gunlaw Politics and governments

I have worked some time in the USA, the gunlaw is not bad there. It´s not true that everybody can buy a gun legal, if you have a crime record you can not purchase guns. I have spoken with some cops there, they told me most things happen with illegal weapons and not with legal ones, because a legal one they could track down very easily,

I’m from Texas. I own many guns. Rifles, hand guns, and shotguns. My dad started teaching me how to shoot at 5. Got my first rifle at 9. Everyone in my family owns guns. All my friends own guns. I have a license to carry and never leave the house without at least one gun on me. Usually two. Why? Because I want to be able to defend myself. Bad people will always be able to acquire weapons or turn everyday objects into a weapon (car for example), and the rest of us should have the ability to defend ourselves.

Having weapons means that we have the ability to stand against our government if we need to do so. It means we have the ability to not be a victim if a terrorist suddenly opens fire at a nightclub or a concert. It means we have the ability to stand our ground.

Bad people have been doing bad things since the dawn of humanity. Mass murder wasn’t suddenly invented when guns were invented. Humans have been doing harm to each other from day one. So why should only bad people have weapons now?

Good people should have the means to defend themselves, their families, their homes, and even the stranger next to them should the situation call for it.

You can have my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands. And the US will NEVER pass gun legislation taking our right to own them away. This country was founded on the idea of being able to rise up against our government if we need to do so. We will never give up our right to bare arms. It is one of the founding articles of our Constitution when we broke from England. We will never allow anyone to disarm us. Ever.

I’m from Texas. I own many guns. Rifles, hand guns, and shotguns. My dad started teaching me how to shoot at 5. Got my first rifle at 9. Everyone in my family owns guns. All my friends own guns. I have a license to carry and never leave the house without at least one gun on me. Usually two. Why? Because I want to be able to defend myself. Bad people will always be able to acquire weapons or turn everyday objects into a weapon (car for example), and the rest of us should have the ability to defend ourselves.

Having weapons means that we have the ability to stand against our government if we need to do so. It means we have the ability to not be a victim if a terrorist suddenly opens fire at a nightclub or a concert. It means we have the ability to stand our ground.

Bad people have been doing bad things since the dawn of humanity. Mass murder wasn’t suddenly invented when guns were invented. Humans have been doing harm to each other from day one. So why should only bad people have weapons now?

Good people should have the means to defend themselves, their families, their homes, and even the stranger next to them should the situation call for it.

You can have my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hands. And the US will NEVER pass gun legislation taking our right to own them away. This country was founded on the idea of being able to rise up against our government if we need to do so. We will never give up our right to bear arms. It is one of the founding articles of our Constitution when we broke from England. We will never allow anyone to disarm us. Ever.

Yes.

I respect everyones opinion. From what i read i think the USA and Belgium are two totally diffrent country's. I can speak about where I live. In Belgium i would never need a gun. I never had the feeling i would be safer if i had a weapon, also never had a gun in my hands. The only 'weapon' i had was a watergun and a toyswod. It was fun to play a hot summerday on the streets shooting water at my brothers and friends.

Now I am fully grown and never heard in hte news about a case where armed civilians would safe the day. I trust the Belgian policeforce. The Belgian government is okay too. The positive side on our governement is the multiparty system. a governement never exist about one party. it's always a coaltion. Wich is good to control anything.

So I would say: "When covid is over, visit Belgium, you can leave your weapons at home, Belgium is safe."

Considering Belgium has one of the highest rape per capita statistics in the world I’ll have to disagree with you. You have a 29.5 per 100,000 rape instances. By comparison the US has 17.6. I guarantee you every single victim of rape in your country wishes they had a gun to defend themselves.

And just because you have faith in your government today doesn’t mean you will in 50 years. What if in 50 years corruption is rife in your country? What if your freedoms have been eroded bit by bit until you are living in a dictatorship? What would you do? Fight for your freedom with a toy sword or water gun?

And what about the terrorist events in your country? The train bombing just a few years ago? The terrorist that attacked several of your police with a machete a few years ago? Don’t be ignorant to the dangerous world we ALL live in.

You live in a very small country that does have less crime than most, but there are still rapes and murders in your country every single year. And I would bet my life that every last one of those victims wishes they’d had a gun to defend themselves.

