/8lounge/ - The "8" Lounge

>>2733
"That rifle on the wall of the labourer's cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there."

>>2734
… or at least that quote comes to mind. I think that every family should have a gun, and that children should be taught the significance of a gun, and how to use one if the need arises.

You're European, then?

I know there are a few countries that banned guns, but only England comes up when I Google knife bans.

>>2748
Englandistanian reporting in. I heard someone was talking about our glorious mecca.

>>2749
As a resident of the US, I've had a difficult time finding out about knife bans in your country. HAVE there been attempts to take your kitchen knives?

>>2750
They couldn't really do anything legally, but they are pushing on people to give up their knives. In my opinion, all that does is make it easier for me criminals to rob people.
https://www.facebook.com/lancspolice/photos/a.187144407983524.43177.183513901679908/837972909567334/?type=1

>>2753
Welcome to the incompetence that is every government-run organization ever.

>>2752
I am pretty sure the UK knife ban thing only covers knives with blades longer than 3 inches

>>2755
I own knives with blades longer than 3 inches that I use for food preparation.

>>2756
That doesn't mean you can't still kill someone with a blade that is three inches.

Needing a license to buy kitchen knives is stupid, but people don't usually walk around carrying kitchen knives all the time.

Amerifag here.
Violence is a huge problem. Guns do make it easier for criminals to kill people, and there are things that should be done to reduce crime and get firearms out of criminals' hands.

1. Aggressive undercover campaigns against the illegal weapons trade. This will be dangerous for the officers/agents involved, and they should be carefully selected and well paid.
2. Aggressive prosecution of criminals who commit any felony while in possession of a firearm, even if it was a non-violent felony.
3. End the war on drugs, which fuels a tremendous amount of violent crime. Decriminalize them, and make hard drugs available to addicts at dispensaries, which will also offer addiction counseling. Grow/produce them domestically via carefully regulated vendors.
4. Improve quality of education in depressed areas. (how to do this is an enormous discussion unto itself)
5. Improve access to mental health services and work to reduce the stigma of getting treatment.
6. Improve the relationship between police and the population. In part, do this by improving the quality of our police - make it easier to fire bad cops, and pay all cops better in order to attract a better range of candidates. Require police to wear body cameras.

>>2753
About 15 years ago, when beanie babies were a fad, the city of Chicago tried an "exchange a gun for a beanie baby" program.

>>2802
Darn, meant to post this in the facts thread. My mistake.

>>2805
Scratch that. Apparently, the lounge allows thread deletion. Thank you based Lounglie!

Red-state American checking in -
I don't belive in "gun control" so much as "gun purchaser control". Before you hit enter on your pre-typed hate posts, let me explain:

>guns are necessary to maintain a free state and the activity of shooting is an enjoyable one
One of my hobbies is driving out to the middle of nowhere and shooting up boxes of miscellany that need to be trashed.

>there's no rationale behind allowing me to own a gun
I'm clinically depressed, have some cluster-B personality disorder, prone to fits of rage. I'm essentially the archetype of every violent psychopath in history. This has been confirmed by numerous sociopathology identity tests. All self-proctored, but I'm trained to assess those tests so I figure I have a little more credibility than a standard "self-diagnosed" tumblrina.

>so why do I have guns?
Because I lied on my first background check and go through Armslist.

I strongly believe guns should flow freely. Restricting guns won't do anything, because those who would do harm will find a way to get them anyway.

I also strongly believe it shouldn't be so easy for someone as dangerously unbalanced as me to get them.If we kept firearms in the hands of sane individuals, I believe that represents the best compromise between "muh freedums" and "muh safety".

>>2752
While this program is incredibly stupid, I have to admit that an angel statue made out of knives would look hella cool.

>>2800
But Mr(s). Anon, that takes focused, long-term effort. Acting outraged for votes only takes a bit of the marketing budget.

>>2834
Stephen pls

>>2851
This without a doubt. The easy thing is what will be done.

>>2967
And we'll all suffer for it. Until someone actually high-profile comes under (thread of) attack, reform won't ever happen. And why should they, anyway? Changing gun laws in either direction will alienate a large percentage of voters.
That's like owning a rape whistle factory - actively working to your own failure and dismissal.

