Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

[Crabman]

If you think this scene should be regarded as acceptable by unarmed passer-bys, you don't have your priorities straight.


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QM4GaRfSkMI/U ... GunNut.jpg

Doesn't appear to be a magazine in that rifle. Is the threat being beaten over the head with a blunt object? Are you scared of canes also?

Love the choice of picture though. It's one of those scary killer rifles that's tactical looking and black. Anything could happen.

[Dave]

Strawman. no one is saying you can't discuss it. It's your insistence that somehow you're deciding constitutionality that's wrong. You're not. There are 9 people that do so barring an amendment. Unless you are one of those 9, or being generous, work directly for them, you aren't deciding shit.

I'm done with this pedantic bullshit.

The Constitution was written to be understood by the people. I firmly believe Taney was dead wrong on Dred Scott. Doesn't matter if in 1857 what Taney said was officially constitutional; he was still dead wrong about the meaning of the Constitution.

I believe Roberts was right before he was wrong on obamacare. It's asinine to say I'm allowed to debate these points, but only if I eschew my own understanding of the Constitution. Sorry, but I get to argue: hey, the current nine justices are shit, are wrong, not one of them upholds the Constitution. So let's elect a president who'll nominate, and Senators who'll confirm, new justices who do uphold the Constitution as I personally believe it should be upheld.

You get to argue whatever the fuck you want. Its a free country. Just dont think your opinions on what is and is not consitituional mean shit.

Before you claimed that arguing about this is a "vital part of the process." Unless you are making arguments before a court or publishing law review articles, you aint any part of the process of deciding what is and is not constitutional.

You get it right in the last sentence -- you can campaign for a change in the law or a change in our leadership (which is what I said earlier and what welch has said) but until there is an Amendment, or the makeup of SCOTUS changes and they rule differently, what SCOTUS has decided is constitutional.

If all youre going to say is X is unconstitutional, my reply will be along the lines of, "Thats your opinion. What the fuck are you going to do about it?"

[AndrewV69]

I realise this has nothing to do with guns or the constitution but...

A new study is out, about male victims of rape (by women). Good article on Slate about it:

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/ ... ulted.html

Repeating studies is good and certainly the hall mark of science.

I just find Rosin's "look a new study!" ... "done by a feminist so that makes it true!" funny, because basically Stemple verified what other people had been saying for years.

If a man talks to himself in a forest and no woman is around to hear him, is he still wrong?

[welch]

And yet, despite Douglass's oratory, it still took a bloody war and an Amendment to reverse the necessary case law.

I wouldnt advise taking up arms against the gov't, but feel free to propose Amendments where you think SCOTUS has gone wrong: agitating for change is a key part of our political process, but welch is right that bellyaching on the internet that cases were wrongly decided is not a vital component of our legal process.

Hence my line about "voting for senators and presidents". You want to have a real effect barring being rich or very numerous? Vote with care.

Fuck that shit -- "bellyaching" is exactly what Douglass did.

You two also seem to be conflating:
1) Arguing that the Constitution should be amended, and;
2) Arguing that the SC wrongly interpreted the Constitution.

As part of the political process, I get to argue one or the other, without needing to have passed the bar.

Douglass had access far and above what most people do. So, probably, does bill gates.

stop confusing your ass with them.

[real horrorshow]

[youtube]G4zwbTvCFKw[/youtube]

But can it shoot screwdrivers that drive nails?

Ah, Merkins always in the lead in the quest to find new ways of wasting ammo.

[decius]

So, you like your backyard to look and feel like Kandahar. What is the added value for the unarmed citizens, pray tell.

Have you ever been to the states? You find one fucking picture of a dude with a pea shooter on the web and your a-hole puckers up. God-damn. You really have no clue do you?

I have, back in the eighties. I wasn't favourably impressed by the mentality of many.
In the intervening years, guns have multiplied according to all stats.
What's the relevance?

[welch]

Strawman. no one is saying you can't discuss it. It's your insistence that somehow you're deciding constitutionality that's wrong. You're not. There are 9 people that do so barring an amendment. Unless you are one of those 9, or being generous, work directly for them, you aren't deciding shit.

I'm done with this pedantic bullshit.

The Constitution was written to be understood by the people. I firmly believe Taney was dead wrong on Dred Scott. Doesn't matter if in 1857 what Taney said was officially constitutional; he was still dead wrong about the meaning of the Constitution.

