Is someone holding a gun more likely to think others are armed? New study says yes.

[baldguy]

When people have a gun in their hand, they’re more likely to believe an object held by someone else is also a gun.

They’re also more likely to raise the gun to shoot.

Those are the key findings from a new study that will be published later this spring in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.

“The familiar saying goes that when you hold a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” write the two psychologists who authored the study, James Brockmole of the University of Notre Dame and Jessica Witt of Purdue University. “The apparent harmlessness of this expression fades when one considers what happens when a person holds a gun.”

In their paper, Brockmole and Witt cite the tragic 1999 case of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed black man who was shot 41 times by New York City police when they mistook the wallet he was trying to show them for a gun. But the study’s findings also seem relevant in the wake of a more recent tragedy, the Feb. 26 shooting in Sanford, Fla., of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black high school student who had been carrying only a cell phone, a bag of Skittles and an iced tea at the time of his death.

more:
http://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2012/03/someone-holding-gun-more-likely-think-others-are-armed-new-study-says-yes

More proof that only assholes carry guns.

[onehandle]

1. Absolutely no surprise there. nt

[rdharma]

2. Paranoia...... will destroy ya! nt

[X_Digger]

3. "new" study from a year ago? Using video games?

Did you miss that it's from 3/23/2012?!?

Stick someone in front of a video game console and hand them a video game gun.. are they more likely to think that it's a shooting game?

Well fucking duh.

[Hoyt]

31. I think it is second nature to those who have spent many hours training to shoot people.

That level of training probably results in some kind of muscle memory.

Since the vast majority of us don't make guns a priority in our life, we'll have to ask you guys that do.

[Aristus]

4. Don't forget the wish-fulfillment angle.

"Ah gots me uh gun! Ah jes' hope somebody tries ta fuck w/me. Imonna blow his ass away!"

Seems to be a lot of that out there...

[spin]

5. I would never pull my legally concealed handgun unless I was under attack from an individual ...

who had the intention of seriously injuring or killing me and was capable of doing so. I should point out that I would shoot the other person to stop his attack, not to kill him.

Concealed weapons instructors usually tell their students to never draw their weapon unless they intend to use it. Having a gun in your hand can easily escalate the situation as the other individual may feel that his life is in danger.

In fact, this might have happened in the Trayvon Martin shooting. It is possible that Zimmerman confronted Martin with a drawn weapon. If so Martin would have had every right to fear for his life and might have attacked Zimmerman and attempted to disarm him. If so Martin would have been "standing his ground."

I don't have all the facts about the shooting and I am not fond of trial by the media. Zimmerman's actions were very questionable and consequently he should face a judge and jury. It will be the job of the jury to consider all the evidence and rule on Zimmerman's guilt or innocence. Hopefully an intelligent and fair jury will be selected as this may prove to be a complicated case.

[baldguy]

6. And I'm sure you can vouch for every other gun owner in America, too.

[spin]

7. His mother was the gun owner...

but the gun safe was in his bedroom.

Obviously when you have any group of 80,000,000 people, a few are going to be irresponsible.

[baldguy]

8. Bingo. So spare us the tales of how you're the exceptional "good" gun owner.

We need laws to be able to deal with the Adam Lanzas of the world. We've tried your approach - which has been to ignore the problem - and it has failed miserably. That means gun control. That means forcing irresponsible gun owners to be responsible. That means national universal background checks. That means national registration & licensing. That means outlawing certain types of weapons & extended clips.

And that means if gun owners can't deal with it, they lose their privilege to own a gun.

[Phillip McCleod]

10. guns have become WMDs in the u.s.a.

pulling a gun in road rage? over a domestic dispute? there are so many triggers to which we are subject and in this callous mechanistic world we live in apathy can too easily take hold in an afternoon.

we need much more serious restrictions not just on the manufacture of these national WMDs.. guns i mean.. but on, yes, possession.

cold dead unarmed hands are already too many.

[spin]

11. I will agree with universal background checks and improving our mental healthcare system. ...

Before I would ever agree with registration, you would have to convince me that it would not lead to confiscation and that would be impossible. Registration has been tried in Canada and it failed. It proved very expensive and solved few if any crimes. Why would anyone try the same idea in the United States unless their final goal was confiscation?

