Have You Ever Had a Gun Pointed At You?

Thank you. From a purely practical point of view, removing from current legal gun ownership current weapons now owned could of course probably cause many legal owners to hide them and keep them illegally and so actually increase the circulation of illegal unregistered weapons.

So when such programs are implemented there has to be an amnesty period to turn them in and even then yes of course there is most certainly a practical problem of enforcement and illegal weapons already in circulation don't vanish nor do new illegally owned ones.

However this kind of law is not intended for an immediate miracle remedy. It can take years for the amount of illegal weapons on the streets to decrease but the point is no new ones would be added and that in the long term cuts off the source that circulates illegally as the old supply runs out. That is the point.

No one who argues for banning specific weapons has ever stated on this thread or any thread they are a miracle cure to end crimes, gun crimes or should be a total gun ban. No one.

The person you address misrepresents it as such because the misrepresentation serves to deflect from his refusal to acknowledge certain issues and most importantly engages in the tactic of misstating something to make it sound absurd rather than address what is actually stated.

 

Typically the "bans" only ban the purchase of new firearms, as was the case in the 1990 ban for some semi-auto rifles. Other countries have implemented buy-back programs where people were expected / mandated to sell their gun to be destroyed (like in Australia), but that has not happened in US. Our gun laws are loosening of anything.

Re-defining someone else's argument to sound absurd is a form of gaslighting.

 

Actually to add on to what you say there have been gun buy back programs in the US but most certainly not at the federal or state levels which is what I know you meant. The actual origin of buy back programs in the US came about as community groups and police met to brainstorm about how to help make the community safer for everyone.

https://www.rand.org/research/gun-policy/analysis/essays/gun-buyback-programs.html

https://journalistsresource.org/health/gun-buybacks-what-the-research-says/

https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/8/2/143

https://www.fastcompany.com/90789616/gun-buybacks-are-happening-across-the-country-but-do-they-work

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/gun-buy-back-program-benefits-questioned

Certainly buy back programs are not a panacea or miracle cure but are one of a range of tools to help remove illegal weapons from the streets. Since the guns are turned in anonymously its hard to then track if they came from criminals who used them in crimes, people who stole them, people who would have otherwise committed suicide, etc.

Police and community organizations at the grass roots level do these. I myself would say it probably works best that way. I am not sure trying to implement a federal or state buy back program would work. I could see for example as did happen in the past the federal Housing department, or the ATF at the federal level helping endorse and sponsor such events but as a formal government operation probably it would not work. This requires grass roots interaction between communities and the police.

What is good about it is such programs have promoted trust between police and the communities they serve. It provides a real example of working together on safety and not being on opposite sides.

So it is part of the debate and I am glad you raised it.

 

more bullshit-why do you all want to ban guns that are rarely used in crime if you honestly are motivated by the mistaken belief that banning a certain type of weapon will be any more effective in preventing criminals from getting it as the bans on fentanyl have been

 

gun buy backs are moronic. often ignorant folk are bamboozled into giving up valuable inheritances by these things. Gang bangers can get rid of guns with a body or two on them. Most of the guns taken in these things are beat up broken down worthless POS's that no one is using and no criminal would be caught dead with

 

Just had another incident. This one, once again, didn't involve a barrel levelled at me, but did involve a gun pulled on me.

I go for a drive every morning with two of my three dogs. I normally take them out to a park for a walk, but sometimes we just listen to an audio book and I drive a few loops while finishing a chapter. A couple of days ago, this guy pulled out of his driveway and started following me. Again, this was along residential streets. Eventually he cut me off and blocked my path, getting out of his car and walking up to mine with a gun at his side asking "Can I ****ing help you?" I de-escalated and got the **** out of there. Second time something like that has happened. I'm worried if I call the cops that one of my dogs might get shot, so I always try to de-escalate. Needless to say, I'm taking our drives out to other neighborhoods from here on out. And, no, our neighborhood is not a high-crime neighborhood.

 

Hmmm, yes here in the US and also yes in other parts of the world.

 

Yes. I was in the USAF and there was an ongoing wargame. I was walking, authorized with a badge, through a secure area when a voice called out telling me to freeze. A soldier pointing an M16 at my head walked out from an area with trees and told me to put my badge on the ground and step away so he could check it out.

Always grateful that guy didn't accidentally squeeze off a round.

 

Count your blessings.

 

No...
And, I wouldn't consider surviving a gun pointed at me some badge of honor..

 

Yes.
When I was a cop I covered on a high speed chase.
The genius drove home, pulled into his driveway, and ran into the house.
Three of us hot on his heels, but the house was full of people, we later counted 27 people in that house.

Anyway, we hooked up the genius but when we tried to take him out we were stopped by some VERY determined people. We knew more cover was on the way, all we had to do was wait, no need to force things.

That is until grandma headed for the bedroom to "make us leave". I followed her in and as I came around the corner she stuck a .22 pistol in my gut, below my vest. I grabbed the gun and the hammer dropped on the meat between my thumb and forefinger. Got the gun away, wrestled the old bitch to the ground and handcuffed her.

And all hell broke loose.

An hour later 9 adults were on the way to jail, 3 more were on the way to the hospital (gramma, grandpa and my partner), social services picked up 7 kids aged 6 months to 9 years and 8 adults were hauled away by ICE.

