Ask An American

[Stubblecat]

In the spirit of Zark's 'Ask A Canadian" thread, I feel we citizens of The Big Dominion need some questions answered about your crazy, mixed-up country.

Here are a few that come to mind:

1. If you and the Missus go to a hospital and have a baby, do you get a bill in the mail the next month? And how much would it cost?

2. How easy is it to purchase a handgun from a gun shop? Here in Canada it's a massive ordeal involving taking a handgun course, joining a gun club, having a sponsor log your time at said gun club for a full year, being voted into full membership at said club, having the club sign off paperwork which allows you to transport a gun from your home to the club (and nowhere else. That requires more paperwork) and then the actual purchase of the gun which involes a waiting period...

3. Does your average 7-11 store sell anything harder than beer? Can you buy wine or hard liquor?

4. Has anyone here tried the Wal-Mart store-brand wine that sells for just a few dollars? I seem to recall something called 2-Buck Chuck.

5. What the hell is with NASCAR? Am I missing something here? It seems just kind of like 'Drive a bit... Take a left... Drive some more... Take another left...'

6. When you watch television without anything fancy like a satellite dish or premium service, how many channels do you get? Do you just plug in your TV and get a good dozen channels or so? What we call 'cable' in Canada is I guess what you call 'broadcast' in the U.S. We have to pay about $40 a month just to see the standard stuff like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc...

[Dan Mancini]

1. We didn't pay a dime for the delivery of either baby. Due to some paperwork confusion or something, I had to cut a check for $500 before they let us take the second one home, but the insurance company promptly refunded us.

2. I've never owned a gun, so I have no clue.

3. Being in the Bible belt, Atlanta is hardcore weird when it comes to booze (at least for this Midwesterner). The only places that have hard liquor are liquor stores. Period. Convenience stores and supermarkets only carry beer and wine. And you can't buy booze of any kind on Sundays (except at bars or in restaurants).

4. Hell no.

5. Not a fan, so I won't comment.

6. Living in a metropolitan area, I can easily pull 20 or so channels out of the air (that doesn't stop me from paying for Directv, though). People who live in the sticks would get considerably fewer.

[TemporalWisdom]

1. Have no kids, but typically if you have insurance and fill out the paperwork, it's all taken care of. Maybe with a $20 co-pay. If you are sans insurance, you're screwed.

2. How easy it is to get depends on the state. And some counties/cities will have their own barriers to gun ownership. I hear it takes months to get a carry permit in New York City, for example. Here in Maryland, you walk into a store, watch a video, and you're issued a card that proves you've watched the video. Then you can start stockpiling for your uprising. Of course, buying one illegally is another story. Depends on how lawless a locale you live in and whether you know where to look.

3. I've never seen a 7-11 that sells alcoholic beverages at all. Maybe I just haven't noticed.

4. Ugh.

5. People watch it hoping to see a spectacular crash.

6. Beats me. I live with my folks, and I wouldn't pay for cable if I lived alone -- I watch everything on DVD now.

[Zanarkand]

1. If you and the Missus go to a hospital and have a baby, do you get a bill in the mail the next month? And how much would it cost?
Yes we would. How much depends on your insurance plan. With no insurance it will be roughly $4,000 to $6,000

2. How easy is it to purchase a handgun from a gun shop? Here in Canada it's a massive ordeal involving taking a handgun course, joining a gun club, having a sponsor log your time at said gun club for a full year, being voted into full membership at said club, having the club sign off paperwork which allows you to transport a gun from your home to the club (and nowhere else. That requires more paperwork) and then the actual purchase of the gun which involes a waiting period...
Good Golly MIss Molly!!
Down here handgun rules are much simpler. You walk into a gun shop, fill out the forms, and pay. Feeral law says to buy a handgun you must be 21, have no felony convictions, and must not have been dishonorably discharged from the military.
Fed law then says a 5 day wait until you can have the gun. Each state is free to add more wait time. California has 2 weeks waiting period on all guns, plus a test on basic gun knowledge you must pass before you can buy a gun.

3. Does your average 7-11 store sell anything harder than beer? Can you buy wine or hard liquor?
Wine and wine coolers yes, anything harder no. No whikey Tequila, vodka etc.

4. Has anyone here tried the Wal-Mart store-brand wine that sells for just a few dollars? I seem to recall something called 2-Buck Chuck.
Not me.

5. What the hell is with NASCAR? Am I missing something here? It seems just kind of like 'Drive a bit... Take a left... Drive some more... Take another left...'
Essentially, that is NASCAR. people who drive in a circle 500 times, and the morons who pay to watch this happen.

6. When you watch television without anything fancy like a satellite dish or premium service, how many channels do you get? Do you just plug in your TV and get a good dozen channels or so? What we call 'cable' in Canada is I guess what you call 'broadcast' in the U.S. We have to pay about $40 a month just to see the standard stuff like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc...
With no cable or satelite, one would get roughly 12 channels. The big 4 (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, also the local PBS channel, as well as the local Christian channel, and a few other local channels. And of course the Spanish channel TeleMundo.