Outlawing some semi-auto rifles because of certain cosmetic features makes as much sense as outlawing Corvettes and Mustangs in an attempt to cut down deaths caused by speeders.

Magazines can be quickly changed and in fact hi-cap magazines are less reliable than 10 round magazines. The shooter's AR-15 jammed in the Colorado theater massacre and this fact saved lives. The shooter's pistol jammed in the Gabby Giffords shooting incident. A jam is harder to clear than to change a magazine.

American's do not have the privilege to own a gun, we have the right with certain reasonable restrictions. That right was granted to us under the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. That right was recently affirmed in two decisions by the Supreme Court.

[baldguy]

12. You don't get any guarantees. You don't deserve any.

Did you miss the part where you gun owners have failed & have created a MORE DANGEROUS America? We've tried it your way. It hasn't worked. YOU and the majority of other gun enthusiasts have to step up and support comprehensive universal gun control - including bans on the most dangerous weapons.

And do you know how you can ENSURE wide-spread gun confiscation takes place? Keep obstructing the drive for gun control. Keep lying about the FACT that gun control works. (Canada has 10% of our population, but they have only 2.5% of our gun deaths. And most of that shit comes from their crazy southern neighbor. How is that "not working"?) Keep having your gun weirdo pals show up at pro-gun control demonstrations carrying assault weapons. Keep pretending that an individual hoarding millions of rounds of ammunition "for personal use" is normal.

Keep turning a deaf ear to massive amounts of suffering caused by gun violence.

[spin]

13. Since I see no chance that you will be able to impose your ideas on me ...

I don't really need any guarantees. Your side doesn't even look capable of passing the AWB in the Democratically controlled Senate.

What I hope is that people like me will be able to get some much needed improvements to our current gun laws, pass a universal background check without registration and find ways to better enforce our laws and to improve our mental healthcare system.

Unfortunately the hatred and animosity generated by those like you will make my goals far more difficult to achieve.

[jmg257]

14. Because the goal of registration here would not be to 'solve crimes',

But to help control the illegal flow of arms. Combined with UBC, its a great way to help keep track of whose selling what to whom.

We ALL know the AWBs & cap limits don't go far enough, you really don't have to keep harping on how ineffective they are, yet argue so strongly against them because... they are infringements due to 'cosmetic' limitations I guess. Mass killing gun fuckers luckily having their guns jam is not valid reason to oppose them. Neither is a bit of inconvenience placed on the selfish wants of gun owners.

[spin]

15. You state:

"We ALL know the AWBs & cap limits don't go far enough." Just how far do you want to go and why not be honest and upfront about it?

Do you perhaps wish to ban all semi-automatic firearms and handguns? Is that far enough or do you wish to ban all civilian ownership of firearms except single shot rifles and double barreled shotguns.

I personally do not own a single "assault weapon" or a magazine that holds more than ten rounds at this time. However I suspect that you believe that the AWB is simply a good first step and therefore I will oppose your efforts to pass it.

I believe you have my small collection of handguns which are mostly revolvers in your sights. You might not understand why I enjoy target shooting and also wish to have an effective means of self defense in my home and on my person and that's fine with me. I might also decide to buy an AR-15 if I move to a more rural area and use it for target shooting, hunting feral hog on my property and for home defense.

What I find sad is that your efforts to pass the AWB have only encouraged the sale of these very lethal weapons and in fact the sale of all other firearms. You have managed to put millions of firearms in homes that never had one and with people who lack the training to handle them responsibly and safely. Had you not overreached we might have been able to pass improved gun legislation and not caused the sale of firearms to absolutely skyrocket.

We will get a lot further in reducing gun violence if gun control advocates ever stop trying for "bans" and instead join with responsible gun owners in an effort to improve our current gun laws, pass new legislation that will actually be effective and better enforce our gun laws and punish those who break them.

[jmg257]

18. "My efforts"?!? What efforts would those be? Posting on DU?

Wow...I never gave myself that much credit for expressing my opinions. I'm glad all those gun purchasers went out and spent money on new guns and ammo because of me and my Overreaching efforts!


I should see what else I can get them to do with this unimaginable power of mine. Hmm....

