# if only firefighters carried guns **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 24, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021 "2012-12-24T16:37:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/161 "2012-12-28T04:49:55Z")
Come to think of it, if **only** firefighters carried guns, the gun-crime rate would be a whole lot lower. . . . I **think**. . . ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/162 "2012-12-28T04:51:01Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > Nose Yeah, sounds like a great option until the second trimester . . . ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/163 "2012-12-28T04:52:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Come to think of it, if **only** firefighters carried guns, the gun-crime rate would be a whole lot lower. > > . . . I **think**. . . Could a fireman here explain why firefighters cannot carry guns going into a burning structure? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/164 "2012-12-28T04:55:15Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Could a fireman here explain why firefighters cannot carry guns going into a burning structure? :rolleyes: Well, what ambient temperature does it take to make the ammo cook off? ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/165 "2012-12-28T05:00:12Z")
Dunno. Can’t they just increase hose pressure so they can reach past 50 meters and take out a gunman? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/166 "2012-12-28T05:06:18Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Dunno. Can’t they just increase hose pressure so they can reach past 50 meters and take out a gunman? What, bring a hose to a gunfight?! ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/167 "2012-12-28T05:14:43Z")
Better than knives. If a fire hose is good enough for a bunch of looters, it’s bound to work on one exposed gunman. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/168 "2012-12-28T06:48:30Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > I had to back-read my own post. I said it’s not easy to kill in any way. This is because of given controls. I can’t really say “it’s not easy to walk in public and start shooting people,” because obviously people can. But limited gun availability compared with other deadly weapons (even in America,) and police visibility can minimize this (this is up for further debate.) Your alt-ctl-del example was what made me say this concerning all types of weapons. > > And then, there is relative ease by which one can murder. In this respect, guns rate high. No fool can deny that. > > So your expert debating skills faltered slightly when you threw the next question, “Why should there be guns then?” This is much easier to answer. Sorry, I admit that I was confused by the wording of your earlier post. But I think I understand what you were trying to say now. Even though guns do make it relatively easier to murder people, it is possible to minimize the number of murders by limiting the availability of guns, even in America. When you put it this way, it makes a lot more sense to me. I have to concede that you win the debate on this point, and I feel more than a bit silly now to have argued otherwise. Once again, I apologize for the confusion. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/169 "2012-12-28T06:50:31Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Better than knives. If a fire hose is good enough for a bunch of looters, it’s bound to work on one exposed gunman. But, **is** a fire hose good enough for a bunch of looters? Most have enough sense/agility to avoid the water-stream and keep on looting. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/170 "2012-12-28T06:56:27Z")
Actually works better for crowd control. And a firetruck isn’t ideal for that purpose. Police stations must have one vehicle with a mounted water cannon. But swerving back to the topic, I’m sure fire departments have it down in their manuals on what to do when there is a possible complication, like a fire accompanied by some kind of criminal activity, or the presence of potentially dangerous individuals (meaning armed.) ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/171 "2012-12-28T10:06:07Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But, **is** a fire hose good enough for a bunch of looters? A firehose is too good for the guys that elected their gun grabbing messiah! Alt: something about the Civil Rights movement. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/172 "2012-12-28T12:53:31Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The gun thread equivalent of Godwin’s Law. What about all the women promoting guns for self-defense? Are they all suffering from penis envy? The are also deeply insecure and delusional. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/173 "2012-12-28T13:43:35Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Small penises. > [@Lumpy](#): > > The gun thread equivalent of Godwin’s Law. What about all the women promoting guns for self-defense? Are they all suffering from penis envy? > [@madmonk28](#): > > The are also deeply insecure and delusional. Given that the majority of women could be beaten into submission and raped by the majority of men, I can’t say that their insecurity is delusional. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/174 "2012-12-28T14:19:03Z")
Sad little people going through life scared. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/175 "2012-12-28T15:08:14Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Sad little people going through life scared. Yes, I’m so scared. I’ve hiked solo in Yellowstone (where there are grizzly bears), and rafted through Lava Falls. I regularly travel solo, often to foreign countries where I don’t speak the language fluently. Why, I’m so timid I can barely force myself to step out my front door each morning! Time for you to rethink your prejudices. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/176 "2012-12-28T15:22:27Z")
Easy not to be scared when you’re a Greek goddess. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/177 "2012-12-28T15:26:43Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Sad little people going through life scared. Funny, that’s what I would have said about people who insist we won’t be safe until we completely ban guns. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/178 "2012-12-28T15:57:57Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > Anyone who says “criminals will get their guns anyway so any attempts at gun control is pointless” are saying exactly that. Gun control is not pointless. Gun _bans_ are pointless. Gun bans may reduce gun-related crime, but it would also eliminate the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves against armed criminals. Determined criminals will have access to firearms under either scenario. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/179 "2012-12-28T17:12:31Z")
If you wouldn’t kill somebody in order to get money, why would you kill somebody in order to keep it? Hardly a day goes by without hearing about somebody in my neighborhood bravely defending himself from home invasion! Well, sometimes weeks go by. OK, months. Actually, pretty much never. I’ve been mugged a couple times, robbed at gunpoint once. The men who committed those acts are most likely either dead or in prison. Or they wised up and straightened out. Any of those outcomes is preferable to my looking in the mirror and shaving the face of a man who killed to protect his property. I don’t own anything worth killing for. I never will. If you need to promote fear in order to advance your agenda, your agenda is fucked up, sick and twisted. (Actually, i was once home invaded by armed men. But they had a piece of paper signed by a judge that said if I made any sudden moves, they could plug me and get clean away with it. And you all would have been deprived of my wit and wisdom. OK, maybe “deprived” isn’t the right word, exactly…) (Oh, and no, I wasn’t guilty. Bad information. Oopsy-daisy! Darn shame about that…) ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021/180 "2012-12-28T18:17:21Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > If you wouldn’t kill somebody in order to get money, why would you kill somebody in order to keep it? Why should I assume that someone who’s trying to break down my bedroom door at 2 AM is there for money? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-only-firefighters-carried-guns/645021.md?page=10)