# Positive Gun News of the Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 22, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490 "2015-10-22T22:57:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/381 "2016-01-24T01:51:41Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > [Arkansas man defends home from break-in.](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/arkansas-firefighter-shot-killed-helping-seizure-patient-article-1.2506136) I saw the news on a local Facebook page this morning. Horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/382 "2016-01-24T02:39:50Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I saw the news on a local Facebook page this morning. Horrible. And, yeah, this is the appropriate thread, how? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/383 "2016-01-24T02:54:17Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > And, yeah, this is the appropriate thread, how? Obviously some folks are attempting to sabotage it. If someone broke into my house, I might very well shoot them. It would be nice to have a complete accounting of the incident. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/384 "2016-01-24T03:31:07Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > And, yeah, this is the appropriate thread, how? I think it’s indicative that **septimus** believes it to be a positive event when firefighters are shot while performing their duties. We’ve already had someone praising suicide as a positive event as well. Everyone has different beliefs - what they consider positive speaks to their character I suppose. * * * In other news, [Winston-Salem jewelry store robbery suspect shot, killed by ‘person in charge’](http://www.wxii12.com/news/police-respond-to-shooting-call-at-ws-business/36209610) > [@](#): > > Police said three masked suspects armed with guns entered the store. Two suspects threatened customers and workers, while one suspect stood guard at the entrance, police said. > > One suspect then smashed display cases and began to remove jewelry, police said. > > As the incident was taking place, a person in control of the business retrieved a gun and walked from the back to the front of the store, police said. The person confronted Elliott and fired two shots, police said. > > The wounded Elliott tried to flee but collapsed just outside the business, police said. > > The person shot the suspect out of “fear of his life and the lives of the business’s employees and patrons,” police said in a statement Tuesday. 3 vs 1 and the one prevailed. DGU with one dead robber. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/385 "2016-01-24T03:53:33Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > And, yeah, this is the appropriate thread, how? I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘trolling’. Or it’s just that **septimus** approves of killing firefighters. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/386 "2016-01-24T05:45:23Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I think it’s indicative that **septimus** believes it to be a positive event when firefighters are shot while performing their duties. We’ve already had someone praising suicide as a positive event as well. Everyone has different beliefs - what they consider positive speaks to their character I suppose. What an ugly asshole thing to say. These insane killings _could_ have a positive outcome if they woke America up to the absurdities, cowardice, and irrationality of its shoot-everything-that-moves culture. But judging by the peculiar attitudes of gun-loving Dopers, they ain’t happening anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/387 "2016-01-24T05:56:10Z")
I could have sworn that to the degree it’s a “culture”, it’s more of a shoot-everyone-who’s-trying-to-rob-you-or-break-into-your-house-or-kill-you kind of a culture. No one has has said anything about shooting “anything that moves”. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/388 "2016-01-24T13:18:02Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I could have sworn that to the degree it’s a “culture”, it’s more of a shoot-everyone-who’s-trying-to-rob-you-or-break-into-your-house-or-kill-you kind of a culture. > > No one has has said anything about shooting “anything that moves”. “Shoot everything that moves” is a culture that it is \*so \*much easier to argue against, though. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/389 "2016-01-24T14:30:42Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > “Shoot everything that moves” is a culture that it is \*so \*much easier to argue against, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/390 "2016-01-24T18:12:16Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘trolling’. > > Or it’s just that **septimus** approves of killing firefighters. > [@septimus](#): > > [Arkansas man defends home from break-in.](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/arkansas-firefighter-shot-killed-helping-seizure-patient-article-1.2506136) > [@Orwell](#): > > And, yeah, this is the appropriate thread, how? > [@septimus](#): > > What an ugly asshole thing to say. > > These insane killings _could_ have a positive outcome if they woke America up to the absurdities, cowardice, and irrationality of its shoot-everything-that-moves culture. But judging by the peculiar attitudes of gun-loving Dopers, they ain’t happening anytime soon. Knock it off. This is MPSIMS not the Pit. I’m busy digging out from a blizzard so I’ll figure out who needs a warning later. Anything after this certainly will. No threadshitting, insults or accusations of trolling from anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/391 "2016-01-25T01:38:13Z")