I respect everyones opinion. From what i read i think the USA and Belgium are two totally diffrent country's. I can speak about where I live. In Belgium i would never need a gun. I never had the feeling i would be safer if i had a weapon, also never had a gun in my hands. The only 'weapon' i had was a watergun and a toyswod. It was fun to play a hot summerday on the streets shooting water at my brothers and friends.

Now I am fully grown and never heard in hte news about a case where armed civilians would safe the day. I trust the Belgian policeforce. The Belgian government is okay too. The positive side on our governement is the multiparty system. a governement never exist about one party. it's always a coaltion. Wich is good to control anything.

So I would say: "When covid is over, visit Belgium, you can leave your weapons at home, Belgium is safe."

Same, I've to disagree with you... Living in Brittany, which is considered as a safe place in France, I already see shit around me and, as I said, it's not difficult at all to end up with an -illegal - gun in your hands. Belgium, especially Wallony, is way worse and notoriously known to have a good amount of the terrorists that attacked us during the last decade.

Maybe you just live in a very "privileged" area, like the amount of travels you've made lets suggest and you just don't realize how bad are our countries. Futhermore, and like I said again, Switzerland is very liberal regarding guns and many people there own one or several gun(s), yet, it's one of the country with the lowest criminal rate of the world.
In other words, maybe the problem encoured in the US doesn't come from the fact they have gun, but from something else there like culture, education, some fucked up laws et caetera.

I respect everyones opinion. From what i read i think the USA and Belgium are two totally diffrent country's. I can speak about where I live. In Belgium i would never need a gun. I never had the feeling i would be safer if i had a weapon, also never had a gun in my hands. The only 'weapon' i had was a watergun and a toyswod. It was fun to play a hot summerday on the streets shooting water at my brothers and friends.

Now I am fully grown and never heard in hte news about a case where armed civilians would safe the day. I trust the Belgian policeforce. The Belgian government is okay too. The positive side on our governement is the multiparty system. a governement never exist about one party. it's always a coaltion. Wich is good to control anything.

So I would say: "When covid is over, visit Belgium, you can leave your weapons at home, Belgium is safe."

Same, I've to disagree with you... Living in Brittany, which is considered as a safe place in France, I already see shit around me and, as I said, it's not difficult at all to end up with an -illegal - gun in your hands. Belgium, especially Wallony, is way worse and notoriously known to have a good amount of the terrorists that attacked us during the last decade.

Maybe you just live in a very "privileged" area, like the amount of travels you've made lets suggest and you just don't realize how bad are our countries. Futhermore, and like I said again, Switzerland is very liberal regarding guns and many people there own one or several gun(s), yet, it's one of the country with the lowest criminal rate of the world.
In other words, maybe the problem encoured in the US doesn't come from the fact they have gun, but from something else there like culture, education, some fucked up laws et caetera.

As an American I can tell you our crime rates and violence are directly linked to our screwed up healthcare system that doesn’t pay for any mental health for disturbed individuals unless it is court ordered, our overcrowded and underfunded schools, and the rampant poverty.

For example the attacks on the airport and in the metro. How could having a gun prevented that? The bomb exploded and with the explosion they died. I think the best way to counter crime is education. That's why I also study to become a teacher. Good education can change lifes and can change society. Making the world a better places starts at school where we (as teachers) can learn children how to behave. Why it's important to dream. Why you have to work to achieve that dream. Why it doesn't matter what kind of skin you have (yes school can also solve racism).

Maybe guns can be good like the Swiss, but I think Belgians have not the right discipline like Swiss. Maybe that's why Swiss is doing good. The people there are (bit like germans too) very strict. Deutsche pünktlichkeit, it's also in the Swiss culture. (I make this statement about swiss from what my brother who lived there 6 month's and is going to live there 1 year longer.)

But I know I better don't have a gun. Cause I don't want or could handle it. Good thing is that the military service for young peoples is no more in Belgium I would refuse. Let me make music, let me write story's, poems. Let met teach children. Then you have more benefit from me then when you put a gun i my hand.

You can disagree with me or not.

I respect everyones opinion. From what i read i think the USA and Belgium are two totally diffrent country's. I can speak about where I live. In Belgium i would never need a gun. I never had the feeling i would be safer if i had a weapon, also never had a gun in my hands. The only 'weapon' i had was a watergun and a toyswod. It was fun to play a hot summerday on the streets shooting water at my brothers and friends.

