# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/161 "2015-11-13T17:11:51Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > From my perspective, the only positive news in this entire thread is **Gatopescado’s**. When I saw the thread title, I was trying to think what I would consider positive gun news, and came up with target shooting and successful legal hunting of non-endangered animals. > > People dying prematurely and violently, even if they were in the process of committing a crime, is not positive, it’s a tragedy. We do not have the death penalty for burglary, and I don’t even think it’s appropriate for armed robbery. People who might have had a chance at being a positive influence in the world are dead. Their families are mourning them. There’s nothing positive about that. These encounters don’t always end in death. How would you feel about a rape victim shooting her assailant while being raped. Is THAT positive gun news or should we shed a tear for the rapist? We don’t kill robbers after the fact when the crime is in the past. But while the robber is threatening life and limb, his life is forfeit. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/162 "2015-11-13T17:18:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Sounds like this is a bit of Negative Gun News. Because, you know, it doesn’t seem like the fact that he wasn’t legally able to possess a gun was much of an impediment to his becoming a Bad Guy With A Gun. Thats a bit of a silly argument isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/163 "2015-11-13T17:21:52Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > You didn’t answer all the questions in post #148. You’ve also conflated multiple aspects of the scenario, and equivocated on the evaluation of each of them. When you are able to answer the remaining question in post #148, you’ll see that this point was directly responded to. Sorry, missed that bit in 148. Here we go: “the positive part is that the robbery suspect was shot with his own gun. The events leading up to that point were negative. Wouldn’t you agree?” I agree that the events leading up to that part were negative. I am indifferent over which gun was used to stop the robber, whether it was his own or someone else’s. I think a criminal being stopped is a positive thing. So, with that answered, can I repeat my question: “A criminal with a firearm, being disarmed by an unarmed person…that’s positive gun news because a gun crime was prevented, right?” ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/164 "2015-11-13T17:21:55Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > It matters to my assessment of what news I consider to be positive. People being killed is not something that I consider to be positive, even if they are committing crimes. I see these situations as tragedies all the way around – I don’t celebrate the fact that that the crime ended in the death of the perpetrator. > > I should add that this assessment has nothing to do with the fact that a gun is involved. I wouldn’t consider it positive news if someone killed a burglar with a knife, or a knitting needle, or by pushing him down the stairs. Think of it as a lesser of two evils situation if that helps. The alternatives are not: A) criminal gets shot and killed, or B) criminal gets away after causing no harm to anyone. The alternatives are: A) criminal gets shot and killed, B) criminal gets away after causing no harm to anyone, or C) criminal gets away after killing the father, raping the mother and stealing all their stuff. And many alternatives in between Guns are not really necessary in a perfect world. They are necessary in an imperfect one. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/165 "2015-11-13T17:23:33Z")
> [@Esox\_Lucius](#): > > No matter how many people call a dog’s tail a leg, it still isn’t a leg. There was no disaster, period. Show us the devastation and human suffering that all the media slept through. The only reason to call him a disaster relief worker–pardon me, that he was doing disaster relief work;)–is to create more sympathy for him than he deserves. > > Did _you_ read the article? It says, as you yourself quoted, “he is sometimes hired to do disaster relief”, not that he was in this case, because he wasn’t. I guess you just forgot to highlight “sometimes”. Your other two links are to the same slanted story. One site just copied the other verbatim but you quoted different parts so it looks like two separate stories. Any other cheap stunts you want to perform for us? > > What I really fail to see is how a guy who gets into trouble by not bothering to learn the law is a good gun story.😕 Even more to the point, as it’s already been pointed out by a few other posters, how is killing people, for whatever reason, good? So Bone posts three articles referring to disaster relief work but you insist on your own definition of disaster relief work? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/166 "2015-11-13T17:28:00Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Not necessarily - > A life vs losing the money in the till to a fuckwit thief? > > Between the two I know which I would choose - even if it was my personal money What if you needed that money to pay your rent on the store? or on your home? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/167 "2015-11-13T17:29:12Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > If I’m “protecting life” it’s not an armed robber but a murderer. In that situation yes. > Between killing someone and the $200 or $300 in the till (or my wallet), no I wouldn’t shoot to kill. What if its not $200. What if its your life savings? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/168 "2015-11-13T17:32:04Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Sounds like a locked door would have been equally effective. You’re right, its really all the guys fault for not locking his door. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/169 "2015-11-13T17:35:23Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > It is not _Think of the Children_, but last I checked pools are rarely use to commit armed robbery. If the NRA would meet most of America part way the gun owners would not be reviled collectively. We need nationwide waiting periods, registration, limitations on automatic weapons and non-ferrous guns. We need gun safety training to be mandatory. Things like this would have me on the gun owners side, instead I see the crap the NRA does on behalf of gun owners and it makes the gun supporters look very unreasonable. Cars have to be registered, so why not guns? What is the halfway part? Where is the gun control side coming half way? Where are you compromising? Is getting only MOST of what you want without giving the other side any of what they want “meeting halfway?” Hey, What Exit. Give me all your money. No? OK, then just meet me half way. Come on dude, be reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/170 "2015-11-13T17:40:32Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Seriously, you really believe _the govmint is going to come and take yer guns away_? > > This outweighs the need to track how guns get into the hands of criminals? > > How do you feel about the training and licensing at least? These things make sense to me. How about getting rid of a few gun laws that don’t make sense? We can start with pre-emption. eliminate all state and local gun laws and replace it with a federal licensing and registration scheme that would require all gun owners to register their firearms and get licensed. Oh, you want to have your cake and eat it too when at least half the cake belongs to me? Does that sound reasonable to you? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/171 "2015-11-13T17:50:08Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Maybe if conservatives would stop giving themselves tax cuts at the expense of corrections budgets, we wouldn’t have to release convicts early from over-crowded prisons. Conservatives rarely consider the unintended consequences of their actions. Every murder costs society about $7 million. Most property crimes cost much more than what they thieves get away with. This sort of money is much better spent on early childhood and education. We need prisons because education and opportunity won’t stop crime but it costs more to keep a convict in prison than to send them to college (including room and board). ---
**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:** [November 13, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/172 "2015-11-13T18:02:52Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I think this is a great thing you’re doing, bone. It’s not scientific, but at least it provides something to get some kind of read on defensive gun uses. And so far, reaching back to August, you’ve got like 8 incidents or so. Slightly less than one per week. That’s great! Up to the point you posted this, I had linked 20-25 different articles, but hey, I guess you captured that with your “8 incidents or so”. That’s how you science! > [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > This one, also from 2 months ago, is a bit of a dubious example. The shooter was involved in escalating an argument and then fleeing the scene of a shooting. Also, why not just drive away instead of shooting the guy and then driving away? > > If this is what you’re having to reach for now, I’m not sure that this effort is going to have legs. An argument, oh no! Adults argue, nothing wrong with that. When it escalates to brick throwing, that’s a problem. Maybe the brick thrower presented an immediate threat that couldn’t be obviated by fleeing. When someone is threatening another person’s life, shooting to stop the threat then leaving the scene where the threat is present seems reasonable. Seeing as how witnesses corroborated the incident, police interviewed the shooter at the location that he drove to, arrested the brick thrower, and did not arrest the shooter, the police seemed to agree. > [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > These things make sense to me. How about getting rid of a few gun laws that don’t make sense? > > We can start with pre-emption. eliminate all state and local gun laws and replace it with a federal licensing and registration scheme that would require all gun owners to register their firearms and get licensed. Oh, you want to have your cake and eat it too when at least half the cake belongs to me? Does that sound reasonable to you? FYI - this isn’t intended as a thread for debate, though I claim no special powers of guidance. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/173 "2015-11-13T18:20:33Z")
Think I’ve got the hang of this now: > **[US Marshals catch 2nd suspect in deadly Penn Station shooting](https://nypost.com/2015/11/13/us-marshals-catch-2nd-suspect-in-rush-hour-shooting-near-penn-station/)** > > Police have captured the second suspected shooter involved in a fatal rush-hour shooting at Penn Station Monday, law enforcement sources said. Francisco Alsina was tracked down through his phone in… Police used guns to arrest a shooter before he could shoot more people. That’s positive gun news, right? ---
