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Most Peak Oil forums are infested with the survivalist brigade.

How come there don't seem to be any here?

(No, I'm NOT saying I want to see any here ... just curious)

Vortex wrote:Most Peak Oil forums are infested with the survivalist brigade.

How come there don't seem to be any here?

(No, I'm NOT saying I want to see any here ... just curious)

Point 1
this is .org.uk not .com

Point 2
Americans easily indulged gun fetish sends a fair portion of their population insane. It's ike Onanism except a lot worse. As a result, when the going gets rough their natural inclination is to load up with ammo, head up a hill and circle the wagons. Suposedly it's something to do with their pioneer history and 'rugged individuallism', or some such rot. Personally I blame cowboy movies, Swiss Familly Robinson and Lost in Space.

Fortunately the same process is not so common in the UK as its much more difficult to own a gun - at least legally. Good job too. Much of the population is both too stupid and/or evil to be allowed anywhere near firearms unsupervised, so the best place for them is in the Army where they can indulge their obsession under a strict code of discipline or up a mountain in Montana where everybody is mad and they would fit in.

Hopefully if and when TSHTF, most survivalists will be so far out in the wilds that they'll mainly end up shooting eachother rather than anything else thats alive. With luck they'll all be dead inside a year.

I just dont want them anywhere near Neasden or Surbiton.

(Appologies to Jim and Maggie in Helena. I know you two arent mad - just everybody else.)

*Raise hand*

Dont believe in killing others. Believe in preparing for times when truck dont arrive at shop though. Why would truck go to shop if there is no money to earn?

You would not BELIVE the strange stuff I'm stocking up on....

skeptik wrote: Point 2
Americans easily indulged gun fetish sends a fair portion of their population insane. It's ike Onanism except a lot worse. As a result, when the going gets rough their natural inclination is to load up with ammo, head up a hill and circle the wagons. Suposedly it's something to do with their pioneer history and 'rugged individuallism', or some such rot. Personally I blame cowboy movies, Swiss Familly Robinson and Lost in Space.

The reason americans are all allowed to own guns is that it is written in the constitution as one of their inalienable rights, to self-defence.

It makes a lot of sense really, if the government ever turns tyrannical (as it seems to be, microchips anyone?), it is the right and duty of the people to replace that government with a new one. If you study history many mass-murdering dictators were all heavily in favour of gun-control, Mao Tse Tung, Hitler, etc...

Dont even start on gun control unless you *do* want to attract the gun-lovin' folks to the party. I've done the argument about whether gun-ownership rights are in the US constitution before, and it goes on forever, especially since over here we're not well-versed in the intricacies of US history that leads to such deeply held and opposite beliefs on the subject.

I'm not saying my opinion one way or t'other.

Tess wrote:Dont even start on gun control unless you *do* want to attract the gun-lovin' folks to the party.

Absolutely.

There is no point in arguin with rootin tootin shootin Murkans about guns anymore than there is arguing evolution with fundmentalist religionists. The argument never gets anywhere.

As long as they are happy that they shoot to death 30,000 of their fellow citizens each year, I'm happy for them. It's a free country and chacun ? son go?t.

I sometimes annoy fellow "environmentalists" by referring to the work of the "gun-rack environmentalists".

In the US there are a group of people (Survivalists) who have set arbitrary limits to their lives -- they want to cut themselves off from the Federal government. Consequently they're carrying out a lot of the type of activities (developing practical skills, growing own food, producing own energy) which really make a difference to the environmental impact their lives create. However, the principle difference between these people and the "deep green" environmentalists over here is that these people often have gun racks in their homes/trucks (hence "gun rack" environmentalists).

I think we can learn a lot from these people, with the exception of their political outlook. E.g., if you want a taster, just look at one of their popular magazines, "Backwoods Home" (http://www.backwoodshome.com/). My personal favourite is the article entitled, "The Art of Living in Small Spaces" (http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/wolfe92.html).


P.

skeptik wrote: As long as they are happy that they shoot to death 30,000 of their fellow citizens each year, I'm happy for them. It's a free country and chacun ? son go?t.

If you go back to what I said. Dictators love gun-control, because it gives them more power, and the population less ability to resist oppression.

30,000 / year is good price when you compare it to the millions upon millions that evil dictators have killed in this century alone.
Without gun-control at least people have a fighting chance when the government becomes tyrannical, which history shows always happens.

Not to mention crimes such as burglary are about 90% lower in the states because burglars are afraid of being shot.

dr_doom wrote: 30,000 / year is good price when you compare it to the millions upon millions that evil dictators have killed in this century alone.

False connection. Public ownership of guns is not a prophylactic against dictatorship.

Just about every Iraqi familly had a pistol or a Kalashnikov under the bed during the rule of Saddam Hussein, but that made no difference to his control of the country. He still terrorised his own population. The fact that they were all armed to the teeth made no difference. There has never been any gun control in Iraq - gun ownership has been part of Iraqi culture for a long time. I'm sure you remember news footage of gun shops in Baghdad doing a roaring trade in all sorts of weaponry just prior to the US/UK invasion. No licences required.

We've had no evil dictators killing millions in the UK (unless you want to count M Thatcher and T Bliar! ) despite strong gun control.

As I said before 30,000 gun deaths and hundreds of thousands of woundings and maimings on an annual basis in the USA is fine by me. I wouldn't presume to tell Americans how to organise their own society. It's a matter of taste.

But Im not an American and I'm pleased that handguns are illegal in the UK. The only time Ive ever heard shooting that wasnt shotguns out in a field or rifles on a range, was during a two week visit to visit to Texas. Personally I find the sound of guns going off in an urban setting rather disturbing.

skeptik wrote: There has never been any gun control in Iraq.

Ironically there is now the americans have taken over. I think it's one gun per house. Any more and they assume you are an insurgent, or harbouring insurgents.

At the end of the day, I wasn't saying no gun-control would automatically prevent evil dictators from gaining control. I was saying it makes it more difficult. It's up to the citizenry to realise when a form of government isn't working for them, and replace it with a new one.

I'd like to admit that I'm a survivalist, albeit an amateur.

My wife's on board too, which is nice.

I don't see the point in talking about that on a site which seems to try and focus on community type solutions, and a good thing too. I think survivalists will be here, just not so vocal as 'over there'.

Also, as there is NO CHANCE that personal gun ownership will be allowed in the UK as it is in the US, there's not much point discussing. That is if you are pro gun ownership.

well regarding gun control you still have the hunting crossbows (excalibur or tenpoints) option.

Are they not really high maintenance? I'm not sure how long the parts last for and assume they are probably fairly resource intensive. Not that I can imagine myself with a cross bow anyway...

well you can have a look for yourself http://excaliburcrossbow.com/demo/m/con ... ntent_id=1
http://www.tenpointcrossbows.com/

you can also dig functional swords..

i think i've seen too much madmax movies

I think Co2 pistols are also legal for the timebeing, and potentially quite deadly.

There is legislation being proposed to put much greater controls over these type of weapons.