US gun law

The US gun laws are a mess. If you were the age of 18 and wanted to buy a beer you would have to wait until you were 21 but if you wanted to shoot 17 people in cold blood you could buy a gun from the local gun store and start shooting.

If, and only if, you've been trained in how to use them.

And even then, not very.



The NYPD, a force put under incredible pressure due to massive focus in the 90s and 00s, made the shooting accuracy of its members public.

It's 18%.

And these are people who are trained to fire well under extreme pressure and use tactics.

The average member of public? You've got no hope. You're far more of a liability. All you'll do is get yourself killed in the process - and most likely another innocent person too.

While the police may have accuracy issues in a home invasion you’re talking about very close quarter shooting so the accuracy is likely to go up

If someone with a gun breaks into your house it’s still better to have a gun than to not have one. While the police may have accuracy issues in a home invasion you’re talking about very close quarter shooting so the accuracy is likely to go up. Not only that but your statistic is either wrong or outdated:

‘According to a 2008 analysis of NYPD firearms discharge data done by the New York Times, between 1996-2006 officers hit their intended target about 34 percent of the time.’

‘The Times reported that in 2006-2007, Los Angeles police officers hit their targets between 27 and 29 percent of the time, respectively. There is no reliable national data on hit ratio.’

No, it's actually going to go down.

When experiencing extreme stress like that your body will flood with adrenaline, causing you to shake. Those trained in weapons and tactics may be able to control and negate the effect, but rank amateurs don't stand a chance. By far the most likely result of confronting a home invader with a firearm is having them take that firearm from you.

but if there were stricter gun laws surely there would be a far lower chance of someone breaking into your house with a gun. (see aforementioned reasoning)?

1. Around 60% of gun owners have received ‘formal’ training - it’s reasonable to imagine that when you also include informal training that number goes up.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thetrace.org/2017/07/handgun-owners-self-defense-no-formal-training/amp/
2. Where’s the evidence to back up your last sentence?

Seen on a US news show. Trying to find citation.

But first part also known from personal experience with weaponry and weapon training.

I’d be interested to see that as I was reading something saying that gathering any reliable data on ‘home invasions’ is difficult.

I don’t doubt that adrenaline impacts your ability to shoot but the accuracy of the police was misquoted, it’s actually nearer 30% and 60% of Americans have had formal training

30% is still shocking, and that formal training is not going to be anything like as regular or as rigorous as police or armed forces training. With emphasis on the regular.

So lots of the students from the Florida school where there was the awful shooting are marching on Washington to demand for change to us gun law. I think this is great news but what about you? What do you think should happen with US gun law and why, and what do you think will happen ultimately?

the same way that you could drive a van into people, yet they are not banned
try again please

I also think it's great news that the students are trying to do something about this - who better to do it than the students themselves?

As much as I think that guns should be banned, ultimately I think it will be a very long time until this happens. The NRA, who completely oppose such changes in gun laws have too much influence in politics.

Are you honestly trying to compare a van - a mainstay of the economy and work force and most assuredly not simply a tool of death to a firearm, which is only a tool of death?

A firearm is a tool of defence, deterrent, just as the nuclear weapon is.

IN fact, most times, a firearm actually creates PEACE

A firearm is a tool of defence, deterrent, just as the nuclear weapon is.

IN fact, most times, a firearm actually creates PEACE

IN fact, most times, a firearm actually creates PEACE

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43138544

An interesting read, particuarly in hearing the student's direct perspectives.
What do you guys think about trump planning on banning the so called 'bump stocks'. Whilst it's great news, the sceptical side of me feels it's just for him to be able to say he's done something towards stricter gun control - a comfortable middle ground for him by somewhat reducing the number of calls for stricter gun control whilst still being able to recieve the 'generous sponsership' from the National Riffle Association.