I believe Roberts was right before he was wrong on obamacare. It's asinine to say I'm allowed to debate these points, but only if I eschew my own understanding of the Constitution. Sorry, but I get to argue: hey, the current nine justices are shit, are wrong, not one of them upholds the Constitution. So let's elect a president who'll nominate, and Senators who'll confirm, new justices who do uphold the Constitution as I personally believe it should be upheld.

tl;dumbass - "MY OPINION MY OPINION MY OPINION"

which you are certainly allowed and entitled to. But it has no real-world meaning outside of your skull.

[welch]

There is a flaw in the logic of my argument. By the logic i use, a person should have the right to bare a nuke, as long as they don't use it. I've seen the flaw, i know it's there, and no, i don't think we should allow persons to bare nukes.

But should we allow AndrewV69 to nuke bears?

Category error.

The proper weapon for hunting Bears is an AMRAAM.

Fighter weenie. SRAM with a nuke warhead. Or ICBM/SLBM.

[welch]

Here is my point. It is not up the the government to ban something because they don't like it. It can only be controlled if it is a clear risk, and that the risk is severe enough to restrict individual freedom.

Reasonable steps towards the prevention of grave crime isn't the same as not liking something rather capriciously.

And one's individual freedoms shouldn't infringe upon others'.

If you think this scene should be regarded as acceptable by unarmed passer-bys, you don't have your priorities straight.


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QM4GaRfSkMI/U ... GunNut.jpg

Growing up where and when I did, someone walking around like that is planning to use it any second, and I remove myself from the fucking area post-haste.

[rpguest]

Watson could have still replied in private. She chose not to because she will not have some drunk bitch making her look bad. No one putspukes on becky in the corner.

[Service Dog]

Swoonsocket - another sex advice call-in show with the JizzMaster, a smooth Black-voiced operator who leaves ribbons of spunk wherever he goes. Rebecca is his mom.
....

http://traffic.libsyn.com/amateurscient ... IPN209.mp3

Holy fuck. Who wrote that "Swoonsocket" bit... OGVORBIS?!


The black dude has chicken wings just laying around his home,
and he pronounces Margerine like “Margereen”... (one of those wacky “black” names, get-it?!!)

And the school bus driver stalks underage girls— the funny punchline is that he leaves them anonymous gifts outside their homes... (that’s literally included in the legal definition of the crime of Stalking. Hilarious-slash-"triggering".)

“Half your age plus 7” is invoked as the appropriate age difference between a man & a woman. (Do they have any idea that originated with Elijah Muhammed of the Nation of Islam?)

A young boy’s friend’s mother uses the pretext of ordering a boy to take a shower— to rape him. (SO FUNNY! JUST LIKE JERRY SANDUSKY AT PENN STATE!)
Then she locks him in a house an refuses to let him leave, until he retrieves the key from her vagina.
(But the Skepchicks do worry about the vaginal health of the woman in the story, with a little Don't Do That warning to the listeners: so clearly they have their priorities correct.)

and and and

Then at about 14 minutes... Rebecca Watson as “Missus Althea Jackson” aka ““HotMamaMilk656@gmail.com” ...who breast feeds her adult son...
and and and...
**SPOILERS**
...straddles an aquarium to ride a cephalopod.

:bjarte: = Ogvorbis times PZ squared

[Za-zen]

If you think this scene should be regarded as acceptable by unarmed passer-bys, you don't have your priorities straight.


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QM4GaRfSkMI/U ... GunNut.jpg

Doesn't appear to be a magazine in that rifle. Is the threat being beaten over the head with a blunt object? Are you scared of canes also?

Love the choice of picture though. It's one of those scary killer rifles that's tactical looking and black. Anything could happen.

Bullshit, you can tell he's a racist because of how he's pointing it at that eskimo guy.

