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POLL: Bowling For Columbine

Discussion in 'Alley of Dangerous Angles' started by Mystra's Chosen, Mar 22, 2003.

  1. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Wow, what a load of nonsense my post raised!

    "They" (whoever "they" are - there's nobody after me AFAIK) can get you in so many different ways if "they" truly want to; it hardly requires a vehicle or a firearm. The funny thing is homicide deaths from firearms are about half the number of suicide deaths from firearms, so I guess "they" is really "I". ;)

    As I said that hunting rifle bullet will kill you just as dead if that was the person's intent. Maybe you won't be as mangled up, but I don't think you'd be in any position to care at that point.

    Automatic weapons can kill more people faster, sure, but I wonder what firearm caused the majority of the problem we're talking about, and if there was more than one person killed in the majority of cases. I haven't bothered to look for stats, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear
    that most of the firearm homicides are personal affairs where any weapon (including that hunting rifle) would have done just fine.

    In fact, I just pointed out that I didn't see one. You're free to draw your own conclusions from that like you did. I have my own. Neither of them have any hard facts to back them up I'm sure.

    Nobody I know (at least that I'm aware of) owns a gun for self-protection. The only gun I know of is my dad's shotgun that he used to hunt birds with when he was younger; I've never seen it used, or even taken out of the closet in my 35 years. I don't even know if he's got any ammunition for it. I live in Los Angeles.
     
  2. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    BTA -- Sorry, my post was only in jest. It was a play on the stereotype of an NRA gun totter owning both an SUV and an automatic weapon. Besides, if they miss me with either one, they can still always get me with the pollution.

    [ April 05, 2003, 05:11: Message edited by: Chandos the Red ]
     
  3. Mystra's Chosen Gems: 22/31
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    BTA -

    I know most of the states is nice. Fine. You win. I will say the states is the nicest friggin' place in the world... but it could always get better. I'm a US basher (don't ask me why but that's just the way I am) but I also listen to reason. When you say "there are nice places is the US", I agree. When you say "most of the US is nice", I agree. When you say (with a straight face too) that a hunting rifle will kill you just as dead, I agree. But a Glock will kill you (and 11 other people if the whim crosses your mind) alot easier. It's practical to whip out your handgun to 'waste' someone than it is to pull out a four foot rifle. Also, take into consideration that 7,000 out of 10,000 gun killings in the states are done with handguns.

    If the US was a nice little place than why is it you've got to keep your children inside? If it's such a nice place, then why was there a big movie made about violence there?

    It's got a higher murder rate than any other country in the 1st world. Immigration isn't the problem like some would think. Canada gets alot of immigration and we've got a comparitively placid crime rate (per population). The US crime rate is about 4% while Canada's is under 1% (per 100,000 people).
     
  4. Dorion Blackstar Gems: 7/31
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    Mystras chosen
    Who keeps their children inside.Thats just foolish.Most of the crimes you are talking about come from the inner city.In the 30 years I have lived in my hometown I have never even locked the doors to my home or car,can you say that.

    Beleive it or not most of the people in prison today in the US are there on drug charges not violent crime.Alot of these drug charges are very minor but due to are screwed up mandatory senteces we fill prisons with petty crimminals.Dont have time now but will have to dig up some stats to prove this.

    PS....Automatic Weapons are illegal in the US.

    [ April 05, 2003, 06:51: Message edited by: Dorion Blackstar ]
     
  5. Erebus Gems: 16/31
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    Isn't the director for this movie the Oscar winner who critcized the war?
     
  6. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    What the heck are you talking about? :confused:

    Why is any movie made in the US? To make money.

    Arguments about one type of firearm's deadliness over another's is a waste of time IMO. All firearms are made to kill things, and to make it easy to kill things from a distance. I just can't understand the arguments that one type of firearm is worse than another. So what? People make do with what they've got. If someone wants to break the law and kill you, and all they've got is a hunting rifle, they'll use a hunting rifle. Or their shotgun. Or their revolver. Or their machine pistol. Or their assault rifle. Or their Bofors cannon. You're just as dead in any case.

    The only problem I had with your posts is the outrageous exaggeration. I admit there's a problem with homicide, but as causes of death go, it's not at the top of the list. Suicide is bigger. Accidents are much bigger. Heart disease is much, much bigger.

    Speaking of suicide, and I can't resist this since you keep holding up Canada against the US, the stats I've seen indicate Canada has a higher rate of suicide than the US. Shall I go over the top like you and say: Wow, Canada must be a really horrible place to live; look at that suicide rate! It's higher than the US which we all know is an extremely unsafe and violent place! :)
     
  7. Erebus Gems: 16/31
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    Yeah but actual gun killings, according to the guy who wrote Raising Cain, America has the worlds most shootouts.
     
  8. Laches Gems: 19/31
    Latest gem: Aquamarine


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  9. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Hardly. The only purpose of a gun is to kill. If you think the same about passenger airplanes then there's something seriously wrong with you.
     
  10. Iago Gems: 24/31
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    Just for arguments sake, the rather sarcastic opinion of a "worshipper of liberty" (aka: "liberal"). I suggest if your offended by harsh sarcasm or Monty Python makes you sick, better don't read this.

    Why does the US-Goverment infringe the right of the people to keep and bear nuclear weapons???:

    http://www.theangryliberal.com/11-04-01.htm

    [ April 05, 2003, 14:38: Message edited by: Yago ]
     
  11. Laches Gems: 19/31
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    Think ya' missed the point.

    Actually, the entire thread has started to hasn't it?
     
  12. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    I'm sure you noticed it first.
     
  13. Mystra's Chosen Gems: 22/31
    Latest gem: Sphene


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    @BTA and Dorion Blackstar...

    Of course I'm talking about inner city. When has anyone not been? Inner city is where the crime happens. I know many people in the inner cities of the US... and their children are not allowed outside without the parents sitting on the porch watching. Sacremento, LA, San Fran (most of my family lives in Cali).

    Big cities are where the crime happens... not the rural places or burbs. Why say that? I though it was implied that we were talking about large cities, so sorry for any confusion.

    I never locked my door or car when I lived in the city (Calgary... about 1 million).

    Automatic weapons are illegal? So is killing people, but it happens anyway.

    To make money? If Moore wanted to make money why not direct a movie like spiderman or something. Why make a lousy documentary on US violence. I'm sure he couldn't have foreseen it's popularity.

    BTA -- Can you give me the site for your stats that Canada's suicide rate is higher than Canada's? Also, I would never say the US as a whole is a bad place to live, just certain places.

    Here... these are some crime rates from New York and LA (I got them from a site that compares places to live so I dont know about their reliabilty. I think they say they got it from the FBI, but they gave no link)

    Here...

    http://www.bestplaces.net/html/crimecompare3.asp?lcity=9840&rcity=8381&view=T
     
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