**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:** [November 13, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/174 "2015-11-13T18:40:00Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > “A criminal with a firearm, being disarmed by an unarmed person…that’s positive gun news because a gun crime was prevented, right?” You’ve already answered the question: > [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > I think a criminal being stopped is a positive thing. How was the criminal stopped? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/175 "2015-11-13T18:46:30Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > Up to the point you posted this, I had linked 20-25 different articles, but hey, I guess you captured that with your “8 incidents or so”. No, I was just guessing from recollection and from a lack of desire to go back to sift out all the stuff on New Jersey pardons and McAuliffe is terrible and stuff. But it looks like you’re right and I misrepresented the number of incidents you’ve linked to. My apologies. So, you’re at about 3 incidents per week (even allowing for the dog shooting and the escalate the argument, shoot and drive away guy and the martial artist who didn’t have a gun). Great! Maybe about 1,100 DGUs per year. By the way, counting links (or miscounting links) is not science. If you think that’s science, that might explain some of the problem here. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/176 "2015-11-13T18:50:20Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > You’ve already answered the question: > > How was the criminal stopped? Well in two of your examples by unarmed people. You’ve got the Krav practioner who disarmed his armed assailant, and then the scuffle at the railway station. I thought a positive outcome to be the bit where the assailants have been disarmed and dismissed as a threat, or does it only become positive when there’s a gun pointed at them? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/177 "2015-11-13T19:52:04Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > You’re welcome to start one. I don’t know what you would list as a positive abortion, but I’d be interested to find out. You kind of sucks at grasping points, don’t you? I see no “positive abortion stories” because when someone decides to have an abortion I consider it an unfortunate but necessary occurrence. Much like what I was told gun owners feel if they have the misfortune to find themselves in a situation where they must shoot somebody. But apparently that’s just one more positive thing about your favorite toys. Who knew? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/178 "2015-11-13T20:07:15Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I just checked, albeit not exhaustively. Not a single gun homicide in Australia today. Seems pretty positive to me. Too bad that America can’t do anything about her little problem. Sure, she won two world wars and put a man on the moon, but I guess reasonable gun control laws are just too darn hard to enact, even when it’s what the majority wants. Its not a little problem. It is only possible to disarm people who will obey the law. leaving only only criminals in possession of guns. Australia had a murder rate approaching zero before the gun ban and the murder rate is about the same after the gun ban (IOW, your gun ban did little to nothing for you). The level of gun violence in Australia is similar to the gun violence in New Zealand which is culturally similar but does not have a gun ban. There is a lot more to it the difference in gun violence than differences in gun control laws. Gun control laws seem to be one of the least significant factors. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/179 "2015-11-13T20:18:24Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Really? Most places have “shall issue” rules in place for concealed carry laws? Cos we surely do not in Australia. Nor do department stores sell firearms, like they do in the US. I think the rules are different, despite having similar cultures. Would it surprise you to find out that concealed carry permit holders are not only more law abiding than the general public, they are more law abiding than the average police officer. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490/180 "2015-11-13T20:26:41Z")
> [@Gary\_Kumquat](#): > > And your idea of a positive gun story is that a person who was able to illegally obtain a gun attempted to rob people, fired at them three times, but then had the gun taken off him by one of the victims? > > You are effectively saying that really nasty events that didn’t go as badly as they could have are good things. Winning WWII was a good thing despite the fact that the facts leading up to that event were not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/positive-gun-news-of-the-day/735490.md?page=10)