Hi Poirot,

I don't know how you can deny Is Mise's hypothetical, it seems perfectly logical and rational to me: if your life, or that of someone else, is threatened by a terrorist (do you want a definition ?), then you should be able to defend yourself and that other person, and if necessary, shoot the bastard. If necessary.

What's wrong with that ?

Cheers,

Joe

Hi Poirot,

I've lost OTB here, I assume he's off chasing trotskyists, feminists Greens somewhere in the back blocks of Queensland, That is correct Is Mise believes there are terrorists hiding behind every second tree. He's glad you didn't say every tree, because that would be ridiculous where would the space aliens hide if the terrorists had all the trees, so said is Mise. I have told Is Mise that he should speak to nursey and get doctor to change his medication the present lot of pills are causing him hallucinations.
OTB may have gone, but Joe Loudmouth has jumped in to take up the cudgels in his place. Joe tries to associate The Greens with every ratbag wacko group in the world he can think of.

The lads don't get on the forum that much on a Wednesday, bingo at senior citz you understand. Since the election all three have suddenly fallen in love with the vivacious Pauline, I suspect its nothing more than puppy love, greyhound style, but the boys, being boys. Barnyard is putting on a celebratery square dance in the old shearing shed up at Cumbuckta, about a 100 clicks west of the black stump, as the crow flies, next Saturday night, the lads are all invited. Each wants the sweet Pauline to accompany them to Barns knees up, if she will. Who will she pick, the one with all the charm and charisma I suspect, Beach maybe, Joe a possibility, Is Mise hummmm depends on that medication!

Loudmouth,

"I don't know how you can deny Is Mise's hypothetical, it seems perfectly logical and rational to me: if your life, or that of someone else, is threatened by a terrorist (do you want a definition ?), then you should be able to defend yourself and that other person, and if necessary, shoot the bastard. If necessary.

What's wrong with that ?"

Well...in the case of the US...having that amount of firepower in the hands of civilians leads to an average 20-odd people being murdered each day.

That's what's wrong with that.

"A study from October 2013 analyzed data from 27 developed nations to examine the impact of firearm prevalence on the mortality rate. It found an extremely strong direct relationship between the number of firearms and firearm deaths. The paper concludes: “The current study debunks the widely quoted hypothesis that guns make a nation safer.” This finding is bolstered by several previous studies that have revealed a significant link between gun ownership and firearm-related deaths. This international comparison is especially harrowing for women and children, who die from gun violence in America at far higher rates than in other countries."

"Suppose a criminal has just broken into your house brandishing a firearm. You need to protect yourself and your family. Wouldn’t anyone feel safer owning a gun? This is the kind of narrative propagated by gun advocates in defense of firearm ownership. It preys on our fear. Yet, the annual per capita risk of death during a home invasion is 0.0000002, which, for all intents and purposes, is zero."

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2015/01/good_guy_with_a_gun_myth_guns_increase_the_risk_of_homicide_accidents_suicide.html

Paul,

The Greens give succor and support to terrorists and violent criminals apparently, sad as it seems.
They also apparently want any children who come across a firearm to harm themselves or others because the Greens are against firearm safety training for minors, else why would they seek to prohibit 12 to 18 year olds from receiving such training?

Rather despicable attitude.

Poirot,

Hypothetical or not, why would anyone try to enshrine in law a prohibition on a means of justifiable self defence?
Do you not believe in justifiable self defence?

Do you believe that a battered wife, in fear of her life, should be prosecuted if she uses a firearm against her violent husband to protect herself?

Even if she doesn't fire it, but merely frightens him off?

The Greens do.

Loudmouth,

Just an addendum,

The number of people wounded by firearm is three to four times the number killed...which of course is a huge weight on the emergency departments in the US.

Apart from toddlers getting hold of guns and shooting themselves, their siblings and their parents (and you'll find the death toll from misadventure in that instance a tad more common than terroism)... http://www.snopes.com/toddlers-killed-americans-terrorists/

My son-in-law is from Missouri - his elderly dad shot himself through the thigh while cleaning a gun a few years back....lot's of medical care involved in that.

Poirot,

No one, except one notable exception, has ever shot themselves whilst cleaning a gun,
They may shoot themselves whilst mishandling one, fooling with one, but never whilst cleaning.
The gun went off while it was being cleaned is an old and venerable cop out.