20 dead in Texas Church shooting

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Originally Posted by pop058

No need to go back and read the thread Bob, I have been following it since it started, and anybody is allowed to "jump in" whenever they want.

Anyway back to my question, why is it a copout ?

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Read the post about the vehicle, then read this.

That may be true. But if it came to a choice between my family and yours... (well you can see where this is going)

Where is that going? If a terrorist suspect posted that, he would be closely watched. I'm saying, and Tombie is included in this, I can think of no Australian who has to live in fear to the extent that they need to arm themselves, or go in fear. If that is the case, they are either living in the wrong place, or have an over active imagination.

Where did I say I needed to be armed?
Bob? Read what was written...
I stated - if I have to make a choice between (the safety) of my family or yours.... (well I wouldn’t be prioritising yours over mine)...

It was based on the comment that “a human life is a human life regardless”...

And whilst THAT statement is true - I won’t choose any life to protect, as a priority I will choose my family first.... if that be from a rogue idiot in a Commodore, a truck in Paris, a gang in a local park, a group of thugs in a street....

Never once did I even elude to the act of being armed...

That’s just your axe you’re grinding...

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Originally Posted by bob10

I can think of no Australian who has to live in fear to the extent that they need to arm themselves, or go in fear. If that is the case, they are either living in the wrong place, or have an over active imagination.

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Are you saying there ARE places where people may be compelled to feel they need to be armed with some form of self defence?

I can think of several places throughout Australia that you wouldn’t walk alone, especially at night...

And if you’d lived there a long time may well be stuck in the middle of it all...

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Originally Posted by bob10

Read the post about the vehicle, then read this.

That may be true. But if it came to a choice between my family and yours... (well you can see where this is going)

Where is that going? If a terrorist suspect posted that, he would be closely watched. I'm saying, and Tombie is included in this, I can think of no Australian who has to live in fear to the extent that they need to arm themselves, or go in fear. If that is the case, they are either living in the wrong place, or have an over active imagination.

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My read on Tombie's post was that he would protect his family first as would I and I dare say most people would. He never once mentioned that he had to arm himself to do so.

His Melbourne example as you are aware, actual happened and the gist of it I believe is that he would drag his family out of the lunatics way before he would a stranger. Nothing more and nothing less. I am not sure how that concept can be interpreted any other way.

Writing from Texas - according to the Houston Chronicle the perpetrator was discharged from the airforce for a domestic violence offence that got him 12 months behind bars and a dishonourable discharge. The church was his wife's church. He was apparently shot in an exchange of fire with a local outside the church who was coming to help with a rifle. It is unclear whether he committed suicide or died as a result of the exchange of gunfire - he dropped his rifle and drove off, but crashed about ten miles away while being pursued by police.

His conviction means that he could not legally own a gun under existing laws.

An interesting discussion in the paper yesterday on the propriety of asking whether there are any guns in the house before allowing your children to visit their friends' houses. Apparently there are thousands of children shot per year by other children, nearly all accidentally. The advice was that you should ask the question. It seems to me that this is a more serious issue than mass shootings!

John

You take care over there John,,

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Originally Posted by Tombie

Or Bob, when in Sydney as a young Pusser, out on the town with a few shipmates.. in uniform, and we were set upon for no reason other than our uniforms/career choice....

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Happened to almost every serviceman. I'm not trying to rattle your chain, Tombie. I just think we should think carefully before posting, [ myself included]. Tell you a story about Blacktown, back in the 60's. Apprentices returning from Sydney, usually late at night, were being set upon by packs of hoods, for want of a better word, first at Blacktown station, then along the road from Quakers hill station, on the way to the depot. Commander Sir organised a train patrol, along the road from the station to the depot. Only senior Apprentices were in the patrol, and only the bigger ones. Armed with night sticks, and dressed in uniform with "NP" armbands, the problem was cleaned up quickly. This only encouraged the " hoods " to increase their activities in Blacktown itself, especially at the station.
This required some creative thinking, and some of the senior apprentices used their initiative, got all apprentices together one night, walked along the railway line to Blacktown, and proceeded to dish out summary punishment .Rumour has it one of the apprentices father was a policeman at Blacktown, giving unofficial approval, but with police overview, to keep it under control. Turns out some of the heroes who hunted in packs, had no heart when the boot was on the other foot. At the appropriate moment, the police moved in, gave the apprentices 30 minutes to get out of town, and with a wink and a nod, did the old " and don't do that again."

The OOD worked out something was amiss, and cleared lower deck. All that turned up was duty watch. Meanwhile, the miscreants were coming back in dribs and drabs, Sneaking thru the long grass from the railway line to the airfield, OOD Sir had organised duty watch into patrols to catch the infiltrators, but they all had temporary blindness. The next day Commander Sir was informed of the situation by the OOD and the Blacktown police sergeant. The police requested the apprentices keep their activities to their own patch in future, but commented on how quiet Blacktown was now, nod nod wink wink , say no more. Commander Sir tore strips off the OOD for being completely unaware of what was happening, and the fact the boys had to walk to and from Blacktown. Under the circumstances, Commander Sir said OOD should have provided buses. So the story goes.

All this was done without guns. And may it always be so. Even a coward can be a hero with a gun in his hand.

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Originally Posted by Tombie

Are you saying there ARE places where people may be compelled to feel they need to be armed with some form of self defence?

I can think of several places throughout Australia that you wouldn’t walk alone, especially at night...

And if you’d lived there a long time may well be stuck in the middle of it all...

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Slightly off topic but only a bit. As a 15 year old moving from a Navy Base in WA to Sydney with a few lads one of whom was from Sydney was interesting. He had us all convinced of knife slashing and stolen wallets with more. [bighmmm]

All of my mates did have our wallets shoved down the front of our pants the first time. After that it was just our home[thumbsupbig]

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Originally Posted by NavyDiver

All of my mates did have our wallets shoved sown the front of our pants the first time. After that it was just our home[thumbsupbig]

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What? Your hands down your pants? [bigwhistle]

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Originally Posted by NavyDiver

Slightly off topic but only a bit. As a 15 year old moving from a Navy Base in WA to Sydney with a few lads one of whom was from Sydney was interesting. He had us all convinced of knife slashing and stolen wallets with more. [bighmmm]

All of my mates did have our wallets shoved sown the front of our pants the first time. After that it was just our home[thumbsupbig]

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We experienced it... a few times....
I still have the scar from one encounter..