- The Ruckus 2010
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- Intrepid Legendary Member
Name's John. I'm a 21-year-old firefighter/EMT from lolhio who doubles as a die-hard Halo fan. I've been enjoying the franchise since 2001. My favorite iteration of Halo would have to be Halo 2 simply because I never got to experience the joy of a full-on Halo: CE LAN.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Oh yeah, and boot Zome.
Posted by: DatDudeBV
Posted by: carby21
Why do Americans want weapons so badly? I see people here insulting people and making threats all because they want guns. Gun are not meant to be handed out to the population like candy. They are meant to be in the authorities and the military. That is all. Do you see these mass shootings happening this much anywhere else in the world? No. Guns don't really save anyone that often. So I conclude that until the Americans let go of their violent ways then guns aren't going anywhere.
A gun has saved my life twice. Guns kill noone. People with mental problems kill people.
You'll never hear about the good guns do, nor the responsible gun owners. It's not in the sensationalist media's agenda. The Clackamas mall shooting was stopped by a gun owner who did not fire a shot. He did not fire because there were people behind the shooter (in other words, he reacted like a responsible gun owner), but the presence of an armed opponent alone was enough to curtail the perpetrator's assault. Nobody talks about that though. This is far from the only case of that kind of thing happening, but again, you'll never hear about them.
I do not agree with a gun ban. I do however, agree with the need for extensive psychological testing in order to own any firearm, along with mandatory firearm safety education courses. I should not be able to go to a gun show and walk out with unregistered assault weapons through a simple cash transaction. The last show I was at, there were people buying AR-15s and AK-47s who were clearly not fit to do so. I won't elaborate on my reasoning for saying so, but it was obvious that they should not be in possession of any firearm, let alone an assault weapon.
Also, as a firefighter/EMT, anybody who thinks we should carry firearms of our own (I know the OP was joking) is wrong. If a scene is potentially dangerous (fire, drug overdose, assault, cardiac arrest, bad neighborhood, etc.), police are dispatched with us. Granted, every community-based emergency system operates slightly differently, but dispatching police is pretty standard practice across the board. I am not sure why police were not already on the scene (entirely possible all units were tied up elsewhere), but usually there is some law enforcement entity on-scene around the time we arrive. If there is a dangerous situation, they mitigate it before we go in, be it for fire or EMS. We sometimes call police "blue canaries" because they ensure scene safety for us at the risk of their lives. Allowing us to carry weapons would change our overall image. We would no longer be the guys who are there to take care of grandma or save your house. The presence of firearms on a stranger in one's home makes people nervous. People would naturally be more standoffish with us and be more reluctant to allow us to adequately do our jobs. We are not enforcers and are not currently viewed as such which is partially why we don't get shot as much.
Now, we still get shot at a fair bit, so this kind of thing is not new. People call 911 to set traps for first responders more times than you'll ever hear about. This is why most of us have bulletproof vests on the trucks. This does not mean that we need to carry weapons. Now, some communities have provisions where, if we absolutely need to, fire/EMS personnel can use firearms from the police (if an officer goes down next to us, we're given a gun by police when there's no other way out of the situation for us, etc.) for self-defense. I think that this is sufficient protection. I do not think that any of us should be allowed to carry weapons. Some of us are simply not capable of handling that kind of responsibility. We lack firearm use and safety training and I guarantee due regard would become an issue with some members of the fire service, possibly more so than in law enforcement. It is simply not a good idea to allow us to carry on our apparatus.
Absolutely sick individuals out there. I have no idea why this violence is increasing. Thoughts go out to the families and may my brothers rest in peace.
[Edited on 12.24.2012 12:01 PM PST]