[Bryan Pope]

1. If you and the Missus go to a hospital and have a baby, do you get a bill in the mail the next month? And how much would it cost?
We'd get several, and over the course of the next FEW months. There's the bill from the hospital for my wife's care, the bill from the hospital nursery for our baby's care, then anesthesiology (for the epidural). And that's AFTER we pay our deductible up front. The ob/gyn is a flat $25 copay that covers all prenatal visits and the delivery.

2. How easy is it to purchase a handgun from a gun shop?
No idea. I prefer keeping a Louisville Slugger underneath my side of the bed.

3. Does your average 7-11 store sell anything harder than beer? Can you buy wine or hard liquor?
No 7-11 stores in my neck of the woods anymore. They're all Stripes or E-Z Marts.

4. Has anyone here tried the Wal-Mart store-brand wine that sells for just a few dollars? I seem to recall something called 2-Buck Chuck.
No, and ewwww.

5. What the hell is with NASCAR? Am I missing something here?
No idea. I don't watch it, and I'm not about to poke fun at people who do. That gets you an ass-kicking around here.

6. When you watch television without anything fancy like a satellite dish or premium service, how many channels do you get?
Two, I think. A non-local NBC channel and PBS.

[mkiker2089]

In the spirit of Zark's 'Ask A Canadian" thread, I feel we citizens of The Big Dominion need some questions answered about your crazy, mixed-up country.

Here are a few that come to mind:

1. If you and the Missus go to a hospital and have a baby, do you get a bill in the mail the next month? And how much would it cost?

2. How easy is it to purchase a handgun from a gun shop? Here in Canada it's a massive ordeal involving taking a handgun course, joining a gun club, having a sponsor log your time at said gun club for a full year, being voted into full membership at said club, having the club sign off paperwork which allows you to transport a gun from your home to the club (and nowhere else. That requires more paperwork) and then the actual purchase of the gun which involes a waiting period...

3. Does your average 7-11 store sell anything harder than beer? Can you buy wine or hard liquor?

4. Has anyone here tried the Wal-Mart store-brand wine that sells for just a few dollars? I seem to recall something called 2-Buck Chuck.

5. What the hell is with NASCAR? Am I missing something here? It seems just kind of like 'Drive a bit... Take a left... Drive some more... Take another left...'

6. When you watch television without anything fancy like a satellite dish or premium service, how many channels do you get? Do you just plug in your TV and get a good dozen channels or so? What we call 'cable' in Canada is I guess what you call 'broadcast' in the U.S. We have to pay about $40 a month just to see the standard stuff like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc...

1. depends. We have no laws regarding competition. If someone wants to go to a resort style hospital it can be millions. Others have insurance or medicaid and get it free-ish.

2. Handguns vary by state. Most states allow "gun shows" that can sell a gun same day. Typically though it's seven days and the ability to carry it varies. Many states allow concealed weapons now. America is arming itself at an alarming rate.

3. Varies by state. Where liquor is sold freely it can be bought at stores like that. Other states require it to be in a special shop. Where I live you have to go to a store ran by the ABC.

4. I don't drink

5. There's a bit more to it but if you don't like it don't look back. Find something you do like.

6. We get all the American networks, at least one PBS (varies by region, we have two) and now the digital equivilant. That gives us typically two of each network which may or may not be the same content at a different resolution. PBS often has much more though.

[Stubblecat]

Interesting...

So how much does medical insurance cost per month? Do most employers offer it?

Why do so many Americans seem to hate Puerto Rico so much? Here in Canada, we'd be desperately happy to have a tropical territory where our money is good. We're trying to appropriate Turks and Caicos. I'm guessing there something about Puerto Rican immigration and culture that might rub some people the wrong way...

What does the average American think about Canada? I sense there's a bit of xenophobia about other countries sometimes, but maybe that's just my perception.

[Dan Mancini]

Interesting...

So how much does medical insurance cost per month? Do most employers offer it?

Depends on a bunch of factors, including how much your employer pays, whether you're covered under an HMO, PPO, or something else, and the co-pays and/or deductibles associated with the plan. Generally speaking, though, insurance runs between $25 and $50 per two-week pay period for single coverage.

Why do so many Americans seem to hate Puerto Rico so much? Here in Canada, we'd be desperately happy to have a tropical territory where our money is good. We're trying to appropriate Turks and Caicos. I'm guessing there something about Puerto Rican immigration and culture that might rub some people the wrong way...

Americans love Puerto Rico. We just hate Puerto Ricans. Just kidding. But seriously, I had no idea we hated Puerto Rico.

What does the average American think about Canada? I sense there's a bit of xenophobia about other countries sometimes, but maybe that's just my perception.

[Bryan Pope]

So how much does medical insurance cost per month? Do most employers offer it?

I work for a major university system, and we can choose from a handful of medical insurance plans. I'm about to switch from my HMO to BlueCross BlueShield. I'll pay roughly $50/month for individual coverage. My wife pays considerably more than that to cover herself and our kids. Once we meet our $350/person deductible, we pay 20% of remaining costs out of pocket. Standard office visits and checkups don't apply toward the deductible.

Why do so many Americans seem to hate Puerto Rico so much?

Actually, nobody knows in America Puerto Rico's in America.

I like Canada. You gave us Anne Murray, so you're alright.

[Zanarkand]

So how much does medical insurance cost per month? Do most employers offer it?

Only white collar emplyers offer it. If you are blue collar you need a Union or you get nothing. In Health
Care, the US is nothing like Canada.