In other news, [Tomball Teen Killed in Home, Neighbor Kills Attacker](http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Tomball-Teen-Killed-in-Home-Neighbor-Kills-Attacker-339809162.html) > [@](#): > > The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says the 17-year-old was attacked Monday afternoon by another male who entered the victim’s house in Tomball. The victim’s 12-year-old sister was also home and ran to a neighbor’s place for help. > > The neighbor, armed with a gun, went into the victim’s house and confronted the attacker, who was fatally shot while trying to assault the neighbor. Unfortunately the attacker was able to kill the resident teenager before a neighbor intervened. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/392 "2016-01-25T16:53:30Z")
In other news, [Hammer-wielding man hospitalized after being shot in Scripps Ranch neighborhood](http://www.kusi.com/story/30451896/hammer-wielding-man-hospitalized-after-being-shot-in-scripps-ranch-neighborhood) > [@](#): > > A 28-year-old man who was attacking people with a knife and a hammer was shot in the back of the head by a neighbor in Scripps Ranch Thursday, police said. > > The suspect had suffered "some sort of mental breakdown,‘’ San Diego Police Department Sgt. David Jennings said, and was chasing neighbors with a knife and a hammer. > > One neighbor armed himself with a handgun and shot the suspect, who was hospitalized with non life-threatening injuries, Jennings said. Non life threatening injuries from a gun shot would to the back of the head. It’s good that the person wasn’t killed, but I would suggest different ammo for the future. DGU with no deaths. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/393 "2016-01-25T16:54:06Z")
I’ve heard that the best defense against bad guys with guns are good guys with guns, but what’s the best defense against [complete idiots with guns](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/suspect-in-renton-theater-shooting-says-he-feared-random-attacks/)? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/394 "2016-01-25T17:02:43Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’ve heard that the best defense against bad guys with guns are good guys with guns, but what’s the best defense against [complete idiots with guns](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/suspect-in-renton-theater-shooting-says-he-feared-random-attacks/)? As a serious follow up to this, if (hypothetically) gun ownership and concealed and open carry were to increase significantly over the next several years, is there any way to estimate using statistics whether the lives saved by “armed good guys” would be greater than or less than the fatalities and injuries caused by the (presumable) increase in accidental shootings like the one I linked to? I suppose the math would look something like this – for every 100,000 instances of concealed carry (and open carry), there are x incidents of “lives saved”, and y incidents of accidental shootings (perhaps ya for fatalities)… is x greater than or less than y (or ya)? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/395 "2016-01-25T17:13:46Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > As a serious follow up to this, if (hypothetically) gun ownership and concealed and open carry were to increase significantly over the next several years, is there any way to estimate using statistics whether the lives saved by “armed good guys” would be greater than or less than the fatalities and injuries caused by the (presumable) increase in accidental shootings like the one I linked to? > > I suppose the math would look something like this – for every 100,000 instances of concealed carry (and open carry), there are x incidents of “lives saved”, and y incidents of accidental shootings (perhaps ya for fatalities)… is x greater than or less than y (or ya)? I think this thread is helping me realize something. Folks who are in favor of less regulation of firearms (I’m trying to use neutral language here–I apologize if it comes across as loaded–oh crap, “loaded” as a negative thing, lemme stop this parenthetical before I shoot myself in the foot–goddammit!) focus on anecdotes in which a gun prevents innocent people from being hurt or robbed. Folks who are in favor of more regulation of firearms focus on anecdotes in which a gun causes someone, innocent or otherwise, to be killed. Is this correct? I just read a story about a fatal shooting in a gun store, for example. This is the kind of story gun control advocates may correctly point to: when emotions run hot, it’s access to firearms, not the threat of another person’s firearm, that often determines whether someone is killed. The person who started firing in a gun store could be reasonably certain that his intended target was also armed. His society was not polite. Other incidents in this thread may justly be pointed at by gun control opponents, inasmuch as they suggest that under some circumstances, a firearm prevents loss of life. My question, as someone without strong opinions either way (I used to be much more strongly anti-gun than I currently am, due mainly to the influence of people on this board), is this: **what are the numbers?