[Parody Accountant]

If you haven't had a good hard cringe in a while, here's something for you - the comedy stylings of Rebecca Watson. She and her pals Adam, Brian Thompson, and Carrie Poppy do improv sketches and the results are weird and nasty. A couple of samples:

Playa Report - PUA call-in show, guest starring Jamie Kilstein. Non-stop riffs on conning, raping, beating, and killing women (and little girls), because just saying that stuff out loud is funny:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/amateurscient ... IPN004.mp3

Swoonsocket - another sex advice call-in show with the JizzMaster, a smooth Black-voiced operator who leaves ribbons of spunk wherever he goes. Rebecca is his mom. She's been fucking him since childhood and still fortifies him with fresh servings of mother's milk:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/amateurscient ... IPN209.mp3

Her Playa Report announcement on Reddit SRS:

http://imgur.com/lEqxxAs.png

What the fuck is this shit? I skimmed through the awful 'comedy'. This is *precisely* the type of language that Rebecca Watson says is NEVER acceptable. Rape jokes are okay now? Domestic Violence? Calling RW a Twat?

Rebecca Watson... shame on you. You're being Sarah Mayhew.

[Za-zen]

Fuck, i didn't mean eskimo, that's racist, the dude with the gun is white, and he's pointing it at a native american. obvious attempt to oppress a minority

[AndrewV69]

There is a flaw in the logic of my argument. By the logic i use, a person should have the right to bare a nuke, as long as they don't use it. I've seen the flaw, i know it's there, and no, i don't think we should allow persons to bare nukes.

But should we allow AndrewV69 to nuke bears?

Category error.

The proper weapon for hunting Bears is an AMRAAM.

Da fuck you say? AMRAAM? You use those for boar you fucking cantelope.

[John D]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QM4GaRfSkMI/U ... GunNut.jpg
Dood is like "Give me your mutta-fucking Cold Stone or I'm goona pop a cap in you!!!!!!!! :lol:

[Scunner]

If you haven't had a good hard cringe in a while, here's something for you - the comedy stylings of Rebecca Watson. She and her pals Adam, Brian Thompson, and Carrie Poppy do improv sketches and the results are weird and nasty. A couple of samples:

Playa Report - PUA call-in show, guest starring Jamie Kilstein. Non-stop riffs on conning, raping, beating, and killing women (and little girls), because just saying that stuff out loud is funny:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/amateurscient ... IPN004.mp3

Swoonsocket - another sex advice call-in show with the JizzMaster, a smooth Black-voiced operator who leaves ribbons of spunk wherever he goes. Rebecca is his mom. She's been fucking him since childhood and still fortifies him with fresh servings of mother's milk:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/amateurscient ... IPN209.mp3

Her Playa Report announcement on Reddit SRS:

http://imgur.com/lEqxxAs.png

What the fuck is this shit? I skimmed through the awful 'comedy'. This is *precisely* the type of language that Rebecca Watson says is NEVER acceptable. Rape jokes are okay now? Domestic Violence? Calling RW a Twat?

Rebecca Watson... shame on you. You're being Sarah Mayhew.

Most awful thing for me about this was that Watson reads SRS. Not at all surprising, but still awful.

[decius]

Right, because you wankers would totally enjoying dining out in this distinguished company.

This is normalcy only to a delusional mind.

http://thefirearmreport.com/wp-content/ ... 499177.jpg

[Parody Accountant]

It's telling that the vast majority of reddit is quite sick of the SRS antics. They're now an inside joke, and also a warning to any newcomers who happen to ask about any references to SRS: "DONT BE LIKE THIS."

[Casual Nemesis]

decius, why don't you just admit you're suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect? It's obvious you don't know the slightest bit about the subject you're claiming some kind of knowledge on and you're doing so in the face of ex-military "gun nuts" who know this subject 1,000 times better than you.

That's truly some humbling piece of wisdom. I suppose that is why all armed forces involved in urban warfare carry shotguns around.

Yes they do. US Marines and several other armed forces use shotguns in their entry teams. I got a fair amount of training with a 12Ga when I learned urban warfare at Camp Pendleton's School Of Infantry.

Yup. There are quite a few excellent assault shotguns. I have a Saiga-12 with a kick-lite stock (12Ga version of the AK-47). Assault rifles are general issue because they are fairly versatile, and the military is big on uniformity. Beyond broad institutional use, weapons lockers are like tool boxes; you use the tool best suited to the task at hand. I'd go assault shotgun in a MOUT setting any day.

[justinvacula]

The ‘Nothing Fails Like Prayer’ FFRF banner is now scheduled to hang in Wilkes-Barre, PA on May 1 – four days following the agreed upon time.

http://justinvacula.com/2014/04/30/ffrf ... days-late/

My protest of the Circle the Square with Prayer rally commemorating the National Day of Prayer is also tomorrow...and I'll be speaking in the Philadelphia area in late May.

