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Gun Culture Anonymous
So one of the first things my Japanese host family asked me was if I had a gun at home. Maybe they assume that since I hail from Al Capone's old stompin' grounds that I'd need some lead to fend off the hordes of crack-dealing-cracker hating-prostitute pimping-illegal immigrant-vagrants.
Btw, I don't own a gun.

Does the rest of the world think America is some gun-toting culture or is it just Japanese ignorance coupled with their insatiable appetite for American media that has led to this misconception?
>> Anonymous
It's a perfectly legitimate question. It's like asking the exchange student from PRC whether he resents not being able to have any siblings.
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
>>56387
OP here. Yea I think it's legitimate but it definitely took me by surprise. The child limit in China though is a bit different since its imposed on everyone by the government. I think it would more be like asking a Japanese person if they had a katana sword in their home (ok, stupid counter-example, couldn't think of anything). Maybe because I live in America I'm used to the concept of citizens owning guns, but it seems like a sad state of affairs if everyone assumes guns in America are ubiquitous.
>> Anonymous
You just have to look at your death statistics and compare them to the rest of the world. In how many countries can you buy guns in a super market?
Well that's what the rest of the world sees. Along with the president and a whole lot of other rednecks who get very angry when someone talks about stricter gun laws.
>> Anonymous
Just laugh at their small penises!
>> Anonymous
I was asked the same thing when I stayed with a friend and his family in Germany. They loved talking politics...ruined my time there.
>> Anonymous
>>56391
LOL WUT BUY GUNS A SUPERMARKET where the fuck do you like nigeria? god damn nigger.
>> Anonymous
>>56394

I wish I knew what you meant when you typed that, because I'd disagree with it.
>> Anonymous
>>56394
i think Walmart sells sporting rifles.
>> Anonymous
>>56386
You better have exclaimed, "Why, of course! And I've even brought one with me to show you!"

And quickly reached into your pants.

JUST to mess with them.
>> Anonymous
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate
>> Anonymous
>>56399
Oh my god, the best part is they would have believed me.
>> Anonymous
>>56401
USA! USA! USA!
Maybe we are that violent... but it sure doesn't feel like that to me.
>> Anonymous
I think it's largely an American thing
All of East Asia prohibits any guns and you know the rest of the civilized world don't usually own guns
>> Anonymous
>>56403

I've never been to those places but i've heard there are places in NY, Washington D.C. and other American cities where you are practically dead when walking there in the dark.
Something like this doesn't exist where I live.
>> Anonymous
>>56407

You've heard eh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic

Read less Newsweek.
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
>>56411

So there are no places you wouldn't visit after dark in these cities?
>> Anonymous
>>56414
OP here: personally I would not venture to parts of my city (south side, west side) at night and even in some parts during the day.

However, I'm fortunate enough that I live in one of the more upscale (aka yuppie) neighborhoods, but that is exactly my point. Americans live in all sorts of conditions/areas and to generalize a bit, most of those areas are safe. The fact that gun ownership is legal doesn't really affect day to day life that the average citizen experiences.
>> Anonymous
go ahead then.. give up the guns. go hang out with the britfags if you want a gov't who controls every aspect in your life. cause america would turn into x10s worse if you take back the only thing we have to even just dent a potentially gone astray american gov't. even the guns won't protect our rights now. they've won by jacking up prices/licensing/taxing everything to hell so you can't even properly defend yourself. all you people that don't have guns are stupid. i hope someone robs your non gun home and takes your shit and you and your wife's virginity.
>> Anonymous
>>56418
Now the sad part is, I'm not actually sure whether or not you're being ironic. On the off chance that you're not, extremism is the surest way to get yourself discounted by the majority as a "nut" of some kind. Rational argument, while slow, irritating, and ultimately futile, is the best choice.
>> Anonymous
>>56418
OP here. I agree with you to a point but I don't think it's time to break out the tin foil hats and claim that the only way to fix an astray government is with the use of guns.

