'If you carry fake guns - we will treat them as real'

[mandybat]

I am happy that we have gun control here in the UK.
My uncle killed my auntie with a gun he had purchased for rabbit hunting.This was 25 years ago before we had such stringent laws.
We don't have a gun problem...we have problem people,who can get hold of them anyway .At least if they are caught with them they can be prosecuted for even owning one and we don't have to wait for them to use it.
I also agree that replica guns should not be taken out in public (obviously) and I have never heard of anyone having a problem at conventions or costuming events whilst carrying sci-fi replicas ,but what annoys me is the way the government has now turned its attention to airsoft and paintballing.
My son owns a couple of paintball markers and airsoft replicas which he can use in our garden (which luckily enough is over 17 metres from the centre of a highway ,enclosed and on private land....to comply with the current laws) however if he wants to skirmish with a couple of friends he has to travel a long way and pay a heap of money to attend a properly licensed site.The government is now even planning to ban this.(as I believe has already occurred in new-zealand?).
Bottom line is anybody seen brandishing a replica gun in a public place must expect to get the full attention of the boys in blue .....and I'm glad they do.But responsible replica owners would not do that and should be allowed to own them,even if it does mean having to register them or report any theft to the police.
Just my 'tuppence'
Mandy
I enjoyed this.http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91059-1246969,00.html....The government is also turning it's attention to samurai swords

 

[gnrlotto]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mandybat @ Jan 15 2007, 02:18 AM) [snapback]1397572[/snapback]</div>

I enjoyed this.http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91059-1246969,00.html....The government is also turning it's attention to samurai swords
[/b]

And soon even darts in pubs. Until they realize people can also throw checkers...

 

[Chris Martin]

So obviously having legal gun ownership doesn't directly equal higher crime rates...
[/b]

I have problems with this. I know the comment was specifically about machine guns but a gun is a gun. There are enough examples of school shootings in the US for gun ownership to be debated. If these were carried out by legally owned weapons then the case for stricter controls is made. If most crime is being commited by illegal weapons then presumably the criminals can get them easily because of the easy and high availability of such weapons so again gun control needs tightening. The problem is the fact that people WANT to own a gun for whatever reason. This forum alone consists strongly of gun enthusiasts, mostly US, making cooing noises over the latest prop gun. Part of the problem is that surge of omnipotence (an obvious fallacy) that most people get by picking up a gun. It may make you feel safer but in practice it increases your chances of you or someone else being shot.

 

[gnrlotto]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chris Martin @ Jan 15 2007, 03:46 AM) [snapback]1397582[/snapback]</div>

So obviously having legal gun ownership doesn't directly equal higher crime rates...
[/b]

...If most crime is being commited by illegal weapons then presumably the criminals can get them easily because of the easy and high availability of such weapons so again gun control needs tightening....[/b]

But the crackdown doesn't need to be on the individual gun owners. Let's face it: gang bangers aren't getting weapons because a WWII vet is selling his old trophy Luger to a street punk.

 

[Lord_Gita]

Ok, I hope everyone got their opinions out. Thank you for keeping it civil but it's still political so I'm closing it down now.