# I will never, ever understand my fellow man. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 2, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993 "2006-10-02T16:38:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/241 "2006-10-04T17:37:18Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] Fascinating. Can you explain why? [/QUOTE] Assumption: I know nothing else about you other than you are a firearm owner, maybe an owner of multiple firearms. I would regard you with suspicion, because you think differently than I do. Without knowing anything about you, I start out as guardedly neutral towards you. Now, the one thing I know moves you further away, and gives me a reason to keep you, at a minimum, at arms length. I have no desire to like or be liked by everyone, or even a majority of the people I meet. There’s no reason for me to try to overcome my first impression. Now, had I met you at cheering for the Yankees at the stadium, and it turned out your daughter goes to the same school as mine and is also on the volleyball team, and you’re a big fan of 70s/80s progressive rock, I’ve started forming a positive opinion. Positive first impressions. I still don’t trust you, because I really don’t know you at this point, but I’m pretty cynical that way. Now, I find out you’re a gun hobbyist. I disagree with you strongly, but we have similarities to build on. If down the line, I was put in a position to trust you’ll make the right decision in a pressure situation, I probably wouldn’t - but that’s because we have a fundamental difference of opinion and as evidenced in this thread, problem solving\*. I don’t know if that (theoretical) swagger in your step is because you are a cocky, arrogant SOB like me, or is there because of the gun. If your question about trustworthiness is about whether I think that you, as a gun owner, are inclined to rob banks, steal cable, and torture kittens - no, that’s not the case. \*Let me cut off the inevitable question about how I would have solved the problem in these school shootings. I have absolutely no idea what I would have done. I’ve never been in a situation remotely similar, and I hope to never be in one. The only thing I can say with any surety is that I’d rather not get in-between a shoot-out between two armed people, and I don’t think that it is necessarily the best solution, or even a good solution. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/242 "2006-10-04T17:42:29Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] Now, had I met you at cheering for the Yankees at the stadium, and it turned out your daughter goes to the same school as mine and is also on the volleyball team, and you’re a big fan of 70s/80s progressive rock, I’ve started forming a positive opinion. Positive first impressions. [/QUOTE] 1. Dodgers Forever. Yankees suck. 2. I teach, and volleyball cost me my left ACL. 3. I love ProgRock of that era. 4. I own a bunch of guns. Damn. We ain’t _never_ gonna be friends. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/243 "2006-10-04T17:44:19Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] I would regard you with suspicion, because you think differently than I do. [/QUOTE] Fascinating. Do you suffer from hoplophobia? ---
**Author:** ![Hogwash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@Hogwash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogwash)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/244 "2006-10-04T17:46:58Z")
[QUOTE=glee] We passed a law to prevent repetition (which did penalise law-abiding gun club members). Since then there have been no UK school shootings. [/QUOTE] Forgive my end-of-long-day coginition, but is this not an example of [cum hoc ergo propter hoc](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_implies_causation)? You seem to be implying that because there have been no school shootings since the Dunblane gun ban, then the ban must have worked in preventing shootings. I mean, if we acknowledge that Dunblane was so shocking due in part to the lack of UK school shootings, why is the lack of school shootings between Dunblane and now so surprising, ban or no ban? Seems counter-intuitive to me. Am I missing something? Besides rest-of-thread context, possible sarcasm and sleep, that is. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/245 "2006-10-04T18:12:51Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] 1. Dodgers Forever. Yankees suck. 2. I teach, and volleyball cost me my left ACL. 3. I love ProgRock of that era. 4. I own a bunch of guns. Damn. We ain’t _never_ gonna be friends. 😃 [/QUOTE] Depends on which order I learn them. If I learn 4 first, yeah. If I learn 1 first - hell, one of my favorite pasttimes is inviting non-Yankee fans to the stadium to watch their beloved team be smacked around. 🆒 I’ve also been on friendly terms with gun owners, but not likely if that is the first thing I learn about them. The more loudly “pro-gun” (for lack of a better term) you are, the less likely I’d want to hang with you. On the other hand, if you want to spend more time arguing which is the best Yes lineup (Anderson/Bruford/Wakemen/Howe/Squire, of course) or how to motivate pre- and young teen volleyball players, and gun ownership never or rarely comes up, we got no beef. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Fascinating. Do you suffer from hoplophobia? [Symptoms of hoplophobia:](http://www.phobia-fear-release.com/hoplophobia.html) > [@](#): > > Your fear of firearms can result in the following symptoms: breathlessness, dizziness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly, a fear of dying, becoming mad or losing control, a sensation of detachment from reality or a full blown anxiety attack. Nope, just really, really dislike them; I feel very uneasy around them. Fired my 50 rounds in basic training, no problem. Pass armed police officers daily - often, I encounter the heavily-armed ones. I can talk with them, no problem. And while I trust the majority of police officers to make the right decision concerning weapons discharge most of the time, I don’t necessarily trust the one right next to me to make the right decision at any time. I don’t like the finality of any potential error in judgment. