What it's like to live in America where everybody can buy guns?

[kehcorpz]

On the one hand I think that being allowed to buy guns is good. If I lived in America I'd also buy lots and lots of guns and
rifles. This must be really fun to shoot with them and just hold them in your hand and clean them carefully.

On the other hand though it's also really scary imo. I mean do you even feel safe outside in public places knowing that
somebody could shoot at you at ANY time? I think I'd become paranoid and only walk around in public with a bullet proof
vest and of course also have at least 1 gun with me, better 2 guns.
But what do you do in the summer? You cant wear a gun holster under your shirt or a bullet proof vest.

Do you think about this when you go outside or do you suppress these thoughts that a terrorist or crazy person could stop
opening fire at any second?

i'd rather have it that only i am allowed to have guns but nobody else. this would make me feel safe and i'd not have to worry
about being shot at.

 

[jks9199]

What's it like to live somewhere you can't buy a gun?

Your question only is meaningfully answered by those who have done both.

Where I live and work, anyone over 21 with a clean criminal history can buy a gun. They can get a concealed carry permit to carry that gun unless there's a reason not to give them one (like criminal history, history of public drunkenness, mental problems, etc.). So that means that, professionally, I simply assume people may well have a gun. If they aren't causing a problem, I don't care.

As to carrying concealed -- I do it year-round, even in shorts. I know women who carry concealed (on their person, not in a bag) in pleasantly short skirts and when dressed to the 9s. I'm not quite sure where a few of them put the thing -- but they do it. Body armor is actually tougher to conceal... because if you actually have armor in it, it's like having a thick (1/4 inch/.8 cm or so), stiff blanket on.

 

[Touch Of Death]

On the one hand I think that being allowed to buy guns is good. If I lived in America I'd also buy lots and lots of guns and
rifles. This must be really fun to shoot with them and just hold them in your hand and clean them carefully.

On the other hand though it's also really scary imo. I mean do you even feel safe outside in public places knowing that
somebody could shoot at you at ANY time? I think I'd become paranoid and only walk around in public with a bullet proof
vest and of course also have at least 1 gun with me, better 2 guns.
But what do you do in the summer? You cant wear a gun holster under your shirt or a bullet proof vest.

Do you think about this when you go outside or do you suppress these thoughts that a terrorist or crazy person could stop
opening fire at any second?

i'd rather have it that only i am allowed to have guns but nobody else. this would make me feel safe and i'd not have to worry
about being shot at.

Most people don't think about it.

 

[JowGaWolf]

The U.S. is a really big place so even though a lot of people get shot here, Many more people don't get shot when they go out in public. The majority of gun violence happens around bad elements, drug dealers, gangs and the neighborhoods they live in. The chance of being shot in those areas are so much greater than other areas. My guess is that this is no different than other countries where bad areas increase the risk of something bad happening to you.

The gun shootings that take up most of the news are those done by bad elements, those done by someone that who is mentally unstable, or those that are accidental shootings. When I was living in Baltimore Maryland, I was really concerned about gun because I was living around bad elements.
People are more worried about getting a speeding ticket than about being shot.

The only time you'll actually be worried about being shot is if you lived in some of the bad areas in the U.S. where you hear gun shots every night and where stray bullets hit houses.

 

[Dirty Dog]

On the one hand I think that being allowed to buy guns is good. If I lived in America I'd also buy lots and lots of guns and
rifles. This must be really fun to shoot with them and just hold them in your hand and clean them carefully.

It's like being free...

On the other hand though it's also really scary imo. I mean do you even feel safe outside in public places knowing that
somebody could shoot at you at ANY time?

You can be shot at any time in any country. You don't really think making guns illegal stops criminals from getting them, do you?

I think I'd become paranoid and only walk around in public with a bullet proof
vest and of course also have at least 1 gun with me, better 2 guns.
But what do you do in the summer? You cant wear a gun holster under your shirt or a bullet proof vest.

Of course you can. I carry under a T-shirt or polo all the time.

Do you think about this when you go outside or do you suppress these thoughts that a terrorist or crazy person could stop
opening fire at any second?

Do you? It's as likely in your country as here.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Even if a country is at war, most of the time, things are deceptively peaceful.

 

[MAfreak]

ok, i'm no american, but at least i could bring in a saying which tells how the world thinks about it:

a kid runs amok in an american school or mall or wherever, shooting other children. the american citizen says:
"you see? if the other children have had guns, they've could have defended themselves!"

it would scare the hell out of me if every jerk could buy guns here and when all the martial arts training would be useless because of this. on the other hand, i'd like to be able to buy guns myself, because terrorists and the like, who are able to get guns even here, so partially i understand the americans.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

on the other hand, i'd like to be able to buy guns myself, because terrorists and the like, who are able to get guns even here, so partially i understand the americans.

This is exactly it. The terrorists, school shooters, etc. are still able to get guns, and many (most) of them did not get them legally. By having a gun you can (hopefully) protect yourselves from the other people who have guns, and by making it illegal all that is happening is they remain armed while I can no longer defend myself.

Also, if the world believes every american citizen has this view, the media is lying to you very much. It's an incredibly divided issue, and where I am many more people believe that banning guns will magically make them safer, rather than having their own.

Edit: To clarify, I do not have a permit to carry. It is really freaking annoying to get in NY, and I live in a safe enough area that I am not particularly concerned. Plus I work with the mentally ill so I would not want to bring it to work anyway.

