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Old April 24, 2013, 07:14 AM   #1
Alabama Shooter
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During a Manhunt for a Terrorist Half of All Non-Owners Want a Gun

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013...ntcmp=HPBucket

I thought this conversation worthy.
Quote:
On Friday, the nation watched as the Boston area went under lockdown during a manhunt for the armed and dangerous marathon bombing suspect. If you were in that situation, would you want a gun at your side?

Most American voters say yes, according to a new Fox News poll.

Sixty-nine percent say if they were in a situation similar to Bostonians, they would want a gun in their house.

That includes a large 88-percent majority of those in gun-owner households, as well as 50 percent of those in non-gun homes.
I think the 12% of negative respondents of gun owners did not understand the question. I am curious about a few things.

Do you know many non-owners who are on the fence? Now might be a good time to talk to them.

Would you lend a gun to a non-owner in such circumstances (provided they asked you and were otherwise legal)?
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Old April 24, 2013, 08:00 AM   #2
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I would not lend a gun to someone in any circumstances, unless I were aware of their level of training, and I were very 'familiar' with them...
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Old April 24, 2013, 08:21 AM   #3
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I have to agree that the 12% of gun owners who (to all appearances) wouldn't want a gun in a lockdown situation must not have understood the question.

Would I loan a gun to a non-gun owner in such a situation? That would depend on the particular person. Do I know them well enough to be reasonably sure that: (1) such person will behave responsibly with the gun? (2) that my property will be returned to me when the crisis has passed? and (3) that it is legal for them to possess a firearm? If the answer is yes, then I probably would.
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Old April 24, 2013, 08:58 AM   #4
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Loaning a gun to a non gun owner could be a bad idea.
It would depend partly on how far away they lived.
And if they have ever had training on the use of one, in a defensive situation.
There's lots of ex-military folks, who don't have guns in the house, but would be quite safe with one.
And lots of folks who would run out and try to get one, during an emergency, having no clue.
Definitely wouldn't want to hand over a gun to someone like that, especially if they lived close enough to drill your house.
And then there's the legal implications should they use it, especially badly.
All the folks that I would loan one to already have them.
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Last edited by g.willikers; April 24, 2013 at 09:03 AM.
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Old April 24, 2013, 10:28 AM   #5
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That Fox poll would have sharper teeth if they had polled the people who actually were on lock down in Watertown
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Old April 24, 2013, 10:32 AM   #6
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I read an article about a couple Watertown martial arts enthusiasts guarding the doors to their homes, using swords. I remember thinking, "I bet they wish they had guns..."
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Old April 24, 2013, 11:04 AM   #7
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A Non-Gun person? Maybe, given the circumstances.

An openly Anti-Gun person? No, not a snowball's chance. Let they're beloved police help them.
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Old April 24, 2013, 01:42 PM   #8
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Quote:
An openly Anti-Gun person? No, not a snowball's chance.
To each their own, but my feeling is that you'd be missing a golden opportunity to help adjust one person's biased views...

Imagine how much more in control and better equipped for the crisis that person, who had previous loathed guns, would feel if they at least had one gun they could keep close by.

If they had to call the police, they'd never know and likely never understand the other side of the fence.
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Old April 24, 2013, 02:07 PM   #9
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Quote:
Would you lend a gun to a non-owner in such circumstances (provided they asked you and were otherwise legal)?
Some people keep extra firearms and ammo for that very type of thing I would never but some would think if SHTF they would not want to be the only one around trying to keep there hood rid of the riff raff
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Old April 24, 2013, 04:05 PM   #10
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Alabama Shooter wrote:
Quote:
Do you know many non-owners who are on the fence? Now might be a good time to talk to them.
Good point.
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Old April 24, 2013, 04:20 PM   #11
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Quote:
On Friday, the nation watched as the Boston area went under lockdown during a manhunt for the armed and dangerous marathon bombing suspect. If you were in that situation, would you want a gun at your side?
The part of the question in bold is very ambiguous, though most reasonable people with any knowledge of the event would probably think it referred to Boston area residents in their homes. The point is this, media poll questions are not always written accurately and the answers to poorly written poll questions are inaccurate if not meaningless.
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Old April 24, 2013, 05:03 PM   #12
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Would i loan a gun to someone?

