CitiBank to Dictate to Merchants the Age at Which Customers Can Buy Guns

[Timsup2nothin]

Yes guns have negative consequences, but one of the good ones is the weak can defend themselves from the strong. Its an equalizer...

No, it really isn't. That's your fantasy world at play again right there. Ask anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime. The "I can't believe this is happening" response (which is really a LACK of response) gives the criminal, who not only believes it but prepared for it, an insurmountable advantage. No gun can change that. If the criminal brings a hammer and murderous intent the homeowner with a gun and a fantasy gets clubbed with the hammer just like anybody else. The sellers of guns will refuse to accept that up to and beyond their dying breath, but it's the truth.

 

[Lexicus]

The "I can't believe this is happening" response (which is really a LACK of response) gives the criminal, who not only believes it but prepared for it, an insurmountable advantage.

This is kind of the crux of the matter here. You have to sort of be the kind of person who is quite ready to kill for the whole "gun defense" thing to work, and people who are quite ready to kill are actually the last people I want having guns...

 

[Timsup2nothin]

This is kind of the crux of the matter here. You have to sort of be the kind of person who is quite ready to kill for the whole "gun defense" thing to work, and people who are quite ready to kill are actually the last people I want having guns...

I don't think there are any such people. Sure, the criminal who comes in with a hammer and murderous intent can and likely will kill someone. But they came in prepared. The person just walking around, hair trigger reflexes always at the ready and ice in their veins, is a myth.

 

[Lexicus]

The person just walking around, hair trigger reflexes always at the ready and ice in their veins, is a myth.

I'm really just talking about George Zimmerman types, who do certainly exist.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I'm really just talking about George Zimmerman types, who do certainly exist.

Well, yeah. People who are willing to manufacture circumstances so they can play out their hero fantasy definitely do exist. But what I said about "people who are quite ready to kill" as a permanent state don't. That's part of why I am confident that Zimmerman manufactured the situation. If he had "gotten jumped" out of the blue by someone with murderous intent he wouldn't have been being tried, he'd have been being buried. That's just how it works.

 

[stinkubus]

I don't think there are any such people. Sure, the criminal who comes in with a hammer and murderous intent can and likely will kill someone. But they came in prepared. The person just walking around, hair trigger reflexes always at the ready and ice in their veins, is a myth.

George Zimmerman.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

George Zimmerman.

Was this a slow motion ?

 

[stinkubus]

I don't get that reference. I was just providing a high profile example of someone who was ready for danger at any moment.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I don't get that reference. I was just providing a high profile example of someone who was ready for danger at any moment.

The reference is that the two posts before your mention of George Zimmerman were Lexicus and me discussing...George Zimmerman.

And if I walked up to George Zimmerman and hit him with a hammer it would be a pretty good demonstration that he isn't really "ready for danger at any moment." He manufactured a moment, so at that moment he was prepared. That's not the same thing.

 

[stinkubus]

I missed Lex's post

My comment was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. I agreed wholeheartedly that guns are not effective for home defense as their advocates would portray them. Your point that attackers would typically have the element of surprise in their favor is undoubtedly true. It is also true that in order for the gun to actually be available at a moment's notice it would need to be stored in an incredibly irresponsible manner.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I missed Lex's post

My comment was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. I agreed wholeheartedly that guns are not effective for home defense as their advocates would portray them. Your point that attackers would typically have the element of surprise in their favor is undoubtedly true. It is also true that in order for the gun to actually be available at a moment's notice it would need to be stored in an incredibly irresponsible manner.

In summary, the actual advantage that criminals have is...that they are criminals. And nothing can really counter that.

 

[Lexicus]

And if I walked up to George Zimmerman and hit him with a hammer it would be a pretty good demonstration that he isn't really "ready for danger at any moment." He manufactured a moment, so at that moment he was prepared. That's not the same thing.

Sure, I'm talking about people like him who create situations like that, really. Their having guns is something I would prefer to avoid.

 

[Commodore]

Sure, I'm talking about people like him who create situations like that, really. Their having guns is something I would prefer to avoid.

Then who should have guns?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Then who should have guns?

People who don't want them, who we would expect would then dispose of them. Problem solved.

 

[Commodore]

People who don't want them, who we would expect would then dispose of them. Problem solved.

That doesn't answer the question. I also didn't ask you. Lexicus is a big boy, he can speak for himself.

 

[Lexicus]

Then who should have guns?

A good starting point would be non-psychopaths.

 

[Commodore]

A good starting point would be non-psychopaths.

That doesn't jive with your earlier statements though about your belief that no one should have guns.

 

[Synobun]

Yeah it does. Lexicus thinks everyone is a psychopath.

 

[Zelig]

There are no provisions anywhere in the credit card handling systems for screening purchases for content. I suspect that our favorite local coders have an opinion, but I'd guess that trying to incorporate such capability would be a gigantic cost, at this late date.

Merchants are assigned "merchant codes". Your bank can't tell specifically what is getting purchased, but they can tell that it's a grocery store purchase, gasoline store purchase, entertainment purchase, travel purchase, etc. It's how they're able to give tiered reward categories for different purchases, or allow redemption only for specific categories.

AFAIK, there's no "gun store" (or anything comparable) category.

re: credit cards & liquor - credit cards can't be legally obtained here without being age of majority, so I'd say liquor salespeople should have a stronger argument, since a minor can't actually use a credit card to purchase liquor without performing credit card fraud in the first place.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

That doesn't answer the question. I also didn't ask you. Lexicus is a big boy, he can speak for himself.

If it's not a public question there's PMs available.