More details to come!

Sadly, it's likely going to rain tomorrow, but I will go INTO THE STORM

[youtube]yeeI2PBUG3k[/youtube]

[John D]

Right, because you wankers would totally enjoying dining out in this distinguished company.

This is normalcy only to a delusional mind.

You are a fucking idiot troll. You have obviously never been to the states. I will ignore you now.

[Bhurzum]

Looks like there's a theme to the comments:-

http://www.townhallseattle.org/pz-myers ... s-insight/

[decius]

Right, because you wankers would totally enjoying dining out in this distinguished company.

This is normalcy only to a delusional mind.

You are a fucking idiot troll. You have obviously never been to the states. I will ignore you now.

Should I scan my visa?

As if me having been there made the pictures any less or more real.

[Guest]

Right, because you wankers would totally enjoying dining out in this distinguished company.

This is normalcy only to a delusional mind.

http://thefirearmreport.com/wp-content/ ... 499177.jpg

Let me guess, your extensive military training can detect that weapon about to go off all by itself and killing everyone inside that McDonalds.

[Søren Lilholt]

I don't lose arguments by fiat,

Yes, you lose them by making shitty arguments, like you're doing now.

You're a fucking dim bulb aren't you decius?

Hang on a minute, "dim bulb"? Is that you Damion, you cunt?

My money's on it being Justicar. Just a hunch

[real horrorshow]

The rest was beaten to the raw edge of extinction by anything that had tits.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... min%22.jpg

"BEWBS! BEWBS EVERYWHERE!"

You know that marsupials also have mammary glands don't you?

[Guest]

You know that marsupials also have mammary glands don't you?

Only the slyme pit would be so low as to gender-police extinct fauna

[decius]

Let me guess, your extensive military training can detect that weapon about to go off all by itself and killing everyone inside that McDonalds.

My idea of a night out doesn't involve rubbing elbows with some mental case who thinks carrying an arsenal to a restaurant is kosher.

Knowing zero about the person, the first and safe assumption would be that everyone else would be better off without him around.
For one thing, it is clear that he's someone who puts his narcissism ahead of everyone's welfare.
This concern would become particularly pressing in a place where alcohol is served.

[welch]

Right, because you wankers would totally enjoying dining out in this distinguished company.

This is normalcy only to a delusional mind.

http://thefirearmreport.com/wp-content/ ... 499177.jpg

Don't be silly. Those are honkies, of course it's okay.

Now, let 200-300 brothers/mexicans/middle-eastern looking fuckers show up armed like that, and watch the different response from the nice conservative white folks and the local PD.

[decius]

Now, let 200-300 brothers/mexicans/middle-eastern looking fuckers show up armed like that, and watch the different response from the nice conservative white folks and the local PD.

That thick layer of hypocrisy and double standards is another great point. But I guess you've never been to the States, so we can dismiss it.

[Pitchguest]

http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/30/bob-hoski ... a-4714152/

Shit.

[James Caruthers]

The denialists are refuted by history.

This, without assault rifles in the hands of the criminals, could have never happened the way it did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout

Phillips and Mătăsăreanu carried illegally modified fully automatic Norinco Type 56 S-1s, a Bushmaster XM15 Dissipator, and a HK-91 rifle with high capacity drum magazines and ammunition capable of penetrating vehicles and police Kevlar vests.

illegally modified fully automatic Norinco Type 56 S-1s

illegally

Tell me more about how making something super duper illegal rather than regular illegal would have solved that problem. If he couldn't have illegally modified a semi-auto, he would have just ordered the parts and put it together himself. Or built bombs. Police Kevlar vests are also a restricted sale item, and penetrating ammo usually is as well, but not always.

Funny how you don't mention the spree shooting in Norway, where the killer used weapons and tactical gear in the UK to kill a bunch of people. Because banning works so well. The Norway killer had a mini-14, which he got using your super awesome UK permit system. So I guess your argument is even the UK doesn't go far enough, and needs to outright ban anything semi-auto.

I'm talking about the universally-accepted definition of "rights", which tend to end when other people's liberties are threatened.

Bungee jumping and tentacle porn do not threaten my physical integrity and even life like weapons in other people's hands do.

In this sense, framing this discussion in terms of absolute right to carry deadly instruments which serve no other purpose to wound, maim and kills your fellow human beings - irrespective of anyone else's needs - is a travesty, not a right.

