Posted on 09/02/2004 8:36:15 AM PDT by pau1f0rd
Yesterday, I attended a televised debate on private firearms ownership at King's College Library, London, between Wayne La Pierre, of the NRA, and Rebecca Peters, Director of IANSA (International Action Network on Small Arms).
It was a very civilised affair and though the audience was clearly passionate, it showed restraint for the most part and allowed the 2 debators to put their arguments forward clearly. Ms Peters' argument could be summed up as 'Guns are tools for killing people. Killing people is wrong, so guns are wrong.' She quoted various statistics to prove her point.
I doubt that I need to outline Mr La Pierre's arguments here as most Freepers will be familiar with the NRA's position, but Ms Peters was unable adequately to answer a couple of questions put to her:
Mr La Pierre asked her who would protect an unarmed individual from an attacker if they aren't allowed to defend themselves with a gun ('Will you do it, Ms Peters? Are you trained in the martial arts?'). Ms Peters indicated that she didn't believe that people were being attacked in their homes or on the streets in any great numbers in civilised countries. She quoted statistics to show that only in countries where guns are easily obtainable is there a serious problem of crime and violence. This was countered by Mr La Pierre's statistics which proved the opposite...
The audience had an equal mix of supporters for both sides of the debate. Many of the British pro-gun audience members were sport shooters. One of them told her that he had a great deal of firearms experience, and no criminal record. He wanted to know why she was trying to take his gun and ruin his sport. Ms Peters was very arrogant and patronising at this point, and told him that there were plenty of other sports to choose from!
Mr La Pierre spoke eloquently about freedom, about the lessons of history, the rights of the individual and the supremacy of the US Constitution. He reminded us that the NRA donated guns to the British people during the 2nd World War, and that guns aren't evil tools, but necessary ones in a dangerous world. It was fascinating to see some of the students in the audience giggling uncontrollably at his American ideas, especially the idea that America was a haven of freedom, which they clearly disputed. They especially found ludicrous his idea that 'good people' and 'bad people' existed in the world. Ms Peters, an Australian, told him that good and bad people only exist in the movies and suggested that he had been watching too many of them! She commended him on his bravery at coming to such a dangerous country as the UK!
My thanks go out to Mr La Pierre for a fascinating evening. A British company was doing the filming, but I expect it will end up on US TV.
"Ms Peters, an Australian, told him that good and bad people only exist in the movies"
This is a very revealing remark which explains this lady's problem. I wonder if Mr. LaPierre also pointed out that it was armed citizens who persuaded King John to sign the Magna Carta?
It's incredible how far disconnected the leftists are from reality. It amazes me every time I see it, even though I've seen it countless times.
The crime rate in England is much higher than in the US. Anything not nailed or screwed down in England usually gets stolen and even a lot of the nailed down stuff. The theft rate in England is astounding. The assult and burglary in England is very, very high.
I've been looking for a conservative British forum, do you know of one?
"Many of the British pro-gun audience members were sport shooters. One of them told her that he had a great deal of firearms experience, and no criminal record. He wanted to know why she was trying to take his gun and ruin his sport."
What a sheep! How about his RIGHT to self-defense against criminals and an abusive government? If a gun owner speaks like this, it is proof that the indoctrination has worked. I pity England, it is but a hollow shell of what it once was.
"Ms Peters was very arrogant and patronising at this point, and told him that there were plenty of other sports to choose from!"
My head nearly exploded when I read that quote. I'm afraid that if I'd been there, I'd have been dragged out of that hall by a bunch of cops. That kind of arrogance, that kind of a patronizing attitude, is EXACTLY the kind of behavior that the 2nd Amendment is designed to prevent (or end) when it is displayed by a government official toward the people. What is next, deciding where you can live, what food you can eat, what jobs you can take, etc.? [insert Dean Scream].
Thanks.
Such thinking isn't a part of British heritage. They are subjects, after all, and they must obey their Queen. ;)
FYI, the bang list no longer exists as such, but "banglist" has been moved into the keywords section of all previously bang_listed articles. So, you just do a keyword search on "banglist" and there you have it.
"Your reaction would be just what they needed to prove that the pro-guns are crazies."
Lighten up, Francis. Have you ever heard of using exaggeration to prove a point? FYI, Rush does it all the time.
I've been to a lot of debates myself over the years, to say nothing of "vigorous discussions" with people in school or at various social occasions, and I've never exploded - it doesn't help your side of the issue. However, I'm sure that my blood pressure would have risen quite a bit if I'd heard that leftist, statist beotch say what she did.
I'm light I'm light. What does 'Francis' mean?
Thanks!
Sure!
(And, of course, place "banglist" in the keywords section of all articles you come across that deserve it but don't have it yet.)
"Lighten up, Francis" is a reference to a line in the movie "Stripes." Francis was a wackjob that just wanted to kill or fight everyone, FYI. No insult intended, its just a phrase.
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