For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1664467
Sooty25 wrote:Apart from there is now a thread titled "Guns & Weapons" started by me, which I would not have started and I object to that.

Change the origin or delete are the options.


@Sooty25

Was it you who suggested some time ago that those who had been involved in fighting in the ME and returned to the UK should be shot on sight rather than dealt with through the UK Justice system?

For someone as vocal as that on that thread it seems you're a bit precious about the semantics of what a weapon should be called.
#1664479
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:
Sooty25 wrote:Apart from there is now a thread titled "Guns & Weapons" started by me, which I would not have started and I object to that.

Change the origin or delete are the options.


@Sooty25

Was it you who suggested some time ago that those who had been involved in fighting in the ME and returned to the UK should be shot on sight rather than dealt with through the UK Justice system?

For someone as vocal as that on that thread it seems you're a bit precious about the semantics of what a weapon should be called.


It is the user that makes it a weapon.

My complaint here is this thread has been created under my username. I guess I could just delete the first post and change the title.

The irony being, nobody has continued the original drone thread, everyone seems more interested in guns!
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By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1664481
Guns are weapons.

They can be used for gun sports such as target and clay shooting but they are weapons.

The whole mantra of 'it is the user that makes them into weapons' is NRA style BS.

You and a few others on here enjoy gun sports, there is no problem with that, but don't go all wobbly because most people see guns as weapons and steak knives as tools.
Dusty_B liked this
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By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1664507
Bill Haddow wrote:
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:
. . . but don't go all wobbly because most people see guns as weapons and steak knives as tools.


Would you allow forumites to go all wobbly because in the UK knives injure and kill many more people than firearms do ? :wink:

Bill H


I would if the ratio of steak knives used to kill exceeded that of guns used to kill.

Luckily enough most steaks are used for.........................................................eating steak.
#1664518
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:The whole mantra of 'it is the user that makes them into weapons' is NRA style BS.


I have absolutely no truck whatsoever with American NRA meatheads either . But sorry FD , I simply cannot go along with that either .
A craftsman made gun is a thing of beauty , just take a look at the woodwork and the delicate mechanisms that make these things operate . Similarly with a craftsman made violin or double-bass , they are things of beauty . But it wouldn't have stopped Reggie or Ronnie Kray from taking a double-bass and shoving the spike through some poor buggers skull would it ?
What about a nice 1930 Speed 6 Bentley then ? A priceless and historic classic racer .

Until some shaven headed , tattooed moron decides to nick it and then finds out the hard way that this 130+ mph racer doesn't stop quite as quick as his Citroen Saxo does .

Oh,,,,and what about the Scania artic ? You know , the one that was hi-jacked by the Islamic fundamentalist and driven through a load of Xmas shoppers last year .

The thing that decides what is or is not a weapon , most definitely IS the user .
Nick, Katamarino liked this
#1664523
Isn't it a matter of intent, with a touch of form?

Shot airguns "in the wild" as a typical teenager of the early 80s. Irn Bru bottles are *tough*...

Competition archer (recurve), indoor target and field - was a member of the Scottish Field Archers Association for years.

Club pistol shooter, before Hungerford .22->45
University club rifle shooter, mainly .22LR

Mucked around with crossbows.
Topped bunnies as service to farmers with my uncle, with legally suppressed .22LR

Learned then taught a number of medieval Japanese personal defence and battlefield arms, from kubotan to kusarigama.

Did a bit of medieval battle re-enactment with a reasonably well known Scots company.

Seen the whole "sport" v "weapons training" argument, pretty much for ever.

Shooting target archery, target pistol and rifle (latter with funny white jackets and leather straps...) that were far removed in form and function from anything vaguely "military" - the natural tendency was to shy away from calling them "weapons".

That was even more the case after Hungerford and Dunblane - for the obvious attempt to put clear distance between legitimate sports activity and "nutter".

When teaching students how to handle a sword or whatever - and there was no "sporting" aspect to it (meaning nothing like olympic fencing, no points, no competitions, league tables, medals etc) - we were learning/teaching weaponry skills. Skills were being taught/learned "for fun" though - your typical Japanese battlefield weapon is pretty useless these days, but that *training* and the weapons were handled in way that was clearly offensive/defensive.

A weapon can very easily be used in a sporting context, the same as "sporting goods" can be used as a weapon.

It's not an either/or situation.

Maybe I spent too much time with the Japanese, I don't see any contradiction.
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By Rob P
#1664555
riverrock wrote: In a very quick glance, the word "weapon" is used in sport shooting magazines, shops, manufacturer websites and legislation. If they were so offensive, surely that wouldn't be the case?


As a purveyor (manufacturer) of guns and ammunition in a previous life we were scrupulous in avoiding the term 'weapon' at all times. Just too emotive.

Rob P
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