Firstly: Sasnofear and Ossie -- I get the distinct impression that I've offended you with my previous posts, and that was not my intention. I have been suffering BAD migraine headaches non-stop for the last few weeks (including today), and it tends to put me in a bad mood. Forgive me, please. I mean no malice.
if europe ever becomes as violent as the US, then perhaps i'll be more encouraged to carry, but i just don't know.
in my opinion "the old world" still has some things to teach "the new"
Well, keep in mind that statistics can be misleading. What a person experiences in an area, whether it is a "good area" or a "bad area" can be starkly different depending on the person. For instance, Washington D.C. has (and has had for a long time) one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. I have been there, and I might as well have been on a deserted island as far as crime went. My hometown has about 30,000 people, and I have seen a lot more happen in a day in my town that I have in the 2 weeks I spent in Wash-DC. I know it's a rough analogy, but do you see what I mean?
One person could walk through D.C. and it'd be like a stroll in the park, but another person in the same situation may have his life in danger. But what's more, the first person may be in danger the next day, but the second person may not. Can you see how both people could benefit by having a concealed pistol with them? In something like 70% of all encounters, the mere sight of a firearm is enough to make the cretins tuck tail and run.
Can I suggest something? I don't mean this in any sort of degrading way, either: Tomorrow, try judging people for what they DO, not what they COULD do.
Aside from those points, I think I can kind of see what your views are and where they come from, but please understand that you are pretty much preaching to the choir. We at THR are generally a very safe, very peaceful, very polite bunch. The ones you take issue with are the ones that don't bother even learning safety.
...their jumpyness and willingness to shoot anything that move reflects on american civilians.
Sorry, but I just couldn't let this go. I don't know where you're getting this all from, but it
is a war. People tend to get jumpy when they're being shot at and having human bombs run at them. And yes, wars tend to cause people to die. That's a rock hard fact.
Let me set it straight for you right here, right now: Americans, whether they be soldiers or civilians, are not trigger happy hillbillies. The things you see on the news represent a fraction of a fraction of us. I can guarantee you that if you were to come shooting with my friends and I, it would be uneventful as far as "accidents" go. Generally it is the new shooter that presents the hazard anyway, and I would perform a full-on football tackle on the new shooter if I saw them do anything to endanger the other shooters. Safety is something I take seriously. I am also proud of the fact that I've never killed anybody, and that I don't shoot anything that moves... and neither has/does anyone that I know.
FWIW,
Wes
P.S. -- up until I year ago, I never had a filling in my life. I have one now. I also have "perfect bite," which means that I will never need braces, to answer your question.
