Phew, you've posted so much that it's going to be a mission responding to all this.
Firstly, your responce to me:
I'm not going to touch on the World War Two issue again, as it's beginning to become irrelevent. Unfortunatly, we can't re-write history here.
Your comment about a violent offender breaking into my house, and he gets the drop on me. If this happens I havn't properly trained myself right? There are so many ways this scenario might be acted out, that it is difficult to see how this would go. Maybe as this offender broke into my house either me or another family member could rush and get a gun? Maybe he does get the drop on us and rounds us all up before this can happen? Or maybe I'm carrying a gun at all times, which I believe is what you are campeigning for, (forgive me if I'm mistaken.) Maybe even, an unarmed offender sneaks into my house without my knowlege,
finds my gun, (which is why you are meant to keep firearms and ammunition in a separate place in New Zealand,) and uses it to harm me and others. It's too hard to say.
In most cases, the offender will be there to rob me. As I stated in my previous post, items are items, and if everything goes his way, no-one is hurt.
I'm going to act here as though I have a daughter, (I'm eighteen, so not yet, but maybe someday.)
As you suggested, if the offender has a side aim of "raping my daughter," chances are that yes, I would want to fight to stop this, yet I still don't believe a gun is not the best way of doing this. The offender could already have shot me if I had a gun, or if I make sudden movements, he could shoot whoever he has the gun pointed at, (in this case I believe it would be aimed at my daughter to stop me doing any such thing.) Rape is a horrible disgusting thing, but I'd allow it if the alternative was the death of my daughter. That's just my personal preferance mind you.
As I said, it's difficult to predict how such an occurrence would happen, so I'm going to leave this issue here.
FeloniousMonk wrote:
Tyferra wrote:
Only unless the attacker feels threatned does he hurt anyone
I'm sorry but that goes against countless years of research into criminal psychology.
Please elaborate on this. Yes, there are always acceptions to a rule, there are people who would intentionally hurt someone, either with a firearm or other weapon. But why do you think an offender brings a weapon to a crime?
Reason one: To assert authority, and make sure victims do what they say.
Reason two: To protect themselves.
Yes, I agree with you, guns are a means of protection, but to defenders and offenders. If you want to leave it to chance, one group
is going to be shot, (and unless military training has occurred then the chances are about 50/50.)
It's a question of risk, and what risks you are willing to take.
FeloniousMonk wrote:
Everyone has a right to life but the moment that one person threaten's another person's right to life, the former gives up theirs.
Brilliant point, but this does not determine
who's life is forfeit. Since both have guns, the offender is
more likely to use his weapon. Secondly to your comments aimed at nzjafa, (fellow countryman you must understand.)
I've tried to steer away from the war in Iraq as it is a war zone which is quite different to violent acts occuring in a relitivly peaceful society. My father until recently worked beside an Iraqi migrant. He was an extremly interesting person, as he and his family had dealings with Saddam himself. His father was high up in the army, and he had photos of himself and his father with the dictator.
He also had scars on him from when he was captured by Saddam's private policeforce and tortured, he moved to New Zealand obviously to escape this, and had to leave his family behind.
Saddam is an evil dictator. He ordered the extermination of thousands of Sunni Muslims. Nzjafa's comments are valid however becuase there were those who prospered under this regiem. They are the people who are fighting now, and even though I disagree with them, there are quite a few of them. They are the people that
did prefer Saddam.
It is hard to say what is going to happen in Iraq, many believe it's going to be a Quagmire like Vietnam. You can't start presuming that if Coalition forces moved out peace would be restored, infact such a notion is ridiculous. What the Coalition could have done was buy the Iraqi army. Governments could be reforged but those in power would not use the army for their own means. Terrorists who refuse to stop attacks would no longer be enemies of America, or other Coalition nations, but be criminals in the light of their own people.
Of course, some people will never be happy, and attacks may still continue. I still belive that this option would have worked better then the slow burning fuse that Iraq has become.
Last edited by Tyferra (2005-12-02 13:58:43)