So you want to ban all weapons from private ownership? Sounds like that's where you're going. You're just not quite there yet. You've already made the argument that apparently, nobody needs firearms when they go out into the wilds near dangerous animals, they just need to be tenth level Wildlife Gurus who can meld with the forest spirit and avoid danger by becoming a tree.

Someone who goes hunting or target shooting with a semi-auto is not threatening your life in any way. You are trying to conflate the average gun owner with spree shooters, and implying there is somehow this connection, which you have failed to draw. I would like to see some statistics on the number of regular gun owners (not gang or drug crime) who go around shooting people, as a percentage of US gun crime if you can.

So, you like your backyard to look and feel like Kandahar. What is the added value for the unarmed citizens, pray tell.

Have you ever been to the states? You find one fucking picture of a dude with a pea shooter on the web and your a-hole puckers up. God-damn. You really have no clue do you?

I have, back in the eighties. I wasn't favourably impressed by the mentality of many.
In the intervening years, guns have multiplied according to all stats.
What's the relevance?

That you don't understand what the average gun owner is like, don't know jack shit about "gun culture" and have a mind poisoned by stereotypes, where you conflate gang violence with your paranoid delusions of "gun nuts" running around shooting people all the time BECAUSE MURICA.

Right, because you wankers would totally enjoying dining out in this distinguished company.

This is normalcy only to a delusional mind.

http://thefirearmreport.com/wp-content/ ... 499177.jpg

You need to drop the paranoia. This is NOT an everyday happening, you fucking idiot. And the cops, even knowing his Open Carry rights, would be very likely to ask this guy to place his weapon in his car or at least remove any magazine, which he should do anyway. His gun is probably unloaded, because that is what a responsible adult would do when transporting or carrying a firearm, but if it is not, I am sure the safety is on and there is no round in the chamber.

These images show up on the internet because they are abnormal. In the city, most responsible gun owners store their guns in their homes or their vehicle, locked of course. You simply do not know shit and are trolling. It's a shame some people think your points are genuine.

Down here, possessing firearms is illegal for 99% of the population, and yet, criminals armed with AK-47 is a pretty common occurrence.

Precisely because they are freely available to non-criminals. Guess why such shootouts never occur in Europe.

Yeah, you have stabbings, decapitations and violent gang rapes instead. Maybe I should post a bunch of images of fundamentalist Muslim groups decapitating citizens, as proof we need to ban all edged weapons and tools from Europe. Because, as we've learned, rare, horrendous, media-grabbing crimes are totes a legit excuse to ban something for ALL law-abiding citizens.

[another lurker]

From what I understand, conservatives used to favour gun control as long as it kept guns out of the hands of minorities.

[JacquesCuze]

I am agnostic on the gun debate. I think the 2nd Amendment is a personal right, and yet, I am concerned about gun violence. Worse, while I don't think people with guns could overthrow the Feds, I do think people with guns are a good check on government powers. Regardless, I've only fired two weapons in my life, a revolver about 20 years ago, and a 9mm about a year ago.

I suspect this is a very rare occurrence, but it is ripped from today's pages. Note who has a gun. Note who stops the crime.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/ ... spects-car

http://i.imgur.com/ItzVirZ.jpg

[youtube]zzekv74f-cI[/youtube]

Fark discussion here:
http://www.fark.com/comments/8242053/Go ... drove-away

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

Fine, I'll do my bit: can we move this gun talk to its own thread? (where it will inevitably die out, like most other subjects moved to their own thread)

[real horrorshow]

The M-14 didn't have a pistol grip, and it's still used today. If pistol grips are so important, why wasn't one added?

M-14s re-issued for use in Afghanistan today are fitted with pistol grip stocks. Don't mind me.

[Southern]

Down here, possessing firearms is illegal for 99% of the population, and yet, criminals armed with AK-47 is a pretty common occurrence.

Precisely because they are freely available to non-criminals. Guess why such shootouts never occur in Europe.

Uh? They're not available to non-criminals. Nobody can own a firearm around here, it can land you on jail for 6-10 years.

[James Caruthers]

An AR-15 converted to fire automatically with two 100-round Beta Magazines
A semi automatic HK-91 rifle with several 30-round magazines
A Beretta 92FS Inox with several magazines
Three different civilian-model AK-47 rifles converted to fire in fully automatic mode with several 75 to 100-round drum magazines, as well as 30 round box magazines.

