phoenix@genat.UUCP (phoenix) (07/29/86)
In article <1990@sequent.UUCP> brian@sequent.UUCP (Brian Godfrey) writes: > Neither of those guns is a "weapon" in the sense that they were designed >for killing humans. Both were designed as hunting arms. The .44 is totally >impractical as a self defense weapon (Dirty Harry to the contrary) as it is >big, unwieldy, kicks *hard* and only shoots one shot at a time. But it has >a big hole in the barrel and I think that would impress someone standing in >front of it. The 12 gauge is even bigger (a lot bigger) and, as everyone >knows, is mainly intended for shooting birds. Mine has never killed anything >that wasn't made out of clay. > These are the kind of guns that most of us "armed" Americans possess. >Sporting guns, not self defense guns. Shooting can actually be an enjoyable >sport without killing - or even thinking about killing - anything. I suppose >that is difficult for Europeans to understand due to their high population >density, but here in North America there is plenty of room for legitimate >shooting sports. Few Americans really select a gun for its self defense >potential. Never-the-less when you hear someone breaking into your house, >you grab what you've got. And what I've got is big. I really don't think that population density is behind the drive for gun-control. Canada is on the same continent as the US and has a much lower pop/density; but we have *very* intense gun-control laws. To purchase *any* gun (shotgun, .22, etc.) you need a Fire-Arms Acquisition Certificate from the Federal Government, which is *not* issued until the RCMP have made an inspection of your record. Getting a hand-gun unless you can prove you are a collector is practically impossible. Any kind of auto is right out. (Unless you're a police officer; they can have any kind of toy they want.) -- The Phoenix (Neither Bright, Dark, nor Young) (Go pick on a mechanism your own size) ---"For the Eternal Space" --- (Lieut. Amuro Ray) ---"Beliving in a sign of Zeta Beyond the hard times from now."