Quote:
etch111 previously said:
This is an unfortunateand complex situation we find ourselves in a free society...it is just not possible to tell the legal responsible gun owner from the violent criminal in a capitalist system.... the freedom to buy legal or illegal comes first here... good or bad we live with it..... but with all respect you would still be much safer in Ireland.
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Etch, I'll grant you your statistics (that they're all correct and etc.) and that you can make a good argument with them, but here's the main difference between you and me (I think) - I'm not willing to risk my life or my family's lives on statistics, especially not in a situation that I can have some control of myself. Dead or injured, there would be no consolation in the fact that you were part of a very small statistic.
We all face risk every day. Some risks you have little control over, like a tornado or a mud slide or cancer for example. Some risks you can partially mitigate by being proactive, like defensive driving or exercising to stay healthy. Such is carrying a concealed weapon; you pray you never have to use it but if faced with the threat of violent crime you have more options with one than without.
So yes, I lived in Northern Ireland for several years and came away unharmed, in spite of a few brushes with paramilitary groups. But I wouldn't move back now no matter how good the statistics look, because that government would deny me the right to protect myself from armed criminals. Same with CA, NY, IL, or anywhere else that does the same. It's not about statistics, it's about some politician that can't protect me telling me that I have no right to do it either.
