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

narf poit chez BOOM · #1 August 29th, 2003, 08:23 AM

well, i'm not trained in self defence. but i'm pretty sure i'd still bang until it clicks. unless i was thinking there might be another one, in which case i'd just bang until the person falls down.

Tigbit · #2 August 29th, 2003, 08:36 AM

A soldier would go "BANG... BANG, BANG." One in the head and two in the heart. Then walk away rightfully confident that the piece of refuse would never bother anyone again.

Atrocities · #3 August 29th, 2003, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tigbit:
A soldier would go "BANG... BANG, BANG." One in the head and two in the heart. Then walk away rightfully confident that the piece of refuse would never bother anyone again.

No that is an interesting thought.

dogscoff · #4 August 29th, 2003, 10:30 AM

Just to put an alternative liberal point of view across...

Situational Issue: You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, a carnivorous rigellian Nurk-beast with a slavering mouth full of razor sharp teeth comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams "glurp norp gappagappgappgapp SchleeeE!*" and charges. You happen to know that the only thing capable of stopping a carnivorous rigellian Nurk-beast is a large lump of uranium 232.

Clear evidence, I think, for the general public to be allowed access to as much uranium 232 as they like.

Seriously, a random encounter with a frenzied knife-wielding killer is so unlikely as to be virtually negligible. I'd call it paranoid scaremongering.
But ignoring that for a minute, if you have a gun, why doesn't the maniac? Why didn't he just hide in a bush and kill you all from cover? Just because because he's a bloodthirsty ******* doesn't mean he's stupid enough to paint a target on his chest and give you a fighting chance. (Think "Washington sniper")

(*roughly translated: "Moist and fleshy meat-bags, I devour you in the name of SchleeeE the Digestor!")

[ August 29, 2003, 09:30: Message edited by: dogscoff ]

Loser · #5 August 30th, 2003, 01:33 AM

A nice quote from a friend of mine who, after reading this, has decided that he might be a Liberal.

Quote:

Shoot out the kneecaps.
I'm an expert shot after all.

It looks like I'm a liberal. Oh well.

(The whole, "I guess I'm a Liberal" thing has more to do with how this question relates to a real world situation, and my actions in it, that we have discussed at length.)

[ August 29, 2003, 12:34: Message edited by: Loser ]

Wardad · #6 August 29th, 2003, 05:42 PM

LOL!!!!
Dogscoff, that's the best reply yet!

Jack Simth · #7 August 29th, 2003, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dogscoff:
Seriously, a random encounter with a frenzied knife-wielding killer is so unlikely as to be virtually negligible. I'd call it paranoid scaremongering.

The specifics are somewhat contrived, about on par with being killed in a car accident as a pedestrian, but it strikes me as more of a joke and a comment on stereotypes of people's thoughts on the matter rather than an actual argument. Such contrived situations simply make it mostly morally unambiguous, so that it is easier to make fun of the target(s).

If you want something slightly more realistic, and hence closer to an argument, try a different situation.
Suppose for a moment that you are a drug addict turned thief to get money for your next fix. There are several houses on the street, all with silent alarms (but you know how to stop those; just cut the phone line - easy). However, you happen to have some intel about these houses (now it starts to get slightly contrived); you checked the local gun registries under the freedom of information act, and so you know which houses have firearms (it's also a very law-abiding place; anyone with firearms will have them registered - more contrived now, I know). It's a fairly ritzy neigborhood; most will have dvd players, jewelry, or other rather valuable, readily hawkable items. You'd wait till everyone was away at work, but you need your fix now; everyone's at home, probably asleep. You don't have a gun (if you did, you'd hawk it for fix money), but do have a kitchen knife. Which houses are you more likely to burgle: the ones you know have guns or the ones you know don't?

While individually the circumstances for such scenarios are usually a bit contrived, it is a fairly simple matter to come up with many such scenerios, and the collective probability (the chance of at least one of them) becomes reasonable.