I'm so glad you can't just buy a gun here in Germany. I wouldn't wanna have one, but if everyone, who is older than 18, was allowed to have a gun I'd honestly be afraid of going out of my house.

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[!+~^$#&:;]

^ Yeah same for me I'm so glad we don't allow it here in the UK either. Knifes are a really bad problem in my city as it is - we're the knife crime capital of western europe lol. But I'm sure it would be far worse if they were actually legal to carry around. And I would be pretty terrified if guns were made legal especially walking around at night.

But I do imagine it's a bit different if you've always laws allowing guns.



Also I was just wondering from comments like that if it's more normal in the US for people to actually wait until they're 21 before even trying alcohol? Here I don't know anyone who first tried it on their 18th birthday - that would be thought of as pretty strange. I didn't try to buy alcohol before I was 18 (though lots of people do) but I'd been having wine at meals when my parents did since I was about 13/14.

And I know I may be the only one here but I do actually like beer I didn't like the smell of it before I first tried it but the taste really wasn't too bad so aquiring a taste for it was a lot less painfull than some of you are making out The only alcohol that I've tried which I don't like (though I used to) is mixed alcopop drinks. Far too sweet.

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Well, you see the issue with guns isn't really whether they are legal or not.

You see if they pass a law that makes it illegal to carry a gun that ONLY prohibits law abiding citizens from getting guns.

The only people you have to worry about, though, is the people who don't abide by the law and those people are going to get guns regardless of what laws you put in place. if they are breaking 5 gun laws by carrying a gun now, you think 2 more laws are going to stop them?

So, my view point is, if the bad guys are going to have guns regardless of the laws, then those of us who follow the laws should be able to carry guns in order to defend ourselves if necesary.

For example, a town here in the US passed a law that said EVERY house in the city had to own at least 1 gun. The crime rate in that city dropped to 0% nearly overnight.

(not saying it was a good law... i don't think they should force people to own guns... but they shouldn't try and take them away from law abiding citizens either)

The second ammendment gives all the right to bear arms in the US. Guns don't cause crime, bad people cause crime. *shrugs*

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That's why I said it makes a difference whether or not you have a culture of owning guns or not.

If you've already got a culture like that where guns have been readily available then stricter gun laws might be inefficiant and counter productive. But where there has been no culture of gun ownership then loosening the laws is definitly going to make things easier for criminals etc to get hold of guns. As far I'm aware noone really has guns here - the only people who do are those who have been through very thorough background checks. Sure there may be a few criminals who do have them but not nearly to the extent that people feel they have to own a gun to defend themselves.

Anyway the people who I'm more scared about getting guns here are not the hardened criminal types but the idiots who go own and get drunk at the weekend and end up getting into fights and stabbing people. If they were able to get guns easily things would be pretty terrifying.

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I'm such a sheltered person. I didn't go to the parties in high school where alcohol was served, and I haven't in college, either. I had a sip of a bellini once, and some of that Smirnoff Ice stuff. My brother (who is 18) was like, taste it, it tastes like sprite. Not exactly. I took a few sips and gave it back to him.

My mom never let me have alcohol, either. So I will be waiting until my birthday (which is on the 24th) to get my first real drink.



Whaaa? That's bizarre. I could see a law limiting each household to one gun, but to mandate at least one? That's insane.

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I'm all that's left of two hearts on fire
That once burned out of control
You took my body and soul
I'm just a ghost in this house

I second that. If they ever passed a law in the UK saying everyone has the right to own a gun to protect their property.... I'm moving, as we all know they wouldn't be used to injure robbers. There are enough idiots around who manage to turn a kitchen knife into a murder weapon without making multiple killing machine available.

Although to be honest, only a few weeks ago a really well-to-do, young lawyer, with no reason for it whatsoever, managed to buy a gun and had a shoot out with the police, and after 6 hours they eventually had to shoot him dead. There were rumours he had an argument with his wife, but she and his parents said everything was fine between them, and no-one knows why he did it..... so sometimes, it's not just the lowlife and the drunks, but the respectable upper-class.

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^ By me and my SS *squiggle hugs*

Practically everyone in my class, save a few, have or continue to drink alcohol and these kids are only 18. Most of my class started in 8 or 9th grade.

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Annoying-Amount-of-Smileys Nazgul
Co-Force of Evil Posting

Yeah, I tried alcohol when I was 13 as well...It was New Year's Eve and my parent's decided to give me a glass of Champagne to celebrate. So, we were standing in our driveway watching the fireworks...and after I drank some of the Champagne, I accidentally dropped the glass and broke it. It was classic But, yeah, the majority of people in my high school drank...a lot....There was a rumor about some of the students coming to school drunk. Silly students. >.> Welcome to Montana

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[Will accept any PM! So PM me! ]

Yeah, welcome to good ole' Minnesota!

*Laughs*

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Annoying-Amount-of-Smileys Nazgul
Co-Force of Evil Posting

you're definitely not the only one who likes beer. I absolutely love beer (well it'd be pretty strange if I didn't cuz nearly everyone in my country likes beer hehe). And I agree with you - the alcopop thingy drings are far too sweet.
And the thing about drinking alcohol under 18 is the same here too. Nearly everyone has drunken alcohol and most have already been drunk before they turned 18. I also drank my first glass of wine when I was about 13 though I must say that wine is not my favourite.. not that you think I'm addicted to alcohol. I don't drink lots of alcohol

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[!+~^$#&:;]

lol well, as far as guns go (and drinking) I guess it really all boils down to the responsability of the person.

We have responsability to conduct ourselves reasonably, and when we fail to do so there should be negativ effects.

However, I don't see why the negative effects of one individual should effect a second individual who conducts themselves appropriotly.

Don't get me wrong, background checks are important. I don't want some nut going and buying a handgun. But that nuts behaviour shouldn't make it harder for me to get one when I have never been in trouble with the law.

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^ By me and my SS *squiggle hugs*

lol yeah, same here. Never tried alcohol except a teaspoon of vodca in a glass full of water for madicinal purposes.

... Well.... I have taken niquil before...

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Alcohol can be good, it has to be done right etc. I do enjoy a good glass of wine. In fact, last week one of the highlights of my honeymoon was going to a wine tasting at Biltmore Estates! Nice restraunts (if ever you go to Asheville, NC, visit Limone's) serving delicous wines & mixed drinks (nope, I'd never tasted one before the honeymoon, but I took a sip of my husband's and wished I'd gone ahead and ordered one). He's got a cupboard with different kinds of alcohol. I suppose I'll be trying more mixed drinks soon. Recently for example I poured myself a glass of orange juice mixed with cranberry. His comment: needs just a splash of ______ (some alcoholic beverage).
Oh, the other thing was I was convinced I'd never like a beer. He introduced me to this fruity, foreign beer that didn't smell or taste like anything I'd have called a beer. Reminded me of this special juice.
So it's a matter of finding the right kind, I'm trying to say.

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Starting October 13th: globe trotting from my kitchen. Follow along on Cook In Fifty-Two

Makes sense really. Everyone is going to find something they like more than likely in an area as wide as this.

However, I think I'll just stick to no alcohol. Anything that has potentual to be edictive, alter my behaviour, or cause me not to remember things...
I'm staying away from it.

I've never tasted alcohol and I don't supose i ever will. As i always say, though, "Each to his/her own."

We all make our own choices in life.

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I've tried whisky once and didn't like the taste at all either. The faces I made said much to the people around me. A not so funny story to go a long with it as well.

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Within the auburn of her hair
The trembling starlight of the skies
He saw there mirrored bright and fair

♥In a poly relationship with Kili and Tauriel♥