Guns Rule In This Cowboy Town

[ColPyat]

Tawp can not grasp the difference between correlation and cause

There was a correlation between Terry Wogan being on the radio rush hour and there being traffic jams but he did not cause them.

[TAWP]

Ad hominid again.

2% increase isn't very alarming he says. No, it's not, but it's not an decrease either. Wich, I hope, was the intended purpose of the law in ther first place.

It has however been brought into debate in the UK that the goverments main wish was to remove guns, period.

As once again, criminals don't care about license-demands or the revoking of issued license. Only law-abiding do.

And for the 6(7?) time, no-one has yet to explain what the logic behind the banning of anything that _looks_ like a gun will adhere to and how you would like to word that law, so to not include anything that wasn't intended.

Will boys that make guns out of LEGO, pieces of wood or cardbord-boxes (hey, we all did when we where kids!) be prosecuted for having 'gun lookalikes'?

The comming law is based on fear, not logic.

[Donz]

Ad hominid again.

2% increase isn't very alarming he says. No, it's not, but it's not an decrease either. Wich, I hope, was the intended purpose of the law in ther first place.

It has however been brought into debate in the UK that the goverments main wish was to remove guns, period.

As once again, criminals don't care about license-demands or the revoking of issued license. Only law-abiding do.

And for the 6(7?) time, no-one has yet to explain what the logic behind the banning of anything that _looks_ like a gun will adhere to and how you would like to word that law, so to not include anything that wasn't intended.

Will boys that make guns out of LEGO, pieces of wood or cardbord-boxes (hey, we all did when we where kids!) be prosecuted for having 'gun lookalikes'?

The comming law is based on fear, not logic.

they ban lookalike guns because you can still scare the shit out of people and rob places.

A lego gun??? if you get robbed with a lego gun then you probaly deserve it

I can just imagine someone trying to hold me up and pulls out a gun made out of lego

[TAWP]

Robbed with a toy is still robbed with a toy. Painted waterpistol works just as a replica, and is cheaper.

And more consearned about the UK-goverments obsession of 'protecting' their citisens against purseeded threats.

'45min-attack' comes to mind...

[Prakanong2005]

"Ad hominid again.

2% increase isn't very alarming he says. No, it's not, but it's not an decrease either. Wich, I hope, was the intended purpose of the law in ther first place.

It has however been brought into debate in the UK that the goverments main wish was to remove guns, period."

Ad hominid exactly but I think you see reality in the second part of the paragraph above.

The main reason was to remove guns after Dunbalne as the 88 law after Ryan did not stop Dunblane.

Yes there has been an increase in gun crime since but hopefully the trend is down.

A hel_l of a lot of the increase can be related to crack cocaine just as this was seen as a precurssor to high crime rates in the USA (see Freakonomics by Steven Levitt for a discusion on this).

There are other reasons in the UK though and a lot to do with gang culture among particular ethnic groups - this is going to seem harsh but as this does not affect the majority of ordinary subjects of her majesty they do not give a shit and as long as its NIMBY they can shoot ach other all day for most people.

I do not subscribe to that view and am happy at the increased police activity such as Operation Trident and other operations in cities like Nottingham etc.

I would like to see serious disincentives for carrying hand guns and the like with mandatory sentences of 5 years or more for 1st offence.

As for the law of carrying anything that looks like a gun - I think yourself has stated that it wil be hard to phrase that and if it succeeds in Parliament i am sure there wil be challenges in the courts to establish case law and precedents.

Maybe it will just be anything that is used to give the impression a person has a gun while comitting a crime etc - even saying you have just like saying you have a bomb would be an offence.

I had an air rifle from about 8 year old and used my grandads .22 rifle from not much older. I had great times out shooting rabbits and birds with them. We did have some land to shoot on but some area's would have been a very grey area but nobody bothered.

I think most of the guy's I grew up with had air guns and many went rabbiting with ferrets too.

[richard10365]

I only read the first few pages on this topic and decided to post my comments.

I lived in Sa Kaeo province (about 18km from the Cambodian border) for 18 months. I know thats not a long time but it is long enough to think there is some truth to the story about the guns here.

I had one friend who had some guns and offered to take me shooting with him out in the farm fields. I asked what kind of guns he had and he said many. He collects them but dosen't have papers for them.

Many guns are avaliable here because at one time, there were Communist insurgents fighting against the Thai government in this area. I don't know if that is true or not.

I don't really like guns so I didn't ask to see them. I did see his body guards gun slip out of his pocket and fall on the floor at one of the local restaurants.

Another one of my friends there had a gun legally. Once after returning from a long motorcycle trip through the farm fields, my friends father scolded me for riding out there unprotected.

He said next time I felt like I wanted to ride out there to take his gun with me. I told him I was afraid of getting caught by police with a gun.

He said there are more bad people around than I realize and should take protection.

Also, about Sa Kaeo city, it is not really that close to the border. It's at least an hour to an hour and a half away by bus.