(actually I find that notion very hard to believe)

In the mean time, I'll have to give 'how far I would go" a bit more serious thought. Didn't know how vital I was 'to the cause'.

Anyway, I believe the AWB and mag-cap are medicore, as they won't accomplish their supposed goals. I also think they were limited in scope because there would be an even harder time getting strictor regulations passed. The same thing happened in NY.

I understand why you might like target shooting...Rather good at it myself, and also about fear and hunting and most other perceived needs. But more important, generally, based on this post and other recent ones, I really think you worry WAY too much about what I think ( and my 'efforts')

[spin]

19. I would say that posting on DU on any subject is far more effort than most Americans are willing ...

to exert.

I may have lumped you into the rather large crowd here on DU who support banning and confiscating firearms. My assumption was based on your stating, "We ALL know the AWBs & cap limits don't go far enough." coupled with, "Neither is a bit of inconvenience placed on the selfish wants of gun owners."

But in this post you reveal that you do know the difference between an effective law and a "feel good" law (at least to some degree). You also seem to have a grasp of political reality which often seems lacking in the gun control group on DU.

Posting here on DU is a hobby to pass some of my time now that I have retired. I find it entertaining and sometimes challenging but I don't worry about other posters and what they think.

Out of curiosity what type of target shooting do you enjoy. I personally like shooting revolvers although I do own several target grade pistols in .22 and .45 ACP.

[jmg257]

21. Ding ding ding! Posting on DU to pass time...

And it is often interesting as hell, which sucks one in too often. Especially Re: firearms, and all this stuff.

I used to shoot alot. Nothing too formal, but I was LE, also an instructor for a handgun training company. Pistols mostly, though shotguns with trap and the PD of course, some classic military stuff as a hobby.

I do think the AWs are ineffective for the most part...for all the reasons likely you do...loopholes, grandfathering, etc. And I also read what Cuomo gave up to get the SAFE Act passed...it would have had a much greater impact. Obviously You know why, too.

I also found the 'needs' for guns tend to diminish in light of the damage they do. I must remember, despite emotions and - as we have discussed, my experiences aren't everyones. But for the most part, for most people those needs are selfish (doesn't mean they're not warranted, just highly personal). I believe need should be a part of the discussion, as there is a govt interest with regrds to controlling guns.

[spin]

22. Guns can be used for good purpose or can cause tragedies. ...

In my own family I have had instances where a gun was used in self defense and possibly saved a life, but also a gun ended the life of a close family member due to irresponsibility.

[CTyankee]

20. congrats on your "feral hog" defense...that's a new one!

all of your other "defenses" of gun ownership are pretty old and shopworn. We've heard them all, oh so many times, and it doesn't even dawn on you...poor thing...

As for your "responsible gun owners in an effort to improve our current gun laws", where might I find that little group? Haven't seen the little nippers...and all I hear from those gun owners is how awful any gun control is, how "we" don't know anything about guns and acting like Americans gun fetish is perfectly normal and SO enshrined in our Constitution....yabba, dabba, doo...

Wake me with a better argument...one that has seen better days than what you are trying to peddle...

[spin]

23. All your arguments for gun control are also "old and shopworn." ....

Last edited Sun Mar 31, 2013, 10:09 PM - Edit history (1)

One excellent example is the statement that "assault weapons are absolutely useless for hunting."

A couple of minutes on Google will disprove that statement.
https://www.google.com/search?q=hunting+with+an+ar15&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

You probably do not have a large population of feral hogs in your state so it is quite understandable that you have enver heard much about the damage they do to the environment or the problems with keeping the feral hog population under control.

Bringing Home the Bacon—With an AR-15
Why semiautomatic rifles are the weapon of choice for helicopter hunting.
—By Tim Murphy | Thu Jan. 24, 2013 4:06 AM PST

On Sunday, Bryan Hendricks, an outdoors columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, offered a counterpoint to the president's assault weapons proposal: wildlife management. "Recreational hunting is a vital cog in managing feral swine, but it is only effective if you kill a concentration of pigs," he wrote. "That requires semiautomatic weapons capable of firing a lot of rounds quickly." In other words, if conservationists are serious about reining in the runaway porcine population, they should welcome high-capacity magazines and rapid-action rifles, not shun them.

