I just realized

[Phil]

I'm afraid Europeans sometimes get an idea of things on how the American system works that is partially true but embellished for a better news story.

I already explained that there's federal laws that can but don't usually clash or over ride state laws. I know you're aware that our country is divided into 50 states and they all have their own constitution.

I live in Pennsylvania where you don't have to have a permit for a rifle or a shotgun but the purchase has to be recorded with the state police. That makes it a registered gun whether they call it that or not.

You don't need a permit to buy a handgun in Pennsylvania, in most states you do, but again the transaction is registered through a police department. You do have to have a permit to carry a handgun out in public and it can't be concealed.

If you sell a gun you must report that sale within 3 days. So if I sell you. a gun just a personal sale not a store buying situaion, I have to report the sale at sheriff’s office if I fail to do that and you use the gun to rob a store whether you shoot someone or not, I can be tried as being in cahoots with you on the robery.

[Blix]

Oh. But doesn't this mean that it's really easy for criminals to get their hands on a weapon?

1: Have someone without a record buy a gun.
2: Buy it from them at 150% the prize.
3: Have him report it stolen.

And a criminal just got the means to start doing bad stuff again? :/

There might be something wrong with my theory here, but I think the thought of this is really scary.

[Phil]

I guess theoretically that can happen. But there's enough guns out there that can be done anyway even with strict gun laws.

I am not against certain people who have abused the rights or have a violent history being denied. But hunting and protection are good uses for a gun sometimes just having it deters problems.

[Blix]

I guess that's where the original environment comes in. ^^ It's really hard to smuggle guns into Norway, so almost no criminals have one. So easing up on the strict rules here would be bad. Things are really good here now, and I don't think anyone would want to change that.

In the states however, I can see why guns should be kept as legal as they are. In a country that size, I can imagine it being hard to control all the gun traffic across the borders, so I'm starting to see how allowing private persons to have guns would work as a pre-emptive measure.

This is just a bit hard for me to wrap my head around, since my country works so differently.

[Classicblast]

I can also see how things could work out differently in countries with a partially different culture.

Obviously the way of life and a free society is the same but I wish I wasn't saying this but America has some problems other countries don't have. We do have some advantages but with some of the liberties we have there's also trouble that comes with it.

I know we have some illegal aliens I know some of them personally. They are former baseball players or family of them. They were supposed to return to Mexico, South American countries or the Dominican Republics instead they got jobs on ranches and live secretly.

I know some of these guys are wonderful people who are just happy to have a life not in a poverty ridden society but some can also be looters and disorderly. Some of them run drugs for bad people because that pays more than clearing fields and picking crops.

[Blix]

We have tons of immigrants here aswell. Some illegal, but most of them have been approved by the state. ^^

I don't mind having them here. We have low vacancy rates (if that's the correct term in English), so they're not stealing our jobs. They do have a bit higher statistics on crimes, but not by very much. Also, the government is really good at giving them funds for learning the language and blending into society, so most of them adapt very well.

Those who are illegal immigrants doesn't get kicked out either. Most of the time they get permits to stay here, although of course it happens that we send them back. It depends a lot on their individual situation.

I don't have any personal friends who are immigrants, but I'm on first name with the ones who work at the local kebab store, and the Chinese restaurant downtown. ^^ In my experience, there are more douche bag natives than immigrants here.

[Phil]

This is a little off the topic of guns but that's ok discussion varies I think that's healthy to have that. So I have to agree with you I think some natural born Americans as you do of your home natives. Meaning in a lot of cases the immigrants legal or otherwise are a little more appreciative of the opportunities that are available to them. Especially if they come from a country that doesn't have so many opportunities.

Some of the natives have a way of just expecting things believing they are entitlements.

So I'd say we have a similar situation here too. There's plenty of Americans who feel the system should support them where immigrants would be willing to help their own cause.

[Blix]

I guess most of the people living in rich countries takes a lot of stuff for granted. ^^ That's probably just something people have to work on on an individual basis.

[Phil]

I think I can make it smaller than that. I think people from wealtheir families take too much for granted. If the family is labor oriented that might not be the case but if the family over indulges themselves and their kids the kids grow up not really able to push through a hard day's work.

[Slayzie]

That's true, but it's definitely a societal thing as well. Someone once told me that if you own more than two books, you are among the richest ten percent of the world's population, which just goes to show how much we take for granted.

Can you imagine not having the money to buy two books? I sure can't, but for 90% of people that's a fact of life. Is it any surprise then, that they're prepared to do the crappy jobs which nobody else is willing to do?

[Classicblast]

This is one of the things that I love so much about this board.

There's Jersey starting this topic to be silly and have it be an April Fools joke and yet everybody got the joke and the topic still triggered good discussion.