often survived pain can continue for weeks and there may be permanent scarring resembling whip marks across affected areas.

With 24 eyes, four brains and an impressive 60 anal regions (whatever they are) the box jelly fish are definitely an advanced and formidable creature."

Sound like a live Manticoran flechete gun to me. With eyes. Lots of eyes.

In Australia, its as if people are the ones in a zoo being watched!

May as well fess up. I already know. The reason you don't own guns in Australia is because everything there will only take it from you and shove it right up your candy ass.

Australia has made Australians the toughest, most fearless people in the world. What on Earth do you need guns for? You wrestle crocs for a living.

And there I was thinking a hexapuma was soooo bad. Please. Bring his butt to Australia, the bull ants will take care of his ass.

cthia wrote:I also wasn't aware that I couldn't post a bit-o-humor. Or is that just not an option for... cthia? Cthia, who has cause to have much joy in his life, and who's not angry at the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees.

I know for a fact that's not true, but carry on.

[/quote]The fact that smr calls for a bit of decorum as well, has nothing to do with me. Both of our efforts have to do with how we were raised, I suspect. Certainly in my case. I don't suppose it frightens him anymore than it does me. It just makes me VERY THANKFUL for my parents. And I'm sure that he knows that posts like this, is not a reflection on us. [/quote]

Personally, I was raised to believe that injustice and inequalities are things to be fought, golden calves meant to be slaughtered and traditions to be questioned. Like, for example, that golden calf that you guys call the second amendment, or the tradition of gun ownership, or the injustices and inequalities that lead you to believe that gun ownership is something precious and necessary.

Civility, like Popper said so elegantly, is reserved for those who would be civil. Not those who, like smr, hide behind civility to mask their ugliness and bigotry.

At any rate, you end up telling me to wait until I'm ready to engage a post. Yet, that's what I thought I was doing. Not that I needed your permission. It's common sense. But thanks for your permission anyways. In case I needed it and wasn't aware of it.

Where I'm coming from, wasting time on a post that is just so much empty waffling and ending it with "I'll respond properly next time" is considered a waste of everyone's time.

But then, I've grown up with the internet whereas you only adopted it.

What sense does it make for gcomeau to get upset because I responded to another poster before responding to him? Then his daddy(?) coming to the rescue and telling me I should wait until I'm ready, literally after explaining to him I didn't because I needed some time, because of prior commitments? What business do yo think it is of yours when I respond to someone else anyway? (Please don't think you can explain that.)

You are acting as if this is a private conversation. It isn't. A private conversation is done over private messages. This is public; if you do not want me to read your posts or have opinions on them, then you need to engage the people you want to engage in private. Not here, in a thread.

And yes, I do think it is highly arrogant to think a non-American can tell an American about gun control and gun ownership in America when you haven't a clue about being American or have lived or grown up in America, along with the many other disconnects a non-American has made about life. In America.

You know, the dominance of american pop culture everywhere in the western world kinda undermines that argument. I'm sure that there are nuances to be missed, but on the face of it, all the traditional arguments for widespread gun ownership and easy access to firearms fall apart very quickly even if we're only considering data from your country. They fall apart even quicker once we get into comparisons with other, similarly developed countries and cultures.

Albeit, it would be much much much much much much worse if I would try to pull off the same thing about a very important political issue in Germany, France or any other foreign country. Why, because cthia knows better. Yet, I would bet on myself, without hesitation, to be the single person on this forum to have traveled and seen as much of other countries and exposed to other cultures. I still wouldn't be that arrogant.

See what I mean? The rest of the world knows a lot about America, because american media and american domestic politics are things the rest of us kinda do need to look at and worry about just to be prepared for the next stupid thing you guys think about doing that might spill over into the rest of the world.

The reverse is not true. Americans, by virtue of being citizens of the currently dominant hegemon of the western world, do not need to care about the rest of the world; Hell, a large part of the american self-image is defined by how much common folk neither need nor want to care about anything beyond your immediate surroundings.

Everyone wasn't raised the same. Sometimes I simply have to consider the source. I'm sure you'll blame me for my posts souring, despite it was instigated by gcomeau. And now by you. Albeit I'm accustomed to it from you and have come to expect no more. I'm sure your response won't surprise me. I'm sure I'll ignore it.

