the number of gun and knife accessories

[leatheroo]

thankyou washroad, this is the type of information i was looking for....personal reasons for owning guns and i find yours completely valid. I am not totally closed minded about this , but looking for information and explanations. I think in US where guns are a way of life for many people and always have been, trying to ban them would be a mistake. However, never having had guns here has formed a different community view and we like it this way. Yes i have seen the holsters you mentioned and i find the work absolutely beautiful.

OK i am bored with this topic. Who wants to argue about the ethics of hunting?? Joke....Just pushing your buttons!!!

Edited November 1, 2007 by leatheroo

[Mike Phelps]

leatheroo,

In response to #14 where you asked why we feel the need. That is the one thing, in mine and many others that does not exist. We were raised with them and all my ancestor were also. The majority of them were Scots-Irish that landed on these shores and went straight into the unsettled, by whites anyway, Appalachia before or by 1750. There was no government there and no law other than what we made. Some of my ancestors came here from Austria as mercenaries to fight for the British during the French and Indian Wars with the promise of land grants. Before the ink was dry on the Louisiana Purchase we were on our way west ahead of the government. Some of my ancestors had even pushed into Texas before Austin's Colony with Wilkerson's and Burr's ill fated colony, dirty double and triple dealing Wilkerson.

We have never relied on the government to keep us safe. We are the government. We are the law enforcement. We are the Armed Forces. And we are armed and we practice marksmanship like the duty that it is.

[DCKNIVES]

Not always a woman thing. I am a knifemaker/sheathmaker living in Florida.I open carry a fixed blade everyday and both me and my wife have permits for concealed carry of handguns.She's all for knives and guns and has a few guns of her own.While I don't agree with your stance on gun control, I won't give you any grief for it.We just have to agree to disagree. Dave

[Jordan]

thats why the anti gun politicians want to take the right to have them away. They are afraid that the law abiding citizens will get fed up and take back our government by force, which some say the founding fathers had in mind in the first place, if the government got to big for it's britches. Aint it grand, nothing like politics or religion to get the old juces flowing. I have always found it intersting to hear others opinions on hot topics. Can we talk about the sad state of healthcare in the states next

[gunfighter48]

Some of us are alive today because we had a gun. Our house was burglarized 6 years ago while we were a sleep. The next door teenager and his gang banger buddy ( He was a Blood gang member from LA.) came in through a sliding patio door. The police said the gang banger was always armed and was wanted on several armed robbery warrants. It was over 100 deg F that night and we had the air conditioner in the bedroom running on high. We never heard them come into the house. They stole anything that looked of value and was quick to get out with. They never came into our bedroom, where the wife and I both had pistols on our night stands. We would have heard them come into the bedroom, very squeaky door!!! I had just been out shooting that day and did very well. I brought the targets home to show the wife and set them down on a table by the bedroom door. The cop said the only reason they didn't come into the bedroom was that they saw the targets by the door. They knew we could shoot very well. Even the crooks don't want to get shot if they can avoid it. Had I not went shooting that day and brought the targets home, we most likely would have been shot and possibly killed that night. When you are a victim your opinion changes dramatically about guns and self protection. Had they come into the bedroom our only protection would have been our guns on the night stands.

They caught both the teenager and his gang banger buddy. The teen went to juvenile hall until his 18th birthday (he was 14 at the time). The gang banger went to state prison for 7 years for stealing our car and 5 other home burglaries besides ours.

Self protection is every persons right and in the USA it is a protected part of our constitution, the 2nd Amendment. That's one of the things that makes America unique in the world. By conservative estimates firearms are used around 2 million times a year to protect their owners, most of the time without firing a shot. The sight of a gun makes the bad guys turn tail and run. Like I said the bad guys don't want to get shot if they can avoid it. Historically our country was founded, expanded, settled, and civilized by the gun. It's an ingrained part of our culture. As other have said you have to compare the statistics based on the population of our country.

Edited November 2, 2007 by gunfighter48

[Washroad]

thankyou washroad, this is the type of information i was looking for....personal reasons for owning guns and i find yours completely valid. I am not totally closed minded about this , but looking for information and explanations. I think in US where guns are a way of life for many people and always have been, trying to ban them would be a mistake. However, never having had guns here has formed a different community view and we like it this way. Yes i have seen the holsters you mentioned and i find the work absolutely beautiful.

OK i am bored with this topic. Who wants to argue about the ethics of hunting?? Joke....Just pushing your buttons!!!

leatheroo,

Australia has a history of guns, most certainly! It was only in the recent past that they were banned there. Almost all nations on this planet have a history of guns/war. The history of the world is war.

There are many opinions about the 2nd Amendment. Personally, I believe I do have the "right" (in this context, a "right" is a guarantee of the government) to own/carry/use firearms.

My thinking on the reason for the 2nd Amendment in the first place: The United States has just won their independence from a government that was heavy-handed and they could add to/take away rights on a whim. The Founding Fathers wanted this country to be free as possible. The "militia" clause of this amendment means that we can take up arms against our own government when it gets out of control (it's getting there, but I'm hoping I never have to take up arms against my own government). Therefore, our own government should know that the people are in control, won't allow the taking of our rights without a fight. (That is why I don't understand people voting for the likes of Pelosi, Boxer, Feintein, et. al.)