It was speculated that Phillips had legally purchased two of the AK-47s and then illegally converted them to full automatic. However, as Phillips was a convicted felon it was not possible for him to legally purchase firearms.[14][29][30]

Go down the list and just look, look at how many laws this Phillips guy broke. Banning semi-autos would have just been one more law for him. As a felon, he could not buy firearms legally.

[decius]

James, bans may not be the perfect solution/, but that's the Nirvana fallacy.

Also, the problem with the Hollywood shootout wasn't that some of the weapons had been modified, but that they could be acquired at all because freely available to the public.

Why did you fail to quote that most of them had not been modified?

Finally, if you like stats, rationalise this away.

http://guncontrol.org.au/

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

Only in Murka...

http://aattp.org/cliven-bundys-militias ... ts-images/

[Mykeru]

Right, because you wankers would totally enjoying dining out in this distinguished company.

This is normalcy only to a delusional mind.

http://thefirearmreport.com/wp-content/ ... 499177.jpg

Where was the picture taken? Pardon me if there was a previous post that explains where.

The reason I ask is there's a McDonald's near Clarke Bros. Guns (and shooting range) in Warrenton VA. People coming in from the range with open carry is not uncommon. I've done it myself. No one gives a shit. I don't normally eat fast food, but I was with people in their car. Leaving a pile of weapons unsecured in even a locked car while one stuffs burgers into their face is a bad idea. In fact, carrying the gun instead of leaving it where it could be stolen is actually being a responsible gun owner.

Only someone, like you, who doesn't understand the situation, would go running off.

However, where I live in Arlington you never see open carry. Ever. Just doesn't happen. Because there's no need.

I guess what I'm trying to say is your depiction of the U.S. as a place where people walk around with assault rifles slung on their backs as a general occurrence, as the norm, is just so much propagandist horseshit.

[decius]

Down here, possessing firearms is illegal for 99% of the population, and yet, criminals armed with AK-47 is a pretty common occurrence.

Precisely because they are freely available to non-criminals. Guess why such shootouts never occur in Europe.

Uh? They're not available to non-criminals. Nobody can own a firearm around here, it can land you on jail for 6-10 years.

My apologies, I didn't remember that you are from NZ.

[another lurker]

If fetuses had guns, sluts wouldnt' murder their babies.

[free thoughtpolice]

Hasn't anyone there called Fish&Wildlife? It sounds like you have nuisance animals that are verging on becoming a possible danger, especially if you have kids in your hood. They are either getting fed or are otherwise getting food from human activity and the more accustomed they become to close contact with people the more likely something bad will happen.
Wildlife should come in, make sure the food source(s) are removed and can hopefully put the run on the animals without having to cull them.

Up here we call them conservation officers employed by the Ministry of Environment

What I was told was that the last time they were called the residents got a nasty shock because they shot two cougars out of a tree instead of tranq and removal. So many people were pissed off about that no one is inclined to call them in again ever. Right now my neighbours are all friendly. I have a feeling that would change if they found out I had called in the conservation officers.

People put their garbage cans out just before the truck comes. We have the occasional outsider insist that it is his right to put out his garbage the night before, but after having to clean up the resulting mess afterwards four or five times they tend to not do it much after that.

Most people do not have fruit trees in their back yards, but they do grow wild and various natural food sources such as blackberries and salmonberrys are all over the place. Other food sources are rivers which fill up with salmon.

Bears, deer, cougars and other assorted wildlife such as coyotes roam around and live in this area, the subdivision where I live was literally planted in the middle of a wildlife area. For the most part everyone gets along just fine because they are generally just passing through to get to somewhere else.

(We also have wolves, I hear them howling across the water at night some times, and moose much further up ... never seen those myself though. Also Owls and some sort of small cat like a Lynx on occasion)

People around here are not worried about black bears for the most part. You see the brown coloured cub heading up the driveway? That is the only one that is causing some concern.

That was last year, now both are on their own. I did not take the picture. It is impossible for me to take a picture of mamma bear now because ever since that incident when she startled me and I came this >.< close to attacking her with my bare hands, she takes off whenever she sees me now.

The three bears.jpg

Don't try to confront them for fuck sakes and especially don't fuck around with a spear or anything like that. If the bear doesn't kill you outright you will probably end up with a wounded. dangerous animal running around.
Remember, even a hundred pound yearling has the muscle power of two heavy weight boxers, a 300 pound bear try 6 large strong men and bears are extremely fast when they want to be.