** The lack of numbers is why I find this thread to be mostly pointless–and similar anecdotes about people accidentally shooting others in theaters are mostly pointless as well, at least, in both cases, as arguments for or against gun regulation. And it’s why I think some government body, CDC or otherwise, ought to conduct rigorous and thorough studies of the question of how much violence is perpetrated, or prevented, by private firearm ownership. Folks on either side of the issue who believe research would support them ought to support that research. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/396 "2016-01-25T17:17:46Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > As a serious follow up to this, if (hypothetically) gun ownership and concealed and open carry were to increase significantly over the next several years, is there any way to estimate using statistics whether the lives saved by “armed good guys” would be greater than or less than the fatalities and injuries caused by the (presumable) increase in accidental shootings like the one I linked to? > > I suppose the math would look something like this – for every 100,000 instances of concealed carry (and open carry), there are x incidents of “lives saved”, and y incidents of accidental shootings (perhaps ya for fatalities)… is x greater than or less than y (or ya)? You could start a separate thread about that topic since it’s clearly not the topic of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/397 "2016-01-25T17:22:57Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > You could start a separate thread about that topic since it’s clearly not the topic of this thread. Clearly, half of it is (the “lives saved by armed good guys” part). 🙂 But I’ll take the hint – this thread isn’t for any discussion, just for posts about the good things re: guns. Forgive me for polluting it with reasonable and thought-provoking questions. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/398 "2016-01-25T17:48:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Clearly, half of it is (the “lives saved by armed good guys” part). 🙂 > > But I’ll take the hint – this thread isn’t for any discussion, just for posts about the good things re: guns. Forgive me for polluting it with reasonable and thought-provoking questions. Post us a link to your new thread, please. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/399 "2016-01-25T17:59:52Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The lack of numbers is why I find this thread to be mostly pointless–and similar anecdotes about people accidentally shooting others in theaters are mostly pointless as well, at least, in both cases, as arguments for or against gun regulation. And it’s why I think some government body, CDC or otherwise, ought to conduct rigorous and thorough studies of the question of how much violence is perpetrated, or prevented, by private firearm ownership. > > Folks on either side of the issue who believe research would support them ought to support that research. One would think so, but the fact is all agencies of the federal government have been legally prohibited from collecting data on gun violence. No wonder you are having trouble finding the numbers; someone doesn’t want you or anyone else to see them. Google the Dickey Amendment for more information. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/400 "2016-01-25T18:37:08Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > One would think so, but the fact is all agencies of the federal government have been legally prohibited from collecting data on gun violence. No wonder you are having trouble finding the numbers; someone doesn’t want you or anyone else to see them. Google the Dickey Amendment for more information. That is a loaded and biased interpretation of the amendment and the reason gun rights people don’t want HHS or NIH doing the research or controlling who conducts the research. Gun rights advocates don’t trust the government to be fair, impartial and honest while conducting the research, choosing the researchers or reporting the results. There are numerous reasons for that, but it doesn’t prevent any private researchers from conducting such research. The overwhelming problem with “collecting data” is that the vast majority of lives saved and problems solved do not involve any shots being fired, and most of the time there are no police reports or publicity. Gun control advocates like to ignore this simple fact, and focus on only instances where shots are fired or even only when someone is injured or killed. That doesn’t tell even half of the story. But, as Bone suggests, start a thread on whatever topic you want. It is fairly obvious that this thread is specifically intended for positive gun news and events. Lord knows, there are plenty of threads and news events focused on negative stories and events. If someone wants to start a thread on research and statistics, I’ll be glad to contribute. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=21)