From: Tony Hollick (anduril@cix.compulink.co.uk)
Date: Sat Jul 11 1998 - 18:53:19 MDT
>Max M [maxm@maxmcorp.dk] wrote:
>>One thing is for shure. For most Europeans this gun debate is a complete
>>turn-off, and can be a very negative factor when reading this list. There is
>>far to much debate on this list concerning guns!!!!
I find it interesting. If a quiet patriotism is a love of the
_idea_ of a country, call me an American. I think of myself as
affiliated to Western civilization, any road.
Guns _are_ interesting. They also raise interesting practical and
philosophical problems.
Our problem is that the human race has evolved exosomatically
(creating tools, etc) at a far faster rate than the moral and
instinctual development needed to restrain the vastly enhanced
intraspecies violence the tools make possible. You can't do much
damage to someone using your fingernails and teeth. Except by using
exosomatically-developed 'exotic' skills, it's pretty hard to kill
someone with your bare hands.
Members of the world's intelligence community very seldom carry
firearms. We can learn from this. For my sins, I'm skilled in .22,
7.62, .303, 9mm. Parabellum, .45 ACP, submachineguns, light
machineguns and Browning Machine Gun. The last gun I had was a .45
ACP auto (Remington handgun, very efficient mankiller) and one day,
in the 'Seventies I sat down and thought through very carefully what
the consequences of having it, and using it on someone could be. I
eventually decided that I was better off without it -- in almost all
cases, using it would be counterproductive; and it's kinda hard to
live with the knowledge that you've killed someone. And -- unless
you're extraordinarily proficient -- pretty well the _only_ way to
use a handgun is to shoot to kill.. With proper weapons training,
you do it reflexively -- you just think 'you're dead' at the target
and they die.
On the other hand... Looking at the way the United States is going
(especially the aptly-named criminal justice system), and depending
where they live, I might advise someone to have a 9mm. Browning or a
Glock handgun; an AK47 rifle; and (to maintain exclusion radius)
perhaps a Barrett Light Fifty (fires .50 caliber BMG).
Or I might rather advise them to leave the United States.
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Last night, I watched the Director's Cut of James Cameron's
'Terminator 2', one of the all-time great (science-fiction) movies.
Linda Hamilton's performance is magnificent. The moral message, that
if machines can learn to cherish human life, perhaps we humans can
also, before it's too late, is very powerful.
That reminds me of a science-fiction story from the 'Sixties,
whereby a nuclear weapons scientist comes home and finds his
five-year-old son in bed, playing with a loaded .45 revolver given
to him by a visiting colleague. The scientist snarls at his
colleague:
"What kind of madman are you, to give a loaded pistol to a child?"
His colleague responds icily:
"And what do you think _you're_ doing at work, then?"
I happen to know Admiral Noel Gayler, who -- as Deputy Director,
Strategic Planning Staff at Offut AFB -- designed the Single
Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP). America's global nuclear
warfighting strategy. He went on to direct the National Security
Agency, and served as Commander-in-Chief for all America's Pacific
forces (CinCPAC). He started as a naval pilot, and commanded USS
Ranger.
I think he knows whereof he speaks. >:-}
He now campaigns for the global elimination of nuclear weapons, in
which objective I fully support him, as should all rational people.
You can read his arguments in "THe Choice: Nuclear Weapons versus
Security" ed. Gwyn Prins, [1984].
There's still some time for humankind... But not very much time.
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/ /\ \
--*--<Tony>--*--
Tony Hollick, LightSmith
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/la-agora (LA-Agora Conference)
http://www.agora.demon.co.uk (Agora Home Page, Rainbow Bridge Foundation)
http://www.nwb.net/nwc (NorthWest Coalition Against Malicious Harrassment)
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<EOT>
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