Interesting little facts...

[ogri]

Bayonet?

Or would you have to club them to death?

Yes, a bayonet as well. I'd forgotten about that. A bunch of 16 and 17 year old boys and they trusted us with bayonets!

When my son was in the Scouts, they were allowed to use knives and axes

And showed us how to make fires

[Cousin Jack]

For me these debates always the raise the question, if you loved in America, would you have a gun?

The answer is yes (if I lived in a part where it is legal).
Probably several.

[Cousin Jack]

Back when a total ban on pistols was being talked about people actually did research. I was one.

Many years ago one us state IIRC Florida intended to legalise concealed carry. Anti gun people protested and predicted a bloodbath.

What actually happened was that street crime and violent burglary dropped substantially. Victims could fight back!

[Count Steer]

For me these debates always the raise the question, if you loved in America, would you have a gun?

Moot point.

I don't want to live there.

(You can have guns in this country...nice pair of Purdey's anyone? Mind you, even licensed guns have been problematical at times).

[MrLongbeard]

Yes, a bayonet as well. I'd forgotten about that. A bunch of 16 and 17 year old boys and they trusted us with bayonets!

When my son was in the Scouts, they were allowed to use knives and axes

And showed us how to make fires

They do all that at primary school now, or did when my daughter went.

[Saga Lout]

Bayonet?

Or would you have to club them to death?

Yes, a bayonet as well. I'd forgotten about that. A bunch of 16 and 17 year old boys and they trusted us with bayonets!

When my son was in the Scouts, they were allowed to use knives and axes

And hardly anybody got killed.

[KungFooBob]

I'm a fucking rapper and I might kill you.


Not you Martian, obviously.

Your mother's got a penis.

Top fact. The sample used in Your Mother's got a penis is Behind the Mask by the Yellow Magic Orchestra. It's probably more famous for being covered by both Eric Clapton and Michael "chamone mother fucker" Jackson.

[Cousin Jack]

In the US, around 47,000 shot and killed, 70,000 injured, every year.

Now take out the % of suicides & the gang bangers shooting each other.

AND, lets not turn this political.

The UK suicide rate is approximately 0.11 per 1,000 population

The U.S. suicide rate is approximately 0.14 per 1,000 population

In the United States, an average of 26,000 to 27,500 people die by firearm suicide every year.

So 20,000 remaining.

Gang bangers? Hah!

There is no exact annual figure for how many U.S. gang members shoot each other, because the FBI does not track all shootings exclusively by gang affiliation. However, law enforcement agencies estimate that between 13% and 80% of urban gun homicides are gang-related.

So 3000-16000. 'Best case', that's 4000 people.

You missed another category: Annual estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that there are about 500 unintentional fatal firearm deaths in the U.S. per year.

Do I care?

Suicide, well yes a bit. I think people have a right to end their life, but I don't want to encourage them to do it on a whim. OTOH it is reliable and relatively painless, many alternatives are not. So mixed views.

Gang bangers. I positively encourage them to shoot each other. Fewer to prosecute and lock up.

Accidental shootings That's just Darwin in action.

[The Martian]

I'm a fucking rapper and I might kill you.


Not you Martian, obviously.

Your mother's got a penis.

Top fact. The sample used in Your Mother's got a penis is Behind the Mask by the Yellow Magic Orchestra. It's probably more famous for being covered by both Eric Clapton and Michael "chamone mother fucker" Jackson.

That Bo Selecta shit was too funny, I introduced my other half to it a few years ago and she was both horrified and amused

[Horse]

Yes, a bayonet as well. I'd forgotten about that. A bunch of 16 and 17 year old boys and they trusted us with bayonets!

When my son was in the Scouts, they were allowed to use knives and axes

And hardly anybody got killed.

Not a problem anyway. They teach them how to dig big holes.

[Horse]

Accidental shootings That's just Darwin in action.

Not every incident.

Each year in the United States, roughly 700 to 1,000 children and teens are shot or killed in unintentional firearm incidents. Researchers note that while fatal shootings frequently gain attention, non-fatal unintentional injuries from guns are roughly twice as common.

For young children (under 5 years old), roughly 80% of accidental shootings are self-inflicted.


NB I'm intrigued it says 'shot or killed'

[JackyJoll]

For me these debates always the raise the question, if you loved in America, would you have a gun?

I might need a gun, to make them love me back.

[Cousin Jack]

Accidental shootings That's just Darwin in action.

Not every incident.

Each year in the United States, roughly 700 to 1,000 children and teens are shot or killed in unintentional firearm incidents. Researchers note that while fatal shootings frequently gain attention, non-fatal unintentional injuries from guns are roughly twice as common.

For young children (under 5 years old), roughly 80% of accidental shootings are self-inflicted.