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/246 "2006-10-04T20:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] Nope, just really, really dislike them; I feel very uneasy around them. [/QUOTE] It is irrational and unhealthy to feel “uneasy” around firearms. Want to know what the best cure is? Shooting guns. Seriously. I have taught a number how people how to shoot. Before I took them to the range, most were fearful of guns. Their fears disappeared after spending an afternoon on the range. You really should consider asking a gun-owning friend to take you to the range sometime. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/247 "2006-10-04T20:50:34Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] 'Cept you can’t do a search for “gun”, because it’s a three-letter word. Maybe “shooting” or “armed”? [/QUOTE] Ah, yes, you’re right. I’ll fish up a bunch of general gun debates. These tend to be long and run the whole gamut of arguments, so anything we say here is probably rehashing them. Often, these will have their own interesting little sub-debate for the first page or two, and then devolve into a very generic gun control argument which goes through all subjects. Anyway, I can’t remember which thread is which (in my memory), and I don’t want to read them halfway just to find out, so I’ll just link to a few that probably cover the whole spectrum of debate, but I’m not sure. > **[Come one, come all: Gun Control revisited, revisited](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=48428)** > > Nacho4Sara really drew my attention in This thread over in MPSIMS when she said this: Since I don’t want to get a size 12 clog print on my ass for making an “unmundane and pointful” post over there, I thought I’d start a new thread over here. ... > **[Guns, weapons and society](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=251063)** > > The pictures coming over from Iraq clearly show the problems that can happen when the general populace has easy access to guns, weapons, explosives, etc. Someone on Hardball tonight was of the opinion that we should have taken all the weaponry away... > **[9th Circuit denies individual right to own guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=148475)** > > From the 9th Circuit Court, issued 12/5/2002, right of individual to own guns is NOT protected by the Second Amendment. From Silviera v Lockyer With a case in New Orleans affirming the individual right to own guns, the Supremes will be forced to... > **[What relationships exist between crime and firearm ownership? Should we do...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=269061)** > > At this moment there are three gun-related threads open with the same people making the same arguments, and in all cases, the posts are not related to the OP. I’m tired of going back and forth and frustrated cause we can’t crosspost, so I propose we... > **[What is 'Common Sense' or 'Reasonable' Gun Control?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=118415)** > > Often in gun control debates, proponents of gun control laws will state that they are in favor of ‘common sense’ or ‘reasonable’ gun control laws, yet generally don’t state what they mean by this. So I’m wondering, in simple terms, what sort of... > **[Some Thoughts on Gun Control](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=125482)** > > I know that this has been discussed quite a bit here, but I thought I’d throw my own thoughts into the mix. I saw another thread that made me think to post this, but as that thread was (a) quite old, and (b) related to a specific anecdotal incident,... > **[Does the 2nd Amendment provide a right to self defence in one's home? (D.C....](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=162252)** > > The Cato Institute has filed suit to overturn parts of Washington D.C.'s gun law. The plaintiffs are asking the federal court to prevent D.C. from barring the registration of handguns, banning the possession of functional firearms within the home,... > **[It's People AND Guns that kill people](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=173815)** > > You wake up at 2am. There are noises coming from the kitchen. You decide to go down and investigate, but first you pick something up to defend yourself with. You get to the bottom of the stairs, and you see a shadowy figure wearing a mask. Your... > **[Concealed Carry Laws and Crime](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=182318)** > > Is there any evidence that in states that allow concealed guns to be carried have lower crime because of these laws? > **[Assault Rifle Ban ends soon](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=185570)** > > Turns out the Assault Rifle Ban of 1994 is going to sunset next year, and our Republican dominated Congress may not renew it. I say, GOOD. The Assault Rifle Ban was just a symbolic thing that in reality didn’t do diddley squat to stop crime from... > **[Does anyone believe that banning .50 caliber rifles will reduce crime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=190469)** > > So you may or may not have heard that the California assembly has passed a bill that would criminalize the owernship of .50 caliber rifles or ammunition: http://www.fcspi.org/ This is silly for a lot of reasons, some of which are given here: ... > **[Goodbye assault weapons ban!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=275202)** > > So it looks as if the assault weapons ban is going to expire next Monday. I’m certainly looking forward to it. In my opinion it was poorly worded and mainly outlawed cosmetic features. My brother in Iraq needs a high capacity replacement clip for... > **[Why is 'Common Sense' Gun Control directed against the law-abiding?