> (*) Lets say someone had jumped on my roof. There are two hands-down,
> very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very,
> likely explanations. The first is that it's kids fooling around. The
> second is that it's a criminal.
>
> I assume that you have had experience of being robbed, mugged or perhaps a
> more violent crime.
Nope. I live in a dream world (Canada). Never been robbed or mugged.
> Lets say its some kids fooling around. No problem, thats life.
>
> Lets say its a criminal. If its a criminal there's real chance that the
> criminal is 'armed and dangerous', i.e, you have probably heard that a
> great many people get killed by criminals. Tourists from Germany get
> killed by criminals, people outside the office on the street in broad
> daylite in NY get killed by criminals, people get raped and killed by
> criminals in central park / suburban Salt Lake / just about anywhere. Even
> in Salt Lake, for gods sake, which has like ten murders a year if even, a
> woman was murdered last week on the street because she cut off some
> criminals in her car.
You forgot to continue the scenario. The criminal doesn't have a gun.
No problem. The criminal has a gun. If criminal sees you and your
gun, what will he do? He's pretty scared because you have a gun and he
doesn't want to die just yet. Does he shoot you? Will you shoot him?
50-50, maybe.
Now if you had no gun, and the criminal did, would he be scared? Why would
he be? He'll tell you to get the fuck back inside or to give him all your
money. Then, fearing getting caught, he'll probably run away.
The fact that you have a gun in your hand makes it many times more likely
that he'll get scared and shoot you. Guns don't protect you - maybe you
should get a flak jacket.
> To reiterate, if someone is jumping on your roof, there is a _real_ chance
> that you are in physical danger, from a criminal.
Slight, but real. Especially in the US, where it is a requirement for
criminals to carry firearms.
> If you cringe at this and try to feel it is not correct, you are basically
> wrong and that's the end of it. In NYC if someone jumps on your roof,
> there is a substantial possibility you are in grave physical danger; your
> life may soon end. In Salt Lake if the same event happens you are in
> modest but real danger of the same.
>
> (*) Protection. What does it mean to feel safe? I was considering the
> other day "why do people feel safe" in their homes, in society.
>
> Lets say you, John Doe, are sitting at home just now. In reality, anyone
> could, say, smash through your window and whack you in the face.
>
> What actually makes you feel that won't happen?
It could, but I know nobody who this has happened to. Shoot, it must be this
damned fantasy world I live in! :-)
--------8<
> >Americans make some good movies, but they're basically nuts.
>
> On the contrary. You would have been a good American but you had this long
> Canadian sojourn during your youth <;
>
> Americans (in the sense you mean, in the context of this discussion) are
> totally tuned in to REALITY.
American reality.
> Canadians and everyone else live in an utter
> fantasy world.
== our Canadian reality. It's not perfectly safe, of course, but I can walk
around at night, alone, most places in this city and feel no fear, without
a gun. (This isn't true for everyone, sadly; there are not so many places
a woman can walk alone at night without fear.) But it's better than your
American REALITY; at least for me it's better.
> A childish, dreamlike, under-your-parents state where "the
> police will stop people breaking into your house, the UN will stop
> injustices by talking about it, no one really wants to hurt you" and so on.
>
:-) I don't think so...
One of the reasons so many Canadians dislike guns is that we ARE pretty safe
here, and owning guns, especially handguns, would make it less so.
Mike
----------------------------- _/ /\/\ /\/ ----------------------------
J. Michael New Michael.New@NRC.Ca
Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Institute (613)991-4371
National Research Council of Canada home: (613)230-7783
"Star Trek transporter: the ultimate Cut and Paste"
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