Let's get one thing out of the way: Hogs are serious business. According to Mississippi State University's feral pig program, a "conservative estimate" of the damage caused by swine each year is $1.5 billion—and the pig population is migrating north and west due to careless catch-and-release practices. That price tag doesn't include the tens of millions of dollars spent annually ($25 million in Texas alone) to control the population. In 2011, in an effort to combat the razorback revolution, Gov. Rick Perry signed a new law allowing any citizen to hunt hogs from helicopters, provided the pilot has a special permit.

Comedian Roseanne Barr—who, we should note, actually ended up receiving more presidential votes than Perry—cited a wild-pig intrusion on her property as a primary motivation for her own presidential campaign. As she told Jay Leno, "I have feral pigs that overrun my farm and I'd like to shoot them out of a helicopter."

With that in mind, Hendricks may be on to something. "In situations with high volumes of animals and large social groups, semiautomatic firearms, in the hands of a properly trained individual, are a distinctly better tool than a bolt-action rifle," said Anthony DeNicola, CEO of White Buffalo Inc., a Connecticut-based firm that has won contracts for, among other things, eradicating feral pig populations on California islands. "This is particularly true when using a helicopter as a shooting platform." (White Buffalo uses a JP Enterprises AR-15 for its pig hunts.)
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/how-assault-weapons-ban-could-affect-your-bacon

I understand that Florida also allows hog hunting from a helicopter. http://www.goerie.com/article/20120409/NWPAOUT01/304099927/Florida-hunters-use-helicopters-to-target-nuisance-wild-pigs

Wild Hog

The wild pig (Sus scrofa), also called the wild hog, wild boar or feral pig, is not a Florida native and may have been introduced by Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto as early as 1539.

They occur in all of Florida's 67 counties within a wide variety of habitats, but prefer oak-cabbage palm hammocks, freshwater marshes and sloughs and pine flatwoods. Wild pigs can reach weights of more than 150 pounds and be 5-6 feet long. They usually travel in small family groups or alone.

Wild pigs are omnivorous (eating all kinds of foods, both plants and animals) and feed by rooting with their broad snouts. They may cause disturbance of the soil and ground cover vegetation and leave the area looking like a plowed field.

***snip***

Hunting

Wild pigs are legally defined as wildlife and are the second-most popular, large animal hunted in Florida (second only to the white-tailed deer)....emphasis added

On private property with landowner permission, wild pigs may be trapped and hunted year round using any legal to own rifle, shotgun, crossbow, bow or pistol. There is no size or bag limit, and you may harvest either sex. Also, no hunting license is required. A gun and light at night permit is not required to take wild hogs with a gun and light on private lands with landowner permission.
http://m.myfwc.com/hunting/by-species/wild-hog/

In case you think that hunting little piggies is cruel I will point out that they are considered dangerous game.

The World's Most Dangerous Game to Hunt.

***snip***



Experienced hunters say that wild boar can be even more dangerous to hunt than a bear. Equipped with thick, razor-sharp tusks, and a razor-sharp mind (hogs are the 4th most intelligent animal in the world) a wild boar can weigh a staggering 660 lbs and exhibit extremely aggressive and unpredictable behaviour.

Hunters be warned! After wounding a boar, give the animal plenty of time before you follow it in to the bush. Otherwise, you’ll go from being the hunter to the hunted. Boars will circle a human adversary, charge rampantly and attack from behind.

A survival tip: Pick your tree ahead of time so you can climb out of harm’s way if ever you’re being chased.
http://www.huntercourse.com/blog/2011/11/the-worlds-most-dangerous-game-to-hunt/

Now I am not a hunter but I have tasted wild hog meat. To me it tastes better than store bought pork but some find it gamey. Much depends on how it was prepared.

note: edited for HTML error

[CTyankee]

24. Since I never said "assault weapons are absolutely useless for hunting" you must be

thinking of somebody else.

As a defense for assault weapons, well, I think you need come up with a better one than that...really, you do. Otherwise in the general population of the United States, it looks rather,um, silly in the overall defense of an assault weapon that SLAUGHTERS children (why don't you just THINK about it)...

