Is a polite one, according to the BBC’s ‘Murican correspondent:
I have met incredulous British tourists who have been shocked to the core by the peacefulness of (Manhattan), the lack of the violent undercurrent so ubiquitous in British cities, even British market towns.
“It seems so nice here,” they quaver.
Well, it is!
…
Wait till you get to London Texas, or Glasgow Montana, or Oxford Mississippi or Virgin Utah, for that matter, where every household is required by local ordinance to possess a gun.
Folks will have guns in all of these places and if you break into their homes they will probably kill you.
They will occasionally kill each other in anger or by mistake, but you never feel as unsafe as you can feel in south London.
It is a paradox. Along with the guns there is a tranquillity and civility about American life of which most British people can only dream.
It’s interesting that the one person who speaks out most forcefully for gun control in the article is a young man who has been shot nine times, and who recently lost his brother to a shooting – in Washington, DC. Home of the country’s most restrictive gun laws.
(H/T to the Barcepundit, via Jules)
My niece says that Texans are exceptionally polite and nice because it hasn’t been all that long ago that so many of them were wearing sidearms as part of their daily attire. It’s just smart to be friendly right up-front
“In the last two weeks alone, at least 54 shootings in the Chicago area have left 15 people dead. In one horrific weekend, at least nine people were killed in 36 separate attacks.”
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/29/chicago.violence/index.html
As a Texan married to a fifth-generation Texan, I can affirm that most Texans believe in responsible gun possession. As Maj. Chuck Zeigenfuss pointed out in one of his posts on his blog, “an armed society is a more civil society.” This is particularly true when one lives in a border state, into which more and more illegal “immigrants” are flooding daily. Our state laws do not allow “open carry” as Arizona does, but we do have, and promote, “concealed carry” permits which have to be periodically renewed.
The philosophy behind this is simple; if some bad actor is approaching you or considering invading your home, he doesn’t know whether you are armed or not. And this gives him pause, if he has any sense at all. If he proves not to have any sense at all, or to be flat-out crazy, then you are prepared to deal with him.
This gives you a pleasant sense of protection as you go about your daily activities.
Marianne
But Tailspin, that’s… that’s… impossible!
Tailspin gives us a link to issues in Chicago. Chicago is having a wave of killings, most of which were executed by people using guns. Not all – two kids were beaten to death withing a few hundred feet of their school with baseball bats – but most.
Mayor Daley blames guns and gun manufacturers. Community leaders blame the lack of sufficient after-school and employment programs. Notably absent is any of these leaders suggesting that young women might want to wait until they get married before they have kids and make sure they get married to a guy who’s going to stick around and help raise that kid. Also notably absent is arguments that perhaps people might want to stay in school and get enough of an education that a private company might want to hire them. Also notably absent is any of those proposing that the current glorification of violence, misogyny, etc. in popular culture is something to be condemned and fought against – by, say, not buying the kid the CD’s, not buying the kid an appliance that they can stick in their ear all day and listen to and shut out their teachers and parents with, and not buying them a video game machine that they can run “Grand Theft Auto” on.
You know – actually show leadership, as opposed to hauling out the tired old shibboleths that permit people to blame big bad old corporations and shift the responsibility for actions away from the actors.
It seems quite clear that the more restrictive gun laws are in an area, the bigger the problem they have with guns. Yet the proponents call for MORE gun laws, not fewer. This is one of the problems I have with the social “sciences”. To call something a science, it has to be able to generate testable hypotheses, and the theories of that science have to be modified to fit the facts. Right now, the facts seem to say that the more gun laws you have restricting law-abiding citizens’ access to guns, the more of a problem you have with violent people using guns.
This is New Jersey. Home of the Sopranos.
Is the author aware that The Sopranos is fiction?
Brits arriving in New York, hoping to avoid being slaughtered on day one of their shopping mission to Manhattan are, by day two, beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about. By day three they have had had the scales lifted from their eyes. I have met incredulous British tourists who have been shocked to the core by the peacefulness of the place, the lack of the violent undercurrent so ubiquitous in British cities, even British market towns.
I wonder if the fact that they have been misled about America in this respect causes them to think that perhaps the same people who told them that American was a free-fire zone are also misleading them about other things they’ve said about America?
Amen to what Ron F. said!!!!
