On Fri, 5 Mar 2004 23:05:05 +1100, "A.Gent"
wrote:


"Gunner" wrote in message
.. .

Im not a fan of putting on a seat belt when getting into a
motor vehicle either..and the chances of me being involved in an
accident are very small, but I do non the less.

Why?
Don't you drive very much?
(You do realise that *no-one* admits to being a dangerous driver... and accidents
are *always* caused by "the other guy".)


I drive about 65,000 miles a year. Been doing so for many years. Im a
defensive driver, and have actually been to school for defensive
driving, albeit many years ago.



I should mention that in the past 30 yrs, Ive had to draw my CCW 5
times.

Deary me.
I should mention that in a longer time-frame than that, I've never felt the need to
produce or display a CCW. I've been a cab driver, a shop assistant, a truck driver,
a delivery person amongst other potentially "hazardous" occupations, and I haven't
ever hesitated to go anywhere at any time in this country for the sake of personal
safety.

I can think of a number of places in Sydney that Id not like to take
walkabout in, also Kimberly, Pilbara, Kalgoorlie. In fact..the first
place Id ever been attacked by a group, was in 1971 in Sydney.
Fortunatly my mates came to my rescue. Your lads made a rather poor
choice of victims when they ignored that Ranger scroll on the shoulder
patchs. Shrug. I suspect they all lived, though it was great fun.

You must live in a very dangerous country.

Indeed parts of it can be. Just like Oz.


... In only one of those cases was there another firearm involved.
But knifes, clubs, and large groups of individuals bent on harming
one, can kill you just as dead. No shots were fired in any of those
cases. And in each one of those cases, harm or death to myself, or
others WOULD have occurred if Id not been armed and willing to defend
myself with deadly force. Not maybe..but Would. And rape to my wife
and or others.

Land of the free, home of the brave.
Indeed.

Don't tell me stories like this, Gunner.

Why?
I like Americans. I'd love to visit your shores (the Smithsonian, the Cape for a
launch, Niagara, Yellowstone... sighhh) but you're doing a good job of frightening me
out of it. Give me crocodiles and funnelweb spiders any day.

Good for you. Id like to see Ayers Rock again, and of course sample
more of your sheilas hospitality. Both singly and in group. My
memories are fond ones. Dont worry too much about crime, as our crime
rate is falling rapidly, while yours is rising, so you may be safer
here in the US than at home. I know a goodly number of Aussie Ex-pats
living here quite happily. Though..I do know more British Ex-pats, and
you know what THEIR home country crime rates are..sigh..poor *******s.


So am I being paranoid? Or simply, like wearing a seat belt, prudent?

Another crook analogy. Seat belts are defensive. Can't be offensive (unless you
strangle someone with one.)

Hand guns are defensive also. A very poor choice for offense.
Generally a handgun is the means by which you use to get to a rifle.
Any tool can be used offensively. One should note that people have
been dying from kitchen knives, blunt objects, sashweights, tire
irons, etc etc for a very long time, so by your standards, a hammer is
an offensive weapon?



Doesn't sound too peaceable to me, Pard.

Our crime rate is at an all time low, our homicide rates are down
below levels of 1964, and still declining. There are more privately
possessed firearms than ever before, 42 states now issue CCW permits
and things are getting nice and peaceable. Im afraid that the same
cannot be said for other countries that have banned the use of the gun
for self defense, or even its ownership. But then..Im damned glad to
live in a nation where each individual does have the right to properly
use deadly force in self defense. And has the right as a basic part
of its foundation documents.

And yet you've been in real fear of your life five times (at least?).
Having been a police officer, and in RVN (none of which were counted
in the 5 times stats, Ive been in fear for my life many times. There
are risks in life, for which I take precautions. Fire extinguishers
(btw..I know at least one murder by fire extinguisher), smoke
detectors, safety glasses, seat belts, motorcycle helmets and
leathers... the usual. Shrug. Having a firearm at hand when servicing
machine tools at 1am in East Los Angeles is simply another protective
measure.
Do you provoke trouble?
Hardly. A number of folks here on this newsgroup know me well enough,
and Id imagine that most would tell you that Im just a big old
harmless fuzzball. And when bad situations happen, I generally tend to
back away. However..unless you live in a cave somewhere, Im sure you
have encountered those that wished to press the issue. I seldom worry
about a criminal act directed at me specificly, but those "to whom it
may concern" crimes are the bothersome ones.

I do tend to go where I wish, when I wish, rather than huddling in
fear though, and some of those places may not be for the more gentile.
However.. none of those 5 circumstances were in "bad places", as those
in bad places are street wise enough to understand that some people
are not to be attacked. At least if they are not drunk or strung out
on drugs...they can recognize this. shrug. Im told that I have a
certain "street presense" that can be a warning sign for the more
street wise. Unfortunatly..those are not the types that I worry about.

I should also mention that I indicated that no shots were fired, no
one was harmed overly much given the situations. If I were the type to
provoke trouble..such would not have been the case. In fact, I was
soundly chastized by the police in two of those occasions for NOT
shooting the bad guys, as it would have ended some long term criminal
careers and removed some very bad people from both the street and the
gene pool. But then I do value human life, and having taken far more
than my share of them in RVN and as a police officer, tend to not
take a life without extreme provication. The "3 AM parade" is not one
I care to add to.


(I mean in real life, not on Usenet.)

See above.


Shrug..each to his own. Im quite happy to be a citizen, not a sheeple,
and have the option of picking which I prefer being, rather than
having the sheeple part forced on me by a government.


Bahhhhhhhhh
Humbug.

So your government allows you to keep a handgun close by for self
defense? How about a decent self loading rifle?

Anyways, keep shrugging. I can sense that tension diminishing already.

Tension? You have a tension problem? Take care of that..it can have
long term health problems.

Btw..if you ever decide to visit the States, Id be happy to buy you a
cup of coffee, and show you my shop, as well as give you some insiders
places to visit. Im rather widely traveled, and as I indicated..tend
to go off the beaten path.

Gunner



"Gun Control, the theory that a 110lb grandmother should
fist fight a 250lb 19yr old criminal"