However, I do not want to leave you empty-handed! Here is a delicious tidbit about wild boar hunting in Europe that will please your palate: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Parc-de-Launay-Finest-Wild-4441324

[spin]

25. No, you didn't state that but it is a common talking point for many gun control advocates. ...

It is true that AR-15 style rifles have been used in recent massacres but the reality is that so have shotguns and pistols.

Seung-Hui Cho used two pistols to kill 32 people and wound 17 others in the Virginia Tech massacre. One was a 9mm Glock 19 with a 15 round magazine. the other a .22 LR Walther P22 with a 10 round magazine.
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung-Hui_Cho

In the Colorado shooting Holmes started with a 12 gauge Remington 870 shotgun, then used a Smith & Wesson M&P15 AR-1 style rifle until it jammed and finished with a Glock .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/us/aurora-gunmans-lethal-arsenal.html

If you wish to stop all massacres by banning guns you would, at the minimum, have to ban and confiscate all semi-auto rifles, pump and semi-auto shotguns and all semi-auto pistols. But then the shooter would just carry several revolvers so you would have to ban and confiscate them too. Of course then the killer would just use gasoline or explosives. A gallon of gasoline can kill a lot of people as can explosives.

Thanks for the link.

[CTyankee]

29. so glad you liked the link. I'm sure folks would be so pleased to hear about the Parc de

Launey's service:

"We believe we provide a unique service to our clients: a personal touch that ensures hunters see every detail of the hunt, from moving people around the estate on mini safaris to tracking a particularly cunning boar or watching the hounds at work. We pride ourselves on providing outstanding quality of service and superb and exhilarating hunting. We consistently achieve guaranteed numbers on driven days and are able to offer a limited number of exclusive private hunts for groups or syndicates.

Whilst we do not guarantee specific weights or sizes of quarry we shoot only extremely fine specimens and our clients frequently have their trophies mounted."

Isn't that charming? How lovely and how wonderful must the wild boar taste at their dinners...

[spin]

39. Well they do taste good. I can verify that. ...

However some find wild boar gamey but a lot is in how it is prepared.

I don't hunt but if I ever do decide to hunt wild hog, I don't have to go to a special hunting service.

All I have to do is move to a more rural area and/or get permission from a land owner to hunt pigs on his property. They are quite common in the area I live. In fact they are an infestation. They also breed like rabbits.

[valerief]

28. Why the fuck does anyone HAVE TO hunt boar? Jesus H. Christ. nt

[Agschmid]

33. They do not.

Check your Stardate: 45395.646240334

A little past hunting for survival season... although it is in Florida who knows what hell goes on down there.

[spin]

37. There is no hunting season for wild pigs in Florida. ...

Wild pigs are legally defined as wildlife and are the second-most popular, large animal hunted in Florida (second only to the white-tailed deer).

On private property with landowner permission, wild pigs may be trapped and hunted year round using any legal to own rifle, shotgun, crossbow, bow or pistol. There is no size or bag limit, and you may harvest either sex. Also, no hunting license is required. A gun and light at night permit is not required to take wild hogs with a gun and light on private lands with landowner permission.
http://m.myfwc.com/hunting/by-species/wild-hog/

[Agschmid]

38. Umm I just meant it was 2013...

The people in Florida should not need to hunt wild boar to survive but...

insert "whooooosh" sound here

... that went right over your head. Sure you are with it enough to own guns?

[spin]

40. I live in one of the poorest counties in Florida. ...

Many people hunt hog and deer here to fill their freezers with meat as they can't afford the cost of store bought meat.

[Agschmid]

42. And therein lies the real problem...

One your guns cannot solve, sorry.

[spin]

44. True. But the cost of a bullet can help fill a freezer with meat. ...

and the money saved can be used to buy other essential items for a poor family.

Often a hunter will give meat to another poor family to help them out. I have seen this happen where I live.

[Agschmid]

45. Yes it is great when a community works to help each other...

but remember that "cheap" bullet has cost real human lives and to me that cost is too high.

Can you put a price on a life... and say it's okay? I can't.

[spin]

49. I realize that guns can cause tragedies but they also can save lives. ...

I might not be posting here had not my mother had a small S&W revolver in her purse way back in the 1920s.