Theres only 4 people i would load my guns to. Two being adult family members who live with me and already have access to one if need be, and the other two being close friends who ive know forever but would never need to as they both have their own guns

Otherwise don't have when you need one? Too bad call the police or something
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Old April 24, 2013, 05:39 PM   #13
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Quote:
Would you lend a gun to a non-owner in such circumstances (provided they asked you and were otherwise legal)?
Nope, I don't loan guns.
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Old April 24, 2013, 06:10 PM   #14
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That's great. I asked a co-worker that same question. "how many people in watertown are wishing they had a gun in the house right now?"
Now I know.

Around here the scenario would probably involve an escaped criminal and I've sometimes thought about whom I might lend a gun to among my neighbors. I can think of one I would lend my Makarov. Others? I would let them come over to my house and sleep in our guestroom or on the floor if they wanted, but I wouldn't hand them anything to take home.
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Old April 24, 2013, 06:13 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foxnews.com link above
Sixty-nine percent say if they were in a situation similar to Bostonians, they would want a gun in their house.

That includes a large 88-percent majority of those in gun-owner households, as well as 50 percent of those in non-gun homes.
So 68% would want a firearm, 88% in gun owner households, and 50% in non-gun owner households. Just looking at this objectively, I would ask, out of the gun-owner households, how many people in each of the households are anti-gun? I would also ask, out of the non-gun-owner households, how many would want to own a firearm anyway, but do not currently because their spouse, parent, etc, is against it?
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Old April 24, 2013, 06:58 PM   #16
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Isn't it true that during the LA race riots, Charleton Heston's neighbors rang the bell on his gate and wanted to borrow guns?

He supposedly told them that because they were anti-gun etc, the answer was No.
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Old April 24, 2013, 08:49 PM   #17
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Quote:
If you were in that situation, would you want a gun at your side?
Sorry to sound cynical, but waiting until a crisis to arm oneself is a bad idea. Without training, mindset, and preparation, the gun will be a liability.

Those folks don't need to come beating on my door at such a time, saying "I see your point! Loan me one of yours!" Panicky, unprepared, and untrained people are the last folks on earth I want handling firearms.
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Old April 24, 2013, 09:44 PM   #18
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Quote:
I read an article about a couple Watertown martial arts enthusiasts guarding the doors to their homes, using swords. I remember thinking, "I bet they wish they had guns..."
Am I and my overactive imagination the only one after reading this post that visualized a guy in a martial arts uniform sword drawn in full hunch? I'm seen too many samurai movies. :P

Close friends and family, to anyone who fits those two brackets if they were untrained or unfamiliar they would have to go through a crash course of safety and such and just hope they feel comfortable after that to shoot a gun they never fired if they needed to. In the circumstance of Watertown I would allow neighbors to group, based on trust and their previous experience I may issue them a firearm, but not to take home. Also I'd probably leave the area if possible and stay outside the hotzone.
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Old April 24, 2013, 10:06 PM   #19
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I know plenty of people that do not own a gun that have no problem with me having them . They are in no way anti gun . Most Have lived 40 , 50 , 60+ years and had never needed one . Some people have lived long and been through a lot never needing a firearm . They often will think if I have not needed one yet why will I need one tomorrow ?

I don't really see it as , well they should have saw this coming .
. It's like not helping your friend or neighbor becaue they did not prepare for a natural disaster as well as you did . You still help but only give what you can and not your last bottle of water .
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Old April 24, 2013, 10:55 PM   #20
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AN anti gunner? While I might invite them in for their safety (might) no way in hell I'd give them a gun. You worried? Call 911....

A non gun owner (but not a rabid anti?..) I might loan them a gun, but I don't think I'd give them any ammunition

Seriously, someone with no firearms experience needs more than just a quick and dirty safety lesson.

Little things like knowing when they are justified in shooting, and when they are NOT, for example. All legal ramifications aside, giving a frightened person a loaded gun when their only "training" is TV and video games is morally irresponsible.

Guns are not magic wands. OR +20 swords...how many times have we heard people say "all you need to do is fire a couple rounds in the air...", or "just point the shotgun in their direction and you can't miss..." or other, equally irresponsible BS?

