Gun Law Views Inlight of Las Vegas Shooting

Firstly, what an awful awful tragedy and my whole heart goes out to those, and the family and friends of those, who unfortunately were killed or injured. I hope everybody here are okay and their family and friends, too.

Being British, I get into regular discussions with my other half about the cultural differences of our countries. We both agree on gun ownership being not the best idea and I guess you can see that the system doesn't work judging by gun crime in the UK and Australia compared to the US. However, that is just our opinion.

Other than using a gun for animal hunting, what are your opinions on gun ownership in your home country? Why should anyone ever have access or a need to an assault rifle? I'm curious to know where people stand

Absolutely zero need for an assault rifle.

My views on guns has changed significantly since moving here.

I worked at an amusement park one summer and took the afternoon off to go swim at the lake .  While I was gone, two kids were suddenly shot while in the wave pool.  One died instantly.  The bullets were from an AK 47 or similar, so they evacuated the park .  I went back to work the next day.

A few weeks later the police arrested some guys who were target practicing miles away and had accidentally shot the bullets into the air. 

Personally, guns are not my thing and I firmly believe that if you have a gun in your house the most likely people to get shot with it are you, your kids and your wife.  Bad guys are a distant 5th place . 

However, I’m not keen on telling others what to do. 

I understand that assault rifles are "fun" but they aren't needed at all. I learned how to shoot one out of curiosity because I felt like I needed to have more understanding of why people are so adamant about keeping their access to them. I feel like if you want to shoot them, there should be a rental system at gun ranges with controls etc. There is literally no reason to have them at home.

My uncle is a hunter so I was around his gun case. It was locked at all times, the ammo was kept separately, and you were taught to stay away. Hunting is the only use I can see for guns, and that does not need to be rapid fire or semi automatic.

Someone else I knew was gunned down this weekend, and another OD'd on heroin (can't count how many this year, I literally lost track of acquaintances who are gone). I'm just kinda done with guns and death in general.


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Heroin?  Are you seeing practical effects of the “heroin epidemic “ I hear about on NPR?

Heroin?  Are you seeing practical effects of the “heroin epidemic “ I hear about on NPR?

I've had a lot of people (not direct close friends) in my extended network die from OD's. Friends carry narcan. Other friends have had to call police upon encountering someone having an OD in their work parking lot. My sister's husband had to be trained in it because libraries are common places for people to go. Yeah, it's everywhere. And as a pain patient I'm directly feeling the effects of their decision to reign in prescriptions of pain meds. Low dose opioids are the only thing I can take without dangerous side effects and can't get them anymore. But they'll happily make me pay hundreds out of pocket to be certified for medical marijuana.


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That’s all so strange to me, not having lived there for a while. 

Do you use medical marijuana?  Are you going to care that you can’t get it here?  Am I correct that opioids are non prescription here and are you happy about that?

That’s all so strange to me, not having lived there for a while. 

Do you use medical marijuana?  Are you going to care that you can’t get it here?  Am I correct that opioids are non prescription here and are you happy about that?

I don't use it because I can't afford it it would've been > $500 to be certified and in my line of work it's not legal and I worry about drug testing (federal vs state & the banking industry). The studies show it's the most effective medicine for the type of pain I have so its frustrating to say the least that the U.K. is so prohibitive.

The U.K. it's prescription for everything opioid except low dose Tylenol 3. I can't take many NSAIDs so that's not a good option for me.


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Other friends have had to call police upon encountering someone having an OD in their work parking lot.

Why wouldn't they call an ambulance instead of the police?

Why wouldn't they call an ambulance instead of the police?

It was police who responded first. I'm sure an ambulance also came.


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I think drug testing is a non issue here, I’ve never heard of it happening to anyone. 

I think drug testing is a non issue here, I’ve never heard of it happening to anyone.

I have a friend that lives in Wales. He's a blacksmith for one of the train companies. He is drug tested routinely. Besides him, I've never heard of anyone talk about being drug tested here.

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I think drug testing is a non issue here, I’ve never heard of it happening to anyone.

Yeah, except as an immigrant I won't do anything that could put my status in the country and ability to apply for citizenship in jeopardy if caught. I'll join in the lobbying efforts but that doesn't help me (or others who care about not breaking laws).


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I understand that assault rifles are "fun" but they aren't needed at all. I learned how to shoot one out of curiosity because I felt like I needed to have more understanding of why people are so adamant about keeping their access to them. I feel like if you want to shoot them, there should be a rental system at gun ranges with controls etc. There is literally no reason to have them at home.

My uncle is a hunter so I was around his gun case. It was locked at all times, the ammo was kept separately, and you were taught to stay away. Hunting is the only use I can see for guns, and that does not need to be rapid fire or semi automatic.

Someone else I knew was gunned down this weekend, and another OD'd on heroin (can't count how many this year, I literally lost track of acquaintances who are gone). I'm just kinda done with guns and death in general.


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My dad is an avid shooter for sport.  He has an exceptional system in place to secure his guns.  My parents had three raccoons in their back years one night, with two trying to drown the third.  My dad went to get an air rifle to scare the two baddies away.  My mom said it took over 12 minutes for my dad to get the gun out, ammo, and loaded.  . But secure!  Raccoon survived by the way.

My ex was a cop and post 9/11, they were all issued with AR15's.  They were restricted to two bullets per trigger pull as they have to be accountable for each shot.  Shame the same controls are not in place for civilian use.

My dad is an avid shooter for sport.  He has an exceptional system in place to secure his guns.  My parents had three raccoons in their back years one night, with two trying to drown the third.  My dad went to get an air rifle to scare the two baddies away.  My mom said it took over 12 minutes for my dad to get the gun out, ammo, and loaded.  . But secure!  Raccoon survived by the way.

My ex was a cop and post 9/11, they were all issued with AR15's.  They were restricted to two bullets per trigger pull as they have to be accountable for each shot.  Shame the same controls are not in place for civilian use.

Exactly - from what I understand there are easily circumvented controls on civilian weapons and no accountability on ammunition purchased. The guns I shot had limited magazines per state law, but it's still too easy to stockpile ammunition and alter the magazines.


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