Poi Pet, across the border from Aranyapreth, is the real coyboy town. That place is truley the old wild west.

[Prakanong2005]

"Poi Pet, across the border from Aranyapreth, is the real coyboy town. That place is truley the old wild west."

Its 4 years since I went through there and those were my thoughts exactly.

The GF at the time had a complete look of horror on her face the whole time there till we were on the road to SR

[LoveDaBlues]

Kennesaw, GA's

Mandatory Gun Law

A Proven Success

11-6-99

The New American magazine reminds us that March 25th marked the 16th anniversary of Kennesaw, Georgia's ordinance requiring heads of households (with certain exceptions) to keep at least one firearm in their homes.

The city's population grew from around 5,000 in 1980 to 13,000 by 1996 (latest available estimate). Yet there have been only three murders: two with knives (1984 and 1987) and one with a firearm (1997).

"After the law went into effect in 1982, crime against persons plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981, and fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. And it has stayed impressively low. In addition to nearly non-existent homicide (murders have averaged a mere 0.19 per year), the annual number of armed robberies, residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, and rapes have averaged, respectively, 1.69, 31.63, 19.75, and 2.00 through 1998."

With all the attention that has been heaped upon the lawful possession of firearms lately, you would think that a city that requires gun ownership would be the center of a media feeding frenzy. It isn't. The fact is I can't remember a major media outlet even mentioning Kennesaw. Can you? The reason is obvious. Kennesaw proves that the presence of firearms actually improves safety and security. This is not the message that the media want us to hear. They want us to believe that guns are evil and are the cause of violence. The facts tell a different story.

What is even more interesting about Kennesaw is that the city's crime rate decreased with the simple knowledge that the entire community was armed.

The bad guys didn't force the residents to prove it. Just knowing that residents were armed prompted them to move on to easier targets. Most criminals don't have a death wish. There have been two occasions in my own family when the presence of a handgun averted potential disaster. In both instances the gun was never aimed at a person and no shot was fired. Yet, in both cases the thugs bent on criminal mischief decided to take their ambitions elsewhere and my family remained safe. Only God knows what would have happened if a firearm had not been handy.

Yes, there are times when gun accidents occur. There are many more accidents involving automobiles, airplanes, bathroom shower stalls and backyard swimming pools, however. And let's not forget that freedom is risky business. Freedom allows people to make mistakes recognizing that the alternative is worse.

A local newspaper columnist recently said that other nations are free without possessing firearms. He fails to see the obvious fact that people who are not free to own firearms are not free. Many people live their entire lives and never know a day of real freedom. And, while I'm sure that there are those who would choose to live without freedom, there are some of us who would rather die free than live enslaved.

[Maejo Man]

"Poi Pet, across the border from Aranyapreth, is the real coyboy town. That place is truley the old wild west."

Its 4 years since I went through there and those were my thoughts exactly.

The GF at the time had a complete look of horror on her face the whole time there till we were on the road to SR

Definately the last frontier. The shot was taken about three Kms in from the border......

[MarkBKK]

Kennesaw, GA's

Mandatory Gun Law

A Proven Success

11-6-99

The New American magazine reminds us that March 25th marked the 16th anniversary of Kennesaw, Georgia's ordinance requiring heads of households (with certain exceptions) to keep at least one firearm in their homes.

The city's population grew from around 5,000 in 1980 to 13,000 by 1996 (latest available estimate). Yet there have been only three murders: two with knives (1984 and 1987) and one with a firearm (1997).

"After the law went into effect in 1982, crime against persons plummeted 74 percent compared to 1981, and fell another 45 percent in 1983 compared to 1982. And it has stayed impressively low. In addition to nearly non-existent homicide (murders have averaged a mere 0.19 per year), the annual number of armed robberies, residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, and rapes have averaged, respectively, 1.69, 31.63, 19.75, and 2.00 through 1998."

With all the attention that has been heaped upon the lawful possession of firearms lately, you would think that a city that requires gun ownership would be the center of a media feeding frenzy. It isn't. The fact is I can't remember a major media outlet even mentioning Kennesaw. Can you? The reason is obvious. Kennesaw proves that the presence of firearms actually improves safety and security. This is not the message that the media want us to hear. They want us to believe that guns are evil and are the cause of violence. The facts tell a different story.

What is even more interesting about Kennesaw is that the city's crime rate decreased with the simple knowledge that the entire community was armed.

The bad guys didn't force the residents to prove it. Just knowing that residents were armed prompted them to move on to easier targets. Most criminals don't have a death wish. There have been two occasions in my own family when the presence of a handgun averted potential disaster. In both instances the gun was never aimed at a person and no shot was fired. Yet, in both cases the thugs bent on criminal mischief decided to take their ambitions elsewhere and my family remained safe. Only God knows what would have happened if a firearm had not been handy.