 

[Dirty Dog]

ok, i'm no american, but at least i could bring in a saying which tells how the world thinks about it:

a kid runs amok in an american school or mall or wherever, shooting other children. the american citizen says:
"you see? if the other children have had guns, they've could have defended themselves!"

Nonsense. Children cannot legally carry guns, so this is pretty much a straw man.

If, on the other hand, responsible, trained adults at that school/mall/theater/whatever are armed, it is possible that they could protect themselves and others.

Consider this. Paris is a gun free zone. Didn't stop bad guys from shooting a bunch of people.

 

[MAfreak]

this was, what i mentioned then. also these terrorists seem to have bought their weapons from some german weapons dealer.

btw i remember this american weapons instructor getting accidently shot by a 8 year old girl because he and the parents thought, it is necessary to teach her how to use an uzi. sometimes its just sick.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I like having options. Guns are an option.

I like my choices being my choices, and no concern of anyone else.

 

[jks9199]

The gun shootings that take up most of the news are those done by bad elements, those done by someone that who is mentally unstable, or those that are accidental shootings. When I was living in Baltimore Maryland, I was really concerned about gun because I was living around bad elements.
People are more worried about getting a speeding ticket than about being shot.

The only time you'll actually be worried about being shot is if you lived in some of the bad areas in the U.S. where you hear gun shots every night and where stray bullets hit houses.

This is another very important thing to understand, which is often omitted or buried when shooting statistics are bandied about... Most of those shootings are really criminal on criminal. Despite all the press, for example, that is implying that cops are shooting young black men... the person most likely to shoot a young black man is another young black man. In short, as Marc MacYoung often says "We have an armed professional criminal class in America. Fortunately, they are more interested in shooting each other."

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Living in America is simply great... I feel safe everyday where I live even when I am not carrying which is rare. I have been around the world and have really enjoyed my travels but it is always nice to be home.

My experience at the range and with people who legally own firearms has been really, really positive. They are in general good people, polite and kind.

A friend of a friend of mine passes out cards to business in Texas that do not want people with firearms in them and these are pretty poignant in that they explain why having people with ccw's around is great.

 

[JR 137]

I like my choices being my choices, and no concern of anyone else.

This.

I'm not a fan of them. I don't carry one, and have no desire to. Even when I worked in a "tough" neighborhood (Fordham section of the Bronx), I had no desire to.

It's very hard to get a carry and conceal permit in New York State. A friend of mine is a secretary for a high ranking judge, and could easily get me one. Pistol permits aren't as hard, but they're not simple either.

I have no need to own one, let alone carry one around. Too many issues. But that doesn't mean no other law abiding and good willed person shouldn't be allowed to.

There's no realistic need for 99% of the civilians here to have to carry a gun (when they're not hunting, target shooting, etc.). The US isn't a gun crazy war zone like our media and the foreign media portray it to be. The vast majority of people don't think about carrying guns nor others carrying them.

 

[Tgace]

Stay out of very specific areas and your odds of being shot are as slim as those in any utiopan "no gun" nation you can name.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Tgace]

This is another very important thing to understand, which is often omitted or buried when shooting statistics are bandied about... Most of those shootings are really criminal on criminal. Despite all the press, for example, that is implying that cops are shooting young black men... the person most likely to shoot a young black man is another young black man. In short, as Marc MacYoung often says "We have an armed professional criminal class in America. Fortunately, they are more interested in shooting each other."

The Danger of the “Black Lives Matter” Movement


Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[JowGaWolf]

For anyone that doesn't live in the U.S. I would recommend using this site CrimeReports https://www.crimereports.com/ to get an Idea of the violence going on in the U.S. and what elements are located around that violence. You'll have to filter the crimes out in order to only select the specific crime that you want to look at. They also have a quality of life filter as well. Keep in mind that these reports are incidents that were reported to the police. I'm not sure how often the data is submitted but it should still give you an idea of what has happened and where. You can also check out Crime Mapping - Building Safer Communities!
Based on the map, it looks like sex offenders are a bigger issue than weapons assaults.

Based on what I've found by researching "Every 107 seconds, another American is sexually assaulted." Source
Based on the number of sex offenders that popped up on that map, I would say that is well within the possibility

Have fun with the map of Crazy America lol

 

[Tgace]

America is a very large place with very different geographic cultures. You can't really make a general statement about Americans as you are trying to in this thread.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[JowGaWolf]

This.

I'm not a fan of them. I don't carry one, and have no desire to. Even when I worked in a "tough" neighborhood (Fordham section of the Bronx), I had no desire to.

It's very hard to get a carry and conceal permit in New York State. A friend of mine is a secretary for a high ranking judge, and could easily get me one. Pistol permits aren't as hard, but they're not simple either.

I have no need to own one, let alone carry one around. Too many issues. But that doesn't mean no other law abiding and good willed person shouldn't be allowed to.

There's no realistic need for 99% of the civilians here to have to carry a gun (when they're not hunting, target shooting, etc.). The US isn't a gun crazy war zone like our media and the foreign media portray it to be. The vast majority of people don't think about carrying guns nor others carrying them.

I don't carry a gun everywhere I go either. I have family members that do, but for me I've been in bad neighborhoods and didn't feel so uncomfortable that I would need to shoot my way out of something.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Stay out of very specific areas and your odds of being shot are as slim as those in any utiopan "no gun" nation you can name.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

Outside of the people with mental issues there are just some streets you don't go down unless you have business there.