Why do so many Americans seem to hate Puerto Rico so much? Here in Canada, we'd be desperately happy to have a tropical territory where our money is good. We're trying to appropriate Turks and Caicos. I'm guessing there something about Puerto Rican immigration and culture that might rub some people the wrong way...

Mancini was only kidding, but he had it right. Americans love Puerto Rico. However it is Peurto Ricans they don't like.
They are mostly in the Northeast and Southeast. I have met only a handful of them, they seemed nice enough to me.
Your average American does not want PR to become the 51st state since they are "not like us" (Hawaii anyone?)
Anyhow, in the end, PR has twice now found a way out of becoming the 51st state.

What does the average American think about Canada? I sense there's a bit of xenophobia about other countries sometimes, but maybe that's just my perception.

One word: Moose. I have never heard Canada come up without the word Moose thrown in at least once. Also: Eskimo,
Aboot, Fishing, Loonie & Toony. These are all things that come up often when Canada comes up.
Americans are Xenophobic in general. Some are worse than others, but there is no such thing as an American with
no Xenophobia at all. In regards to Canada, I have seen nothing negative toward it, mostly just the Moose & Loony
talk. Not that Canadian care. Mexico on the other hand...Just pure hate toward that place. It is the same with PR:
Americans love going to tropical Mexico. It is Mexicans they don't like. Not 2 days go by when the California media
fails to make Mexico and its people ESPECIALLY those in the US out to be the spawn of Satan himself. You would
think they wuold get bored of it eventually. The Swine Flu is only the newest example. And that actually started
in the US!

[mkiker2089]

I think most americans hardly ever think of PR.

It'd be nice to make it a state but they prefer to be independent. Besides, we have Hawaii as a state and many territory islands that are better vacation spots.

[Dunnyman]

1. If you and the Missus go to a hospital and have a baby, do you get a bill in the mail the next month? And how much would it cost?

2. How easy is it to purchase a handgun from a gun shop? Here in Canada it's a massive ordeal involving taking a handgun course, joining a gun club, having a sponsor log your time at said gun club for a full year, being voted into full membership at said club, having the club sign off paperwork which allows you to transport a gun from your home to the club (and nowhere else. That requires more paperwork) and then the actual purchase of the gun which involes a waiting period...

3. Does your average 7-11 store sell anything harder than beer? Can you buy wine or hard liquor?

4. Has anyone here tried the Wal-Mart store-brand wine that sells for just a few dollars? I seem to recall something called 2-Buck Chuck.

5. What the hell is with NASCAR? Am I missing something here? It seems just kind of like 'Drive a bit... Take a left... Drive some more... Take another left...'

6. When you watch television without anything fancy like a satellite dish or premium service, how many channels do you get? Do you just plug in your TV and get a good dozen channels or so? What we call 'cable' in Canada is I guess what you call 'broadcast' in the U.S. We have to pay about $40 a month just to see the standard stuff like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc...

1. Never had any kids that have been legally proven to be mine, so I wouldn't know. Actually, it all depends on your insurance. My brother worked for the county when his kids were born and he paid a 10.00 copay upon entering the hospital, and nothing more.
2. Handguns vary widely from state to state, Washington State where I currently live is a five day wait with a safety test passed, and no felonies on your record. California was much stricter, with 15 days waiting, no mental issues, no felonies, and a short course passed.
3. Washington restricts hard liquor to state run stores, which is fine by me as we have no low-rent liquor stores to blight neighborhoods, but wine can be purchased just about anywhere, including 7-11's. I have seen gas station mini-marts in California selling hard stuff, but I don't know if there are any 7-11's that do.
4. I refuse to shop at WalMart on principle, but Two Buck Chuck is from the wonderful folks at Trader Joe's. Basically, they'll buy excess production from wineries, and mix it all together by type, and call it Charles Shaw for two dollars a bottle. It's like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you're gonna get. My best friend drinks Merlot, and she loves it for the most part, but gets a bottle that's not so great from time to time. I'm more of a Reisling drinker and they don't have one so I drink the stuff rarely.
5. NASCAR is way more complicated than that, involving chassis setups, fuel mileage, aerodynamics, tire wear, etc. It makes as much sense to most Canadians as curling does to most Americans.
6. Varies widely depending on where you live. I live at the base of the mountains in a small valley, without a dish or cable, I get static. Basic cable runs me about 35.00 a month, the satellite ran about 50.00, but I'd lose my signal in rough weather. Both got me all the networks, PBS, ESPN, TNT, etc.

Interesting...

1. So how much does medical insurance cost per month? Do most employers offer it?

2. Why do so many Americans seem to hate Puerto Rico so much? Here in Canada, we'd be desperately happy to have a tropical territory where our money is good. We're trying to appropriate Turks and Caicos. I'm guessing there something about Puerto Rican immigration and culture that might rub some people the wrong way...

3.What does the average American think about Canada? I sense there's a bit of xenophobia about other countries sometimes, but maybe that's just my perception.

1. All depends on who you work for. As a self employed artist, there's no way in hell I can afford coverage, but my part time gig has been lucky enough to offer it at a reasonable price. I've got a 20.00 office visit or hospital visit, all tests covered, super cheap prescriptions, and it actually covers chiropractic care as well as massage for a significant discount. Not bad for waiting tables.

