Gun Control Debate
Re: Gun Control Debate
And tornadoes! Those are terrifying.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Re: Gun Control Debate
Indeed they are. They keep getting close to my house; I need a safe room.
(Aaaaand circle it on back, anthy.
You're welcome.)
(Aaaaand circle it on back, anthy.
You're welcome.)
Re: Gun Control Debate
Safe rooms= traps.
And I forgot to move the ax into the storm room again last night. Come to think of it, we have two handsaws, too. One of those would not be amiss for cutting ourselves out of the wreckage.
There is no such thing as a safe from humans room, though. People are too clever and mean for that. I'm sure I could think of a dozen ways to break into a "safe" room from the outside, given enough incentive. Break in , break down, burn down, blow up..... going through a door is only one of many ways to crack the egg.
If our house ever got assaulted by hostile humans, the last thing I'd want would be to be trapped in a room in a house. I'd much rather retreat to the woods and conduct guerrilla warfare from cover. The house itself is not defensible. Big windows are great for capturing solar energy, but lousy at stopping bullets. Ordinary walls are lousy at stopping bullets, for that matter. I'd much rather be hiding behind a tree trunk or in a ditch and setting up an ambush.....
Panic rooms are for people with insufficient imaginations.
And I forgot to move the ax into the storm room again last night. Come to think of it, we have two handsaws, too. One of those would not be amiss for cutting ourselves out of the wreckage.
There is no such thing as a safe from humans room, though. People are too clever and mean for that. I'm sure I could think of a dozen ways to break into a "safe" room from the outside, given enough incentive. Break in , break down, burn down, blow up..... going through a door is only one of many ways to crack the egg.
If our house ever got assaulted by hostile humans, the last thing I'd want would be to be trapped in a room in a house. I'd much rather retreat to the woods and conduct guerrilla warfare from cover. The house itself is not defensible. Big windows are great for capturing solar energy, but lousy at stopping bullets. Ordinary walls are lousy at stopping bullets, for that matter. I'd much rather be hiding behind a tree trunk or in a ditch and setting up an ambush.....
Panic rooms are for people with insufficient imaginations.
Re: Gun Control Debate
I think they are debris left over from the US' obsession with building shelters to be safe from the impending Soviet-led nuclear bombardment.
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
Re: Gun Control Debate
Meanwhile, the US government conducts multiple above ground nuclear tests upwind of most of the continental United States. 
I could wish my parents had been living in fallout shelters during that time of their lives.
I could wish my parents had been living in fallout shelters during that time of their lives.
Re: Gun Control Debate
Insufficient imagination but maybe sufficient funds...
I wonder if treatment for an anxiety disorder wouldn't be cheaper.
I wonder if treatment for an anxiety disorder wouldn't be cheaper.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
Re: Gun Control Debate
Re the birthday dinner dilemma: I am happy to report that purely by the gift of serendipity, my Mr. Anth was seated nowhere near either S or her gun-happy better half, Mr. S! Mr. S had to sit at the end of the table (so he can move quickly if the situation called for it, apparently... thankfully dinner didn't warrant a split-second armed response for anything, although the salsa REALLY wasn't very good... bad salsa perhaps doesn't deserve a full firepower response, maybe? Perhaps just a little light fisticuffs, to remedy the situation?... )
-ANYWAY-
Mr. Anth and I had a really good discussion before we left, and we were both glad to be positioned at the other end of the table. We spent most of the night talking to two horse trainers instead. I did hear a bit of political and guns kind of stuff being discussed at the other end of the table, and instead turned to the horse trainers and talked about famous Quarter Horse bloodlines and how good stallions tend to bottleneck the genetics of the breed over time. I really enjoyed meeting those guys, and even though Mr. Anth had to roll his eyes a couple of times about all the horse talk, he enjoyed meeting them too. Funny how stuff can work out.
At the very least, this situation made me realize how uncomfortable I am with... well, with how comfortable this group of friends is with the whole gun culture. I'm not sure what to do with that knowledge, but knowing where your feet currently are tends to help you get where you want to be.
-ANYWAY-
Mr. Anth and I had a really good discussion before we left, and we were both glad to be positioned at the other end of the table. We spent most of the night talking to two horse trainers instead. I did hear a bit of political and guns kind of stuff being discussed at the other end of the table, and instead turned to the horse trainers and talked about famous Quarter Horse bloodlines and how good stallions tend to bottleneck the genetics of the breed over time. I really enjoyed meeting those guys, and even though Mr. Anth had to roll his eyes a couple of times about all the horse talk, he enjoyed meeting them too. Funny how stuff can work out.
