OT: And you thought the world was sane...

[Thermodyne]

Originally posted by dogscoff:

quote:

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Suppose for a moment that you are a drug addict turned thief to get money for your next fix ... you checked the local gun registries under the freedom of information act ... You'd wait till everyone was away at work ...

Well, I'm happy to report that unless this country changes very radically I'll never have to worry about keeping up with the Jones' in a domestic arms race, because as far as I know none of my neighbours have guns.
And even if they did, I don't think just any member of the public would be able to go and browse the local firearms registry to find out.
And even if they could, I doubt a junkie as desperate as the one you describe would have the patience to take the time and trouble to carefully carry out such research if he were unable to wait until one of the places was empty. People in that state don't make reasoned, informed decisions and weigh up the risks. They'll just go for the nearest & quickest (not necessarily the safest or easiest) source of cash.

EDIT: That pizza-delivery death is just... wierd. I hope that idea doesn't catch on.

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“Domestic Arms Race” Now there is a topic worthy of further discussion. The arming of the domestic household.

But first we would need to work out some terminology.

What would the threshold for an armed household be? Is a home with a 12 gauge Mossberg and half a box of #8 shells in the closet armed? Or do they need to have some 9’s and an SKS with a belt full of 30’s?

What qualifies as an arms race? If the gang down the street has a few 9’s, and you go out and get a 44 automag, is this an arms race?

What about collectors? Is it a collection, or an arsenal? Is it WW2 artifact, or an assault weapon?

Is a 30/378 Weatherby magnum a deer rifle, or an antitank weapon?

Is FFg propellant for rustic firearms, or a weapon of mass destruction? Is FFFg pistol powder or bomb fuel?

What level of fire power would make a home into a super power?

What would distance thresholds for weapons classes be? House to house, block to block, trans-neighborhood. And let’s not forget the mobile-automobile-deployable class of weapons. I guess we need to classify biologic weapons too. They could range from point defense (chained up dog) all they way to germ warfare (14 year old with daughter with mono) And we should also add psyco stuff too (loud stereos and teenage gear head offspring)

How much ammo would a house need to be considered a pre-prepared defensive position?

Does a potato gun qualify as artillery? Can a bag full of bottle rockets be considered a MLRS?

Is ammonia and Clorox a WMD? Are a bag of nitrate fertilizer and a can of fuel oil evidence of WMD manufacturing?

Is putting the bug zapper on a tree limb that overhangs your neighbors yard really an act of war?

If your mutt gets to the poodle that lives next door, is it a war crime?

If the mutt then kills the cat next door, can they charge him with genocide?

Should catching the local street gang in a well planed horse shoe ambush with pre-planed fields of fire and a clear open kill zone be against the law?

Should pre-emptive strikes against crack houses include a scorched earth policy?

To be continued.