Yes, there are times when gun accidents occur. There are many more accidents involving automobiles, airplanes, bathroom shower stalls and backyard swimming pools, however. And let's not forget that freedom is risky business. Freedom allows people to make mistakes recognizing that the alternative is worse.

A local newspaper columnist recently said that other nations are free without possessing firearms. He fails to see the obvious fact that people who are not free to own firearms are not free. Many people live their entire lives and never know a day of real freedom. And, while I'm sure that there are those who would choose to live without freedom, there are some of us who would rather die free than live enslaved.

Very interesting. So's this ... (To be found at http://timlambert.org/2003/11/kennesaw/)

Glenn Reynolds points to a page that purports to show the effect on crime of Kennesaw’s ordinance that made gun ownership mandatory. Unfortunately the numbers given there are misleading—they just give the crime rates for the year before the ordinance (54 burglaries) and the year the ordinance was passed (35 burglaries) and for 1998 (36 burglaries). This makes it look like there was a decrease, but if you look at burglary rates over a ten year period (see the graph to the left [1]) there is a lot of fluctuation. A statistical test shows that there was a statistically insignificant increase [1].

It’s not surprising that the ordinance had no effect. It was purely symbolic and was never enforced so is unlikely to have had any effect on gun ownership in Kennesaw.

[jdinasia]

But the numbers of Blacks in Kennesaw and Fayette Ga decreased rapidly .....

[LoveDaBlues]

Very interesting. So's this ... (To be found at http://timlambert.org/2003/11/kennesaw/)

The link above does not work for me. I would like to read it but can't.

Anyway, I'm in the group that believes gun ownership is okay. I've owned guns all my life and have enjoyed shooting with friends, hunting, etc..

A quick story that happened recently. My brother was over at his girlfriend's house. Her ex-husband drove by and saw my brother's car. The ex-husband (6' 2", 260 pds.) proceeds to go home and get drunker (he was already drinking)....at which time he calls the girls mother and tells her he is going over to kill them both. The mother calls the daughter and tells her. My brother is not too concerned.....just a drunk running his mouth. Anyway a few minutes after the call they hear a loud 'crash'.....the ex-husband has snuck into the back yard and he takes out the glass slider with an aluminum baseball bat. My brother leaves the living room and proceeds down the hall with small-caliber (.380) auto in hand (not my choice of guns but that's for another discussion). He tells the guy to 'back off' and leave the house. My brother is 5' 9" and around 160 pounds and 20 years older than the ex-husband.....not likely to be able to handle the guy. Anyway the guy continues FORWARD even with my brother pointing the gun at him. He gets closer and takes a swing.....my brother raises his left arm to block the blow to his head and it nearly breaks his arm. At that point the guy continues FORWARD with my brother backing up. My brother has no choice at this point so he shoots the guy twice.....once in the lower left stomach and once in the lower right stomach. The guy goes down and my brother holds him at gunpoint until the police and ambulance arrive.

I'm convinced had my brother NOT HAD a firearm for personal protection the guy would have beaten him to death and perhaps the ex-wife as well.......no doubt in my mind.

I'll keep my guns and continue to fight for my right of self defense.

[slackula]

Very interesting. So's this ... (To be found at http://timlambert.org/2003/11/kennesaw/)

The link above does not work for me. I would like to read it but can't.

Remove the ")" at the end of the link and it works:

WORKING LINK

[LoveDaBlues]

Thanks for getting the link to work. An interesting read.

Here's an interesting read too:

http://www.pulpless.com/gunclock/index.html

At the end of the day pro-gun and anti-gun forces can hurl statistics at each other all day. For me, it's a matter of common sense. I KNOW I'm safer with my Sig-Sauer .40 by the bed......especially since I'm a light sleeper ............. I have the right to defend myself and use lethal force if my life/safety are in danger.

[MarkBKK]

Thanks for getting the link to work. An interesting read.

Here's an interesting read too:

http://www.pulpless.com/gunclock/index.html

At the end of the day pro-gun and anti-gun forces can hurl statistics at each other all day. For me, it's a matter of common sense. I KNOW I'm safer with my Sig-Sauer .40 by the bed......especially since I'm a light sleeper ............. I have the right to defend myself and use lethal force if my life/safety are in danger.

Er ... yes. And capital puishment works as a deterrent ... er ... right?

[English Noodles]

Thanks for getting the link to work. An interesting read.

Here's an interesting read too:

http://www.pulpless.com/gunclock/index.html

At the end of the day pro-gun and anti-gun forces can hurl statistics at each other all day. For me, it's a matter of common sense. I KNOW I'm safer with my Sig-Sauer .40 by the bed......especially since I'm a light sleeper ............. I have the right to defend myself and use lethal force if my life/safety are in danger.

Er ... yes. And capital puishment works as a deterrent ... er ... right?

[sbk]

According to the thairath newspaper there have been 11 murders this Songkhran, by shooting, in various areas of Thailand.

Alcohol and guns are generally just as good a mix as alcohol and vehicles.

[LoveDaBlues]

Thanks for getting the link to work. An interesting read.

