Guns

HA! Me too!

I think it should not be easy to get a gun, and any weapons owners should be responsible and held to standards for carrying, use, and storage. It is a matter of responsibility more than anything else.

Having said that, I have been to shooting ranges a few times over the last 15 years - I enjoy guns. But I don't currently own one and actually declined being given a gun on two occasions because I honestly did not feel that I need one in my home. (I prefer to rent them at a range for now).

If I were still bartending or tattooing, then yes, I would carry a gun (an HK 40cal) - carrying large amounts of cash, and working in a place ripe for robbing, it would make me feel safer.

And in the event of the 'apocalypse'? I will be armed to the teeth

I'm so sorry to hear that and I can definitely understand your change in comfort.

True. It is the irresponsible people that are the problem - those wanting to cause harm to others.

Farmers can own a gun if they have a licence. Others have to get a licence and paperwork signed by a large property owner where they are allow to go and shoot wildlife - to own a riffle.

I know there are people who hunt for food. I got the impression (from a close friend in SD) that it's far more popular over there than here.

I was in the military. I only believe certain types should be illegal.

ditto

Guns are a necessity in many rural areas, people need to defend themselves from wild animals. I can't say I encourage hunting as a sport but I don't object to those who do so as long as they do it responsibly, if the animal you intend to shoot isn't going to be eaten don't shoot it.

I live in New Zealand and our gun laws are pretty similar to Australia. I think the way that we deal with firearms makes a lot of sense, and the benefit we reap is a much lower murder rate.

It's actually not uncommon to own a gun in New Zealand. We have about 22 guns per 100 people (which places us about 16th in the world in terms of gun ownership, and well ahead of Australia). Most farmers would own at least one firearm. However, gun-owners (and any automatic weapons) are licensed. You have to undergo a police and psychological check in order to get a license.

The expectation is that most guns are used for hunting and pest-control purposes, and so many different types of guns are simply banned. Basically, if it's specifically designed to kill people, it's pretty much illegal. Dealers are strictly vetted, and you need a special endorsement on your license to own a competition pistol. Firearms also need to be kept locked away.

It would only be the rare, extremely paranoid individual who owned a gun "for self-defense", and it's illegal to carry a concealed firearm anyway. If you shoot a burglar in New Zealand, you're the one who's going to go to jail. However, the flipside of that is that it's incredibly rare for you to ever meet a criminal who has a firearm. Even our police rarely carry firearms.

That's not to say that we don't have problems with violent crime. Of course we do. The difference is that it's harder for a criminal to kill you with a bat or a knife than it would be if they had a gun. Ergo, we have a high violent crime rate, but a much lower murder rate than in the US. We also have very few incidents of accidental shootings, as the owner of any gun that is used in an accidental shooting will be prosecuted and spend time in prison. That tends to encourage people to be more responsible.

The government hasn't actually restricted our access to firearms (long arms like hunting rifles aren't even licensed), so long as we handle them safely and responsibly. I've fired guns before, and I suspect that most people in New Zealand have... I just have no reason to ever own one. I have no problem with guns: I DO have a problem with poorly thought-out gun laws and a lax attitude to firearms in general. I think that owning a weapon which can kill so easily should be seen as a privilege rather than a generic right. Treat the responsibility with a degree of respect, and you have less problems.