At 08:35 AM 8/26/2008, ROBERT ZANUSSI <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >This entire thread about guns aboard boats or in your residence or >hidden on your person is getting into the ridiculous. I am being >lambasted with all sorts of reasons dating back from the American >Civil war justifying the possession of guns. > >This entire thread started when we had one person report a problem >with thieves in the Venezuela area and all of a sudden we have to >arm ourselves to repel boarders. I don't even think that report was >from personal experience but rather some thing that was heard about. > >Then we have another report from someone who is there who says there >is no problem with thieves boarding their vessels. > >Let's put this to the list members, how many of you have needed a >gun on your boat for protection from human predators? > >As for those who have been emailing me stats etc about this offlist >I will not be responding any further, either here or offlist.
REPLY: Robert, this subject will never get settled in any way. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and to have or have-not guns. To answer your question. As a retired law enforcement officer, numerous times on the job. As a private citizen twice, but not on my boat, and once on my boat. There are human predators, as you put it, everywhere in the world in every country. And they just love the places where people are not allowed the means to protect themselves. The stats that you hate show that the crime rate dropped dramatically in those US states that passed concealed carry laws. The bad guys don't play fair. They want the guns for themselves and just love folks that think the way you do. And you are entitled to your opinion as much as they are. Just don't tell me or anyone else that we have to abide by your rules. This reminds me of a friend. He had an open carport and would leave stuff there. I mentioned he should lock it up. His reply was that he shouldn't have to, that people shouldn't steal stuff. Well, he had a lot of stuff stolen until he finally realized that the way it should be is certainly not the way it is. Again, speaking as a cop. If you are going to have a weapon, please know how to use it and be prepared to use it. Tied for the two most dangerous things are an unloaded gun and a loaded one that someone doesn't know how to use or will not use. I guess add to that someone whose intent is to "wound". That doesn't work. The media is fond of pointing out that the police are taught to shoot to kill, not to wound. That's true. We're taught to shoot at body mass. Maybe Roy Rogers could shoot a gun out of the bad guy's hand, but that's Hollywood. In the real world, a consistent 11% of the rounds fired hit the target. Both from the bad guys and the well-trained good guys. Re guns, I'm pro choice. It's your choice whether you want one or not. Rick S/V Valkyrie _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://www.liveaboardnow.org/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardnow.org/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