Oh I already know all of this. I might be crazy but I am not ignorant, and I am totes not a Timothy Treadwell either.

If I see a headline "Dumbass Mauled by Bear on Sunshine Coast" and you stop posting here it will be clear you didn't listen to my excellent advice.

If I get mauled it will be my fault. You have to try really really hard to get mauled by a black bear on the Sunshine Coast.

"Up here ... MOE Ministry of Environment" I mistakenly called them F&W (I live in BC too, in fact across the chuck from you on Vancouver Island.
Andrew said:

Oh I already know all of this. I might be crazy but I am not ignorant, and I am totes not a Timothy Treadwell either.

Good to hear that, just wanted to be sure because when you talked about the spear and nearly getting in the wrestling match I wasn't too sure.
As you may be aware there aren't salmon in the rivers here in any numbers and berries aren't ready yet. Right now bears tend to eat a lot of grass and are on the look out for fawns. Human food and garbage are tempting for hungry bears.
I got the impression the bears were hanging around and showing up at people's front door on a regular basis. If that is the case it may be smart to remove them. In this area bear and cougar populations are already at carrying capacity hence they are killed instead of tranqed and relocated. In fact, animals that are hanging around human habitation are often doing it because they have been chased out wild habitat by other territorial animals.
Yes, black bears almost always run away from humans and pose a very low risk, but if you confront them in closed quarters or if you want to pet or rassle them ala Tim Treadwell or Davey Crockett all bets are off!

[James Caruthers]

James, bans may not be the perfect solution/, but that's the Nirvana fallacy.

Also, the problem with the Hollywood shootout wasn't that some of the weapons had been modified, but that they could be acquired at all because freely available to the public.

Why did you fail to quote that most of them had not been modified?

Finally, if you like stats, rationalise this away.

http://guncontrol.org.au/

Ah, a different country separated by the ocean from any neighbors who might have gang wars, cartels or ready access to drugs. Yep, guns must be the only reason. In addition, you link me to a website which seems to have a very strong partisan bias towards eliminating guns from the USA, and a strong-anti gun owner bias as well.

You really are arguing for bans on all guns, aren't you? So allowing people to responsibly own guns until they do something bad with them, that's horrible and needs to stop because it enables these very rare spree killers, but pointing out the huge flaws in gun bans (that people get the guns anyway if they really want them, or just build bombs instead/use machetes/knives instead) is the Nirvana Fallacy. I see.

[katamari Damassi]

To me it comes down to: "my toy collection/hobby/Mad Max fantasy are more important than your safety or that of your kids."

Your kids are more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident. Often with the juxtaposition of alcohol or texting.

You may extrapolate public policy from that as you will.

And we attempt to mitigate that through licensing, laws, etc...
I'm not for banning guns. I would just like some serious regulation, registration and tracking.

[another lurker]

I live out in the woods and have had bears 2 feet from my window, eating clover. The lazy little lady had to *sit down* to eat! When bears come into the yard I run out with pots and pans and that usually scares the shit out of them. My cherry tree is pretty much dead because of fatasses climbing up to the top and then falling down because they are frightened of a patio door opening. I have also had a small herd of elk walking around my house in the middle of winter. I had one eating the grass right outside my living room window. They are so heavy that the entire house *shook* from their presence. I can only imagine what it must be like to be next to a herd of bigass ungulates.

Never had a cougar up here, though, interestingly enough, cougars have been spotted downtown in the suburbs. In fact, the suburbs get more bears and cougars than I do out here in bumfuck nowhere. It's because I don't have anything, other than clover and grass, that will attract wild animals. They all flock downtown to raid the garbage cans. My stupid neighbours haven't learned a thing, however, and they still keep their garbage outside + BBQ's on the deck. Smart bitches! That way you will keep getting bears, year after year.

[decius]

I guess what I'm trying to say is your depiction of the U.S. as a place where people walk around with assault rifles slung on their backs as a general occurrence, as the norm, is just so much propagandist horseshit.

Good, then.

So do you agree that if it were the case it would negatively impact the image of the place and make everyone's life more stressful?

[James Caruthers]

To me it comes down to: "my toy collection/hobby/Mad Max fantasy are more important than your safety or that of your kids."