2. Don't hate 'em, but I'm not a hater based on race. Then again, there's very few in California or Washington, but the one's I've met are usually all right. A bit less open and clannish, but there's lots of groups like that.

3. The average Californian sees Canada as hockey playing, beer drinking, moose eating maniacs. You all live in igloos and say "eh" after every single sentence. The average moderately educated Washingtonian sees you as some really nice people who just happen be in a different country, and I've seen cases of lazy Americans refusing to stand during the Canadian anthem at races getting their asses kicked by their fellow Americans for being so damned rude to the neighbors. We also try to be neighborly by carrying Molson and Labatt's on tap at most bars.

[molly1216]

indeed 5 or 6 grand to HAVE a baby...but just try invitro ferilization..it's 10K+ per treatment hence you want to stuff as many of them eggs in your basket as possible.

the rules depends on the state..then there are gun shows where you can walk in and buy a gun and wave a false ID at someone who won't be running any checks. Authorities estimate that between 25 and 50 percent of vendors at gun shows are unlicensed.(i looked this up)

this also depends on the state, in MASS hard liquor licenses are expensive and those stores generally sell MOSTLY booze with a few convenience items. Convenience stores CAN get a beer and wine license. NH grants beer and wine licenses to grocery stores and such, but has its own liquor stores...along HIGHWAYS no-less.

IF i still had a roof antenna connect to a TV..before digital transition of course...i got 4 or 5 VHF stations and 3 UHF stations - i should have gotten 4 but that one has a tower too close to my house and the signal passed over me. with rabbit ears I got nothing...way too much EM interference from all the fracking cable and power lines bleeding into hell and gone. I have no idea what the digital transition would have given me. but i would guess nothing MORE.

[barnaclelapse]

I've got a good one:

What the hell, man?!

[Zanarkand]

I'm not sure, I missed the start.

[barnaclelapse]

It was kind of a generalized question.

[Zanarkand]

In that case, the answer is: Because

[chris_mcclinch]

the rules depends on the state..then there are gun shows where you can walk in and buy a gun and wave a false ID at someone who won't be running any checks. Authorities estimate that between 25 and 50 percent of vendors at gun shows are unlicensed.(i looked this up)

Yes and no. I may be the only regular gun show attender and purchaser here in the forums, and I can tell you that all three handgun purchases I've made at gun shows involved the nice people holding onto my driver's license until the background check came back with a clear police record. My most recent rifle purchase didn't involve a check, but it didn't involve a request for my ID either. This was what opponents of gun shows would call an unlicensed vendor and what everyone else would call a private sale. I bought a World War II issue bolt-action rifle from a collector who was selling off a couple of pieces and rented a table at the gun show because it's easier than taking out a classified ad or putting up flyers at work.

[molly1216]

the rules depends on the state..then there are gun shows where you can walk in and buy a gun and wave a false ID at someone who won't be running any checks. Authorities estimate that between 25 and 50 percent of vendors at gun shows are unlicensed.(i looked this up)

Yes and no. I may be the only regular gun show attender and purchaser here in the forums, and I can tell you that all three handgun purchases I've made at gun shows involved the nice people holding onto my driver's license until the background check came back with a clear police record. My most recent rifle purchase didn't involve a check, but it didn't involve a request for my ID either. This was what opponents of gun shows would call an unlicensed vendor and what everyone else would call a private sale. I bought a World War II issue bolt-action rifle from a collector who was selling off a couple of pieces and rented a table at the gun show because it's easier than taking out a classified ad or putting up flyers at work.

actually i am never as worried about illegal gun sales as the legal ones.
most of the folks in my neck of the woods tend to get shot with legal ones.
even 8 year olds are killing themselves with perfectly legal Uzi's
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444180,00.html

[chris_mcclinch]

actually i am never as worried about illegal gun sales as the legal ones.
most of the folks in my neck of the woods tend to get shot with legal ones.
even 8 year olds are killing themselves with perfectly legal Uzi's
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444180,00.html

I remember this story well, and I remember thinking that both instructor and dad were criminally negligent. There's no way you put a firearm more powerful than a .22 in the hands of an 8-year-old, and even then you make sure the kid has the weapon on a bench rest and your hand (or the instructor's) ready to control the muzzle in case recoil spooks him. That's just common sense. Unfortunately, as with driver's licenses and the right to vote, there's no requirement that you pass an IQ test to buy a firearm. This is a tragedy, but the solution isn't to make it more difficult to legally buy a firearm.

[TemporalWisdom]

actually i am never as worried about illegal gun sales as the legal ones.
most of the folks in my neck of the woods tend to get shot with legal ones.
even 8 year olds are killing themselves with perfectly legal Uzi's
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444180,00.html

I remember this story well, and I remember thinking that both instructor and dad were criminally negligent. There's no way you put a firearm more powerful than a .22 in the hands of an 8-year-old, and even then you make sure the kid has the weapon on a bench rest and your hand (or the instructor's) ready to control the muzzle in case recoil spooks him. That's just common sense. Unfortunately, as with driver's licenses and the right to vote, there's no requirement that you pass an IQ test to buy a firearm. This is a tragedy, but the solution isn't to make it more difficult to legally buy a firearm.