Here's an interesting read too:

http://www.pulpless.com/gunclock/index.html

At the end of the day pro-gun and anti-gun forces can hurl statistics at each other all day. For me, it's a matter of common sense. I KNOW I'm safer with my Sig-Sauer .40 by the bed......especially since I'm a light sleeper ............. I have the right to defend myself and use lethal force if my life/safety are in danger.

Er ... yes. And capital puishment works as a deterrent ... er ... right?

Don't know how this evolved into a discussion about capital punishment......that's totally off topic. I simply stated that my brother is alive because of his right to defend himself with a gun. I have the same right and will always keep a gun in my home for self defense.

A gun is a tool just like a hammer. A hammer can be used to build a beauiful house or bash in a skull and take a life. A gun can be used to take an innocent life or protect/save a life. It's up to the individual user how the tool is used.

[MarkBKK]

A gun is a tool just like a hammer.

Take the toys from the boys.

PS About as many children are killed by the accidental discharge of firearms in the US every year as were killed in the WTC on 9/11.

Sorry ... I haven't heard many people complaining about the former, so why such fuss about the latter?

[daleyboy]

A gun is a tool just like a hammer. A hammer can be used to build a beauiful house or bash in a skull and take a life. A gun can be used to take an innocent life or protect/save a life. It's up to the individual user how the tool is used.

Sorry but that is utter arse. A gun isnt a tool, it is a killing weapon, a gun has no other use other than to kill. Seriously get a grip on reality. It isnt designed to hammer nails in or knock a wall down its sole purpose for existence is to kill other living things.

A gun cannot be used to save a life, yes your life maybe but in the process you are taking another life.

[mark45y]

A gun is a tool just like a hammer.

Take the toys from the boys.

PS About as many children are killed by the accidental discharge of firearms in the US every year as were killed in the WTC on 9/11.

Sorry ... I haven't heard many people complaining about the former, so why such fuss about the latter?

Source the CDC. Accidental death from guns in the United States ages 0 to 14 years of age was 56 in 2003. That is the most recent statistics I could find from the CDC. Check it out. Google CDC.

A gun is a tool for a rural person in hunting and killing varmints. I don’t know how effective a tool it is for city folk. I have had my home broken into twice. Once in Denver Colorado and once in Spokane WA. In Denver I defended myself with a ski pole because that was close at hand. In Spokane they were gone before I could get my gun loaded. I was robbed twice in my businesses. The first occasion I disarmed the burglar and hit him over the head with his shotgun (he was a drunk out of a job auto worker and I was a recently discharged Army vet). The second time a cop walked in the door and saved my ass, smashing the would be robber into the wall and removing his gun from his hand. He was the largest policeman I have ever met. I was lucky. I carried a gun in combat for two years and never shot anyone that I know of. I was lucky.

I deposited large amounts of money from my business into the bank daily and always carried a gun legally while I was doing so. A friend of mine and his assistant manager got shot in broad daylight taking a deposit to the bank and after that I got a permit and carried a weapon.

A weapon at home for self defense of ones house and family is a difficult thing because with children in the house you have to keep it locked up and not loaded. Getting the weapon loaded in the middle of the night in a hurry is a problem.

Now I keep a Paul Chen Katana under my bed. I figure the sight of a naked Farang slashing around with a Katana in the middle of the night is enough to frighten away any Thai burglar.

I am not afraid of dying anymore but if you are going to try and take my life or harm my loved ones you are going to see the crazy Farang with the sword.

I understand the anti gun thing. You have never used a gun on a farm or in combat. You don’t hunt, have attempted to be a vegetarian and are enamored of socialism and various other causes that restrict personal freedom for what you perceive as a better society. But I have been in situations where a gun was called for. As long as there are military men and farmers and people in danger in border towns or unstable areas of the world there will be guns.

Why can’t we all just get along and have some green tea, low fat food in a smoke free loving environment with the backpacks stacked against the wall singing “we shall overcome?”

With all of its quirks and foibles that is why I came to Thailand. There is more freedom here than in any country in the West. I do what I want when I want to do it and how I want to do it.

It is nice to see the posts from people who would like to Westernize Thailand. It gives me balance.

My wife went into the chicken coop and there was one dyke hen who kept flogging her when she tried to get the eggs just like a rooster. The other hens would cluck their support. (this is my contribution to the death penalty issue)

This bothered the wife. She fed the chickens every day and they produced eggs. That was the deal. I feed you, you give me eggs. She understood this as do most hens except for dyke hen.

One day the wife being in an angry mood had had enough and when the hen started flogging her she wrung the chickens neck and left it lay on the floor of the coop for a couple of hours.

The other chickens got the message and were very polite from then on. I had bothersome soi dogs. They would bite at my ankles when I walked home late at night. One night I got out Mr. Chen’s Katana and beheaded the meanest of the dogs. I went to the Wat the next day to pray for my sins. But I have to tell you that the soi dogs no longer bite at my ankles.