Your kids are more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident. Often with the juxtaposition of alcohol or texting.

You may extrapolate public policy from that as you will.

And we attempt to mitigate that through licensing, laws, etc...
I'm not for banning guns. I would just like some serious regulation, registration and tracking.

Like background checks? Sounds like a good idea. I support background checks. Let me just see now... Do we do background checks in the US... Hmmm... Yes we do.

Or maybe limiting what types of shops are allowed to sell what types of guns? Sounds good. Do we do that in Muricaland.... Hmm... Turns out we do that as well.

Or maybe banning most types of weapons in cities with high crime rates? Do we do that in Murica.... Yes, yes we do that as well.

Mandatory training and safety courses would probably be a good idea.

[decius]

You really are arguing for bans on all guns, aren't you? So allowing people to responsibly own guns until they do something bad with them, that's horrible and needs to stop because it enables these very rare spree killers, but pointing out the huge flaws in gun bans (that people get the guns anyway if they really want them, or just build bombs instead/use machetes/knives instead) is the Nirvana Fallacy. I see.

No, my point is just wanting to look at what effect bans had on other places. Then we might attempt to draw some limited conclusions.

The stats don't come from the partisan site, which merely reports them, it seems to me.

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

Never had a cougar up here, though, interestingly enough, cougars have been spotted downtown in the suburbs. In fact, the suburbs get more bears and cougars than I do out here in bumfuck nowhere. It's because I don't have anything, other than clover and grass, that will attract wild animals. They all flock downtown to raid the garbage cans. My stupid neighbours haven't learned a thing, however, and they still keep their garbage outside + BBQ's on the deck. Smart bitches! That way you will keep getting bears, year after year.

http://i0.wp.com/lolzombie.com/wp-conte ... =500%2C500

[decius]

Only in Murka...

http://aattp.org/cliven-bundys-militias ... ts-images/

Yeah, what about this shit?

[KiwiInOz]

Your snakes are pussies.

Your country was decimated by bunnies.

There are snakes in Aotearoa?

(It's taken me 10 years in Oz to get used to bloody snakes.)

[Guest]

So do you agree that if it were the case it would negatively impact the image of the place and make everyone's life more stressful?

Yes, if everyone was an ignorant pantywaist such as yourself . You're also assuming that gun owners are completely incognizant about their their current location and its prevailing attitude regarding firearms to which I've never known even the densest gun owner to be unaware of. In these pictures you keep sharing of open carry, do you see anyone else inside the picture freaking out like you are just looking at it? No. Is your average gun owner going to walk into Saks Fifth Avenue with a .308 AR15 slung around their back? No. But don't let any of that interfere with your moral panic here, keep on believing that in regions of the United States where gun laws are lax that everyone goes about their daily business under the hail of nonstop gunfire.

[another lurker]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IhAmcl5vW4g/U ... ywhere.jpg

[bhoytony]

Hey Septics, don't forget, never have sex with a woman who has been drinking.

http://i.imgur.com/thz70zv.png

[James Caruthers]

Large dogs have the potential to attack and kill people. Therefore, we should ban people from owning large dogs. Sure, I am a responsible dog owner and my dog has never attacked anyone, but why should the majority of people's responsible behaviors make up for the actions of a minority of gang members and psychos who train their big dogs to kill? We should just ban all big dogs. Potential danger is the same as real danger.

Who are you going to believe: People who cite extremely rare violent crimes in support of blanket bans, or your lying eyes?

http://www.northjersey.com/news/dog-att ... s-1.732829

Ban all large dogs. Large dog culture is disgusting, all you large dog owners who feed your dog crazy pills and train it to murder kids. Any person who owns a large dog is threatening my life just by having one, because look at this news article.

[another lurker]

the only problem I have with guys walking around with guns is that no, they are not all immensely capable individuals:

http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/man ... r/24504004

Shoots himself and a bystander by accident.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/12/27/ ... ome-depot/

Authorities say a Livingston County man accidentally shot himself while shopping at a home improvement store with the gun he was legally carrying.

[decius]

In these pictures you keep sharing of open carry, do you see anyone else inside the picture freaking out like you are just looking at it?

Because the impact of a social problem can be evaluated only through reactions of those in the immediate vicinity.
And since they do not appear in the picture, they must be assumed at ease.

That's some stunning piece of logic, right there.