>>2840
>Restricting guns won't do anything, because those who would do harm will find a way to get them anyway.
Only partially true. A criminal like a bank robber or a mass-shooter will find a way to get guns anyway, like you said, since their crimes are planned months in advance. But it would prevent low profile thief who in today's world owns a gun because it's gangsta from getting guns. And from casually looking at statistics, I feel like those kinds of people commit the most gun-crimes. But that's just speculation, since I can't find any statistics on gun deaths by type of crime.

But for the record, I agree with >>2800 .

>>3087
Certainly, the gubmint playing devil's advocate is a major contributing factor that people seem to not like to talk about.
I would speculate the other direction, though. That's certainly just bias, since in my state it's pretty common for people to walk into a grocery store with a pistol on their hip, or every once in a while, a rifle slung across their back.
In this climate, no one would pull a gun out because we've made it pretty clear you'd get 20 pointed back at you. So if you do commit a gun crime, it best damn well be a bank robbery or a wild mass shooting.

I've never fired a gun in my life, nor was I ever in a situation where one needed to be used for personal/public defense, so my knowhow with firearms and their classifications are a bit limited, keep that in mind.

My view towards gun regulation has always relatively coincided with my view on drugs, just make the damn things legal, and tax the poppycock out of them based on potency, or in the guns case firepower.

Getting a handgun should be like buying marijuana, it should be a relatively easy process as long as you got the right identification, but if you really want that badass LMG, you're going to need to pay a bit extra. A revolver or pistol is a practical thing to have if you're an average everyday citizen. Hunting rifles/shotguns should also be left alone, I'm not one to tax someone's livelihood. poppycock, they should give you a discount if you show your hunting license. Someone who hunts game keeps roads safe, ecosystems stable, and stomachs full. Now Thats a noble pursuit if I ever saw one.

However, if you want a gun that will make more red mist then sausage, you got to pay up. Military-grade weapons are a luxury, and I don't see any practical reason why a household should have one other than for the thrill of using it. If you ever feel the need to arm your wife and eldest with automatic firearms and explosives to feel safe, then you should get the hell out of whatever horrid place you currently live in. If that's not he case then you should let the nice men with the padded van drive you down to the funny farm. At that point it isn't a rational desire for protection, it's paranoia.

Rather than taking firearms away from its citizens, shouldn't governments work towards building a society where a citizen doesn't feel the need to buy firearms in the first place?

Maybe I'm an idiot, but I think I have a point.

>>3175
That would require the citizens to give up their liberty for security which in history giving governments fucktons of power is never a good thing.

If I've leaned anything from personal experience (and a dash of pol), it's that Tyrone and non-citisens shouldn't have weapons. According to official crime stats, when controlling for poverty and education and other factors, blacks and POC are more portend to criminal behavior. So if you live in a white, western nation like Germany, UK, France, USA, or Aus, where immigration and non-whites are prevalent enough (the reason doesn't matter), why would you not agree? Yes, POCs deserve self-protection; but stats show they're overwhelmingly responsible for the majority of crimes despite being a minority. We shouldn't soften our stance to crime because of increased melanin. If a pattern exists, then correct it. Without prejudice or reverse prejudice; numbers don't lie.

That said, a society without guns would be great. If we can fix the problems leading to crime and provide for everyone who contibutes (or wants to) to our society and help them to contribute more, then who needs to rob or murder but the mentally ill? In poppycockskin countries, murder, stealing, and rape are considered normal or encouraged. Western society doesn't accept these things. Why would you give a pass to such, or freely arm those who have not proven they uphold our culture? "Our culture" means not just how we shake hands (or kiss or whatever to greet), some cultures genuinely believe in rape and murder, that it is justified. They train their people not to build their own empires, but to take over those run by others. And how do you do this without nepotism? Without earning your own?

I see anti-Westernism so strong lately. But western thought is belief in self-accomplish. You not only believe in yourself to start, but also to become and grow. And you believe in others who want to start and grow. You are so boundless in your thoughts, yet so contemplative. You can handle weapons, because you don't hate others for what they have–that is my culture. Instead, you protectwhat you have made. You don't steal from the 1%, you protect from the 98%; expect some state like USA or UK are 30% dark skin.

Protect what you have while you can. You are over destroyed.