I tried to talk to the soi dogs and I am sure my wife tried to talk to the chickens. There are times when talking does not do the trick.

[LoveDaBlues]

A gun is a tool just like a hammer. A hammer can be used to build a beauiful house or bash in a skull and take a life. A gun can be used to take an innocent life or protect/save a life. It's up to the individual user how the tool is used.

Sorry but that is utter arse. A gun isnt a tool, it is a killing weapon, a gun has no other use other than to kill. Seriously get a grip on reality. It isnt designed to hammer nails in or knock a wall down its sole purpose for existence is to kill other living things.

A gun cannot be used to save a life, yes your life maybe but in the process you are taking another life.

Sorry, but you're waaaaaaaay off daleyboy. If you read my other post where I related my brother's story you'll note 3 things:

(1) the man said he was going to kill my brother and his girlfriend

(2) he attempted to do just that by swinging an aluminum baseball bat at my brothers skull

(3) the attack was stopped by the use of a gun; saving my brother's life

According to you a gun cannot be used to save a life....but if it is used to save a life another one must be taken.......you are wrong on both counts.

As you can see from the data below (in blue) seldom is an attacker even wounded......much less killed as you state.......when the defensive tool (gun) is used properly there is normally no need to inflict any wounds on the attacker; the attack simply ends. In my brother's case he was forced to shoot because the threat of being shot did not stop the attacker from trying to kill; my brother had no choice but to use the tool to stop the self proclaimed killer's attack.

According to the National Self Defense Survey conducted by Florida State University criminologists in 1994, the rate of Defensive Gun Uses can be projected nationwide to approximately 2.5 million per year -- one Defensive Gun Use every 13 seconds.

Among 15.7% of gun defenders interviewed nationwide during The National Self Defense Survey, the defender believed that someone "almost certainly" would have died had the gun not been used for protection -- a life saved by a privately held gun about once every 1.3 minutes. (In another 14.2% cases, the defender believed someone "probably" would have died if the gun hadn't been used in defense.)

In 91.7% of these incidents the defensive use of a gun did not wound or kill the criminal attacker (and the gun defense wouldn't be called "newsworthy" by newspaper or TV news editors). In 64.2% of these gun-defense cases, the police learned of the defense, which means that the media could also find out and report on them if they chose to.

I have a grip on reality. Reality was my brother's arm swollen to 3 times it's normal size. If the blow had hit his head (as intended) it would have knocked him silly for sure (if not out) and the following blows would have killed him. That's reality.

[MarkBKK]

A gun is a tool just like a hammer.

Take the toys from the boys.

PS About as many children are killed by the accidental discharge of firearms in the US every year as were killed in the WTC on 9/11.

Sorry ... I haven't heard many people complaining about the former, so why such fuss about the latter?

Source the CDC. Accidental death from guns in the United States ages 0 to 14 years of age was 56 in 2003. That is the most recent statistics I could find from the CDC. Check it out. Google CDC.

A gun is a tool for a rural person in hunting and killing varmints. I don’t know how effective a tool it is for city folk. I have had my home broken into twice. Once in Denver Colorado and once in Spokane WA. In Denver I defended myself with a ski pole because that was close at hand. In Spokane they were gone before I could get my gun loaded. I was robbed twice in my businesses. The first occasion I disarmed the burglar and hit him over the head with his shotgun (he was a drunk out of a job auto worker and I was a recently discharged Army vet). The second time a cop walked in the door and saved my ass, smashing the would be robber into the wall and removing his gun from his hand. He was the largest policeman I have ever met. I was lucky. I carried a gun in combat for two years and never shot anyone that I know of. I was lucky.

I deposited large amounts of money from my business into the bank daily and always carried a gun legally while I was doing so. A friend of mine and his assistant manager got shot in broad daylight taking a deposit to the bank and after that I got a permit and carried a weapon.

A weapon at home for self defense of ones house and family is a difficult thing because with children in the house you have to keep it locked up and not loaded. Getting the weapon loaded in the middle of the night in a hurry is a problem.

Now I keep a Paul Chen Katana under my bed. I figure the sight of a naked Farang slashing around with a Katana in the middle of the night is enough to frighten away any Thai burglar.

I am not afraid of dying anymore but if you are going to try and take my life or harm my loved ones you are going to see the crazy Farang with the sword.

I understand the anti gun thing. You have never used a gun on a farm or in combat. You don’t hunt, have attempted to be a vegetarian and are enamored of socialism and various other causes that restrict personal freedom for what you perceive as a better society. But I have been in situations where a gun was called for. As long as there are military men and farmers and people in danger in border towns or unstable areas of the world there will be guns.

Why can’t we all just get along and have some green tea, low fat food in a smoke free loving environment with the backpacks stacked against the wall singing “we shall overcome?”

With all of its quirks and foibles that is why I came to Thailand. There is more freedom here than in any country in the West. I do what I want when I want to do it and how I want to do it.