Except for my partner getting a concussion it was a productive night, eh?

 

I think a lot of times police get away with brandishing a gun when a civilian would be charged with a crime for the same thing.

 

I was trained to unhoster only when I believed I would be needing my gun.

I was taught to only shoot when I or someone else was in serious danger.

I was taught if I shot, shoot to kill and keep shooting until the threat is minimized.

Pretty sure all cops are trained the same.

 

Yes.

A friend and I were driving in Malaysia when he ran a police/military checkpoint that he didn't properly see. Multiple guns of several types & calibres pointed out way. We got out with hands up and my mate proceeded to look as dumb as he possibly could (which wasn't hard under the circumstances). Once they realized we were just dumb white boys rather than whoever they were after they lowered the guns and waved us on.

Fortunately for us Malaysians are not trigger happy and we just got a good story. Some places that might have been fatal.

I have a mate who used to run tour groups overland from Morocco to Capetown - yes, the entire length of Africa. he had dozens of stories of having guns pointed & being shot at. My favourite was a group of guys in blue robes (probably Taureg) on camels taking pot shots at them while driving across the sahara.

 

About 6 months ago three black youths came into the store around 2:30 a.m.

One of them is standing in front of the register and drops a gun from his pants on the floor. Later on I played back the cameras and that's exactly what it was. I didn't see it because he tucked it back in behind his back but I could tell exactly what it was from the sound of it hitting the ground.

I said it's heavy ain't it? If you're going to carry a gun you should probably use a proper holster.

They didn't try to rob me but I'm pretty sure they were up to no good that night.

 

I was once working as a motel desk clerk, and had a guy come through the door, which was right next to the front desk, but was set up so that you couldn't see who'd entered, until they'd hung a sharp right, and cleared the corner of the wall, framing the door. The time in question, a person popped around that corner with a sawed off rifle, levelled straight at my chest. I raised my hands and told him to relax, letting him know that he was in charge, and that I would fully cooperate. He continued to come across, though, as very impatient; I can't know if that was just part of the intimidation act, or if he really was that edgy. It definitely made me uncomfortably nervous, as I tried to do as he demanded, as quickly as possible. But it ended, swiftly enough.

Since we were located right next to both a highway off ramp, and the on-ramp to continue in that same direction, the experience felt to me, like someone just passing through, and trying to make a quick cash stop (but who'd lost their bank card, so was using the rifle, instead). I would guess it was not his first time doing this.

The odd thing was that the police treated me like a suspect, because only a week or two beforehand, someone else had tried to rob me at the hotel/motel, but failed. That person had not shown his supposed gun, keeping his hand on it, in his jacket pocket. I'd been almost sure that there was no gun, so was considering throwing a punch at him, over the desk, and then climbing over it, as he fell backward, but it occurred to me that he might at least have a knife.

With all the options running through my head, I acted very calmly, but couldn't come up with anything more clever, to ascertain for certain there was no gun, than to respond to his demand for money, by asking if he had a gun, and when he just indicated his pocket, without pulling it out, I played the clueless, corporate employee, saying that it was the hotel's policy, that I was supposed to actually see the gun, first. When that little bit of genius, didn't pay off, I opened the cash drawer, pulled it out, then quickly spun around, and ran with it to the doorway of the office, 15 feet behind me, not completely sure that I might not feel a shot in my back.

It was only a couple of seconds, though, before I got through the doorway, pulling the thick, solid wooden door, behind me, & locking it, then calling the police. The attempted robber, of course, had split.

 

I don't know if these kids were attempting to rob me or not, but if they were it was a horrible start. I did not recognize them or their car and a lot of our customers I at least recognize their face or their vehicle, if not know them by name.

The youngest of them was probably still a teenager. Needless to say with them out at 2:30 a.m. running around with a gun it's a pretty safe bet that they were probably up to no good somewhere.

I have been at this job a little over 2 and 1/2 years now or close to it. Right before I started there was an armed robbery of the Indian owned store and the owner gave him the money and they shot and killed him anyways.

Of course it's impossible for me to say how I would react having never had that happen.... But I would probably appear to be cooperating until I saw any opportunity. I'm not going to hope and pray some armed robber doesn't shoot me anyways.

I need to keep a can of brake parts cleaner under the counter. Ever got any of that in your eye? Even a little drop is instant blind and that stuff shoots out of the can better than bear spray or hornet spray

 

Because the vast majority of us have no need for one.

 

They don't like to hunt or have fun target shooting over there?

 

Sure, but you don't hunt with a handgun or an AR15.

 

I beg to differ. I took my wild hog about 8 years ago with a revolver and plenty of people hunt with so called assault rifles.

 

most things people own they really have no real need for those things. Humans survived for centuries without computers, cell phones, automobiles, battery operated sex toys, or IPODS

 

why demonstrate obvious ignorance to those of us who actually understand firearms. AR 15s are hugely popular for deer hunting in Ohio when used with straight wall cartridges. They are the most popular rifle for groundhog, coyote and feral pig hunting as well. and handgun hunting for deer is a big draw in many states

 

shooting birds is a big operation in England and so is sporting clays. They just don't trust the peasants to own handguns or modern sporting rifles.

 

We have no need for handguns or assault rifles.
Plenty of choice in hunting rifles though.