NB I'm intrigued it says 'shot or killed'

Still Darwin. Some people (the ones who let young kids near loaded guns) are not fit to breed. They have done so, Darwin just reverses that.

[Horse]

Accidental shootings That's just Darwin in action.

Not every incident.

Each year in the United States, roughly 700 to 1,000 children and teens are shot or killed in unintentional firearm incidents. Researchers note that while fatal shootings frequently gain attention, non-fatal unintentional injuries from guns are roughly twice as common.

For young children (under 5 years old), roughly 80% of accidental shootings are self-inflicted.


NB I'm intrigued it says 'shot or killed'

Still Darwin. Some people (the ones who let young kids near loaded guns) are not fit to breed. They have done so, Darwin just reverses that.

Ah, ok, more harsh.

I was thinking of the Awards definition: individuals who improve the human gene pool by eliminating themselves from it.

[ZRX61]

Back when a total ban on pistols was being talked about people actually did research. I was one.

Many years ago one us state IIRC Florida intended to legalise concealed carry. Anti gun people protested and predicted a bloodbath.

What actually happened was that street crime and violent burglary dropped substantially. Victims could fight back!

Another issue in Florida was tourists being targeted because rental cars had a sticker that identified them as such & tourists weren't likely to be armed. Once they did away with the stickers on the rental cars the attacks on tourists plummeted.
I have a CCW permit, but only exercise it when going to sketchy places... South of the 101 freeway or East of the 14 etc or any Walmart ferinstance.
29 States are "Constitutional Carry" which means no CCW permit required. Open Carry is legal in 47.

[Pirahna]

Back when a total ban on pistols was being talked about people actually did research. I was one.

Many years ago one us state IIRC Florida intended to legalise concealed carry. Anti gun people protested and predicted a bloodbath.

What actually happened was that street crime and violent burglary dropped substantially. Victims could fight back!

Another issue in Florida was tourists being targeted because rental cars had a sticker that identified them as such & tourists weren't likely to be armed. Once they did away with the stickers on the rental cars the attacks on tourists plummeted.

I remember reading about that. I live fairly close to Alicante, there's loads of holiday resorts along the coast and plenty of hire cars on the roads. It's easy to spot a hire car, they usually have a sticker in the back window from the relevant hire company, they never get targeted by criminals though.

[Yorick]

Back when a total ban on pistols was being talked about people actually did research. I was one.

Many years ago one us state IIRC Florida intended to legalise concealed carry. Anti gun people protested and predicted a bloodbath.

What actually happened was that street crime and violent burglary dropped substantially. Victims could fight back!

Another issue in Florida was tourists being targeted because rental cars had a sticker that identified them as such & tourists weren't likely to be armed. Once they did away with the stickers on the rental cars the attacks on tourists plummeted.

I remember reading about that. I live fairly close to Alicante, there's loads of holiday resorts along the coast and plenty of hire cars on the roads. It's easy to spot a hire car, they usually have a sticker in the back window from the relevant hire company, they never get targeted by criminals though.

All the tourist hire cars here have sticker on back.
Then we know to expect the unexpected from confused tourists

[Cousin Jack]

Another issue in Florida was tourists being targeted because rental cars had a sticker that identified them as such & tourists weren't likely to be armed. Once they did away with the stickers on the rental cars the attacks on tourists plummeted.

I remember reading about that. I live fairly close to Alicante, there's loads of holiday resorts along the coast and plenty of hire cars on the roads. It's easy to spot a hire car, they usually have a sticker in the back window from the relevant hire company, they never get targeted by criminals though.

All the tourist hire cars here have sticker on back. Then we know to expect the unexpected from confused tourists

Same in Guernsey. And there are a lot of confused and lost tourists in Guernsey, they (allegedly) removed the signs to confuse the Germans in 1940. They don't seem to have put them back yet.

[Count Steer]

I remember reading about that. I live fairly close to Alicante, there's loads of holiday resorts along the coast and plenty of hire cars on the roads. It's easy to spot a hire car, they usually have a sticker in the back window from the relevant hire company, they never get targeted by criminals though.

All the tourist hire cars here have sticker on back. Then we know to expect the unexpected from confused tourists

Same in Guernsey. And there are a lot of confused and lost tourists in Guernsey, they (allegedly) removed the signs to confuse the Germans in 1940. They don't seem to have put them back yet.

The Greeks did something similar with their maps. Tried to use one to find an island airstrip once. It wasn't where the map said it was.

[ZRX61]

Same in Guernsey. And there are a lot of confused and lost tourists in Guernsey, they (allegedly) removed the signs to confuse the Germans in 1940. They don't seem to have put them back yet.

I was in Jersey around '80. They didn't have a law on the books about stealing cars, just moving them without the owners permission as there was nowhere to go & no way to get then off the island.. plus the rental car company left their cars unlocked at the airport with the keys on the sunvisor