It is nice to see the posts from people who would like to Westernize Thailand. It gives me balance.

My wife went into the chicken coop and there was one dyke hen who kept flogging her when she tried to get the eggs just like a rooster. The other hens would cluck their support. (this is my contribution to the death penalty issue)

This bothered the wife. She fed the chickens every day and they produced eggs. That was the deal. I feed you, you give me eggs. She understood this as do most hens except for dyke hen.

One day the wife being in an angry mood had had enough and when the hen started flogging her she wrung the chickens neck and left it lay on the floor of the coop for a couple of hours.

The other chickens got the message and were very polite from then on. I had bothersome soi dogs. They would bite at my ankles when I walked home late at night. One night I got out Mr. Chen’s Katana and beheaded the meanest of the dogs. I went to the Wat the next day to pray for my sins. But I have to tell you that the soi dogs no longer bite at my ankles.

I tried to talk to the soi dogs and I am sure my wife tried to talk to the chickens. There are times when talking does not do the trick.

Phew, what a big post.

Yes, my figures (from the CDC) are out of date. They're from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, but as the CDC states quite clearly, it has changed its method of recording the figures since then and comparisons of figures before and after the change can't be made.

However, even trying to wriggle out of that one, it's hard to see that the number has gone from 2,500-3,000 odd per year to the figure you quote without some real reduction having occured. Well done the US -- finally locking up loaded guns so children can't play with them! (Unless of course the CDC is in the pockets of the NRA!) (Check the CDC web site for numbers of parents in the US who leave loaded guns lying around the house.)

''I understand the anti gun thing. You have never used a gun on a farm or in combat. You don’t hunt, have attempted to be a vegetarian and are enamored of socialism and various other causes that restrict personal freedom for what you perceive as a better society. But I have been in situations where a gun was called for. As long as there are military men and farmers and people in danger in border towns or unstable areas of the world there will be guns.

Why can’t we all just get along and have some green tea, low fat food in a smoke free loving environment with the backpacks stacked against the wall singing “we shall overcome?” ''

You now nothing about me (apart from the fact that I use out of date statistics). You don't know if I own a gun or have owned one in the past. If it were possible to sue for being described as having ''attempted to be a vegetarian'', or being accused of eating ''low fat food'', or ever having owned a backpack, I would (I must say, the ''enamored of socialism and various other causes that restrict personal freedom for what you perceive as a better society'' makes you sound a bit mad -- just a word to the wise

''Now I keep a Paul Chen Katana under my bed. I figure the sight of a naked Farang slashing around with a Katana in the middle of the night is enough to frighten away any Thai burglar.''

Now, the last time I looked, and I admit it was data from a couple of years ago (but before the figures for the first ''War'' on drugs, which must have pushed the numbers up a bit), Thailand had the third highest murder rate, per capita, by guns in the world. The US was fourth. (edited in -- UN stats) It may well have dropped in the last couple of years. Doesn't really matter -- there are a lot of guns in Thailand and lots of people ready to use them. I'm pretty certain any Thai breaking into your house will do a Harrison Ford on you. Take one look at your ''Paul Chen Katana'', laugh and blow your head off.

''I do what I want when I want to do it and how I want to do it.'' Bet that goes down well.

''It is nice to see the posts from people who would like to Westernize Thailand. It gives me balance. '' (That bit makes you sound a bit mad again, sorry.)

Well overall not a bad exchange of views. I should really have got more up-to-date stats, but hey, no one's perfect. Sorry ...

PS Your wife's right. LESBIAN CHICKENS MUST DIE!!!!

PPS Have you thought about lashing out with your feet (i.e. trying to kick) soi dogs instead of beheading them, people might think you're less mad?

[LoveDaBlues]

A gun is a tool just like a hammer.

Take the toys from the boys.

PS About as many children are killed by the accidental discharge of firearms in the US every year as were killed in the WTC on 9/11.

Sorry ... I haven't heard many people complaining about the former, so why such fuss about the latter?

I'd like to see your source for the 'accidental discharge' figure. I don't believe it and would be shocked to find a creditable source saying this. Please prove me wrong but I think you pulled the figure out of your arse.

People make a 'fuss' as you say because 9/11 was not an ACCIDENT.

A gun IS a tool. Can be used in many ways. When I was growing up in rural Mississippi I shot many a rabbit and gave them to a poor black family; believe me they were thankful. They lived in a shack that makes a typical Thai house look like the Taj Mahal.

[mark45y]

A gun is a tool just like a hammer.

Take the toys from the boys.

PS About as many children are killed by the accidental discharge of firearms in the US every year as were killed in the WTC on 9/11.

Sorry ... I haven't heard many people complaining about the former, so why such fuss about the latter?

Source the CDC. Accidental death from guns in the United States ages 0 to 14 years of age was 56 in 2003. That is the most recent statistics I could find from the CDC. Check it out. Google CDC.

