General Discussion

Mister Nightowl

(396 posts) Wed Oct 29, 2014, 06:08 AM Oct 2014

The difference between Guns and knives. And chainsaws. And baseball bats. [View all]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Autumn (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Knives, chainsaws, baseball bats, hedge clippers, cars, cement blocks, glass bottles, and even our bare hands have a primary purpose that does not involve death or destruction: Making a sandwich, for example, or cutting firewood, or hitting a home run, or gardening, or driving your kids to school, or building a home, or enjoying a cold beer, or writing/handling tools/holding a newborn baby/petting a dog, etc.

Guns, on the other hand, have nothing BUT death or destruction as their primary (and really, only) purpose.

I hope you remember these words the next time a murder is committed by somebody using something other than a gun, and the inevitable wingnuts start bleating, "Oh, well I guess now we'll have to ban....!"

122 replies

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The difference between Guns and knives. And chainsaws. And baseball bats. [View all] Mister Nightowl Oct 2014 OP

+ 1000 !!! orpupilofnature57 Oct 2014 #1

Then... Mister Nightowl Oct 2014 #2

look again, and a plus 1000 is a rec, but who's counting ???? orpupilofnature57 Oct 2014 #3

Self defense firearms are made for saving lives. ileus Oct 2014 #4

Death for the sake of feeding the family is an acceptable purpose and sometimes necessary purpose. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #5

yep - one reason - killing DrDan Oct 2014 #6

K&R Principled Peter Oct 2014 #7

Yeah but... 99Forever Oct 2014 #8

Sorry, but that's s crock. The fallacies are so obvious, I won't bother to point them out. badtoworse Oct 2014 #9

The right to self-defense exists even if the NRA never existed. The 2 are wholly separate. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #10

How do "self-defense firearms" save lives, exactly? Orrex Oct 2014 #11

Nothing. GeorgeGist Oct 2014 #12

I've never hear of someone standing in their back yard being killed by ... Scuba Oct 2014 #13

Target shooting, trap and skeet, hunting and self defense are all legitimate uses of firearms badtoworse Oct 2014 #14

I'll accept that bvf Oct 2014 #15

Ebola! We have to ban sneezing! DetlefK Oct 2014 #16

Unfortunately, the wingnuts bleating about banning XYZ Bettie Oct 2014 #17

It's not the NRA that is the problem Sneak the freak Oct 2014 #18

I think the main differences are DISTANCE, both spatially and emotionally, and TARGET SIZE. WinkyDink Oct 2014 #19

The primary purpose of guns is penile enhancement. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #20

Self defense doesn't involve killing? mac56 Oct 2014 #21

There is no such animal as a "self-defense firearm." It is a firearm, period. WinkyDink Oct 2014 #22

This message was self-deleted by its author ncjustice80 Oct 2014 #23

Sometimes self-defense involves killing someone; other times, the firearm acts as a deterrent. badtoworse Oct 2014 #24

There's a good toon which explains this: LeftinOH Oct 2014 #25

That's a weak argument by equivocation Orrex Oct 2014 #26

False. GGJohn Oct 2014 #27

The same with any weapon. Half-Century Man Oct 2014 #28

While I agree with most of that, the last row doesn't work. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #29

Welcome to DU..... N_E_1 for Tennis Oct 2014 #30

That's a very interesting observation Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #31

My guns must be defective hack89 Oct 2014 #32

and that is just plain wrong Duckhunter935 Oct 2014 #33

Actually, I gotta agree with the others here. Plenty of people still do. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #34

Try to educate yourself beyond your little bubble. Inkfreak Oct 2014 #35

Obviously safeinOhio Oct 2014 #36

All those involve killing, practice killing, or the threat of killing. MillennialDem Oct 2014 #37

Like my snowblower, then. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #38

The police in Utah swarmed a black man open carrying a Japanese styled sword Half-Century Man Oct 2014 #39

This message was self-deleted by its author ncjustice80 Oct 2014 #40

The vast majority of deaths by firearm are not justified though. Something like MillennialDem Oct 2014 #41

False. AtheistCrusader Oct 2014 #42

You mean 200 per year, in the state of florida, right? AtheistCrusader Oct 2014 #43

A hell of a lot of hunters aren't on food stamps, GGJohn Oct 2014 #44

Guns are not inanimate objects apparently hack89 Oct 2014 #45

What you described is technically a flail. A morning star is a spiked club or mace :p MillennialDem Oct 2014 #46

K & R Thespian2 Oct 2014 #47

I would say you are not a hunter badtoworse Oct 2014 #48

That last rifle is the most popular competive target shooting rifle in America. Nt hack89 Oct 2014 #49

Nope, but like my snowblower Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #50

Um... JUSTIFIABLE homicide by firearm, per year, for the whole US (see links) MillennialDem Oct 2014 #51

I've never found targets or clay pigeons to be much of a threat. badtoworse Oct 2014 #52

So perhaps we should make that illegal hack89 Oct 2014 #53

I don't know from technical, but what he described sounded like what Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #54

