writer500-

First off, I do think that you posted your initial question simply as a request for knowledge and research for something with which you were not familiar.

You have to understand, though, that this is an issue to which we' re all VERY sensitive. Popular culture and media (news and entertainment) are in a constant mode of political correctness and are, either directly or inadvertantly, attacking our Second Amendment. It is a RIGHT.

Hunting and fishing, to most of us, is truly a way of life - as has been previously mentioned. It' s a philosophy and for many damn near a religion. Unfortunately, it' s a philosophy and way of life that is not respected by supposedly open-minded folks that play such a large role in the national discussion on this issue - most notably politicians. This is the problem when you have decision-makers working to decide things about something that they have no knowledge. Walking a cornrow and having a pheasant explosively flush at your feet... sitting on stand for hours in the crisp fall air and seeing a handsome buck cautiously step just out of range... watching that trout sip in a fly that you have tied and delicately cast out into a gentle stream - these are the ultimate thrills that we enjoy - and these are the gun-owners who are DRASTICALLY underrepresented in popular discussion. To those who would take away guns - you won' t solve a thing. Criminals will still be criminals, and law-abiding citizens will be the only ones hurt by having a way of life trampled on.

I encourage you to look up the NRA for the loudest voice from our perspective - www.nra.org. Unfortunately, the voice of law-abiding gun owners and hunters is not immediately available through your TV.

Like I said before, I think you started this thread in a genuine search for knowledge. But hopefully somewhere in this you will see why we take it seriously. Because it is.

I smell a troll[:@]

first off, thanks to grizzlybear for being the first to hold off on the paranoid, hostile stuff. to be honest, i love this country as much as any of you and sitting here, in a big city, your voices are refreshing - if a little on the hostile side. i respect the poetry of your way of life, as very nicely articulated by grizzly.

understand that we in the big cities hear more about crime and people getting shot as opposed to the fresh air and the beauty of the hunt. as for my being on the big double decker bus, i will reiterate that i have seen a few things...i;ve been to rural cambodia and spent a night stranded on the border of cambodia and vietnam, in what used to be a prison. if you think much has changed in thirty years...let' s just say i can imagine what it was like during real hostilities.

as for the woman with the salad fork, it sounds hilarious, send me more.

and by the way i completely agree that outlawing guns would not disarm criminals.

any suggestions??

So you are now comparing the culture of cambodia and US????? Did they have gunbans there???

no, genius, i did not make that comparison in any way. and no, there is no gun ban which is why some people walk around with ouzis.

Uzi, genius. Let me tell you how gun control works. The Republic of South Korea has a ban on guns. However there are plenty of guns in Korea. Who has them? The criminals. Looking at crime statistics that are released by the government one would think crime to be relatively low. Try walking down the street with your eyes open sometime and see all the strongarming going on. Robbery in broad daylight is a common occurance as well as kidnapping and murder. It just doesn' t get reported. How are you going to defend yourself when someone walks into your shop with a gun and demands your money? Chopsticks aren' t going to do you any good.

BTW, I doubt there are many uzi' s in Cambodia. AK variants and SKS' s are the norm.

the chopsticks comment was funny - nice one.

you' re right on all counts, except your characterization of South Korea. I have several South Korean friends (all from Seoul) who laughed at the idea that people are just being snatched off the streets.

I have no real knowledge of guns - which is why I came and asked my question of you all - so I' m sure you' re right re: Cambodia.

Well junior your South Korean friends are either lying to save face which is common among the Koreans and other asians, or they have been leading sheltered lives. I spent 4 years there and I have seen it happen. Oh, I am also married to a Korean and she knows it happens too.

writer500,

You are highly unlikely to receive the information that you requested in your first post from the members of this forum. I would encourage you to pursue your " research" elsewhere, like a library or other reference resource, especially if you are wanting to pursue verifiable references for the " authentic" gun violence scenarios you may choose to dream up. No thanks on the offer of being listed in your " credits" section.

Furthermore, I am not interested in either attempting to sway a " set" mind or in providing you any potential fodder for your story by participating in this pro-gun vs. anti-gun dialogue you are floating here.

Good luck (sic) on your violence novel.

The End.

EKM
--- It took guns to get freedom!