# No thanks, I'll take my chances with the psychopath. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 23, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135 "2012-07-23T14:22:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/341 "2012-07-25T04:44:08Z")
Oh, I didn’t know “I’m a fiddler crab” is a Daffy Duck line. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/342 "2012-07-25T10:31:47Z")
[Look at me, I’m a fiddler crab!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pChZeIE_3o) [Pronoun trouble](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e1hZGDaqIw) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/343 "2012-07-25T11:36:41Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > [Look at me, I’m a fiddler crab!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pChZeIE_3o) > > [Pronoun trouble](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e1hZGDaqIw) Aw, crap. Those weren’t from the same cartoon? I’ll just slink away now. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/344 "2012-07-25T11:42:04Z")
I’ve made my views known in this thread but what about this scenario: An armed theatre goer starts shooting randomly towards the ceiling just to let the gunman know that there is turn fire. Would that cause him to duck or maybe even run? Would it buy others time to escape? Would he then just turn his machine gun on the armed theatre goer (subject to the smoke etc.? ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/345 "2012-07-25T12:45:47Z")
Has anyone pointed out that if a lot of civilians are armed and willing to shoot, all a terrorist has to do is fire some shots in a crowded area and slink away, and people will continue killing each other? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/346 "2012-07-25T12:46:23Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > I’ve made my views known in this thread but what about this scenario: > > An armed theatre goer starts shooting randomly towards the ceiling just to let the gunman know that there is turn fire. Would that cause him to duck or maybe even run? Would it buy others time to escape? Would he then just turn his machine gun on the armed theatre goer (subject to the smoke etc.? Would the people to the left, right and front and rear of you appreciate your bravery as he turned the machine gun in your general direction? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/347 "2012-07-25T13:45:40Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > By that logic, all police officers should turn in their firearms to the duty officer when their shift ends. Or are police somehow superhuman, the cream of the cream, far more trustworthy and competent then the drooling hoi polli? > [@Trinopus](#): > > Well, yes, as a matter of fact. They’ve received training, and are also closely scrutinized and supervised. They’re far more aware of the consequences of their actions than…ahem…some people in this thread. > > When a policeman walks in to a fast-food restaurant with a big pistol on his hip, I’m a _little_ nervous. But when Joe the Plumber does, I get the hell out of there. I know that the policeman knows how to use his weapon; I have no such assurance re Bubba Joe. Then maybe the answer is to raise the standards for carry, rather than a flat ban on citizen carry. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/348 "2012-07-25T13:46:57Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > I’ve made my views known in this thread but what about this scenario: > > An armed theatre goer starts shooting randomly towards the ceiling just to let the gunman know that there is turn fire. Would that cause him to duck or maybe even run? Would it buy others time to escape? Would he then just turn his machine gun on the armed theatre goer (subject to the smoke etc.? If I were the shooter with the machine gun, I’d just spray the general area I thought the shots were coming from, knowing I’d have a way better chance of hitting the person returning fire (and everyone else in the vicinity). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/349 "2012-07-25T14:11:49Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Then maybe the answer is to raise the standards for carry, rather than a flat ban on citizen carry. Why, that’s anti-gun nut talk!:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/350 "2012-07-25T15:11:39Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Their hovercrafts are full of 'em. [Ah, matches](http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/hovercraft.htm)! ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/351 "2012-07-25T15:51:58Z")
[Here’s your more typical concealed weapons permit holder:](http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/07/24/Texan-accidentally-fires-shot-at-Walmart/UPI-45371343147222/?spt=hs&or=tn) > [@](#): > > KDFW-TV, Dallas/Fort Worth, said Canady, who has a concealed-weapons permit, was reportedly reaching for his wallet in the checkout line but grabbed the pistol he was carrying instead. The gun went off, wounding Canady in the buttocks. The bullet then hit the floor and sent fragments into the other two victims. Yeah, yeah, a responsible gun owner would never have done this. Which just goes to show you, they don’t check whether you’re responsible or not when they hand you a gun, they just check to see if you’ve been declared officially irresponsible by some judge. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/352 "2012-07-25T16:12:26Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > [Here’s your more typical concealed weapons permit holder:](http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/07/24/Texan-accidentally-fires-shot-at-Walmart/UPI-45371343147222/?spt=hs&or=tn) > > Yeah, yeah, a responsible gun owner would never have done this. Which just goes to show you, they don’t check whether you’re responsible or not when they hand you a gun, they just check to see if you’ve been declared officially irresponsible by some judge. Considering how many people around the nation carry every day and have never had an accident, calling one instance “typical” of permit holders is biased. And of course police officers never, ever have a negligent discharge. :rolleyes: ETA: what riles me about the anti-gun crowd is their sheer contempt for the intelligence and responsibility of the average citizen. Apparently they believe that 80% or more of the population needs babysitting (presumably by such wise enlightened persons as themselves). Apparently the Enlightenment has been discredited and we’re returning to Hobbes’s view of the people as a mob of ignorant savages who need to be kept on a leash. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/353 "2012-07-25T16:13:10Z")