She had got off a bus and was walking home in a fairly rural area when a man who had been hiding behind some bushes rushed her. She was able to draw her revolver and fire two shots over his head. He ran.

[spin]

43. If we don't they will over run our state. ...

Wild boar an aggressive, albeit edible, invasive

THE LIVING GULF COAST
charlesSOBCZAK

The European wild boar is one of the most destructive invasive species ever introduced into North America. Originally transported by Hernando de Soto to the gulf coast of Florida in 1539 as domestic livestock, these escaped pigs have now expanded their range northward to the upper peninsula of Michigan, westward to California, and eastward to Virginia. Texas and Florida have the largest populations of wild hogs. In Texas the wild boar is outcompeting the native collared peccary, or javelina, which seldom weighs more than 50 pounds.

In Florida the wild boar population is estimated in excess of 500,000. More than 100,000 wild boars are taken by hunters in the Sunshine State annually, though this impressive harvest is still inadequate for keeping the soaring population in check. It breeds year round; the sow is capable of producing two litters a year, with as many as 12 piglets per litter. Left unchecked, the wild hog population in Florida could easily overwhelm the balance of nature and do immeasurable harm to other species by consuming too much of the available food sources. A single 400-pound boar can devour bushels of acorns in a week, leaving little for the other acorn-eating species such as deer, wild turkey, opossum, raccoon, armadillo and any number of birds. The wild boar also eats snakes, carrion, refuse, insects and reptiles....emphasis added

***snip***

With a half-million wild hogs out there, it is unlikely Florida will ever be free of this intelligent and adaptive omnivore. Its primary cause of mortality is hunting by humans, followed by predation of smaller hogs by panthers; predation of piglets by owls, eagles, coyotes, bobcats and black bears; and, finally, cannibalization by solitary male boars. Although not inherently dangerous to humans, a cornered or wounded boar wielding 6-inch tusks is a formidable threat, and care should always be exercised when encountering one of these animals in the wild.
http://fortmyers.floridaweekly.com/news/2011-03-16/Other_News/Wild_boar_an_aggressive_albeit_edible_invasive.html

Game Hunters Take a Shot at Controlling Wild Hogs in Florida
ByMary L. King
on Aug 24, 2010

Florida residents have enough to worry about with alligators and Burmese pythons crawling into neighborhood backyards. Wild hogs (Sus scrofa) are rooting their way into populated areas too, and have been for years. The wild pig isn't a new menace to the state – it seems Hernando DeSoto brought hogs into southwest Florida in 1539. Pigs that escaped into the wild decided the tropical wilderness would make a good place to build a home and raise a family. The rest is history.

***snip***

Wild Hogs Breed Faster than a Hunter Loading His Gun – Almost

Florida is second only to Texas in the number of wild hogs in the state. Wild pigs multiply like rabbits. A pig reaches sexual maturity at six months and the population can double every four months. Each sow can produce 4 to 14 piglets in each litter.

Wild hogs have no natural predators other than man. The pigs cause millions of dollars worth of damage throughout the state of Florida. Florida hunting trips for wild boar are popular sporting events as shown on the website World Class Outdoors on the page titled, "Florida Hog Hunting – Wild Boar Hunting". The wild pig epidemic virtually guarantees a successful adventure.

Wild pigs are likely to run from danger, but can be very aggressive and are dangerous when cornered or provoked. Will hunters be able to eliminate wild hogs from Florida and other states? Most likely, they won't. Even as hunters take aim to reduce the population, the wild pigs' breeding habits keep the pigs ahead of the game. Like the alligators, Florida residents will just have to tolerate the pesky swine.
http://suite101.com/article/game-hunters-take-a-shot-at-controlling-wild-hogs-in-florida-a277737

You can probably look forward to having feral hog in your area in the future.

Free-ranging populations of feral swine (also called feral hogs and wild pigs)
in the United States are located in at least 35 States. Some experts estimate their numbers at over 5 million, with the largest populations located in California, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. This species causes extensive damage and disease threats to public property, native ecosystems, livestock health,and human health. Feral swine populations will likely continue to spread across the country as a result of natural range expansion,illegal trapping and movement by hunters, and accidental releases from domestic swine operations.