A gun is a tool for a rural person in hunting and killing varmints. I don’t know how effective a tool it is for city folk. I have had my home broken into twice. Once in Denver Colorado and once in Spokane WA. In Denver I defended myself with a ski pole because that was close at hand. In Spokane they were gone before I could get my gun loaded. I was robbed twice in my businesses. The first occasion I disarmed the burglar and hit him over the head with his shotgun (he was a drunk out of a job auto worker and I was a recently discharged Army vet). The second time a cop walked in the door and saved my ass, smashing the would be robber into the wall and removing his gun from his hand. He was the largest policeman I have ever met. I was lucky. I carried a gun in combat for two years and never shot anyone that I know of. I was lucky.

I deposited large amounts of money from my business into the bank daily and always carried a gun legally while I was doing so. A friend of mine and his assistant manager got shot in broad daylight taking a deposit to the bank and after that I got a permit and carried a weapon.

A weapon at home for self defense of ones house and family is a difficult thing because with children in the house you have to keep it locked up and not loaded. Getting the weapon loaded in the middle of the night in a hurry is a problem.

Now I keep a Paul Chen Katana under my bed. I figure the sight of a naked Farang slashing around with a Katana in the middle of the night is enough to frighten away any Thai burglar.

I am not afraid of dying anymore but if you are going to try and take my life or harm my loved ones you are going to see the crazy Farang with the sword.

I understand the anti gun thing. You have never used a gun on a farm or in combat. You don’t hunt, have attempted to be a vegetarian and are enamored of socialism and various other causes that restrict personal freedom for what you perceive as a better society. But I have been in situations where a gun was called for. As long as there are military men and farmers and people in danger in border towns or unstable areas of the world there will be guns.

Why can’t we all just get along and have some green tea, low fat food in a smoke free loving environment with the backpacks stacked against the wall singing “we shall overcome?”

With all of its quirks and foibles that is why I came to Thailand. There is more freedom here than in any country in the West. I do what I want when I want to do it and how I want to do it.

It is nice to see the posts from people who would like to Westernize Thailand. It gives me balance.

My wife went into the chicken coop and there was one dyke hen who kept flogging her when she tried to get the eggs just like a rooster. The other hens would cluck their support. (this is my contribution to the death penalty issue)

This bothered the wife. She fed the chickens every day and they produced eggs. That was the deal. I feed you, you give me eggs. She understood this as do most hens except for dyke hen.

One day the wife being in an angry mood had had enough and when the hen started flogging her she wrung the chickens neck and left it lay on the floor of the coop for a couple of hours.

The other chickens got the message and were very polite from then on. I had bothersome soi dogs. They would bite at my ankles when I walked home late at night. One night I got out Mr. Chen’s Katana and beheaded the meanest of the dogs. I went to the Wat the next day to pray for my sins. But I have to tell you that the soi dogs no longer bite at my ankles.

I tried to talk to the soi dogs and I am sure my wife tried to talk to the chickens. There are times when talking does not do the trick.

Phew, what a big post.

Yes, my figures (from the CDC) are out of date. They're from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, but as the CDC states quite clearly, it has changed its method of recording the figures since then and comparisons of figures before and after the change can't be made.

However, even trying to wriggle out of that one, it's hard to see that the number has gone from 2,500-3,000 odd per year to the figure you quote without some real reduction having occured. Well done the US -- finally locking up loaded guns so children can't play with them! (Unless of course the CDC is in the pockets of the NRA!) (Check the CDC web site for numbers of parents in the US who leave loaded guns lying around the house.)

''I understand the anti gun thing. You have never used a gun on a farm or in combat. You don’t hunt, have attempted to be a vegetarian and are enamored of socialism and various other causes that restrict personal freedom for what you perceive as a better society. But I have been in situations where a gun was called for. As long as there are military men and farmers and people in danger in border towns or unstable areas of the world there will be guns.

Why can’t we all just get along and have some green tea, low fat food in a smoke free loving environment with the backpacks stacked against the wall singing “we shall overcome?” ''

You now nothing about me (apart from the fact that I use out of date statistics). You don't know if I own a gun or have owned one in the past. If it were possible to sue for being described as having ''attempted to be a vegetarian'', or being accused of eating ''low fat food'', or ever having owned a backpack, I would (I must say, the ''enamored of socialism and various other causes that restrict personal freedom for what you perceive as a better society'' makes you sound a bit mad -- just a word to the wise

''Now I keep a Paul Chen Katana under my bed. I figure the sight of a naked Farang slashing around with a Katana in the middle of the night is enough to frighten away any Thai burglar.''

Now, the last time I looked, and I admit it was data from a couple of years ago (but before the figures for the first ''War'' on drugs, which must have pushed the numbers up a bit), Thailand had the third highest murder rate, per capita, by guns in the world. The US was fourth. (edited in -- UN stats) It may well have dropped in the last couple of years. Doesn't really matter -- there are a lot of guns in Thailand and lots of people ready to use them. I'm pretty certain any Thai breaking into your house will do a Harrison Ford on you. Take one look at your ''Paul Chen Katana'', laugh and blow your head off.

