pistol vs. rifle which is worse

A rifle is a offensive weapon meant to kill people. A handguns is a defensive weapon meant to save your own life if someone is assualting you. JMO.

"Aside from military, a majority of living organisms that pistols are fired at are human beings. A majority of living organisms that rifles and shotguns are fired at are game animals. "Only" is a strong word here, but a majority of pistols are used on human beings as opposed to other living things. That's probably the best way to word it."

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You might want to specify "in the western world" before that statement. I'm sure the stats are different in places like Afghanistan where I'm sure AKs are more plentiful than pistols.

There is a tremendous difference between a murder weapon and a tool for self-defense.

Rifles are worse to be shot by. Pistols are worse to defend yourself with. Neither one is actually bad in and of itself, it is the user and function that determines the morality of an action in which an object is involved. Either one is far better than nothing in almost any situation.

Firearms are tools, nothing more. How they are used shows the character of the person employing them. We could say butter knives are bad because you can hurt or kill someone with them. We could say the same for a slingshot. Just because the spork you can buy from the local Army-Navy surplus store can scoop out an eyeball doesn't mean its evil.

I think this is because the "anti-2A" movement has drilled into people for so many years that "pistols are evil" instead of people doing evil things to other people.




Kris

Everybody has their own opinion and for the most part the guy has a valid point, but then again I don't care of his opinion and neither should you. When his house gets broken into and he is trying to open up that combo safe to get to his shotgun he might have a change of heart.

let´s face it..

Guns WERE invented to kill people.

The first cannons, handcannons and archebuses
were not designed with the hunter in mind.

They happen to be also pretty good for hunting.


Simply stop talking to people, who have the
philosophical level of an average 16yr old.
It´s just wasted time.

Let's say your friend was right, and pistols were designed for killing. That's it. Pistols are only for killing people.

Okay?

This is still easily countered by the example of the V2 Rocket from WW2. The V2 was designed solely to kill people - particularly British people. However, after WW2, we took the very same technology, and used it to stick a man on the moon and satellites in orbit. This caused a technological explosion, and infinitely improved the quality of human life.

Moral of the story? The tool is only as good, or evil, as the person (or persons) using it. And this has been, and will be, true of every technological advance and tool that humanity manages to create.

cdet69 said:

i had a interesting but strange conversation with another town employee today. he told me he only likes rifles and shotguns because pistols are ony made for killing people. wierd thing is he is a huge mauser far. does not seem to understand that other than a 22 rimfire most all firearms can be traced back to a military origin ie: killing people. what do you think?

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How old is he? I'd say that Americans love for the handgun is a more recent affair.

I was reading an old Gun Digest (1957) and handguns were viewed in a whole different way back then, even to the fact that Colt refused to make small caliber auto pistols.

Remind him of Charles Whitman @ University of Texas, 1966.

yea, the arrogance gets annoying. It is kind of like the rounding up of 'undesirables': Even if you're the last person on the list, you're still on the list.

does not seem to understand that other than a 22 rim fire most all firearms can be traced back to a military origin ie: killing people. what do you think?

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Hmmmmm.... I believe the .22 cal rim fire has been tied to the military since the beginning. This is an easy search on the Internet.

Anything that can be used as a weapon can be used to offend or defend. That is to say offensive or defensive.

He is a retard.

The Mauser was developed by the Germans to shoot the enemy during wartime.

If he does not like handguns then don't buy one.

As Ron White says " You can't fix stupid." Tell your friend to google Mauser and he learn really fast.

If you want to get technical, the BULLET is the component designed to create a deadly wound.
The gun is just designed to deliver the bullet in a manner so that is can do its work.

Killing can be a nobel and laudable act if it is done in defense of life, liberty and property.

It is MURDER that is evil. Don't confuse the two.

Sporting Rifles & Shotguns: are for hunting ANIMALS

ALL Handguns: are for hunting PEOPLE



Elmer ain't exactly known for his intelligence. As a result, Mr. Fudd has an overwhelming ability to throw away all forms of REASON & COMMON SENSE when making decisions. Therefore, he is easily manipulated by the sensational powers of BULL**** thrust by the anti's.



IT IS UP TO YOU Boys and Girls of THR, to guide this lost man to the light with reason and common sense so that he may correct his misguided conclusions.

Outside of the Kalashnikov, I can't think of another single firearm responsible for killing more people on earth than the '93-'98 Mauser. Joe

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Tell him that his Mauser may have killed more people than other gun in history and that it has probably killed more people than all handguns put together.

Might also want to mention that it was the Nazi standard infantry rifle.

bigalexe said:

Yup people are just that dense, my mom said that to me and the blood vessels in my head exploded so violently i lost my ability to speak. I believe her exact quote was along the lines of "All handguns should be illegal, no one uses them for hunting and so there's no purpose, they just kill people." It was so incredible i couldn't believe it.

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The media has been cramming this down our throats for years now, so it is no wonder some just repeat it mindlessly.

I would have told him I only like beer as the hard liquor is only for alcoholics.......

I don't really like it when people get all technical about the purpose of guns, or how technically a gun's purpose is to propel a piece of lead at high velocity, etc, etc, smart aleck remarks ad nauseam.

The most important purpose of a gun is to take life, human or otherwise. Depending on the situation, but mostly today they are important for taking human life because we have the taking animal life thing down to an assembly line procedure. The other stuff, the games and fun stuff, are still based on hitting a target, and the skill that is developed is useful for taking life. If the purpose of a gun were truly divorced from the skill of taking life, if it were just fun to propel lead downrange, we wouldn't even use targets would we?

We shouldn't argue that guns aren't for killing, because they are. We should just explain that people still kill and get killed without guns; guns give the elderly, the weak, females, and others a better chance of survival. Also, guns do not MAKE people kill other people (despite the fact that killing has been their primary historical purpose).

Learn to argue for self-defense rights and this whole "guns are for killing" debate becomes a moot point. If you argue it on the terms of the opponent, in this case, you lose, because guns are for killing. Do not reduce the debate to a semantic heap of nonsense, simply argue that killing can be justified and that, for the foreseeable future, the gun is the best option for the honest person to use for self-defense.

HMMMMM None of my handguns have EVER killed a person to this date and I carry one of them daily on duty. They have however killed Numerous small and large game. In fact my handguns have killed more game then my rifles and shotguns combined. Oops I don't know the history of my Garand so I might be wrong on that one, But still.

he told me he only likes rifles and shotguns because pistols are only made for killing people.

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Rifles and shotguns and pistols are only made for one thing: propelling one or more small bits of metal down a tube at high speed. Where those bits of metal stop and whatever damage they may do is the responsibility of the human operating the gun.

I've used a shotgun for pruning a tree and a rifle for clearing a branch damming a stream causing flooding. The only thing I've ever used a handgun to kill is a few fun hours in the range.

I've used a shotgun for pruning a tree and a rifle for clearing a branch damming a stream causing flooding.

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And misletoe! Don't forget mistletoe! What could be more warm and fuzzy than kissin' a pretty girl with a cuppa homemade egg nog in your mitt?

A single-shot Stevens has got me more kisses than a Corvette.

I've never thought of the Colt Woodsman or the S&W K-38 as man killers.