The expanding populations of feral swine are a significant concern to farmers, livestock producers, natural resource managers, and animal health officials. However, feral swine issues are not limited
to natural areas and rural environments. Feral swine are highly adaptable and are becoming more common in suburban areas, rooting up lawns, gardens, golf courses, and city parks.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/wildlife_damage/content/printable_version/feral_swine.pdf

[Agschmid]

46. Yes... and?

"You can probably look forward to having feral hog in your area in the future."

Your logic completely escapes me. We also have more zebra mussels which are another invasive species but you don't see me hoarding my handguns to go shoot them...

[spin]

50. LOL. I don't think a firearm will help you control your zebra mussel problem. ...

Firearms and trapping will help curb the hog population in Florida somewhat.

[Agschmid]

52. Yah that was my point. Thanks. N/t

[Agschmid]

32. That was epic....

You forgot this... ... wait you didn't even need it did you because that post was so OTT.

[Agschmid]

30. You sure you are on the right website...

I am not convinced that "Your side" has any kind of logical argument.

[valerief]

26. Fuck your sucky, death-wielding shit-ass guns. nt

[spin]

41. You have every right to your opinion. Have a nice day. (n/t)

[Phillip McCleod]

9. that 'only assholes carry guns'..

..is rapidly becoming obvious.

took us long enough, eh?

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. Paranoid freaks.

[BlueStreak]

36. Exactly. They have guns precisely because they think everyone else is about to attack them.

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. It's not because they're armed, but because they're constitutionally fearful assholes

When you go through life as a stunted, fearful asshole, you of course get yourself a gun and imagine that everyone else is carrying, too. It's a mental defect that's doing great damage to our society.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

27. I consider anyone carrying a gun in my public spaces a threat to me.

And I prefer to stand my ground via legislation.

[Agschmid]

34. Thread win.

You didn't even need to include a picture of a feral hog did ya?

[aikoaiko]

35. Fortunately most people do not carry guns in their hands.

Apparently they didn't study the holstered condition.

[justanidea]

47. Thankfully crime stats have shown us that 99%+ of those "assholes"

Don't commit any sort of crimes with their firearms.

States like Texas have relatively lax concealed carry laws and only have ~100 crimes committed each year by the 500,000+ licensed gun carriers. That's less than 0.02%

Sounds like these "assholes" are a pretty safe bunch.

Honestly the whole "all people with carry permits are paranoid loons" meme on DU is hilarious. Such beliefs are truly a sign of a delusional mind.

[baldguy]

48. Science & common sense disagree with you.

Science Confirms The Obvious: Gun Laws Are Associated With Fewer Gun Deaths

...

A study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine found that more firearm laws are in fact associated with fewer firearm deaths, although that may not actually tell us whether one leads to the other.

Researchers from Harvard University and the Boston Children's Hospital looked at firearm-related fatalities between 2007 and 2010 and compared each state's rate of firearm fatalities per 100,000 people. They created "legislative strength scores" on a scale of 0 to 28 for each state's firearm laws, with each law counting as one point. (Gun-loving Utah came in with a score of 0, while Massachusetts had the strongest laws with a score of 24.)

For the four years they examined, there were 121,084 gun-related deaths in the U.S. -- 73,702 suicides and 47,382 homicides. The overall fatality rate was 9.9 per 100,000 individuals a year. According to the study, there were about 300 state firearm laws on the books across the nation as of 1999.

Controlling for various factors like poverty, unemployment, population density and house-hold firearm ownership, the analysis found that a larger number of gun laws in a state was associated with lower rates of both firearm homicides and suicides.

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A 2011 analysis of gun deaths by The Atlantic showed a similar association:




more:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-03/science-confirms-obvious-gun-laws-mean-fewer-gun-deaths

But thanks anyway for the standard extremist RW lies from the NRA.

[justanidea]

51. And the laws examined in that study have

What to do with the crime rate among concealed Carry permit holders? Oh thats right.

Nothing.

Oh and FYI, there are people from all walks of life and all sorts of political backgrounds who have carry permits.

[baldguy]

53. Typical extremist RW gun weirdo logic: If the facts contradict your NRA dogma, ignore it.

[Robb]

54. Exactly.

It's like someone put a revolving door on a clown car.

[justanidea]

55. lol

Keep trollin, son.