A few questions about guns in America?

Question

How much does a regular gun (pistol) cost? (preferably in £)
Is it normal for an average american to own a gun? (such as does the average american own a gun)
If it was made illegal to own a gun, would the gun crime rate be so high?

I appologise if it seems like I'm sterotyping Americans as gun crazy, that is not my intention.

I'm also not sure if, given the choice to own a gun, I would get one, I doubt I would however. I am just interested to know how big the numbers are for gun owners in america and if it is just a part of their culture, or if i should stop watching so many films, lol

Answer 1

A great question.
I have spent considerable time in the USA and remain amazed at the number of homes that own guns.
It is, of course their right to bear arms.
And yes I think it is also part of their culture, though not strictly how it is portrayed on a lot of today's films.

I have found this site with statistics regarding gun ownership, armed crimes, the right-to-carry laws etc (though some of the dates are old, still I suppose it is indicative of the numbers)
It is pretty scary reading:
http://www.justfacts.com/gun_control.htm

I cannot help you with the prices, I imagine they would vary quite a bit from gun to gun.
You could do a search on them, assuming you know which one to search for!

You might be interested in this article too, some good points raised about "Gun-Happy-Americans" (the author's words - not mine)
http://www.furry.org.au/mayfurr/gunhappy.htm

Answer 2

films are made to be entertaining, and often misdirect the truth to tell the tale. violence occurs so often in movies because it is a big seller. people get to live out their agression on the screen instead of against the actual living.

we own a hand gun. we have only ever practice shot it and cleaned it. it is locked away and is kept for protection. we also own knives, swords, and nunchukas. the same goes for them. none of our friends own weapons, no one i work with owns a gun, and i have rarely seen one except at home, in a pawn shop, and on t.v. i'm sure this is different for those of us forced to live in poverty by an inadequate government bias.

firearms are a constitutional right here, and i am not ready to throw out any of those rights and believe them to be good ones. it is a free country and inalienable rights are part of that. gun violence wouldn't stop if they were illegal, only the criminals would have them. and in this age of uncertainty, i will not be without one.

our american culture came about much differently than yours. we are still a young nation and our violence is a sad part of it.

i know you don't mean to stereotype us, and i hope that you will never buy into stereotypes about any group. i have been to the u.k. and found it to be somewhat like what the media portrays it ....and far different. not everyone had bad teeth, it rarely rained, and we didn't encounter many people that despised americans. they did often eat kidney for breakfast and i must say i found that repulsive, lol.

becareful what the media says. in every country there is the need to feel egocentric. we do it here quite a bit. but we must always remember that we are a part of a greater group.

Answer 3

I can't give you an exact number, but roughly 42-48 percent of U.S. homes have at least one fire-arm.

If it were made illegal to own a gun, gun crimes would increase quickly and significantly. Criminals in America are actually three times more likely to be shot by an armed victim than by a police officer, and they know that.

-When New Jersey adopted the strictest gun laws in the nation, the murder rate went up 46% and armed robbery almost doubled, within two years time.
-When Hawaii strengthened their gun control laws, the murder rate almost tripled in nine years time.
-In 1976, Washington D.C. enacted one of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Their murder rate has since risen 134%. (not a typo, that is, indeed, one hundred, thirty-four percent)

Let's reflect back to the chaos in parts of Europe last year, with so-called "troubled youths" (isn't the media so cute with their terminology) rioting, commiting violent assaults, and torching cars in the streets. How long did that nonsense and violence continue? If memory serves me, it was literally weeks! How long would it have gone on, had the law-abiding citizens been armed and able to protect themselves and their property? Hhmm.. I'm guessing about 15 minutes. That should have served as a well-needed wake-up call for countries all over the world, where (ok-I'll play the terminology game) "troubled youths" are spreading like viruses.

The bottom line, and fact of the matter, is this: When guns are outlawed, only outlaws carry guns. You do the math!