Hunting?? As Mr. Phelps mentioned below, when you head into the wilderness (as they did in your country), you need to find food. There is a need for hunting.

My father, growing up during the great depression here, hunted for dinner many times. My father-in-law grew up poor on a farm in Canada (they also have a history of guns there) and hunting provided a lot of food for them as a necessity.

As far as getting "heated" about this subject, hey! It's the internet!!

[leatheroo]

I have read all the replies and a few posts have addressed my statement " I find it hard to comprehend the interest in these weapons". I have done a lot of thinking and have come to the conclusion that my lack of comprehension comes from the society i live in. I am 46 years old. I have lived in a capital city and on the Gold Coast and worked in hospitals and casinos and now live in a city 1 hour from the states capital with a population of 500,000 people and have definitely not lived a sheltered life. I have never known a person who owns a gun or wanted to own a gun. I have never known a person who has had their house broken into or was a victim of any crime. I live in a middle class neighbourhood and my personal safety or the safety of my family has never been an issue. Our shops, supermarkets, schools have never had armed guards, even our banks dont have guards. Of course we have crime but it is not an issue that dominates our society. I suppose trying to convince me that personal guns are needed here, is like trying to convince someone who lives in a desert that they need an umbrella. However your experiences make the US seem like a really scary place and if i lived there maybe i would carry a gun. Will things change here? Who knows.

Only time will tell.

I really was kidding about hunting. I have no problem with it, unless it is purely for the pleasure of killing something.

It has been a very interesting discussion

Keep safe.

Edited November 2, 2007 by leatheroo

[wolvenstien]

the idea that Australia has always been gun less is mind boggling. Australia started as a prison colony for England. Then when it was realized that Australia was good land and the rich could get richer they started to move in and kill off the Aborigine natives and even went as far as to hire out the dirty work to Americans looking for work and adventure.

The history of Australia is in ways much the same as it was for America.... Just that America is much bigger, broke away from England, and opened its ports to all....

I think when you say that they banned guns you mean to say hand guns, not all guns (and if I am wrong, please correct me) as in the states here, they have been working on banning hand guns for a long time, but the rifles and shot guns have always been safe.... but if they ban hand guns we know what is next on the list.... As they have banned ownership of certain types of automatic guns already....

I have always had guns. When I go camping I take my guns and knives with me... I do not go camping where border patrol is chasing after people of anything like that... but I have come close to bears before, as well as other wild life... I do not hunt any longer, but when I did, I was taught to eat when i kill, and only kill what I intend to eat. No sport hunting. If it comes down to it, i will pull the trigger on another man if I truly feel my life is in danger, but I would much rather beat him with my bare hands. But thats just me. Something I have trained to do since I was 8 or 9 years old.

As far as government goes.... I dont hate my government, It is the people who run my government I do not like or trust. I support my troops even though I do not agree in what they are doing, they are following the orders of the people who run things, and they have no choice...

Our country and government has grown too large for a militia to raise up and make any changes... this is why we have idiots like Nickles and what not setting off bombs because they understand that gov'ment is too large, but they go about making change in the wrong ways....

The Movie "RED DAWN" was my all time favorite when i was growing up through the 80s.... but not the reason I have guns... maybe the reason I have a compound bow.... but not guns... LOL

[Mike Phelps]

Wolvenstien, if I remember correctly it was the late 1980's early 90's when Auz, required registration of all guns and owners, plus set limits on the number an individual could own, the manner in which they could be kept plus required a legitimate proof of need to be approved by local authorities.

Saw pictures of literally tons of long arms being dumped into smelters. And these weren't junk guns or relics, nice looking, well cared for Browning A5's, Winchester Model 12's. It was all pretty well documented in Arms and Man and American Rifleman.

Some of the commentary said how many generations will pass before the individual right to bear arms by Australians is forgotten. A lot sooner than anyone would have imagined if a 43 year old urbanite from Auz has no recollection of it existing.

Mike

[SmilinJim]

I've always heard the joke "What do you call gun control in the South? They use two hands" and I tell the guys I live in Walker County where we have reverse drivebys. That's where these folks drove by and I shot at them, but that's a whole new topic. In reality I think it's time, location. I grew up a long time ago in the rural south. It was common for every young boy to grow up hunting and being familar with guns. I was taught that guns are not toys. Guns are made to kill. But they are like any other tool. It is the operator that is in control. I have several guns and have given my only daughter a couple of guns. When I though she was ready, in her mid teens, I taught her how to use a gun. She has fired automatics, revolvers, shotguns and rifles. She prefers the Ruger auto. I guess I'm from the old school I like to be prepared. If she needs to she can use a weapon be it for protection or for hunting. She is not afraid of guns. I like to think I've helped her. But we are in a different time now. Far less kids come in from school and go out hunting. Or plan a trip on a saturday for a bird hunt. It's plug in the Xbox and shoot monsters ( I have to say that I do like Halo ). In my forseeable future there will alway be bad guys with guns. I really don't know if owning a gun is a good idea for most folks but it just makes me feel safer. Enough already, just my two cents worth.

Jim