@MasterPlanSoftware said:
@ammoQ said:
I'd say "self defence" has a different meaning for them
It means staying alive no matter the odds. What does it mean for you?
A security guard or soldier has to expect a heavily armed, highly determined attacker, so he needs equivalent equipment too. And of course he is willing to bear the consequences, like carrying several kilograms of weaponry and ammo with him. For the same reasons, soldiers wear helmets and bulletproof wests and I don't. Survival means hundreds of things to them, while for me it means taking care in road traffic and having my health checked regulary.
As a peace-loving non-rich person, I simply have no reason to expect any kind of attack that could not be taken care of with a .38 pistol. In fact, I have hardly any reason to expect any kind of serious attack at all. I feel safe even without a gun in my home. Since I have two kids, I feel even safer without guns. But, well, the city where I live in is pretty safe in terms of felony, YMMV.
@ammoQ said:
I wonder how many rounds American hunters need to kill a deer?
Usually one, how does this make any difference in having a bolt action or a semi-auto rifle? You cannot always guarantee a clean kill, some people would like to have a round ready in case there is a problem. If you are saying in your country no one ever needs to take a second shot on large game, then you are either clueless or lying.
Also, where there are deer, there are often bears and other animals. Would you like to take a shot on a deer and suddenly be confronted by a bear? In that case you will be hoping and praying for something that can fire more than one round.
We obviosly have a different concept of "hunting" here. In Austria, deer hunters most likely sit in a high seat when they shoot. Bears... well, there are less bears in Austria than trolls in the TDWTF forum. Except in a few areas where those twentysomething bears live, hunters simply will never ever encounter bears, wolves or any other predators larger than foxes.
Of course our hunters often need a second shoot, too. And yes, that
means a few seconds to reload the rifle. Two years ago, I hit a wild pig with my car. It survived, but was badly
injured. I called the police, they called hunters and IIRC the hunter needed
three rounds to kill the poor pig. A semiautomatic riffle might have helped, but on the other hand, I don't like the idea of hunters shooting round after round close to a busy road.
Over here anyone of use could be drafted at any time. Therefore encouraging competitions for markmanship is not only a great activity and a lot of fun, it could help us in a war someday to have a large portion of people familiar with AR-15s.
Obviously, it takes a lot more to make someone an effective soldier than just his ability to handle a gun. During the last months of WWII, the nazis threw poorly educated kids and old men against the enemy. Needless to say that they were hardly anything more than cannon fodder. Anyway, since the regular military forces of the US have enough power to scare off any potential enemy, chances are extremely low that normal people will ever be drafted to defend their country. Unless "fighting in an oil-rich country on the other side of the world against alleged terrorists" counts as self-defence.