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=118941)** > > In the still-active thread on what ‘common sense’ gun control is, I noticed an interesting trend. The reponses all seemed to be centered around restricting people who legitimately possess firearms and not against people who abuse them. For example,... There are plenty more where that came from if you’re interested. Just search GD for various gun control related terms. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/248 "2006-10-04T21:20:52Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] It is irrational and unhealthy to feel “uneasy” around firearms. Want to know what the best cure is? Shooting guns. Seriously. I have taught a number how people how to shoot. Before I took them to the range, most were fearful of guns. Their fears disappeared after spending an afternoon on the range. You really should consider asking a gun-owning friend to take you to the range sometime. [/QUOTE] While it may be somewhat irrational, it isn’t unhealthy. I don’t cross the street to avoid armed law officers. When I was in AZ, I was conscious of the number of people brazening displaying their firearms, but I didn’t have any heart palpitations, nor did I hole myself up in my hotel any more than I normally would on a business trip. I’ve been on the range, approx. 2 decades ago, courtesy of Uncle Sam. Shooting holds absolutely no fascination for me. I’ve done it and have no desire to do it again - sorta like eating brussel sprouts. I’ve little enough free time to engage in the things that do fascinate me, and it’s been awhile (since I returned to NYC back in 93) since I’ve spent considerable time with anyone who is an avid outdoorsman. Those closest to me tend to share my bias (some stronger, some not as strong) against firearms. Hopefully that isn’t too surprising; people in general tend to congregate with those who share their own ideas and principals. ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/249 "2006-10-05T07:20:32Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] Look, if I were one of the adults in that schoolhouse, I would \*not \* have been a sheep and left. I don’t care how many guns the guy had or how intimidating he was. [/QUOTE] I wish I had your magic powers and knew exactly what I would do in an unprecedented and extremely frightening situation. I`ll grant you that there`s no reason to worry about how many guns he has, if the number is greater than zero and includes at least one of killing caliber. > [@](#): > > I don’t care how much the odds were stacked against me. I know, I know…the hell you send him to will seem like heaven after what you put him through. _yawn_ > [@](#): > > I would have reasoned that there was a strong likelihood the guy would murder someone, and I would do everything and anything in an attempt to stop him. Might I die in the process? Of course. But I would not be able to live with myself if I obeyed his order, left the schoolhouse, and the girls ended up being murdered. > [@](#): > > Mind you, if the guy takes his eye off you for a second and you have something you can use as a weapon, I support violent action. Charging a crazy with a gun is just stupid under most circumstances. My drill sergeant always told us, “NEVER charge a machine gun nest if there`s any kind of cover around, because you WILL die and you WON`T help anyone by doing so.” > [@](#): > > Do you have children? Lets say you’re unarmed, and a bad guy breaks into your house. He is heavily armed, and orders you out of the house. He instructs your children to stay. There is every indication that he intends to harm your children. Let`s also say that he`s Lord Voldemort, while we`re discussing dumb hypotheticals. What idiot criminal would LET me leave the house to call the cops? He`d either kill me on the spot, or tie us all up, or take some other course of action that doesn`t involve me calling the police. Let`s stick with better hypotheticals, like a hostage situation. {QUOTE] Would you say to yourself, “Gosh, if I try to stop him, I might not succeed. So I had better leave.” 99% of parents wouldn’t think twice about attacking the guy. Perhaps you’re part of the 1% who would leave. [/QUOTE] Of course not. I just understand that obeying my natural instincts here will result in my pointless death, and probably endanger more children even more as the gunman will now have much more incentive to eliminate witnesses. Police are trained to deal with these situations, we are not. > [@](#): > > It is apparent the adults who were in the schoolhouse did not even attempt to stop the guy. I predict they will feel immense guilt the rest of their lives. As they should. Probably they will. I see the feelings of the children of these adults are not terribly significant for you…maybe you`d be happier if they got to grow up fatherless, knowing that their daddy is dead because he jumped into a gunfight without even a knife? ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/250 "2006-10-05T07:33:04Z")
[QUOTE=catsix] I bit a mugger who put a knife to my ribs. It worked, but I had to be a hell of a lot closer to the mugger than I wanted to be. I would very much prefer to have had my gun with me. If the bite had angered the mugger, I probably wouldn’t be around. [/QUOTE] If it didn`t make him angry, you didn`t bite him hard enough. Seriously, though, do you feel you could have gotten the gun out and successfully shot him without getting to see what your spleen looks like? ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/251 "2006-10-05T07:42:29Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] That’s like saying people are allowed to assemble \*only \* if they receive training on how to do so “peacefully,” and only if they’re not felons. [/QUOTE] This is a much better point. However, an assembly that turns into a riot is comparatively easy to stop assuming the rioters are unarmed. Besides which, who needs training to NOT riot at an assembly? Not accidentally shooting someone does require at least a little training, plus some impulse control. I don`t think this is a perfect analogy [QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] Want my opinion? [/QUOTE] Certainly. Though I don`t have much respect for certain of your opinions, you`ve made some good contributions. [QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] The right to keep and bear arms is an inalienable _right_. Unless the person is in jail, he/she has the \*right \* to keep and bear arms. _ **Period** _. Including felons. [/QUOTE] Felons lose the right to vote in many states (I think?) and certainly lose many other rights accorded naturally to non-criminals during their incarceration. Why not the right to gun ownership, especially since they`ve already proven they can`t be trusted to obey the law? ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/252 "2006-10-05T07:43:53Z")