If you enjoy American films, by all means watch them! Just don't make any assumptions about american life or culture, based on what you see on the big screen. And, please, please, please, do not judge us in reflection of our celebrities and movie stars. They do not, at all, represent the fiber or integrity of most American people.

I hope I've helped answer your questions. You might consider moving somewhere that allows honest, law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families aganist violent criminals!

Best of luck to you, my friend.

Answer 4

Prices vary greatly, depending on the finish, caliber and whether it's new or used. I think that it's very normal for the average person to own a gun. As for the crime rate, I really can't say if it would be higher or lower.

One thing that I would suggest though .... if you were going to purchase a gun you should take some professional instruction on how to use it and use it and keep it safe.

Answer 5

I personally do not own a gun, but I support the right for Americans to own guns for protection. There are parties out there trying to take away this right and doing so, ever so slowly.

If they ever take away our rights to guns - only criminals will have them and we would be at their mercy. Law enforcement in many parts of our nation could not possibly respond to an emergency fast enough to stop a criminal from killing people in their own home.

The only thing that deters most criminals from breaking, entering, stealing, raping and killing is the fact they don't know if the home owner(s) are armed.

We have a good deal of nasty criminal types who would just love for handguns to be made illegal.

Answer 6

- Australian legal system is different to American - Australian shopping is the same as American - Australian fashion is the same as American - Australian summer holidays are from December to January. Public holidays include Australia Day (January 26), ANZAC Day (April 25), Queen's Birthday (sometime in June) - Australians use the Australia dollar (AU$), similar money system to American - Australian temperature is tropical in Queensland, Darwin, the rest is varied. Summer can get hot (30-40C degrees), winter can get cold especially Melbourne and Tasmania (0-10C degrees). Australia is predominantly a dry country - Lawyers will be better off in the larger cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, where there are more law firms and other companies I guess. But as far as I know, there is a surplus of lawyers here in Australia, and a foreign lawyer will probably need extra training / education here to be a certified lawyer. Chefs are probably more in demand, especially experienced ones, and Melbourne and Sydney, again will probably have the most opportunities. - Having said that, Melbourne and Sydney have the most expensive property - I live in Melbourne, and what I like about this city is its cold weather, cultural heritage, well designed CBD, sporting events, pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants, and the multiculturalism. But I hate the transport system.

Answer 7

Gun culture in Canada is far higher than in America, but they don't have the huge problems that the Americans do.

A good hunting rifle (shotgun) will set you back about $7000 -20,000 (£3600 - £11000) and a pump action Shotgun about $800 - 1200 (£405 - 610),

a revolver will set you back $500 - 800 (£260 - 405).

I used to have a pump action .22 winchester, too old to be accurate, and too young to be worth much, but I progressed to a .22 Karl Walther match rifle, until that idiot went mad in Hungerford, and I sold my gun because the club was too far away for me to travel to it often enough.

you can pick up a nice second hand gun in this country for a few hundred pounds.

Answer 8

(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.

(Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept. of Health Human Services)

Guns
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000.
Yes, that is 80 million.

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.000188.

Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Gun ownership is part of our culture, we are not "gun nuts" in fact, the only nuts I ever come into contact with regarding guns are the constitution-haters who want to take all our freedoms away, not just our 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Gun ownership is a responsibility as well as a right. An owner is responsible for knowing the laws associated with the use of his or her weapon, as well as the proper use and care of it and maintaining security so it does not fall into anyone else's hands.

Gun control means hitting what you aim at. ;)

PS - Oops, almost forgot the other part of your question! You can get a halfway decent handgun for around $600 US, so would be about 1200 pounds for you.

Answer 9

The Americans have the right to take up arms to defend them selves and their home because it is written in their Constitution, and has never been repealed. it is a risky and touchy subject for anty president to try to get any sort of gun control in the states

Answer 10

With anti-social behaviour becoming so 'clever' here in the UK let's hope they aren't legalised here. There are people who I'd leave unrecogniseable, very happily.