Get a gun

[AJS-]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/eve...

How long will the cowed and sad population of the UK accept being totally powerless to combat this sort of thing? This sort of systematic and persistent lawlessness makes the protection of the crown and the state totally worthless in that area, and defending oneself and family is the only rational course.

[rhinochopig]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB1NiNKwueE

[smegmore]

Anybody who decided to take action and defend themselves against these scumbags would find themselves in a cell in short order. The police spout platitudes to the press and are useless in protecting the general public from this type of behaviour.

Welcome to Great Britain.

[Regiment]

Surely moving to somewhere like Newcastle, you'd research the area you're buying a house in?

[scenario8]

I'd rather not increase gun ownership, thanks. I know the criminal set will always have them and I'm not especially unhappy with the concept of ownership for sporting or industrial use, but I don't want to add even more fuel to any fire by every Tom, Dick and Dirty Harry having legal access. I can easily imagine more and more guns would start to be drawn and more and more situations would escalate.

A more effective criminal justice system would be much higher up my wish list.

[Jasandjules]

scenario8 said:

I can easily imagine more and more guns would start to be drawn and more and more situations would escalate.

Yet oddly most people I know who have guns (living abroad) have no idea about this kind of thing happening, I am thinking because it doesn't.

Frankly the story in the OP is just a reflection of how hopeless it can be in the UK with people unable to defend themselves properly and the police unable to do so.

[EDLT]

Jasandjules said:

scenario8 said:

I can easily imagine more and more guns would start to be drawn and more and more situations would escalate.

Yet oddly most people I know who have guns (living abroad) have no idea about this kind of thing happening, I am thinking because it doesn't.

Frankly the story in the OP is just a reflection of how hopeless it can be in the UK with people unable to defend themselves properly and the police unable to do so.

I think you'll find that gangs exist outside of the UK, even in countries where people are allowed guns.

[AJS-]

Agreed that effective justice would be better still, but we don't have it, and renaming ASBOs as CBOs and requiring that the police investigate anti social behaviour after 3 complaints is going to give us it.

Secondly, it's neither possible or desirable to have police everywhere at all times, and without a population empowered to protect themselves then it's quite likely that anarchy will reign when the police are out of sight.

I'm not talking about the wild west, a licenced (for self defence) shotgun kept in the house, and a reasonable expectation that you're not going to end up in prison for using it, would be quite adequate.

[rohrl]

Sorry if this sounds a bit po-faced but hey-ho.

For all the talk about self-defence the people most likely to be injured by a gun are the owner and his or her immediate family. Some people own guns in the UK for sporting use, I don't think anyone ought to be suggesting that anyone else ought to buy a gun for self-defence.

Edited by rohrl on Saturday 26th May 13:15

[AJS-]

Not really po faced, just typical British defeatism and commitment to things that don't work.

Why should no one have a gun for self-defence? It was a legitimate reason up until the 1950s, and I don't see why it shouldn't be now.

[croyde]

Thing is, even if you were allowed to have and use a gun, I don't think you would be allowed to shoot someone who happens to be drinking in your garden. Much that I would like to.

[AJS-]

croyde said:

Thing is, even if you were allowed to have and use a gun, I don't think you would be allowed to shoot someone who happens to be drinking in your garden. Much that I would like to.

Not if someone's leaning on your fence with a can of beer in their hand, and moves on when asked to. But if a reasonable request is met with a barrage of intimidating abuse and threats of violence then it's fine with me.

[Hoofy]

So, who is going to buy that house? (Or was that mentioned? Stopped reading the article half way down due to increasing sense of rage.)

[Jasandjules]

EDLT said:

I think you'll find that gangs exist outside of the UK, even in countries where people are allowed guns.

Go on then, what has that got to do with what I said?

[jbi]

If they are on your property and making threatening advances toward you, they should be fair game.

If they are leaving your property and you shoot them in the back, then I would have a problem with it.

[scenario8]

Jandj, I think he's making the point that in the UK relatively few have access to guns and there are gangs and there are chavs and there are incidents like this. In other countries with more liberal gun laws there are also gangs and there are also chavs and there are also similar incidents to these.

That's how I read it.

There are also probably lots of regretable incidents and accidents. You takes your money, etc. Personally I'd rather we kept the number with legal access to guns as low as now - if not lower.

[IanMorewood]

I don't think a gun is necessary a garden spade and couple of polibags should suffice if it comes to that. Of course first the spade could be used to shovel a couple of tons of ripe manure onto you new rose garden where the kids normally hang out.

[mat777]

Why is it that this article (and the comments below it on the news website) are exactly the same as anything you'd read in the Daily Mail, yet because it is another news company it suddenly isnt the usual load of crap the DM reportedly is?

Anyway... the law needs to be changed so that anyone trespassing on yoru property in a threatening manner can be given a damn good hiding

[Jasandjules]

scenario8 said:

Jandj, I think he's making the point that in the UK relatively few have access to guns and there are gangs and there are chavs and there are incidents like this. In other countries with more liberal gun laws there are also gangs and there are also chavs and there are also similar incidents to these.

Not with people who have the guns. People tend to leave property rather fast when two guys step out with shotguns pointing at them and they are asked to GTFO.

[7mike]

I'm going to jump to a rather sexist and anti-pc conclusion here but, hey wtf.

"Northumbria Police’s Neighbourhood Insp for West Denton, Julie Rana, said: “We recognise the issue has been causing distress to the family and we take anything which impacts on the quality of life of other people extremely seriously."

Thanks for recognising the distress this is causing to the family popit. Now pull yer politically correct finger out of your arse, this is serious business get it sorted or fk off and give the job to someone who can.