Dont declare firearms in the Bahamas, Ouch!

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by Jason Flare

The issue is whether a party has malicious intent.

I assume you know by now what Hermione would say.

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by Phantoms

Funny, most polls I've seen say that the majority of Americans believe that gun ownership is a Right and should remain legal. maybe it's the area you live in that has skewed your views.

As to what you wrote, the Police are not required to protect you, just ask the Supreme Court. You, and only you, are responsible for your protection. If you feel that calling the police is the way to accomplish that, then you are totally within your rights (just remember what the Supreme Court stated).

And last but not least remember the old saying "when seconds count, the police are minutes away".

And I suppose you know by now what Hermione would say.

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by skipmac

The case you reference is only addressing a constitutional issue. Has nothing to do with the actual day to day duties and obligations of the local police.

Not saying all local law enforcement is perfect, never makes a mistake, is always there in seconds when you need them; but to imply in any way that your local LEO is not there to protect is incorrect and I think disingenuous.

Please don't confuse those fine folks with logic or reason.

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by micah719

Hoplophiles take note....the hoplophobes are on the lookout for any excuse to make us look bad, so please restrict them to outright fabrication and hyperbole.

A phobia is a fear of something. Growing up around and using guns all of my young life I have no fear of guns whatsoever. I am in no way a hoplophobe.

So technically I suppose I am a Hoplophileophobe, otherwise known as a fear of gun carrying nutcases.

But a phobia is also an UNREASONABLE fear so I suppose... I am not even that...

[crazyoldboatguy]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

With respect, lifrafts and PFDs are not well renowned for making it more likely that a person will die at sea. Pulling out a firearm in an apparently dangerous situation ups the ante of violence in the game to deadly instantly. It makes what may merely be an unpleasant situation or confrontation into one which is a fight to the death. This is what Sir Peter Blake discovered, when he was shot to death and the bandits left, leaving numerous witnesses to the murder unharmed. How is a liferaft or PFD analagous to such an equivocal "tool"?

Oh, and as regards suicides, they are widely and fairly evenly distributed and account for a massive proportion of such deaths, so I am not sure what you are trying to say. Most gun deaths are not random, no. The point is surely more important that guns kill a LOT of people and do so proportionately wherever they are most numerous. Further, in those high crime areas you speak of, wherein people are also humans, do the guns make death in confrontations on average more or less likely? The same may be said at sea.

It is irrelevant. The gun as a tool can be used to defend oneself in the (admittedly) unlikely event that one is confronted with a person of bad intent. PERIOD. FULL STOP. If you don't have it, you can't use it.

However, the idea that guns are more numerous in areas where they are used more is just plain wrong. The city near where I live, Chicago, had some of the country's highest gunshot murder rate and yet, at the time, had some of the most restrictive gun possession laws in the country. There were guns - they were in the hands of criminals. There are far more guns in possession of law abiding folks elsewhere yet there just aren't incidents you can point to where these folks are having OK Corral shootouts. There was a small number of folks in the city who flaunted the law - mostly elderly African Americans who sought to, wait for it, protect themselves. One such incident involved an elderly woman who was assaulted by some young neighborhood toughs. Every day when she came home they stood around her home and threw rocks at her and her home. She tried to get them to stop - to no avail. Then she got her illegal rifle and shot at both - fortunately only one of them was hit - only injured. The woman was not prosecuted. Another gentleman was convicted of illegal possession and fought back - the result was a SCOTUS decision to overturn the draconian gun restrictions. That man is also African American.

The point is - saying a liferaft won't kill you is irrelevant. A chainsaw can very well main or kill - we typically don't use such on a boat. But a tool is a tool - however dangerous it may be. And when ALL ELSE has failed - what do you have left to depend on? Hundreds of millions of firearms are legally owned by Americans. The number used in crimes is vanishingly small compared to the illegal use of firearms.

When we venture forth, we will scrupulously obey the local laws and customs wherever we go. Whether or not we decide to bring a firearm with us. Just like what the vast majority of law abiding citizens in the US do every day, whether they own/carry or not. Abide by the law. If there is wild in the streets with law abiding firearms owners, I would like to see the links to articles describing them.

[AKA-None]

Thank for the considerations, I'll just leave the clays at home as it just sounds like to much paperwork for a little sport


Cruisers Sailing Forum va iPhone

[alansmith]

Sometimes there are very valid reasons to have a gun on board. While salmon and halibut fishing in Glacier Bay Alaska I hooked up with over a hundred pound halibut. I only weigh 175 and was in my late 50's when it occurred. When we got the fish along side the boat the skipper, who was thick and very robust guy well north of 200 lbs, harpooned him. The fish continued to fight. The skipper put a 40 caliber slug through his head and the struggles stopped.

I asked him why he did that. He stated that a fish of this size can literally snap a man's forearm in a blink of an eye when trying to haul them out on a gaff. So, now you know....smile

[alansmith]

Also, can posters please not bash other countries as being such and such. I am an American and have lived in Russia for a year, Phillipines for several years, China for many months, travelled to many European nations over the years. Every country has it's own culture and it's own set of problems. We do have problems here. So does your county. After all, the last time I checked we are all Homo sapiens responding here...

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by jb cruzan

Responsibility when something goes wrong - sure. But that goes unseen? The immigration check is non existent coming off a cruise ship compared with a private vessel in a destination port.

Just saying, these small countries have multiple sets of standards...

We have cleared in and out of about 40 countries with our boat. The two with most multiple sets of standards were Panama and the United States. WRT the latter, a foreign boat moving along the north shore of Long Island Sound must call into Customs every night to give their location. Those travelling along the south shore only need to phone in once between the east end of Long Island and Cape May. This is not the only example of differing rules or at least application of rules in different places.

[avb3]

There's been some good things discussed here and good information passed on but I'm pretty sure anything that is needed to be known about firearms in Bahamas is within these pages.

Thread closed

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