Yeah. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" may be trite, but it's true. If you're the sort of person who's going to misuse a firearm, you're probably going to get a gun somehow. What's really needed is education on gun safety. They tell kids never to play around with a gun, but inevitably some are stupid enough to do it. If they knew to check the chamber as well as the clip, they'd be able to tell if a gun was loaded or not. I read somewhere that that's what causes most gun accidents, that people eject the clip and don't realize there still may be a round in the chamber. Mind, I don't know if that's true.

You know, my dad let my sister and me watch him work with power tools in the shop from a very young age, and let us start using tools pretty early on too, because we were careful. And we were careful because we were aware of the risk. We knew playing around could get someone hurt, and when the tools came out, it was time to be serious.

Try telling a kid, "Don't play around with a gun because it may be loaded even if you think it isn't," and leave it at that. They'll think you're being overbearing. My internal reaction was, "how can it still be loaded if you take the bullets out?" I didn't play with any guns, but back then my mom's above warning sounded ridiculous. Kids need to know HOW a gun is dangerous. Take them out to the range and walk them through the various dangers. Once they know exactly how they can end up bleeding on the ground, most of them will treat firearms with more respect.

[barnaclelapse]

In that case, the answer is: Because

Ah, okay.

That's a relief.

[Steve T Power]

As someone who's a bit of a self-proclaimed "gun nut", firearms laws in the US make me want to vomit. No offense to Chris or other collectors - but the idea of everyone with a valid driver's license being able to purchase a handgun terrifies the crap out of me. One thing i truly feel Britain and, to a lesser extent, Canada have been doing 100 percent totally right. There's ZERO reason why anyone outside of military or law enforcement/security should own a handgun or concealable weapon, and where security guards/rent-a-cops are concerned, when they aren't working, said firearms should be secured in a weapons locker at their place of employment.

Very un-American of me to say it - but that's one area where the constitution totally effed up.

[Stubblecat]

Uh-oh... I sense a wacky repeat of my old "The Tricky Issue Of Downloading" thread...

[mkiker2089]

Gun control is a tough issue. The people who shouldn't have them will get them perhaps. However making it easier to flood the market with them makes it easier to get them illegally also. You've also got think of it on a societal basis which is complex also. Society in general has it's weakest links. On the other hand of that we are being taught to be scared little sheep which makes it crime more palatable. Why work if you don't have to, you don't even have to fight anymore. Just tell someone that you have a gun and they throw money at you. On a single person basis it's being safe but for society it's not.

[chris_mcclinch]

As someone who's a bit of a self-proclaimed "gun nut", firearms laws in the US make me want to vomit. No offense to Chris or other collectors - but the idea of everyone with a valid driver's license being able to purchase a handgun terrifies the crap out of me. One thing i truly feel Britain and, to a lesser extent, Canada have been doing 100 percent totally right. There's ZERO reason why anyone outside of military or law enforcement/security should own a handgun or concealable weapon, and where security guards/rent-a-cops are concerned, when they aren't working, said firearms should be secured in a weapons locker at their place of employment.

Very un-American of me to say it - but that's one area where the constitution totally effed up.

No offense taken, but "everyone with a valid driver's license" is not permitted to own a handgun. People with felony convictions, and people with convictions for misdemeanors involving stalking, violence, or threats of violence are justly prohibited from purchasing or owning firearms. People whose records are clear of these crimes are judged to have demonstrated sufficient judgment to this point in their lives to be trusted with a deadly weapon. And I'm okay with that.

What I'm not okay with is disarming the law-abiding. My handguns present no threat to me or to anyone else, they currently don't leave my house except to go to the range (I haven't bothered getting a concealed carry permit), and I'd be upset if they were criminalized or taken from me without my having done anything to justify it. This is doubly true because handgun bans affect only the law-abiding. Passing a handgun ban will do NOTHING to take handguns out of the hands of the people who use them to prey on others; it will only disarm their potential victims.

[Future Man]

Why is US gun violence so utterly out of proportion to that of so many other countries? I think it's largely because of easier access to guns. People may kill people, but discharging a gun is too much like pushing a button to have the same inherent deterrent that other dangerous instrumentalities have. Countrywide handgun bans in other countries affect the criminal as well as the law-abiding. A handgun ban in, say, New York that is not mirrored in a neighboring state teaches us nothing about what a countrywide ban would do. Although we are far past the point of putting the toothpaste back in the tube, I don't think that a nationwide ban on assault weapons, and for that matter any high-capacity handgun, is unreasonable nor would it have been unthinkable to our muzzle-loading forefathers.

[chris_mcclinch]

Why is US gun violence so utterly out of proportion to that of so many other countries? I think it's largely because of easier access to guns.

I don't. I think it's largely because there are subcultures in the US that place a MUCH lower value on human life. Rates of gun violence in the US are high, but rates of gun violence outside of gang cultures are much lower.

People may kill people, but discharging a gun is too much like pushing a button to have the same inherent deterrent that other dangerous instrumentalities have.

Here you have a point, but the laws restricting who can and cannot own guns legally are designed to keep the people for whom taking a life is just "pushing a button" from legally owning a gun. For the rest of us, even an unloaded gun carries a sense of moral weight because of its destructive capabilities. I know that I respect my firearms in a way that I don't respect other potentially lethal implements such as knives, baseball bats, sledgehammers, or crowbars--and I suspect that most normal people are in the same camp.

