Is there a link between gun ownership and violence

My contention is that YES there can be. (And in the USA's case, there is.)

In the country there are farms. Farms require guns for a range of legitimate reasons that don't include shooting them at people. They're fine.
In the city, the only major reason for gun ownership is for shooting people. Or for threatening to shoot people, which is basically the same thing.

As evidenced by the above, the guns themselves are just lumps of metal. They just do what the owner tells them to do. But anytime people own them with the purpose of shooting people, that indicates a culture of violence.

It's no different to someone who keeps a bat by the front door. If it's there because he plays baseball a lot -non violent. If it's there because he expects that he may need to use it to threaten or bash someone - violent.

It just so happens that gun ownership is an easier statistic to track than bat ownership. Especially when you count the fact that the only reason, (aside from sport) that pistols exist is for shooting people. They are not a farm tool at all.
Automatic weapons as well. No purpose for those except for shooting people. Even on the farm. Thus it is easy to link the proliferation of those two subsets of guns to a culture of violence.

The only alternate theory I would find reasonable is a culture of unbased paranoia. If you were inexplicably paranoid, then I could see how you owning a gun wouldn't necessarily equate to a culture of violence. So either there is a culture of violence in America or everyone is paranoid for no good reason.

On that note, just think about it.
You go round to your mate's place. He says, he let's go down to the park and feed the ducks. You say cool, I love ducks.
Then as you're leaving he grabs a knife and tucks it into his shorts.

Does this make you feel safe? Or do you think, hey maybe the ducks can feed themselves and I'll just stay home and watch Modern Family instead?

As soon as you feel like you need a weapon for personal protection when you're just going down to the park to feed some ducks, you are either living in a culture of violence or you are crazy paranoid.

You live in such a small country. I literally am in the midst of scum and slummy neighborhoods. It is not only unwise to disarm these citizans, but I would even argue immoral.
Gun circulation is like capitalism. Lower crime and violence and gun sales will lower. Simplest equation for the issue.

Blackflag: Suck it up princess. You think violent crime doesn't happen in small countries?

Up until a few years ago the suburb I live held the dubious honour of being the record holder for the most cops killed in action in the country. Not per capita either.
Not bad when you consider that this is a suburb of 6000 within a city of 60,000 and we have Auckland which had a population of 1.5 Million at the time.
So trust me when I say I know about living in bad neighborhoods.

It's like you think we just live in rainbow land and ride unicorns and play polo.
Look up a movie called, "Once were Warriors". That was written by a guy who lives here in Hawkes Bay, right up the road from me.

The USA is stuffed when it comes to gun control now, there are simply too many guns out there. Trying to implement gun control there now would be borderline irresponsible. But I get pretty offended when my American mates tell me that WE need to follow their example and have more guns everywhere.

WHY on earth would we want to do that?

Tell me something, given what you know about our country and its crime rate, do you HONESTLY think that flooding the country with hand guns would result in no shift in the number of gun related deaths - including homicide?
Do you honestly believe that more homicide would not result in a more paranoid culture?
Do you honestly believe that a more paranoid culture would not result in a more violent culture?

You think violent crime doesn't happen in small countries?
z
No, but it isn't as common. New Zealand has low crime.
It isn't the case here.

The USA is stuffed when it comes to gun control now, there are simply too many guns out there. Trying to implement gun control there now would be borderline irresponsible. But I get pretty offended when my American mates tell me that WE need to follow their example and have more guns everywhere.
Chill out cowboy, you're getting ahead of yourself.
1. I didn't say this
2. I don't believe this
3. I agree with the first sentence
4. The first sentence doesn't apply to some nations, so those nations should be careful on gun permissibly.

nzlockie: "Once were Warriors"
Great film that. I too think everybody should watch it.

Try not to imply things from my posts.
What I say is probably what I literally mean.

If I don't say something, you shouldn't act like I implied it either.

Back on topic, I agree with my statement.
Guns are rooted in supply and demand. If there is need for protection, they will be bought. If there is no need than they wont.
We need to ask what can make the demand go down. I say better enforcement and responcible laws, but anyone who tries to interfere with this market, including the government, could cost lives. It is a volatile area to get into.

Blackflag: Sounds very economicsy.

One of the first things I learned when I did my degree in marketing is that you can sell stuff to people that they don't really need, by making them think they need it. Demand is not based on actual need, but usually, by our wants, regardless of how rational those may be.

admin: Which is something that absolutely needs to be answered and addressed.
There is a surplus of guns, and many arms manufacturers spread fear to make $

Some american's are under the illusion that owning a gun is a patriotic duty.
I'm not opposed to more guns going to the state defense force, but...

admin: Quickie, if someone owns a gun that they don't need, is that bad?

Blackflag: Not necessarily. Like, if they inherit a gun for example, I'm OK with that, provided they don't arm it.

If they BUY a gun they don't need then that would probably be an issue for me. It's the belief that if somebody seems threatening then you shoot them that I'm most concerned with.

admin: Not everyone can be trusted to make an intense moral decision in a time of danger or perceived danger.
How should we differentiate between responcible owners and poor owners?

Blackflag: Well as I mentioned earlier I don't think protection is a legitimate use of guns. Anybody buying a gun with the intention of "shooting bad guys" should probably be kept as far away from a gun as possible and sold suits of armor instead.

admin: Pretend you have cancer, and there are two drugs available for your condition.
- Protomajazyne, will prevent cancer for 12 months, but will result in immediate remission afterwards
- Haytarazyne, will kill cancer forever

Which medicine would you take?

Blackflag: Sorry, when I was speaking about, "My American mates..." - I wasn't talking about you. I travel to the States frequently and I have a lot of friends there. Because of the job we're in, in can be very dangerous so almost all of them carry several guns at all times.

They tell me that I'm crazy for going to jobs armed with nothing more than a can of WD40. And my natural wit and charm.

I was trying to explain why I was arguing so passionately about the ideals of a specific situation that is irreversible now anyway.
Also it's annoying when you keep saying that we don't understand because we're from a small country. Literally everything about the American situation applies to NZ except for the fact that many many years ago, both nations decided to take a different path.

nzlockie: Your wit and charm is pretty powerful.

Blackflag: I take issue with the analogy. Guns do not end violence forever.

admin: Maybe I wasn't equating them to guns? Which medicine would you use.

Also it's annoying when you keep saying that we don't understand because we're from a small country. Literally everything about the American situation applies to NZ except for the fact that many many years ago, both nations decided to take a different path.

The crime rate and gun numbers are pretty low in New Zealand, and lots of other countries.
The situation is far from what it is here.