The Center for Disease Control (hardly a defender of gun rights) did a study that showed that NONE, repeat NONE, of the numerous gun control schemes which have been passed anywhere in the U.S. have actually REDUCED CRIME. (I can dig up the link if desired)
Conversely, the John Lott studies “More Guns, Less Crime” have shown that fewer gun laws have resulted in less crime. Critics of his work argue with his conclusions, but are unable to show where his numbers or methodology are incorrect.
Perhaps it is counterintuitive, but it is true.
Get a permit, carry and be happy and able to defend yourself, and by your anonymity help defend others by keeping the bad guys guessing.
(The Lightweight S&W .38 snubby is comfy and discreet….)
Chi-Town is the home of a presidential candidate that will enact further restrictive gun controls.
More Chicagans were likely killed in those rampages than were Marines in Baghdad.
Guess which death toll will be rung up by the press? and guess the reason (hint: Obamadon will look bad).
Not that I watch much TV, but this quote came to mind:
“People say, “Oh, it’s dangerous to keep weapons in the home or the workplace”. Well I say, “It’s better to be hurt by someone you know accidentally than by a stranger on purpose.””
-Dwight Schrute, The Office
I have no desire to kill another human being but more than that, if choices have to be made, I have a greater desire not become nor have a family member become, a victim.
While I like the general theme of the article – there is no such ordinance in Oxford, Mississippi….
My parents live in Glasgow, MT. My brother went to high school there. There is NO requirement to own guns there, even though most everyone does.
I appreciate the author’s intent to show that the US isn’t one, big, violent TV show. THIS left me wondering, though:
“One reason – perhaps the overriding reason – is that there is no public drunkenness in polite America, simply none.
I have never seen a group of drunk young people in the entire six years I have lived here. I travel a lot and not always to the better parts of town.”
…did he spend a lot of time in libraries and at garden tea parties, with a bed time of 8 PM?
A guy I used to work with is a “City Councilman” of Greenleaf, Idaho, population 890. They passed a resolution suggesting people own guns for home defense.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-01-idaho-guns_x.htm
And it’s pretty easy to get a permit to carry concealed here. And our crime isn’t too bad.
Makes you kinda think…..
I could write and write a lot about this but I will spare you the rhetoric. In a nut shell, if parents would teach their children at a young age (old enough age with in reason that is. I’m not talking of 5 -6 year olds) to have respect for guns, that they aren’t toys and how to handle them properly (gun safety classes) it would eliminate a lot of the “Mystique” and “Intrigue” with them and they will most likely grow to become responsible gun owners. People must be responsible owners and keep guns locked away, keep them out of the reach of children and to make it clear to children that we NEVER play with or touch a weapon unless the parent is present. Teaching responsibility is so important. Guns are fine in my opinion. I just think that gun owners should live up to a certain level of responsibility if they are going to own one. It is no different than if you were to own an automobile. You don’t just hop in one and know how to drive although the concept is relatively easy for most. You have to be taught how to drive properly and to learn the rules of the road so that you can keep your self and others safe as well. It is all about personal responsibility and safety.
I’ve been able to prevent non-reversible violence in the bedroom by hiding the ammo. If only I know where it is, I can better manage the battlespace; it’s all about knowing and anticipating your adversary…(-* I believe these folks with weapons phobias are focusing on the wrong items.
Alabama of all places is considering a bill that would require all ammo to have serial numbers. Each bullet. Stupid but true!
http://www.steveambrose.net/woodshed/2008/04/30/the-next-illogical-step/
Statistically, where would one be safer, in a bivouac with a company of Marines all armed to the teeth, or in a gun-free zone like, say, a college campus?
I live in South Dakota. I have locks on my doors, but I’m not certain which keys fit them. I’ve never used them. Come to my place the keys are in my vehicles in the driveway. Easy to remember where they are and hey, a neighbor might have broken down and need a vehicle for a parts run. Just don’t think you can wander in and take one without it being noticed. We wave at each other on the roads around here. Means we see a neighbor and are saying hello. If I recognize the car and not the driver you can bet I’m taking an interest in your destination, and if I see a strange car in your driveway I’m coming over for to meet your new friends.
Good people outnumber bad. The more good people with force at their disposal, the fewer liberties the bad folks will be disposed to take. Some folks just cannot accept the fact that most folks are perfectly capable of having lethal force at their fingertips and perfectly willing to not use it unless absolutely necessary.