The sad fact is that a lot of people who ought to know better actually believe stuff like that.

Nor would I sell a gun to someone demanding it in a situation like that, either. Not even for the price of a new car. Now that's just me, and I'm probably in the minority on that, but I think that some life lessons are more important than mere money, even a lot of it. Pay the Danegeld, if you can,and trust the Dane, if you believe them. Me? I don't have the cash for that, I spent it on guns and ammo!
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Old April 24, 2013, 10:56 PM   #21
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Quote:
Would you lend a gun to a non-owner in such circumstances (provided they asked you and were otherwise legal)?
A number of years ago I would have said that I would lend a firearm to my brother if we were in an SHTF / EOTWAWKI situation. Fast forward to today, now that I have a better grasp on my abilities and a realization of what it has taken me in time, effort, expense and dedication to develop those skills (such as they are), there's no way I would lend a gun even to my brother. We both learned to shoot at the same time as kids, but I'm reasonably sure my brother hasn't fired any sort of firearm for over fifty years. No way will I be responsible for arming him. If he wants to arm himself, he can arm himself.
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Old April 24, 2013, 11:10 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 44 AMP
Seriously, someone with no firearms experience needs more than just a quick and dirty safety lesson.
How true.

A couple of weeks ago, the owner of the range where I shoot had scheduled a family of four for a "First Steps" type of introduction to handguns and shooting class. He had a family emergency and had to scram, and when the family showed up and found no instructor the woman was not a happy camper. I'm certified to teach "First Steps," so I volunteered to play instructor rather than have prospective customers go away mad and probably bad-mouth the range for three towns in every direction.

We did almost an hour in the classroom, going over safety, types of guns, and such. I very clearly explained about sight picture, and used the range's show-&-tell props to illustrate it, as well as a real gun. They all said they got it.

So we went down to the range to shoot, and Mama's shots were all over the map, and all high -- VERY high. This persisted for several cylinders' worth of .22 ammo. I could see from standing next to her that she was aiming way high and I kept telling her, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Finally I reeled in the target, took the gun out of her hands, and put the muzzle right on the bullseye, and explained again about aligning the top of the front sight with the top of the rear sight. The light bulb finally lit up in her brain. When I explained it upstairs, she said she understood (and she perhaps thought she understood), but in fact she had no idea that there was any relationship between that thing on the front of the barrel and the sight at the back. She thought you just looked at the bullseye through the notch, and you were done.

The time to be teaching and learning the basics of shooting is NOT when the zombie hordes are breaking down the door ...
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Old April 24, 2013, 11:29 PM   #23
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Quote:
how many times have we heard people say "all you need to do is fire a couple rounds in the air...", or "just point the shotgun in their direction and you can't miss..." or other, equally irresponsible BS?
Actually, we and millions of other Americans heard it from a fairly prominent politician

The sad fact is, his advice is nothing I haven't heard hundreds of clueless husbands and fathers give to hundreds of wives and daughters who are neophytes. They might make one quick trip to shoot a few rocks at the old quarry, but that's the extent of the training given.

The illusion of safety is sometimes the most dangerous thing out there.
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Old April 24, 2013, 11:41 PM   #24
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Loan a gun to somebody who has no idea how to use one? No way. Think of the legal ramifications, or god forbid if somebody has to use it and doesn't know how or makes a fatal mistake.

But I think, for somebody on good terms, I would invite them in to my house if it made them feel safer being in an armed environment.
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Old April 25, 2013, 07:34 AM   #25
Willie Sutton
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No problem: My door is always open to a neighbor.

So:

Greet your neighbor, offer them shelter and protection as long as they fill out a simple contract that you offer them to sign.

"Just one simple form and you can come in and hide here... yes, that's right... sign here... thanks, and welcome to the NRA Family. Oh yes, here's an extra "NRA" sticker for the car. Walk over to yours and place it on the bumper. Good man! Now come on back and you can take your first safety lesson while we discuss 2nd amendment rights. Did I mention that I am one of those "Kitchen Table FFL's" that you read about? Let's step over to my kitchen table and get you started... here's a nice .38... ".

What a great way to sign up another Life Member! Make sure they sign the check too....

Or they can hide in the bushes. Their choice.


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