Countrywide handgun bans in other countries affect the criminal as well as the law-abiding.

But you also have nations in which ownership of a fully automatic weapon is compulsory (Israel, Sweden) where gun violence is also substantially lower than in the US. It has far less to do with availability of firearms than the valuation the culture places on human life.

A handgun ban in, say, New York that is not mirrored in a neighboring state teaches us nothing about what a countrywide ban would do. Although we are far past the point of putting the toothpaste back in the tube, I don't think that a nationwide ban on assault weapons, and for that matter any high-capacity handgun, is unreasonable nor would it have been unthinkable to our muzzle-loading forefathers.

And here I think you're completely off your rocker. If you look at the language of the Second Amendment, it says nothing about sport usage or hunting. It talks about a well-regulated militia, which implies that firearms that have military application (and plausibly ONLY firearms that have military application) are expressly protected under the Constitution. Remember that foremost in the minds of the founders was to ensure that a corrupt government could not render its citizenry powerless to rebel. Our forefathers may have used muzzle-loading muskets, but muzzle-loading muskets were shit-hot military technology--the equivalent of M-4s with Aimpoint optics at the end of the 18th century.

[Steve T Power]

As someone who's a bit of a self-proclaimed "gun nut", firearms laws in the US make me want to vomit. No offense to Chris or other collectors - but the idea of everyone with a valid driver's license being able to purchase a handgun terrifies the crap out of me. One thing i truly feel Britain and, to a lesser extent, Canada have been doing 100 percent totally right. There's ZERO reason why anyone outside of military or law enforcement/security should own a handgun or concealable weapon, and where security guards/rent-a-cops are concerned, when they aren't working, said firearms should be secured in a weapons locker at their place of employment.

Very un-American of me to say it - but that's one area where the constitution totally effed up.

No offense taken, but "everyone with a valid driver's license" is not permitted to own a handgun. People with felony convictions, and people with convictions for misdemeanors involving stalking, violence, or threats of violence are justly prohibited from purchasing or owning firearms. People whose records are clear of these crimes are judged to have demonstrated sufficient judgment to this point in their lives to be trusted with a deadly weapon. And I'm okay with that.

What I'm not okay with is disarming the law-abiding. My handguns present no threat to me or to anyone else, they currently don't leave my house except to go to the range (I haven't bothered getting a concealed carry permit), and I'd be upset if they were criminalized or taken from me without my having done anything to justify it. This is doubly true because handgun bans affect only the law-abiding. Passing a handgun ban will do NOTHING to take handguns out of the hands of the people who use them to prey on others; it will only disarm their potential victims.

Totally agree, that's why i added my little "The Constitution totally effed that part up" caveat. The whole "Right to Bear Arms" thing. It's gone way too far to do anything about it now. It's like letting people play with legos for a couple of hundred years then suddenly embargoing all lego blocks.

I won't argue that a man in a position like yourself should(and would) have just as little trouble collecting handguns here in Canada, and it's generally fine to say that a relatively well adjusted individual like yourself may be fine with a handgun. I just don't think it's really something the general public should have access to. It's just the way i feel about it. Which is one of those insanity ticks i have - considering i was raised on a diet of red meat 80's action films, and punisher war journal and G.I Joe comics. Only in the 80's would you read a comic book that told you the muzzle velocity and cartridge capacity of an M-16 *wink*.

[Dunnyman]

the rules depends on the state..then there are gun shows where you can walk in and buy a gun and wave a false ID at someone who won't be running any checks. Authorities estimate that between 25 and 50 percent of vendors at gun shows are unlicensed.(i looked this up)

Yes and no. I may be the only regular gun show attender and purchaser here in the forums

Not quite. Get ready to have the shock of your life. I not only regularly attend shows, but have a decent collection of firearms. Yep, this commie-pinko is armed to the teeth. I've got three different pistols, and nine rifles (I love bolt actions from the WW1 era) and I'll freely admit that the laws we have are kind of messed up with no real solution in sight. Steve, you say that there should be no need for a pistol, but when I ran my t-shirt company, I routinely would carry 2-8 thousand in cash to the shirt warehouses because they'd never accept checks. These warehouses were for the most part located in some pretty rough places, and I had my concealed permit for my own security. I was a gunner's mate in the US Navy, and I know safety and secure handling of firearms quite well. Without that concealed permit, I was going to be killed most likely in a robbery or I would have had to rely on UPS and lose three to five days in transit. I was no danger to anyone else, but the thousands of punks running in Oakland were certainly a danger to me, and I felt a lot better. As long as the person is checked thoroughly, passes all the required safety exams and courses, there should be no reason why they can't purchase a handgun. They have their uses, target shooting mainly, and handguns have their place in hunting as backup.
I think the fault in our Constitution was in allowing the states to set their own laws, and furthermore some states allow different laws within cities and counties. I was stunned to find out in Texas I could buy a friggen' AK-47 with only a valid ID! (this was sometime ago) whereas I could only buy vintage rifles in California with ID, anything new or current required a waiting period.
The whole ugly problem though is that the criminals don't care about the laws. There's enough people out there with guns that I don't trust, that if they start banning guns, I'm going to ignore the laws then. I'd rather break the law than be dead.

