To the Americans on this forum: How do you feel about the gun situation in the US?

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Original post by jeremy1988

I mean, a lot of the police are black, at least where I live. The news tends to unfairly focus on the worst communities in the worst states. Places like Missouri, which we jokingly call "Misery". Everyone knows it's the most backwards state in the Union, and yet they plaster it all over the news and try to make out that the whole country is like that.

Is it more backwards than Mississippi? I've never been to America so I suppose my perspective is somewhat moulded by the American media that I consume but Mississippi is always the first state that comes to mind when I think about the worst place in America.

I suppose it stems mainly from the fact that it's one of the most conservative southern states and hasn't got much wealth to compensate. There was a story in the Independent last year (or was it early this year? I forget) that, should the UK become the 51st US state, it would be second-poorest in the Union, being surpassed only by Mississippi.

But yeah, I'll take your word for it until I've lived in America myself.

Reply 21

DiddyDec01

Wrong again. They are legal for the purpose of humane dispatch (vets, farmers, professional deer stalker etc). I believe the recommendation for most animals is .32 but for larger animals one can use .38.

Reply 22

jeremy1988

Original post by Hydeman

Mississippi and Missouri are definitely two of the worst. I honestly tend to get them confused because they both have a similar reputation as well as a similar name.

Wow, I thought the UK and Western Europe were a lot wealthier than that. They certainly give off the impression of being well-off and sophisticated.

Reply 23

username1539513

Original post by DiddyDec

Sources, please, I've never heard this before? They weren't even allowed to fire a handgun at the Olympics and those who were competing in shooting competitions had to go and train outside the country so I find it hard to believe the government would allow handguns to be legally kept and stored by ordinary people

Reply 24

troubadour.

Original post by jeremy1988

It's not that the UK and Western Europe are poor -- it's just that America is very, very rich. The standard of living doesn't really compare, although it's arguable that life is better in Western Europe for certain kinds of people (e.g. unemployed people, low-paid workers etc.) because they have more generous welfare states.

The perception of being sophisticated is probably just a product of Americans feeling that they're somehow less cultured than Europeans. :lol:

I honestly don't find that most British people are all that cultured or sophisticated or, indeed, well-off. :smile:

The perception of wealth does tend to wear off when you find yourself bagging your own groceries...

Reply 25

DiddyDec01

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/417199/Guidance_on_Firearms_Licensing_Law_v13.pdf

Section 13.38 page 111.

http://firearmsuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/handguns_for_humane_dispatch_2012-1.pdf

The whole document.

Reply 26

jeremy1988

Original post by Hydeman

That does seem strange to me, though. Britain manages to maintain a fairly decent society when it actually doesn't have much more wealth than some of our poorer states. Most of the states in that economic bracket are total dumps in the deep South with dilapidated or nonexistent infrastructure.

The perception of being sophisticated is probably just a product of Americans feeling that they're somehow less cultured than Europeans. :lol:

I honestly don't find that most British people are all that cultured or sophisticated or, indeed, well-off. :smile:

The perception of wealth does tend to wear off when you find yourself bagging your own groceries...

Indeed, for so much of our history, Britain was a huge and powerful nation while we were just an expanding frontier. On some level, it's natural to think of Europe as civilisation, and here as being... well, a newer nation of farmers and slightly backwards country folk that just happen to have a lot of natural resources and a strong martial sprit.

Reply 27

Macy1998

Never in my life have I been scared because of the possibility of a person having a gun. Believe or not , guns can be used to defend yourself! And what if a crazy person has a gun to shot a school or some place but the police men or women don't have guns? So let to guy murder everyone because allowing a police officer or a regular person have one would be so awful? I know this doesn't apply to most situations and people but guns don't kill people. People do.