I'm sure you will.

At any rate, I would think that most people would know enough to be thankful to discuss guns in America, with an American, and that they would know to be respectful enough that said American would even want to engage non-Americans in this area, since he has many a dilemma wrestling with the idiots in his own country over it, to have any desire or willingness at all, to repeat and rinse with outsiders.

There's quite a few more americans to talk to about this topic. Most of them I met are rather more level-headed and aware of the realities of gun ownership in the US than you are.

But hey, I'm not infallible either.

Interesting statement.

Interesting gun statistics from the US. The 320M citizens have from 270M to 310M guns, but only about 40% of households have a gun. Many enthusiasts have quite a few guns.
I have five, but am unusual here in that I grew up with them as a daily tool.
Gun owner statistics are impossible to quantify exactly as many don't get registered, however If 40% of households have guns then 60% of households don't.
Then it gets fuzzy, if the average household is 4 people, then 1 to 4 of them have guns. A guess would say 2 out of 4. Thus 20% of US citizens own guns, and 80% don't, leaving an average of 5 guns per owner. Some will have one and some fifty, or more.
So the contention that Americans have this gun owner compulsion, really should be that some (<20%) of Americans do.

Another interesting statistic is that the great majority of US gun homicides are done by handgun. Not by assault rifle or shotgun. but pistols and revolvers. Our extremely tight control of hand guns makes some sense.

I have owned or used a wide variety of guns, from shotguns to assault rifles, to centre fire heavy rifles, and rimfires, plus many military weapons, and quite a few hand guns, so have some firearm knowledge.
Most fire arms are suitable for hunting, different ones for different game, and target shooting is also a broad field. However assault rifles and hand guns really have only one function. Killing humans. Why they are so freely available to untrained and unregulated civilians in the US is beyond belief?

https://youtu.be/rgq3ZfCuRYo

About 2 min 5 secs in.

Annachie wrote:https://youtu.be/rgq3ZfCuRYo

About 2 min 5 secs in.

I love this post!

Annachie wrote:https://youtu.be/rgq3ZfCuRYo

About 2 min 5 secs in.

-"Did you tell them about all the animals that will kill them?"
-"Fuck no!"


And the tourism logo - a croc chewing on a kangaroo..

Joat42 wrote:

Annachie wrote:https://youtu.be/rgq3ZfCuRYo

About 2 min 5 secs in.

-"Did you tell them about all the animals that will kill them?"
-"Fuck no!"


And the tourism logo - a croc chewing on a kangaroo..

Oh yea, it coincides with my couple of posts on the previous page also meant as a funny.

I particularly took note of the poignant class schedule Mass Shootings in-between Art and History. Hilarious. Dark, but pointedly hilarious.

Funny because if you are going to preempt classes with a mass shooting, do allow Art to proceed as scheduled, but kill History. These shooters simply hate History.

What happens when the enemies are at the front gates (door) and you have to make a decision to protect the family or submit?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvQQtisGX2M


What would you do?

Not sure if I got it right, but what I saw was just a 5 minute video of a 9mm girlie gun?

To get to your original question, I live at the end of a one way street. Past my locked gate there is then a 200 metres long private driveway up a steep hill. After that there is a gate into my house yard, then my locked steel security door followed by my locked main wood door, (not to mention my German Shepherd).
I live in a highly civilised enclave in one of the safest areas, in one of the safest countries on earth.
Part of that safety system is comprehensive gun laws, so very few people have guns. A personal negative safety aspect of those laws is that I have to have my guns locked in a secure cupboard, with the bolts and ammunition locked elsewhere.
So in the extremely unlikely event that someone transverses all that I mentioned before, I initially have to fall back on my big compound bow and my self forged bastard (hand and a half double edged straight) sword. Then if any survive that, my wife will have by then retrieved my shotgun with its solid slugs, for my usage. 9mm popgun? No thanks.

smr wrote:What happens when the enemies are at the front gates (door) and you have to make a decision to protect the family or submit?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvQQtisGX2M


What would you do?

Aye.
Well first they have to get past the dog that doesn't like strangers.

Not to mention the two bigger dogs.

Or the two smaller ones.

None of them exactly quiet.

The cats can be pretty nasty too

And the dogs keep the bed warmer too