Certainly wish I could edit my posts, as I certainly abused the hell out of a certain word in that last post. Oh well. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![handmelder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4af34b/32.png) [@handmelder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handmelder)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/253 "2006-10-05T07:50:50Z")
[QUOTE=Coin] If it didn`t make him angry, you didn`t bite him hard enough. Seriously, though, do you feel you could have gotten the gun out and successfully shot him without getting to see what your spleen looks like? [/QUOTE] Homeschooling is really starting to look like a really good Idea ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/254 "2006-10-05T07:51:31Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] It is irrational and unhealthy to feel “uneasy” around firearms. [/QUOTE] Not really. They are designed for killing, they make loud scary noises, and many people don`t have the opportunity to become familiar with them. [QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] Want to know what the best cure is? Shooting guns. Seriously. I have taught a number how people how to shoot. Before I took them to the range, most were fearful of guns. Their fears disappeared after spending an afternoon on the range. You really should consider asking a gun-owning friend to take you to the range sometime. [/QUOTE] Though the poster this was originally aimed at apparently has a great deal of experience with them, this is overall an excellent piece of advice. I gave up hunting some time ago, but I still enjoy the occasional target-shooting session when I`m back in America. (I`m pathetically bad with a handgun, but my riflemanship used to be excellent and was still passing fair the last time I checked.) Guns don`t bite, honest injun. ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/255 "2006-10-05T07:53:43Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] And the funny thing is - despite 15 years of CCW permits, and millions of permit holders having, as far as I know, essentially a perfect record, if one of the few states without CCW provisions debates enacting one, gun control advocates still storm in hysterically screaming “IT WILL BE A WARZONE! THERE WILL BE SHOOTOUTS OVER PARKING SPACES!!!” [/QUOTE] I have no particular beef with CCW permits, either. I admit to not liking them on principle, but it`s very difficult to argue with the results. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/256 "2006-10-05T08:03:08Z")
> [@](#): > > “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state…” That bit’s wrong isn’t it? Unarguably. Who can argue there are no secure free states out there, which don’t have w-r-m’s? Not a soul, that’s who. So why do people put such stock in the word of the bozos who came up with that one? I’m seeing a whole lot of creationist thinking here. Axioms. ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/257 "2006-10-05T09:03:58Z")
Necessary to the security of a free state next door to hostile Indians, sure. Necessary to the security of a free state that doesn`t get along well with vastly more powerful nations overseas, yeah. Necessary to modern-day America? No. Even if it becomes necessary to have an armed insurrection, handguns won`t help against SWAT teams and army battalions. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/258 "2006-10-05T10:39:11Z")
> [@](#): > > **Coin** said: > If it didn`t make him angry, you didn`t bite him hard enough. I bit until blood came out of his neck and he toook off in the other direction. > [@](#): > > Seriously, though, do you feel you could have gotten the gun out and successfully shot him without getting to see what your spleen looks like? Yes. I did have time to bite him without getting stabbed, didn’t I? ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/259 "2006-10-05T12:24:41Z")
[QUOTE=Coin] Necessary to the security of a free state next door to hostile Indians, sure. Necessary to the security of a free state that doesn`t get along well with vastly more powerful nations overseas, yeah. Necessary to modern-day America? No. Even if it becomes necessary to have an armed insurrection, handguns won`t help against SWAT teams and army battalions. [/QUOTE] Sorry, that won’t fly. It says “necessary to the security of **a** free state.” i.e. you can’t have **a** , meaning **any** , free state without w-r-militias. Nobody can rationally argue that the proposition is true. What were the bozos up to that evening? I’ll say a little prayer here that there won’t be a need to link to a definition of the indefinite article. ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993/260 "2006-10-06T03:57:28Z")
[QUOTE=catsix] I bit until blood came out of his neck and he toook off in the other direction. [/QUOTE] My comment there was intended as a bit of black humor, which apparently wasn`t actually funny. Sorry. [QUOTE=catsix] Yes. I did have time to bite him without getting stabbed, didn’t I? [/QUOTE] Can you get a gun out and pointed in the proper direction as quickly as you can turn around and bite? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-never-ever-understand-my-fellow-man/374993.md?page=14)