Now I am fully grown and never heard in hte news about a case where armed civilians would safe the day. I trust the Belgian policeforce. The Belgian government is okay too. The positive side on our governement is the multiparty system. a governement never exist about one party. it's always a coaltion. Wich is good to control anything.

So I would say: "When covid is over, visit Belgium, you can leave your weapons at home, Belgium is safe."

Same, I've to disagree with you... Living in Brittany, which is considered as a safe place in France, I already see shit around me and, as I said, it's not difficult at all to end up with an -illegal - gun in your hands. Belgium, especially Wallony, is way worse and notoriously known to have a good amount of the terrorists that attacked us during the last decade.

Maybe you just live in a very "privileged" area, like the amount of travels you've made lets suggest and you just don't realize how bad are our countries. Futhermore, and like I said again, Switzerland is very liberal regarding guns and many people there own one or several gun(s), yet, it's one of the country with the lowest criminal rate of the world.
In other words, maybe the problem encoured in the US doesn't come from the fact they have gun, but from something else there like culture, education, some fucked up laws et caetera.

As an American I can tell you our crime rates and violence are directly linked to our screwed up healthcare system that doesn’t pay for any mental health for disturbed individuals unless it is court ordered, our overcrowded and underfunded schools, and the rampant poverty.

I'd argue that the US is ill beyond this point though, and that not only it doesn't care about its citizen, but it poison them as well, which partly create the disturbed individuals you mentionned. I feel almost in the obligation to specify that France is no better though.

For example the attacks on the airport and in the metro. How could having a gun prevented that? The bomb exploded and with the explosion they died

That's a specific case. There are plethora of attacks that occur with knife or guns. More than some bombers that miraculously make it through an airport where there are already security force all around.

I think the best way to counter crime is education

Education only concern your citizens, and already showed its limits multiple times in the past. Education didn't prevent people from getting sick of being religious or nationalists (to the point many people are now the strict opposed), neither did it miraculously cure some people from having a specific mindset, nor does it change the way education is at home.

But I know I better don't have a gun. Cause I don't want or could handle it. Good thing is that the military service for young peoples is no more in Belgium I would refuse. Let me make music, let me write story's, poems. Let met teach children. Then you have more benefit from me then when you put a gun i my hand.

You get it wrong. Nobody would ask you to get a gun in case laws get more "gun friendly". It only gives people who want (under some conditions, and it's better if there are conditions imo) the opportunity to get and carry a gun, which could eventually be useful, but which will hopefully not be.

Education only concern your citizens, and already showed its limits multiple times in the past. Education didn't prevent people from getting sick of being religious or nationalists (to the point many people are now the strict opposed), neither did it miraculously cure some people from having a specific mindset, nor does it change the way education is at home.

Not really, from what i learned and researched. Education isn't actually at a good point yet. That's why people still research things. I can't give examples of every subject but i can about racism i made a research this year about racism. I searched for an answer on the question how we can prevent racism by working in kindergarten.
I used the famous Doll-test from Dr. Kenneth and Mamie Clark. It's seen as a very trustfull test (it still gets repeated). It learned me that childeren have racistic bias. The reason for this behavior is a nurture thing. Books with white hero's, white hero's on television, in adverts,... it gives al influence on a worldview. But like research from Melanie Killen (University of Maryland) showed. Schools can counter that when working on those biases. They made a 8 week program for elementary school.
In the end i learned the answer to prevent children from becoming racism is by using the nurture component from schools and show children that it doesn't matter what color your skin is. As teacher i can do that by using books in and pictures in class wich show people from any color. Or talk about cultures, diffrences, but also things wich are the same.

If a teacher does that racism wont be solved, but could be reduced.

This offcourse only one subject but, trust me, education is not yet finished. But people like Melanie Killen and others try to find out more to help us teachers in making our children better. I as teacher will try already my very damn best. Cause maybe that one child in my class becomes the next prime minister of Belgium. Or maybe i can help a child to stay on the good path.

Education can't solve it all, but it's a very important aspect wich can change a lot.

Ted Kaczynski had a PhD in mathematics. Dennis Rader had a degree in psychology. Michael Ross graduated from one of the top universities in the world. Didn’t stop any of them from becoming serial killers.