''I do what I want when I want to do it and how I want to do it.'' Bet that goes down well.

''It is nice to see the posts from people who would like to Westernize Thailand. It gives me balance. '' (That bit makes you sound a bit mad again, sorry.)

Well overall not a bad exchange of views. I should really have got more up-to-date stats, but hey, no one's perfect. Sorry ...

PS Your wife's right. LESBIAN CHICKENS MUST DIE!!!!

PPS Have you thought about lashing out with your feet (i.e. trying to kick) soi dogs instead of beheading them, people might think you're less mad?

Ok, I will try and take on this one. 56 kids killed is nowhere near 3000 in 9/11 however you paint it.

I know nothing about you? You don’t hunt or have never been in combat which was my statement. You are one of those people who thinks apes don’t eat meat because it makes sense that pristine animals would not eat flesh. Wrong apes eat little animals.

Am I mad? Of course I am a healthy Farang male living full time in Thailand. Of course I am mad.

As far as a Thai doing a Harrison Ford on me. I don’t think so. Think about it. There is a guy with a gun and me with a sword that is razor sharp. If I start to swing your head is gone. I don’t care what caliber of gun you have. Plus there is the fear factor. Guns are small objects. A sword is a big object. Do you know when the last bayonet charge was? It would surprise you. It was in Korea by a US Marine unit. They won.

The reason I like seeing posts from people who would Westernize Thailand is it reinforces my reasons for being here. I don’t like the West. And it balances out my petty grievances with Thailand. Hardly mad.

Doing what I want when I want to do it goes down well almost all of the time. I don’t know if you live in Thailand but if you do and are not doing what you want when you want to do it give me a call or come up to see me and I will explain how to do it.

And as a last note, I tried to kick the soi dogs. I really like dogs and have gotten along with soi dogs all over Thailand. I have no understanding of why these soi dogs were not the same. I am not a big Farang and I walk like a Thai guy so I have no understanding of why the soi dogs did not like me. It wasn’t just me the soi dogs bit the Thai guys too. They would kick them and yell at them very loudly and chase them.

This struck me as inefficient. I mean we were both on the same track here. Yelling and cursing at the soi dogs continually was an inconvenience.

I whacked the head off of one of them and the problem was solved.

None of my Thai neighbors complained (I left the head and body there and made no attempt to hide it).

It is difficult to test the sword polishing anyway as to its effectiveness in cutting. I am relatively new to sword polishing because back home I had a guy to do it. Here I have not found anybody who can sharpen a Katana so I have to do it myself.

Actually the most common use of my sword is to cut watermelons in half. This is fun for all ages. The kids throw the watermelon in the air and I cut it in half. Sometimes I cut it in quarters if I am really with it that day.

The kids get a kick out of this. In case you are wondering my house has not been robbed in Thailand. I am sure it must be my Karma and the fact that I am a vegetarian and drink green tea.

[FlyingDutchman]

My Fiance', her Father, and I went to the Thai Navy range in Samutprakarn a couple months ago when we got her a lovely 9mm. She carries all the time and everyone feels much better now that she dose. I only wish I could carry too what a lame rule that we can't carry guns. We (foregners) get victimized too. In the States I'm licenced and carry a Glock model 22 .40cal. In Iraq I pack a classic, Colt 1911 .45. I would like the Glock for Thailand, I would think with all the humidity the .45 would require much more cleaning and attention.

Lube it every three days and it works fine.

Thanks I didn't know that. I'll keep it in mind as I really prefer the feel and the stoping power of the Colt...it just feels right.

... Regular Ammo Creeps ...

[Patex]

...I whacked the head off of one of them and the problem was solved.

None of my Thai neighbors complained (I left the head and body there and made no attempt to hide it).

Did you expect anything else??

It is difficult to test the sword polishing anyway as to its effectiveness in cutting. I am relatively new to sword polishing because back home I had a guy to do it. Here I have not found anybody who can sharpen a Katana so I have to do it myself.

One problem more, I do not share with you...

Actually the most common use of my sword is to cut watermelons in half. This is fun for all ages. The kids throw the watermelon in the air and I cut it in half. Sometimes I cut it in quarters if I am really with it that day.

Didn't your mother tell you not to play with the food??

The kids get a kick out of this. In case you are wondering my house has not been robbed in Thailand. I am sure it must be my Karma and the fact that I am a vegetarian and drink green tea.

So it is...

Time to take the Kill Bill DVD out of the player...

[ColPyat]

With all of its quirks and foibles that is why I came to Thailand. There is more freedom here than in any country in the West. I do what I want when I want to do it and how I want to do it.

Well, isn't it fortunate for us all that Thailand does not give you the freedom to legally own or carry a gun?

[Jamesairsoft]

I hear of something new in HK

www.realsword.com.hk

[pbkk]

Can't get a gun, get a crossbow !!

I will !!