Speaking of, Jessica, I taught my 6 year-old nephew to shoot two summers ago. .22 bolt-action carbine, steel gong target at 50 feet, instruction in front of Mom, Dad and the 4 year-old brother. The kid out-shot his Dad, which bragging rights were apparently exercised at school the next week much to the admiration of peers and faculty, his teacher also being a Scout leader.
I did it out of self-preservation. I lack a gun safe. Never had need for one until the child arrived last October. If I needed a gun I sure didn’t need a locked and unloaded one. With the nephews arriving I decided the trunk of the Chrysler New Yorker (backup car) was the perfect gun safe. Ammunition in the shop, guns in the trunk in the machine shed, I’d be good to go, right?
They didn’t fit. I had to use the back seat too. It’s kind of like women who have a closet-full of clothes and for that Special Occasion will have Nothing To Wear, I have plenty of guns but occasionally seem to find that none are the proper tool for the job, hence another must be added to the collection. And yes, My Good Wife doesn’t believe that excuse either.
I’m holding off on buying a safe, though. Those things are expensive, and from what I read in the MSM I’m going to be able to buy a slightly used bank vault at auction for practically nothing soon. They’re going to fail any time now. Yeah.
Upon pondering, it’s interesting to note that there was a time in London when a gentleman did not go out without appropriate clothing and a pistol. During those times London was the largest and safest city in the world. My, how times have changed.
– Max
Here’s a clash of cultures story:
I work in a Chicago suburb for a company HQd in Little Rock, Ark. You may remember that Bubba had his Presidential Library built in Little Rock. When it was dedicated, our HQ was within the Secret Service’s security perimeter. So the admin of our HQ sent out an e-mail, and copied not just the Little Rock associates but everyone. The e-mail included a phrase along the lines of “Please leave your guns at home that day.”
This caused quite the uproar in our office. Lots of commentary about the hicks in Little Rock, and how could this possibly be. I walked around and told them that this kind of thing was a lot closer to home than they thought. Not too far away in Wisconsin, there are times of the year that you can walk into a high school parking lot and find rifles or shotguns in a number of the cars. The kids – and teachers – go out early in the morning during deer season hoping to get lucky. If they don’t, they drive to school. They don’t stop home first. If you did that in most communities around here, you’d get thrown in jail.
My point to note to them was that they might consider that WE are the anomaly, not Little Rock or Wisconsin, and if they can do this without a problem and we can’t, who is the less civilized?
Ron,
You reminded me of a related story.
Don’t drink and read at the same time.
Hell, you might want to make a head call first.
Jessica, I couldn’t agree with you more. I just wish that our schools would stop teaching that guns are evil. Several years ago I taught my nephew how to shoot during his summer vacation. We would just shoot a .22 at paper targets at a sportsman’s club that I belong to. When he went back to school (6th grade) he had one of those “What did I do over the Summer” writing assignments. He wrote his about learning to shoot. A few weeks later two people from the County’s Children’s Services department knock on my Sister’s door and demand to see how the guns in her house were stored. She told them that there were no guns in her house and the one woman handed her my nephew’s writing assignment and wanted to know where the gun that he learned to shoot was kept. She told them that it was my rifle and they asked her for my address. A few days later they came to my house and wanted to see where I kept my guns. I told them to buzz off. A few hours later they came back with a Police officer and a Court order to see where I kept my guns. I showed the Officer my locked gun safe and showed that I had trigger locks on all of my guns and he told the Child Services people to buzz off.
Jim Collins – That is sick just sick. I am surprised that they did that. Sorry to hear that happened to you. Good thing you stood your ground.
Max,
If I could stand the cold, South Dakota sounds like a good place to live.
Bruce, the Ziegenfuss post is absolutely gigglicious! I am still making snork noises through my nose.
From a friend in the UK
Subject: FACTS TO PONDER
(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians 120,000.
(Calculation) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171 Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health Human Services.
Now think about this: Guns
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S.is 80,000,000. (Yes, that’s 80 million..)
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.
(Calculation) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188 Statistics courtesy of FBI.
So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
Remember, ‘Guns don’t kill people, doctors do.’
FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.
Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!
Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on Lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!
After the Dunblane massacre in 1996, the UK instituted the toughest gun control laws in the world.
Gun crimes doubled.
politics and concealed weapon permits…
…