Education is important. It is the means through which we will solve many of our world’s problems, however, you are forgetting that some people are just plain crazy. Or evil. There are truly some people who are just bad to their core. No amount of education will change that. Just as there are some people who are truly crazy. Not to mention plenty of people will have hate inside them no matter how much you try to educate them. And those people will pass their hate onto their children.

In many places racism is a cultural and familia norm. Passed down from generation to generation. Do you have the right to take their children so you can “nurture” them in a different environment in the hopes of helping them grow into adults who will not be racist?

You have a utopian view of the world. It’s somewhat endearing, but also completely unrealistic. The fact of the matter is there are ALWAYS going to be bad people doing bad things. Always. We can do our best to mitigate the violence born out of mental instability by providing free mental healthcare, but the rest? The violence born of hate and greed and misogyny? It will always exist and we must always be able to defend ourselves against it.

I’ll keep my guns. I hope I never have to use them but I sure as heck sleep better knowing I can if the need arises. I will never be a sheep led quietly to slaughter. I will never be a helpless victim. If someone threatens me and mine I’ll be unleashing a hail of bullets.

The reason for this behavior is a nurture thing. Books with white hero's, white hero's on television, in adverts,...

That doesn't make any sense... Prior to an,ything, you have to acknowledge the existence of "white people", I personally am not white but insular celt, and see no point in putting myself in the same box as Germanic, Latin, Levantine... people. Secondly, and admitting there are "white people", which seems more of an american term, relative to american society only, then you'd have to explain how and why it give such behaviour and why a "black" or a "yellow" or a "purple" hero isn't a problem, especially in a I don't know what colour dominated land.
Same, what would happen if showed only animals to children? Like only Rabbit heroes. Would they suddenly become specist? Why? How?

As for the Doll experiment, this could just reflect the surroundering of the kids, just like you probably mostly hang out with people similar to you for a reason that could probably be found for a part in evolutionnary biology itself rather than solely blaming the society.

Concerning the rest of your message, I'll repeat myself: School already showed its limits. Back then, France used to taught children to be very patriotic and/or nationalist, and to be recentful toward Germany. However things have widely changed over the time to the point that many French people are against nationalism and like German people. I wonder how could it be possible if education didn't fail somewhere at creating perfectly - this word is important - endoctrinated citizens.

Back to the topic itself. I'd feel better knowing some skillfull citizens could react at the moment iif something wrong happened rather than relying on the police knowing that I'd have to wait for them.

I see, I disagree with you on the subject but I will respect your opinion. I don't think neither you or me are going to change mind. It's not a problem everyone can have their opinions that's important in a democracy.

I only want to respond on one thing before I end this: Maybe you are right that in some cultures or families racist ic behavior can be a norm. But that doesn't mean schools should follow them. In Belgium we have the Anti-discriminationlaw. Those are 3 laws wich forbid racism and puts penalty's against it. In those 3 laws we have 19 criteria wich are listed. 5 of those criteria are about racism. So if I teach children in my class to respect everybody and don't judge someone on there skin I just teach them to follow the law.

Some people don't believe in the evolution theory of Darwin. But still we teach that. Because science shows that it's a fact. Some people don't believe in Climate Change but we still teach about it because it's a fact too.

So yes some people are racist and try to teach their children to be racist too. But (in Belgium) racism is against the law. So we have to learn them that their is an other worldview. So you have the parents nurture and the schools nurture. In the end a child can always choose for them selve wich they want to follow.

But on that note I wish you all the best. I'm happy that you believe in what you think. It's important so all my respect and take care.

I see, I disagree with you on the subject but I will respect your opinion. I don't think neither you or me are going to change mind. It's not a problem everyone can have their opinions that's important in a democracy.

I only want to respond on one thing before I end this: Maybe you are right that in some cultures or families racist ic behavior can be a norm. But that doesn't mean schools should follow them. In Belgium we have the Anti-discriminationlaw. Those are 3 laws wich forbid racism and puts penalty's against it. In those 3 laws we have 19 criteria wich are listed. 5 of those criteria are about racism. So if I teach children in my class to respect everybody and don't judge someone on there skin I just teach them to follow the law.

Some people don't believe in the evolution theory of Darwin. But still we teach that. Because science shows that it's a fact. Some people don't believe in Climate Change but we still teach about it because it's a fact too.

So yes some people are racist and try to teach their children to be racist too. But (in Belgium) racism is against the law. So we have to learn them that their is an other worldview. So you have the parents nurture and the schools nurture. In the end a child can always choose for them selve wich they want to follow.

