Bowling for Columbine

[kingrattus]

They way security kinda works for me & my family is. If u have a big dog that'll agressivly bark (but isn't really aggressive), it'll keep kids & bad teens out of ur house & yard. But nothing u can do will stop a Pro. But bak home there were no Pro house breakers & Max was able to stop 2 that we know of.

[Twisterdog]

After living in a quiet place where I can leave my doors unlocked, I can't imagine moving to the states and having to bar my doors and carry a gun

That is a gross over-generaliztion. There are MANY places in the United States where you can leave your doors unlocked. (I live in one of them.) And there are MANY places in Canada that are dangerous and unsafe, just like there are in any country.

And I will venture to say that the only people "carrying guns" around in the USA are the criminals who have the guns illegally. And stricter laws aren't going to deter that element, anyway. I live in Wyoming - NRA/pro-gun capital of the world, I swear - and I've never seen anyone "carry a gun." Have a rifle in their truck during hunting season? Sure. But "carry a gun", as in pack a handgun around in your pocket or a six-shooter in your gun belt? Of course not. Be serious, it's 2003, not 1903.

What Moore's "Documentary" fails to show is that most (over 90%, don't know the exact stat) guns used in crime are posessed illegally. It also fails to show the FBI figures that credit privately owned firearms with stopping about 1.2 million crimes per year.

Excellent points. If I want to kill you, I can do it with my gun. I can also do it with my car, with my shovel, with my steak knife, with my hammer, with a brick, a rock, a bow and arrow, etc. The gun/hammer/rock is the tool I choose to perform a task. The tool is not inherently evil or good. If my son goes to the shooting range and shoots targets and soda cans with his .22, the gun is not inherently evil or bad. If my son uses a hammer to built a tree house, the hammer is not inherently evil or bad. The malice comes from the person using the tool, not the tool itself. Automobiles kill many, many, many times the amount of people guns do per year.

[babolaypo65]

Thanks Twisterdog. I was struggling with the comment as well. I travel a lot (to Canada, and Europe). I often am asked if I keep a gun in my car, in my bedside table... I can't help but blame my own country's media, in part, for this stereotype, but it frustrates me nonetheless.
I grew up in a smallish town/city (it was about 20thousand people) where we didn't really lock doors. Now I live in a city of almost a Million. I would suspect that cities of a million in MOST countries would necessitate locking one's doors.
I have lived in the U.S. for 38 years and, (aside from hunters), I have seen a gun ONCE in a potentially criminal, violent situation. Last year, visiting the town I grew up in. I have lived in NM, in DC, in Boston, and spent time in many other major cities.
Ironically the most guns I ever saw in one place was the Edmonton airport. Yes, I know they were Americans in Canada hunting. But I *could* decide that Canada is full of guns couldn't I? And, on that occassion my bags were searched and person after person with ducttaped shut coolers were not.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think the U.S. gun laws need to be revisited, and I'm currently reading up on Dean's proposals for doing so, and liking it.

The bottom line for me i think is that it's not as simple as "The U.S. is dangerous", "Canada is safe". Population density, gun laws...cultures....and MANY other factors all need to be taken into consideration. And as many posters have pointed out Bowling highlights one, and lets us believe it's the only factor.

Originally posted by Twisterdog
That is a gross over-generaliztion. There are MANY places in the United States where you can leave your doors unlocked. (I live in one of them.) And there are MANY places in Canada that are dangerous and unsafe, just like there are in any country.

[kingrattus]

Excellent points. If I want to kill you, I can do it with my gun. I can also do it with my car, with my shovel, with my steak knife, with my hammer, with a brick, a rock, a bow and arrow, etc. The gun/hammer/rock is the tool I choose to perform a task. The tool is not inherently evil or good. If my son goes to the shooting range and shoots targets and soda cans with his .22, the gun is not inherently evil or bad. If my son uses a hammer to built a tree house, the hammer is not inherently evil or bad. The malice comes from the person using the tool, not the tool itself. Automobiles kill many, many, many times the amount of people guns do per year.
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OMG someone understands a good gun owner!!

I get horrible looks & nasty comments when ppl ask what hobbies I have, they think I'm evil because I have guns. They also think I'm the devil because I co-own Rob's online gun store.
Our neighbours call the cops on us every time we load the guns into the car & drive off. One neighbour told us he always sees a cop pull up to our house knock on the door & leave. The cops only show up because they have too... For crying out loud the cops knew we had guns long befour the neighbours did, only because Rob worked with them for a year & they all shared stories.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.

[ScantyNebula]

Originally posted by Twisterdog

And I will venture to say that the only people "carrying guns" around in the USA are the criminals who have the guns illegally. And stricter laws aren't going to deter that element, anyway. I live in Wyoming - NRA/pro-gun capital of the world, I swear - and I've never seen anyone "carry a gun." Have a rifle in their truck during hunting season? Sure. But "carry a gun", as in pack a handgun around in your pocket or a six-shooter in your gun belt? Of course not. Be serious, it's 2003, not 1903.

Sorry, not "carry", but possess a gun in the household.. =/
Of course, Its not about how many people own a gun, its about the number of people that use them in an inappropriate manner. 11,000 is a staggering number of murders I have no doubt there are many safe neighbourhoos to live in, I didn't say that. All I meant is that if I ever lived there knowing the high rate of murders, I would probably be a bit freaked out..

All that said , I can't wait to visit there someday .. main areas of Interest: New York, Seattle, San Fransisco, Texas of course so I can bring Lily to see Alyson!