Just curious, where do you live (general region is fine). I'm just wondering because in Chicago gun ownership is far from a popular notion (even though I think increased *legal* gun ownership has a potential to lower crime rates) and therefore I am not exposed to your view often.
>> Anonymous
America's fucked up in plenty of ways, guns aren't one of them.
>> ?Ascendent Gerbil?Æ !!XVMNjvNBTB4
>>56413
what the fuck happened in 1998 in England?
>> Anonymous
>>56420
As much as the NRA would like, gun ownership does not actually decrease violent crime. HOWEVER nor does banning guns as we can plainly see in cities such as Chicago, DC, New York, and other highly restrictive places. Especially in a country like the US where there is already a huge amount of guns it is obvious that banning guns will not make it any more difficult for criminals to get ahold of them. One thing that really annoys me is how everyone demonizes the rifles the military uses. Did it ever cross their minds that maybe the military uses it because it's a GOOD RIFLE?! Also, when is the last time you heard of a crime committed with an AR-15? Anecdotal cases of bank robberies is usually the best anyone can come up with. As far as I can tell, it's mostly based on fear and a lack of understanding. The same thing goes with requiring $200 tax stamps for suppressors and banning the manufacture of full auto weapons for civilians. Protip: suppressors are safety devices, not james bond stealth tools. Unless you are using subsonic ammo, there is still a quite loud sonic crack. It is, however, quiet enough that it doesn't damage your ears to hear it. The reason SWAT team and other similar forces use suppressors on their weapons is so they don't have to wear ear protection so they can be more aware of their environment and not have to worry about destroying their eardrums. There is no such thing as the "pew pew" sound suppressor. Full Auto guns are largely useless in combat except for suppressing fire and are pretty much only good as a range toy. If you notice, all crimes committed with full auto weapons have ended in a lot of wounding and very few deaths. More bullets downrange does not equal more bullets hitting your target. If you want to kill something, accurate well-placed shots will serve you much better. The media, especially videogames and movies, completely misrepresents firearms in almost all regards.
>> Anonymous
>>56426
Anyways, please inform your Japanese host family of the truth about guns in America. Odds are they are simply curious as they have never seen or held a gun before. One of my friends is studying here at my university and is a citizen of china. He expressed genuine interest when he found out I was a gun owner and begged me to take him shooting and to gun shows so he could see a real AR-15 as his only previous firearms experience was from videogames, heh.

>>56413
useless statistics are useless, have you even read the link on that picture? Any anti-gun fag worth his nuts would rip you to shreds for posting that.
>> Anonymous
>>56420
Not>>56418

I live in Los Angeles, specifically near the border of infamous "South Central". I've seen the direct effects of the gun control the local city and state government, which is zero, as the ones who tend to murder people don't give one fuck about laws they enact against guns.

You know why?

Because Mr. Young Blood isn't going to go to a dedicated gun shop and fill out the necessary paperwork and background checks to get the gun he wants. Instead he goes to Tyrone the local crack dealer and ask for connections to buy an illegal piece.

While I, the guy that puts in an honest days work gets raped by the city, state, and feds for 25% of my check, has to deal with the all bullshit and paperwork that goes into buying a weapon and unlike the rest of the U.S., CA decided to make any purchase a ten-day wait while everyone else has to just wait minutes for the instant check.

And for the earlier poster, no they don't sell guns in supermarkets here in the U.S., some Wal-marts do sell shotguns and rifles in some areas, but nowhere near a metropolitan area.
>> Anonymous
>>56424

Jews. . .
>> Anonymous
>>56420
I should also like to point out that the original intent of the 2nd amendment, to ensure the people could rise against the government should it get out of hand, is largely useless today. Even if everyone had an AR-15 or AK clone they wouldn't do so hot against tanks and jets. Guerilla warfare never ends well. Still, as I pointed out before, there is no reason to ban such guns and they are quite handy for competitions, hunting, and just fun shooting and (if you are worried about such things) make great home defense weapons.
>> Anonymous
>>56424
Like I said, if any of you had read the link on that picture, you would see that the data is indeed quite useless. Different countries have different methods of measuring crime and even consider different things to be "violent" crime. The jump for Britain was actually caused by a change in the way they report crime.
>> Anonymous
Well your from the North east, if u were midwest or south u would see it more. Americans get a BAD wrap even though we are gun lovers. Switzerland actually has a higher gun owenrrship per capita then the US!!!!! Do you believe that shit? And switzerland gets praised all the time, but we have high gun crimes and shit. America is dangerous comparied to other places and esp from a place in Japan I can see why they would wonder since its illegal. Hey, they have every right to question it but you have the right to expline there are hunters, people who want to fight for the peoples army one day, then the crooks and gangstash who kill. Owning a gun outwright doesnt mean your dangerous
>> Anonymous
>>56437
There are other factors involved that play a much bigger role than gun ownership. A primary factor is the differences between the many many ethnic and racial groups in the lower class. With a largely homogeneous lower class like Switzerland, you don't see a lot of the violence that we do in the states. They also have a much better public education system, as the previous poster has so delightfully proven for us. :)

You should really work on your grammar and spelling. Potential underage b& spotted.

One thing I would like to point out--mandatory military service. Now, I'm not saying that this is a good thing, quite the contrary, however, gun owners in Switzerland are trained with their weapons and respect them with the knowledge that they do have the power to easily kill. I'd love to see a sort of licensing system in the US that requires training before purchasing a firearm, HOWEVER I can see that such a system would be impossible. It would become all too easy for certain states and cities to make it incredibly difficult to attain such licenses causing a de-facto firearms ban.
>> Anonymous
>>56426
>gun ownership does not actually decrease violent crime

No, it decreases home invasions though - which is a good thing.

>>56407
It's more of a nigger thing then it is an 'american' thing. Those cities would be perfectly safe if they were inhabited by whites.
>> Anonymous
>>56403
Our gangmembers are very violent, yes.
>> Anonymous
>>56443
yeah sure, because you rednecks never murdered anybody?