[Steve T Power]

the rules depends on the state..then there are gun shows where you can walk in and buy a gun and wave a false ID at someone who won't be running any checks. Authorities estimate that between 25 and 50 percent of vendors at gun shows are unlicensed.(i looked this up)

Yes and no. I may be the only regular gun show attender and purchaser here in the forums

Not quite. Get ready to have the shock of your life. I not only regularly attend shows, but have a decent collection of firearms. Yep, this commie-pinko is armed to the teeth. I've got three different pistols, and nine rifles (I love bolt actions from the WW1 era) and I'll freely admit that the laws we have are kind of messed up with no real solution in sight. Steve, you say that there should be no need for a pistol, but when I ran my t-shirt company, I routinely would carry 2-8 thousand in cash to the shirt warehouses because they'd never accept checks. These warehouses were for the most part located in some pretty rough places, and I had my concealed permit for my own security. I was a gunner's mate in the US Navy, and I know safety and secure handling of firearms quite well. Without that concealed permit, I was going to be killed most likely in a robbery or I would have had to rely on UPS and lose three to five days in transit. I was no danger to anyone else, but the thousands of punks running in Oakland were certainly a danger to me, and I felt a lot better. As long as the person is checked thoroughly, passes all the required safety exams and courses, there should be no reason why they can't purchase a handgun. They have their uses, target shooting mainly, and handguns have their place in hunting as backup.
I think the fault in our Constitution was in allowing the states to set their own laws, and furthermore some states allow different laws within cities and counties. I was stunned to find out in Texas I could buy a friggen' AK-47 with only a valid ID! (this was sometime ago) whereas I could only buy vintage rifles in California with ID, anything new or current required a waiting period.
The whole ugly problem though is that the criminals don't care about the laws. There's enough people out there with guns that I don't trust, that if they start banning guns, I'm going to ignore the laws then. I'd rather break the law than be dead.

A-ha! You're real name is John Milius isn't it! *wink* It all makes sense now!

[Dan Mancini]

Not quite. Get ready to have the shock of your life. I not only regularly attend shows, but have a decent collection of firearms. Yep, this commie-pinko is armed to the teeth. I've got three different pistols, and nine rifles (I love bolt actions from the WW1 era) and I'll freely admit that the laws we have are kind of messed up with no real solution in sight. Steve, you say that there should be no need for a pistol, but when I ran my t-shirt company, I routinely would carry 2-8 thousand in cash to the shirt warehouses because they'd never accept checks. These warehouses were for the most part located in some pretty rough places, and I had my concealed permit for my own security. I was a gunner's mate in the US Navy, and I know safety and secure handling of firearms quite well. Without that concealed permit, I was going to be killed most likely in a robbery or I would have had to rely on UPS and lose three to five days in transit. I was no danger to anyone else, but the thousands of punks running in Oakland were certainly a danger to me, and I felt a lot better. As long as the person is checked thoroughly, passes all the required safety exams and courses, there should be no reason why they can't purchase a handgun. They have their uses, target shooting mainly, and handguns have their place in hunting as backup.
I think the fault in our Constitution was in allowing the states to set their own laws, and furthermore some states allow different laws within cities and counties. I was stunned to find out in Texas I could buy a friggen' AK-47 with only a valid ID! (this was sometime ago) whereas I could only buy vintage rifles in California with ID, anything new or current required a waiting period.
The whole ugly problem though is that the criminals don't care about the laws. There's enough people out there with guns that I don't trust, that if they start banning guns, I'm going to ignore the laws then. I'd rather break the law than be dead.

A-ha! You're real name is John Milius isn't it! *wink* It all makes sense now!

If I had to walk around Oakland with eight large in my pocket, I'd be strapped like Mel Gibson at the beginning of Beyond Thunderdome.

[chris_mcclinch]

Hell may just have frozen over. Greg and I see 100% eye-to-eye on a political issue that tends to cleave along liberal-conservative lines.

[Dunnyman]

Hell may just have frozen over. Greg and I see 100% eye-to-eye on a political issue that tends to cleave along liberal-conservative lines.

and I'm sure we can both agree that hummus is a tasty, healthy snack, right? (Bruno joke)

[Zanarkand]

Dan, If you know that much about Oakland, then you know that you need to have an armored car as well.
Were you a Bay Area resident at one point?

[Dan Mancini]

Dan, If you know that much about Oakland, then you know that you need to have an armored car as well.
Were you a Bay Area resident at one point?

No, but I have family who live in the Bay Area. I spent entire summers out there when I was a kid.

[Zanarkand]

Cool! What did you think? You may be a Georgian at heart, but I bet you liked it. Did you?

[Dan Mancini]

Cool! What did you think? You may be a Georgian at heart, but I bet you liked it. Did you?

Actually, I'm a Chicagoan at heart (I've only lived in the ATL for 11 years) but, yeah, I love the Bay Area. It's been a while since I've been out that way because most of my family has moved to Vegas.

[Steve T Power]

Cool! What did you think? You may be a Georgian at heart, but I bet you liked it. Did you?