At the very least, this situation made me realize how uncomfortable I am with... well, with how comfortable this group of friends is with the whole gun culture. I'm not sure what to do with that knowledge, but knowing where your feet currently are tends to help you get where you want to be.
"What do you fear, lady?" Aragorn asked.
"A cage," Éowyn said. "To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
"A cage," Éowyn said. "To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Re: Gun Control Debate
anthriel wrote:Mr. S had to sit at the end of the table (so he can move quickly if the situation called for it, apparently... thankfully dinner didn't warrant a split-second armed response for anything, although the salsa REALLY wasn't very good... bad salsa perhaps doesn't deserve a full firepower response, maybe? Perhaps just a little light fisticuffs, to remedy the situation?... )
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
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Impenitent
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Re: Gun Control Debate
Oh, what a terrific outcome - on many levels! I'm glad for you Anthy.
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Re: Gun Control Debate
Very happy to hear that, particularly the really good discussion with Mr. Anth.
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"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
Re: Gun Control Debate
Yay!
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
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RoseMorninStar
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Primula Baggins
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Re: Gun Control Debate
I'm so happy to hear that!
Though if Mr. Prim had been there with the bad salsa, the fisticuffs might not have been light.
Just sayin'.
Though if Mr. Prim had been there with the bad salsa, the fisticuffs might not have been light.
Just sayin'.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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axordil
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Re: Gun Control Debate
Interesting bit about the bloodlines too.
Re: Gun Control Debate
...and now my husband is talking about guns. Something's in the water. He frickin' hates the things and now he's thinking we should have one.
I told him that we should get a crossbow with some hunting bolts instead. It's less cliched and the kid can't accidentally shoot it. I imagine it would also have a psychological impact. In the moment when some miscreant is wondering WTF is being pointed at them, you have time to aim and shoot.
Too bad the archery school we both go to doesn't allow crossbows. But there are other ranges where we could practice.
Anyway, he seemed warmer to that idea than I was to a having a handgun in the house.
I told him that we should get a crossbow with some hunting bolts instead. It's less cliched and the kid can't accidentally shoot it. I imagine it would also have a psychological impact. In the moment when some miscreant is wondering WTF is being pointed at them, you have time to aim and shoot.
Too bad the archery school we both go to doesn't allow crossbows. But there are other ranges where we could practice.
Anyway, he seemed warmer to that idea than I was to a having a handgun in the house.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
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axordil
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Re: Gun Control Debate
Fear sells.
Re: Gun Control Debate
Well. If Trump gets elected, with his anti-immigrant fear mongering, I might think about at least a few trips to the range.
But the thing about buying a gun for self defense is, you have to decide what you are prepared to kill for. And, for example, protecting my TV isn't it. Expexting to just point a gun in a menacing way is not a good plan.
Anthy, I'm glad that the dreaded conversation didn't happen.
But the thing about buying a gun for self defense is, you have to decide what you are prepared to kill for. And, for example, protecting my TV isn't it. Expexting to just point a gun in a menacing way is not a good plan.
Anthy, I'm glad that the dreaded conversation didn't happen.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
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RoseMorninStar
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Re: Gun Control Debate
I have Sting-and it's very sharp!
A book I read when I was younger that had a phrase in it that had a profound effect on me. It was something to the effect of 'Don't pick up a gun unless you intend to shoot. Don't shoot unless you intend to kill.' At that point I decided I never wanted to pick up a gun.
A book I read when I was younger that had a phrase in it that had a profound effect on me. It was something to the effect of 'Don't pick up a gun unless you intend to shoot. Don't shoot unless you intend to kill.' At that point I decided I never wanted to pick up a gun.
My heart is forever in the Shire.
Re: Gun Control Debate
I think that's a fear tactic, too, though. (Perhaps it's one of those good fear things. I'm sure many of you think so, and I'm not quite sure what I think about it.) I was taught not to aim my gun at anything I didn't want to potentially kill. Since I do not want to kill a human or an animal, then I do not aim my gun at any of those things. I aim them at targets or clay pigeons (or bowling pins or tin cans). Etc., etc. Another early lesson I had on guns was to shoot a head of cabbage. That is about the same density as a human head. It was a disturbing and profound lesson on never being careless with your gun.