But on that note I wish you all the best. I'm happy that you believe in what you think. It's important so all my respect and take care.

You’re assuming all countries and societies will institute educational policies just like Belgium. That doesn’t happen, and it will never happen. What about Syria? Or Saudia Arabia? Or India? Or Columbia? Or Nigeria? Or Sudan?

Again, you have a completely unrealistic view and expectation of how the world works. Naive really. Your idealism will never hold up to reality.

Yes I agree. Things are different in different country.

I see, I disagree with you on the subject but I will respect your opinion. I don't think neither you or me are going to change mind. It's not a problem everyone can have their opinions that's important in a democracy.

I only want to respond on one thing before I end this: Maybe you are right that in some cultures or families racist ic behavior can be a norm. But that doesn't mean schools should follow them. In Belgium we have the Anti-discriminationlaw. Those are 3 laws wich forbid racism and puts penalty's against it. In those 3 laws we have 19 criteria wich are listed. 5 of those criteria are about racism. So if I teach children in my class to respect everybody and don't judge someone on there skin I just teach them to follow the law.

Some people don't believe in the evolution theory of Darwin. But still we teach that. Because science shows that it's a fact. Some people don't believe in Climate Change but we still teach about it because it's a fact too.

So yes some people are racist and try to teach their children to be racist too. But (in Belgium) racism is against the law. So we have to learn them that their is an other worldview. So you have the parents nurture and the schools nurture. In the end a child can always choose for them selve wich they want to follow.

But on that note I wish you all the best. I'm happy that you believe in what you think. It's important so all my respect and take care.

You’re assuming all countries and societies will institute educational policies just like Belgium. That doesn’t happen, and it will never happen. What about Syria? Or Saudia Arabia? Or India? Or Columbia? Or Nigeria? Or Sudan?

Again, you have a completely unrealistic view and expectation of how the world works. Naive really. Your idealism will never hold up to reality.

I never said that. Every country has to see how they want things to work.

And the results from my research isn't something I invented. I based my research on the work of Melanie Killen, on the work of Human Right Campaign Foundation, interviews with professors Cassiman and professor Rutazibwa.
And I based it on the Belgian situation. In Belgium it is law. I don't say that any country should do it. It's just my advice based on research.

But you disagree, okay so be it.

Some people don't believe in the evolution theory of Darwin. But still we teach that. Because science shows that it's a fact. Some people don't believe in Climate Change but we still teach about it because it's a fact too.

You compare your moral compass with one of the strongest scientific theory of the moment... Views on racism are subjective and depend on the era. For instance, it's sometime seen as racism to say that Afroamerican may need different medications than white-americans or latino-americans.

So yes some people are racist and try to teach their children to be racist too. But (in Belgium) racism is against the law. So we have to learn them that their is an other worldview. So you have the parents nurture and the schools nurture. In the end a child can always choose for them selve wich they want to follow.

Forcing people to do something work only under sme circumstances, but for giving them "non-racist" trait, I wish you good luck because our anti-racist societies - in Western countries - are recently showing a rise of racism and extremism despite getting more virulent and agressive toward these views. Moreover, forbidding something is a good way to be unable to handle it - and it's also the case with gun ownership at the moment - because it becomes more secretive, and often more violent.

Germany has an racist problem. Once again its the political rulers who create it.
In our past we had a jerk, we don´t need to talk about him.

Now we have a similiar problem, our politicians declare what is racist and what is not.
It´s totally wrong because they are creating an artifical rasicm. I don´t deny that there are racisits already.
But i see the big danger that due to our politicians there will be more raciists in the future.
They tell normal people that there behaviour or their way of life is racist. So millions of people are called racist by their own government.
1) Real racism will be tolerated or becomes less radical by a lot peope then, because most of the people are considered already as racist.
2) Some people could even become a racist, because society has kicked them out, just because they got other opinions in small things.
Trust me Germany is a good example for that,
For example the German word for Native American is Indianer. Nowadys some young people from the universities tell us using this word is rasicm or wearing a carneval costume is racism.In my youth they were our idols, In my generation Indianer had been childhood heros. Everybody wanted to be like them strong, brave and honest. Now as i am older I must say maybe it´s because we are thought to deny our roots or at least reduce them to a very short amout of time.