Actually, I'm a Chicagoan at heart (I've only lived in the ATL for 11 years) but, yeah, I love the Bay Area. It's been a while since I've been out that way because most of my family has moved to Vegas.

The wanton craving for high stakes, hookers and blow runs deep in the Mancini family.

[Dunnyman]

Cool! What did you think? You may be a Georgian at heart, but I bet you liked it. Did you?

Actually, I'm a Chicagoan at heart (I've only lived in the ATL for 11 years) but, yeah, I love the Bay Area. It's been a while since I've been out that way because most of my family has moved to Vegas.

What parts? I was a San Jose guy for the most part, but lived in Palo Alto, Fremont and Campbell.

[Zanarkand]

Dan I wonder: what was your impression of California before you came for the first time? No doubt you were
expecting freaks and gay people all over the place. (While true, it aint like out of state folk make it out to be)
Coming from Chicago, I am guessing the weather was probably a big change as well. Less people and traffic than
in Chicago, that was probably a welcome break for you.

[Dan Mancini]

What parts? I was a San Jose guy for the most part, but lived in Palo Alto, Fremont and Campbell.

Walnut Creek, Antioch, Pittsburg, and San Jose mostly. One small contigent of our family lives in Southern California, sort of drifting back and forth between L.A. and San Diego. I didn't get down there very often, but I do remember hanging out with Steve Garvey's son a couple times because he was one of my cousin's friends from school.

Dan I wonder: what was your impression of California before you came for the first time? No doubt you were
expecting freaks and gay people all over the place.

I was about 8 years old the first time I went to California so, no, I wasn't expecting freaks and gay people. My mom's side of the family (starting with her parents) were transplants to the Midwest from Cali. I guess my childhood impressions of California were mostly what I drew from Shadow of a Doubt (my great-grandfather was pastor of a church in the town where it was shot, so we watched it whenever it was on TV), and episodes of The Streets of San Francisco and CHiPs. That said, my aunts were hippies, so there were always freaks around. And one of my aunts worked for years as a dog groomer so there were always gay men in our circle of family friends (hey, some stereotypes are true: dog groomers tend to be either straight women or gay men).

As far as my impressions of the weather, the Bay Area tends to be cooler than Chicago in the summertime (the season I always visited), so I didn't really think of it as sunnier and warmer than Chicago...just more temperate and not as humid.

[Zanarkand]

Walnut Creek, Antioch, Pittsburg, and San Jose mostly.

Walnut Creek: Money Money Money! I don't get there often. Antioch: I've been through it, but never stopped. And it is too hot out there.Pittsburg: Same thing. San Jose: Now you are talking!
The good ol South Bay! I'm a Bay Area (south bay) Native myself. Love it Love it Love it.

Steve Garveys son? That sounds cool! Hippies? yeah, I like how some people think that stuff stopped back in the 70's NOPE. I could find some in 30mins if I had too. But these days you won't
hear PEACE LOVE DOPE, you would hear GO GREEN!

[Stubblecat]

To shift the topic slightly....

I knw of the national beer brands. Your Millers, Buds, Coors, Sam Adams and the like. But what are the regional brands? Rolling Rock is a big Midwest beer, right?

Here in Soviet Cancukistan we can buy some of your majors like Bud and MGD, but they're all brewed in Canada and are 5% alcohol, compared to the 4-4.5% in your neck of the woods.

So if I were to travel to say, Phoenix, is there a specific Southwest beer that folk drink there more than any other? What about Kentucky? Iowa?

[Dan Mancini]

My local Atlanta brew of choice is Sweetwater IPA.

[Zanarkand]

I know nothing about beer. I have not had a beer since 2000, at a sports event simply to get the collectors cup.
To me, beer taste like vomit, I can't stand the stuff. I can only imagine me with a Canadian beer......I would probably have a
full stomach and be unable to drive after 2 swallows.

Soviet Canuckistan?
Do tell, where did you hear that term? I heard that before, but at a web site I would have bet green cash you would never go to.

[Parklife]

ummm... as a downtown Oakland resident I take offense at such talk... Sure, we have a bad reputation, but all in all Oakland isn't as bad as it's made out to be.

The big beers at the moment out here would be Fat Tire amber ale from New Belgium Brewing and Trumer Pils out of Berkeley. There's always going to be even more local, small name stuff but those beers seem to be at the pinnacle of 'regional' beer at the moment. Bear Republic also has quite the following out here.

[Dunnyman]

What parts? I was a San Jose guy for the most part, but lived in Palo Alto, Fremont and Campbell.

Walnut Creek, Antioch, Pittsburg, and San Jose mostly.

What part of ol' San Jo did ya stay in? I might very well know some of your relatives....

[chris_mcclinch]

Here in the mid-Atlantic area, the best locally-brewed beer is Dogfish Head, followed by Dominion, but I'd call Yuengling the closest thing to a regional beer.

[chris_mcclinch]

I love bolt actions from the WW1 era

As do I. My most recent firearm purchase was a beautiful M1903A3 (manufactured by Smith-Corona in 1943, but state of the art in WW1). Don't really have the storage space for an extensive collection of long guns, but looking at adding an Enfield and a Mauser 98k to the collection regardless. Then likely branching into main battle rifles of World War II. I love Garands, and they're getting hard to come by at decent prices.