You've obviously never had to nail a nail in a hurry! rock Oct 2014 #55

Is it? Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #56

Dictionary says MillennialDem Oct 2014 #57

So Thespian2 Oct 2014 #58

One could postulate that they act as pacifiers for the fearful and paranoid. Thor_MN Oct 2014 #59

In fact it is a .. gun. pangaia Oct 2014 #60

Those fall under practice killing. MillennialDem Oct 2014 #61

Perhaps hack89 Oct 2014 #62

Actually tens of thusands of people, pangaia Oct 2014 #63

Even if that is true -- so what? aikoaiko Oct 2014 #64

Even if I conceded your point (and I don't), what difference would it make? badtoworse Oct 2014 #65

Here's a quick lesson on the difference between guns and knives: thucythucy Oct 2014 #66

You would be very wrong. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #67

How many people use hand guns for trap and skeet, and hunting? Thor_MN Oct 2014 #68

In my case Duckhunter935 Oct 2014 #69

The point of the OP (and me) is that guns are not tools. They are only weapons because their only MillennialDem Oct 2014 #70

Competitive target shooting. nt hack89 Oct 2014 #71

Guns are, first and foremost, weapons and a good weapon is effective at killing. badtoworse Oct 2014 #72

Are you going to vouch for every other gun owner? Thor_MN Oct 2014 #73

"Please provide hard statistics on the number of deaths resulting from one person using alcohol" Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #74

I can vouch for the vast majority of legal gun owners hack89 Oct 2014 #75

Want to meet my wife's family? joeglow3 Oct 2014 #76

I don't petition for things to be banned. That would be the responsibility of those who claim Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #77

Could you please identify all of them to the authorities? Thor_MN Oct 2014 #78

And that's their only function. MillennialDem Oct 2014 #79

Certainly we need laws like UBCS hack89 Oct 2014 #80

Why would I agree to that? Orrex Oct 2014 #81

I live in SW Ohio. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #82

See Post 72. I don't consider the fact that firearms are weapons to be important. badtoworse Oct 2014 #83

See Post 83 and have a nice day. badtoworse Oct 2014 #84

If guns are only designed to kill then my guns are defective Travis_0004 Oct 2014 #85

Wow.... N_E_1 for Tennis Oct 2014 #86

That merely makes you a pre-murderer hack89 Oct 2014 #87

Im glad you used the sarcasm tag Travis_0004 Oct 2014 #88

The families of people that are killed daily do consider it to be important. Thor_MN Oct 2014 #89

That's about as close to nonsensical as a claim can get Orrex Oct 2014 #90

So you really can't vouch then? Thor_MN Oct 2014 #91

Do you seriously believe that violent criminals practice shooting on the range? badtoworse Oct 2014 #92

Oh the extremes the butters will go to in order to deflect, flamin lib Oct 2014 #93

Read through the whole sub-thread. I was just pointing out vacuous blather for what it is. badtoworse Oct 2014 #94

With the recent meat labeling ruling sarisataka Oct 2014 #95

No, I can speak for myself, stop trying to put words in my mouth. Thor_MN Oct 2014 #96

You need to get out some. ileus Oct 2014 #97

There are some here that actually think that way. nt hack89 Oct 2014 #98

But doesn't the intent of the owner count for something? hack89 Oct 2014 #99

This isn't Australia. There are maybe a dozen states where more gun control has political support badtoworse Oct 2014 #100

We Need To Hammer This Point colsohlibgal Oct 2014 #101

Sure! It counts for the intent of the object's owner, but not for the object's intent by design. Orrex Oct 2014 #102

You declare it to be bogus but that doesn't make it so. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #103

Not everyone is pre-criminal hack89 Oct 2014 #104

So people's actions are irrelevant? hack89 Oct 2014 #105

So called bushmeat is likely as healthy or healthier than what people but at stories aikoaiko Oct 2014 #106

Some progressives would go so far as to call it "organic" ileus Oct 2014 #107

If used to protect or save the life of a family member or myself. ileus Oct 2014 #108

bushmeat LOL - have you ever even been in the woods? snooper2 Oct 2014 #109

I moved my snowblower from the outbuilding to the garage last weekend. ileus Oct 2014 #110

I am well aware of the proper name of a ball flail. Half-Century Man Oct 2014 #111

I just don't have a huge drive Erich Bloodaxe BSN Oct 2014 #112

That's not what I said at all. Orrex Oct 2014 #113

Firearms are regulated Lurks Often Oct 2014 #114

Many deer are killed safeinOhio Oct 2014 #115

The deep and abiding obsession with my linuxman Oct 2014 #116

You identify one big difference that should be noted LondonReign2 Oct 2014 #117

I hadn't considered shotgun slugs for big game, but they would not be my first choice badtoworse Oct 2014 #118

"We won't let kids under 21 vote or drink alcohol, but we are perfectly OK with them toting weapons" Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #119

Well, no. Orrex Oct 2014 #120

"attempt to stroll down the main street in your town...You won't make it two blocks." Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2014 #121

Locking. It is the hosts consensus this does not meet the SOP for GD Autumn Oct 2014 #122