I’m not sure dumbasses are “typical” but neither are they necessarily atypical. I suspect the vast majority of CW carriers manage not to shoot themselves or others accidentally even if the number who do is non-trivial. Occasionally I think that gun ownership should require a test and license like drivers get, but then I think of all the dipshits I see on the roads and I despair. \*ETA: Ninja’d by **Lumpy**. Which sounds vaguely rude. \* ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/354 "2012-07-25T16:18:06Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Eh, I’m pretty sure they’d piss their pants same as anyone else. It’s so very easy to armchair quarterback and say “This is how I would have done it” from the comfort of your home. Very true and that’s what makes it irritating. Everyone reacts differently to such frightening situations, and you can never really know how **you** will react until you are there. I like to think that I would be able to keep my head and respond appropriately, maybe even bravely…but it’s possible I could stand frozen, babbling incoherently and weeping. Training can play a part in how someone would react, but even well trained and well armed people (police officers and soldiers) can panic in a firefight. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/355 "2012-07-25T16:22:51Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Considering how many people around the nation carry every day and have never had an accident, calling one instance “typical” of permit holders is biased. And of course police officers never, ever have a negligent discharge. :rolleyes: > > ETA: what riles me about the anti-gun crowd is their sheer contempt for the intelligence and responsibility of the average citizen. Apparently they believe that 80% or more of the population needs babysitting (presumably by such wise enlightened persons as themselves). Apparently the Enlightenment has been discredited and we’re returning to Hobbes’s view of the people as a mob of ignorant savages who need to be kept on a leash. [Here is a handy dandy chart listing accidental discharges of firearms.](http://mortality-rates.findthedata.org/d/d/Accidental-discharge-of-firearms) ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/356 "2012-07-25T16:30:41Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Considering how many people around the nation carry every day and have never had an accident, calling one instance “typical” of permit holders is biased. And of course police officers never, ever have a negligent discharge. :rolleyes: > > ETA: what riles me about the anti-gun crowd is their sheer contempt for the intelligence and responsibility of the average citizen. Apparently they believe that 80% or more of the population needs babysitting (presumably by such wise enlightened persons as themselves). Apparently the Enlightenment has been discredited and we’re returning to Hobbes’s view of the people as a mob of ignorant savages who need to be kept on a leash. Of course even cops have negiligent discharges. Cops are normal people, and while they have some training on how to use a gun, 99.9% of their job doesn’t involve using a gun, many cops go their whole career and never remove their gun from their holster except to clean it. Of course, like I said responsible gun owners don’t accidentally shoot themselves or some toddler at the Walmart. I’ll go as far as to say that a very large majority of gun owners are resonsible enough not to accidentally shoot anyone. But accidental shootings aren’t exactly unknown, are they? That sort of shit happens all the fucking time. And your response is that is to shrug your shoulders. I am perfectly willing to believe that 80% of the population can be trusted to safely own and carry a firearm. And I trust that 80% of the remainder is smart enough to realize they shouldn’t own or carry a firearm. That still leaves 4% dipshits who can’t be trusted to tie their own shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/357 "2012-07-25T16:34:01Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Of course, like I said responsible gun owners don’t accidentally shoot themselves or some toddler at the Walmart. I’ll go as far as to say that a very large majority of gun owners are resonsible enough not to accidentally shoot anyone. But accidental shootings aren’t exactly unknown, are they? That sort of shit happens all the fucking time. And your response is that is to shrug your shoulders. Devil’s advocate: why wouldn’t they? They’d probably say that such incidents are the price of freedom, just as tolerating Fred Phelps’ sermons is the price of free speech. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/358 "2012-07-25T16:50:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Why, that’s anti-gun nut talk!:eek: No it’s not. There are few self-defense advocates more strident than I, and I protested when Kansas recently reduced the qualifications for CCW. I think the qualifications for CCW should be much higher, but the freedoms exercised should be much greater in return. But then no one on either side seems to agree with that, so I don’t push it much. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/359 "2012-07-25T16:52:05Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > [Here’s your more typical concealed weapons permit holder:](http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/07/24/Texan-accidentally-fires-shot-at-Walmart/UPI-45371343147222/?spt=hs&or=tn) How does that make him “typical?” What are the stats on negligent discharges from CCW holders versus non? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/360 "2012-07-25T16:53:33Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > [Here’s your more typical concealed weapons permit holder:](http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/07/24/Texan-accidentally-fires-shot-at-Walmart/UPI-45371343147222/?spt=hs&or=tn) > Yeah, yeah, a responsible gun owner would never have done this. Which just goes to show you, they don’t check whether you’re responsible or not when they hand you a gun, they just check to see if you’ve been declared officially irresponsible by some judge. Oh, for fuck’s sake. Just once can we not have one of these threads turn into a general debate on guns? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135.md?page=19)