Bus Robbery

[Iznogud]

Hi Nounou. The location is only a few blocks away from a train terminus, a lot of petty crime around the station area. Human flux creates opportunity.
Also walking distance from a huge park populated mostly by "paco" (crack) users. It's an old part of town with mainly low houses and matching income.

I'd venture that people have no other options than consider ways of defending themselves because there's no deterrence. The State does not provide effective means of disuading the would be criminal of not conducting business. The system is clogged by inefficiency at every level and the rule/general belief is that if you do the crime, crances are you won't do the time.
Also, there's a strict catch and release policy for minors, regardless of the seriousness of the crime. This encourages the lack of restraints on the young criminal element's behaviour.

 

[hannstew]

Enough said..

 

[jp]

Remember the Cold War ? Mutual assured destruction ? Was this not conceived by the world's 2 great civilized countries ?

It was an outcome based on game theory, a theory developed by John Nash who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

 

[StevePalermo]

There is a higher risk of death through medical malpractice than being killed by improper handling of firearms. Actually quite higher.

When criminals are aware that they may be met with deadly force , they are less likely to use force them selfs.

Remember the Cold War ? Mutual assured destruction ? Was this not conceived by the world's 2 great civilized countries ?

Good point, let's stop going to see doctors and continue to let children pick up guns in the home and kill each other.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Actually, there were always guns in our house when I was a little kid, and they were loaded. We knew better than to touch them. It would be right to the wood shed if we did. It was the same as touching a hot stove - you just didn't do it. Every toy gun I ever had my grandfather and my dad used in order to train me how to handle real firearms. If I pointed it at someone, handled it in a careless manner, put it away "loaded", etc I got a lecture.

I got my first bb gun when I was 7. Shot a rabbit once "just because." My grandfather made me skin it, cook it, and eat it - including the eyeballs - because you don't shoot an animal "just because." I wasn't even 8.

My kids don't go near my firearms. I know. I've set elaborate "markers." I've also taken them to shoot. Ever seen a 7-year old shoot a .45? Scared the sh*t out of him. Fine by me. (don't worry, I held the pistol for him).

If kids kill each other with firearms it's usually the parents' fault. (my .02)

Boy, I miss my grandfather!

 

[Iznogud]

GS_Dirtboy, you are either preaching to the Choir or trying to reason with people not open to that exhausting effort.

My kids are slightly older than yours so we've been through that same path already.

 

[arlean]

I'm starting to be glad ElQueso and I are not related!!!! And I'm too superstitious to say I am incident-free and I don't have a wooden desk! But I live near the Burger King at Bulness and Santa Fe. My Argentina friend likes to have coffee there because she likes the coffee and it's comparatively cheap. We were in there a few weeks ago and a bunch of older kids--teens--came in there. They were not robbing but wanted money. One tried to go up the stairs and an employee caught him by the shirt and kept him on the first floor.

My friend was frightened. She was afraid not to give them money and said, "They will kill you." I ignored their request for money. There was something about it that made me uneasy as well. They reminded me of a pack of rats running all over the place. My friend went to the cashier area and told them they needed to be made to leave and they told her the security guard would be there soon. Finally the employees took it on themselves to get them out. I had to leave about then and was a little afraid to go out on the street. I expected them to all be right outside but when I walked onto the sidewalk not one of those guys was in sight anywhere and there was a bunch of them. She was in the same place since then and the same thing happened and she won't go there now. She thinks it's dangerous.

If people won't defend themselves and will not stand up for other people, that, in itself, will cause crime to increase. It's a free ride for the criminals.

 

[StevePalermo]

If kids kill each other with firearms it's usually the parents' fault. (my .02)

If kids kill each other (or their parents, or anyone for that matter) with guns I'd say its always the parents fault. Funny how the gun lovers think that the US is right on this and the rest of the world is wrong, like on every other subject too probably.

 

[arlean]

My Argentina friend here is so insecure that if there is a holiday and her building is empty (or seems so) she is afraid to stay there because if someone broke in she would be defenseless. Yet she scoffs at people who believe in having a firearm. She is a lawyer and tells me how corrupt everything is in Argentina courts. So she lives in fear of the bad guys. And if the bad guys were to pick on her they'd find easy pickings, as they do with most people here who don't believe in resisting or in helping someone else..

Despots always want a disarmed population and they brainwash everyone they can to think only THEY should have firearms. Anyone not aware of this fact has poor knowlege of history. The US would not have been free if the people had not been armed.

But for those who don't want your wives or daughters to have a mechanical means of self-defense in this increasing crime environment, no argument here, You could always teach her this (giggle-giggle) .

 

[cbonanni]

I am right there with GS. First guns at 6 , loaded guns around the house , hunting , my kids started shooting my first guns at the same age . We go to the range 2 a month. We are all safe and sound.


If you want to get sick , go to a hospital. if you want to taste lead , come in my house uninvited. You will not go to the hospital. You will go to the morgue .

Of course you will not get past my reniforced door and alarm system