carrying weapons

[BlueTear]

The people fighting the US in Iraq want the US to leave. When the US leaves then they win. This is a very likely situation and they will have done it with nothing more than improvised bombs and the types of low grade weaponry you scoff at.

 

 

 

First of all, unless you're going to lay claim to some serious neo-colonialism opinions, the US wants to leave as well, they just want to make sure they leave behind a reasonably stable democracy - rather than keeping a protectorate. Staying permanently is not a part of the intended plan, and leaving is thus not neccesarily the same as failure.

 

 

 

Second of all, nowhere is the US military being forced out by military force, the problem is voter support back home. If enough american citizens feel it's time to leave whether there's a stable democracy or not, the armed forces will leave. This is not the same thing as forcefully driving the foreign armies of your soil, which I believe is a much more accurate description of what was done to the british?

 

 

 

Once again then why hasn't the war in Iraq been won? Why is there an insurgency going on? Why haven't all those helicopters and tanks killed every insurgent by now? Why is the US debating pulling out and withdrawing from the conflict thus losing the war?

 

 

 

What do you mean havn't won? Havn't yet been able to create a stable democracy that can stand on it's own two legs, sure, but steamrolling the local army, deposing the head of state and disbanding the local government... Define 'win' for me. Convincing the home voters that you're completing your objectives, or actually completing them?

 

 

 

Actually not very handy because at that point in the war when the allies had entered German territory when the civilians would have been able to fight they had completely exhausted their manpower. They had boys serving in their army units that they had armed with their latest weaponry. How handy would it have been? Not handy at all because there would have been no one left to use all those guns in private hands since all the men were already at war.

 

 

 

I was more or less thinking of what would've happened if the SA had been properly armed when they ran around attacking political parties before Hitler resumed the reins of the entire Germany. When jews, handily defending themselves with guns, would've been killed anyway.

[atestarossa]

in norway, (as i believe) it's not allowed at all to carry a knife in official places (like cities, schools, et cetera.) but at other places, it's allowed...

 

 

 

when it comes to guns, there is only three ways for a person in norway to own a gun, legal...

 

 

 

1:the part of the military for local defence, you keep your weapon at home...

 

 

 

2:you're a hunter: if you got the hunters licence, then you are allowed to own a gun that is allowed for hunting... like a shotgun or a rifle.

 

 

 

3: you're a proffesional shooter.. (competitions and such) then you can after having played for one year or so buy a gun in the class you shoot in.

 

 

 

(might have forgotten some, but i think that covers all,)

 

 

 

as you see, no self-defence-guns... if you shoot a guy in self defence, you will be charged for murder, not very nice? huh

[Zonorhc]

Thing is, though, back then they all had the same guns. Now...citizens have rifles, pistols, or shotguns. The military has machine guns, rocket launchers, and tanks. If there was ever a "second American Revolution", the military would win flat-out. So that whole argument holds a little less power.

 

Uh huh.

 

 

 

Tell me, how will you persuade the army to consciously fire on their family and friends, or those of people they know or may be connected to in some way?

 

 

 

Joe Marine may be really good at killing people and blowing things up, but he knows that those poor folks he's aiming his SAW at are Americans just like him. They're not fighting to keep their slaves or huge cotton plantations. They just want a change. And when so many people want that same change and Johnny Marine himself thinks that the government's crook...

 

 

 

Well, he has a chat with Joe Marine back at barracks, and finds out that they both think the government's in the wrong. Soon enough, the armed forces won't give a damn if they're getting their pay docked for desertion, because it's their damn families the government's going to be asking them to shoot.

 

 

 

That's why you don't throw the armed forces at a popular revolution in a society that isn't grossly stratified.

[1_man_army]

 

Second of all, nowhere is the US military being forced out by military force, the problem is voter support back home. If enough american citizens feel it's time to leave whether there's a stable democracy or not, the armed forces will leave. This is not the same thing as forcefully driving the foreign armies of your soil, which I believe is a much more accurate description of what was done to the british?

 

 

 

 

Actually the British controlled areas are going relatively well compared to the situation in the US controlled areas. Basra still has its problems but compared to Baghdad it's going well.

 

In my opinion the problem for Britain is in Afghanistan. The Afghan government still 6 years later has no control of big bits of the country, the President Hamis Karzai is known as 'The Mayor of Kabul' because most of the governments power lies in Kabul & the surrounding area.

[Ambassadar]

Second of all, nowhere is the US military being forced out by military force, the problem is voter support back home. If enough american citizens feel it's time to leave whether there's a stable democracy or not, the armed forces will leave. This is not the same thing as forcefully driving the foreign armies of your soil, which I believe is a much more accurate description of what was done to the british?

 

 

 

Actually the Clinton controlled New York with a large army until the formal peace treaty ending the War for Independence. He quit all operations in this area because the British lost the will to fight. Many Brits supported the colonials rebelling to form their own nation. No British Army was completely captured until Yorktown when after years and years of struggle France finally joined the US and their Navy defeating a British Navy that was going to evacuate Cornwallis's army is what made the US victory possible.

 

 

 

The guns didn't solely win the war but the made the war possible in the first place. They made it so the revolution could persist long enough to get some help in the form of France. If England had thrown it's full military might against the US theres no way the US would have won. They didn't. At the same time those guns allowed the revolution to persist and survive while guys like Benjamin Franklin were in Great Britain and France raising support for the cause.

 

 

 

The guns didn't solely win the war but they allowed the war to be won.

[Ash6110]

I carry a Gerber (no, not the baby food company, he blade company)Pocketknife with me most of the time

 

 

 

And when I get dployed I get a gun. No M16A2 because im non combat but I do get a pistol \ \ \

[Barihawk]

I usually carry a small folding blade with me. It's college, nobody cares.