Learn to defend yourself - it could save your life

Learn to defend yourself - it could save your life [Brit advising Brit]
The Sunday Telegraph (UK) ^ | November 14, 2004 | By Karyn Miller


Posted on 11/14/2004 8:56:25 AM PST by aculeus


Imagine the worst. It's 3am, you've been woken by a strange noise in the kitchen. Sleepy-eyed and scared, you go downstairs. Before you can reach for the light switch, you come face-to-face with a burglar. What do you do?

"You have to react quickly," warns Martin Beale, a self-defence specialist and home security adviser. "The choices are simple: fight or flight.

"You must know this in advance, to prepare yourself as much as you can. Will you run or will you stand your ground? What if the burglar is armed? Condition your mind to say: 'If this happens, this is what I will do'.

"To disarm an intruder, you need great presence of mind and skill. Even soldiers who are trained to kill cannot always find it within themselves to fire their weapons in anger.

"If you are going to start something, you will have to finish it - you aren't going to get a second chance.

"If he is determined to beat the daylights out of you and you hurt him but only slightly, he will be a wounded animal and who knows what will happen?

"If you are going to go for it, you have to go for it 110 per cent. If you cannot frighten him off, you have to disarm him and hit him until he cannot move."

So what does "going for it 110 per cent" involve?

Mr Beale, 45, who is the managing director of Praetorian Associates, a team of former military personnel who provide security services to prominent individuals around the world, and equip international police forces and special forces with body armour, says that there are many ordinary household objects that can serve as defensive weapons. The kitchen, in particular, is littered with potential missiles.

"Items such as the kettle and cafetiere are good to throw, because they are heavy," says Mr Beale, who also served in the Territorial Army for 20 years. "Jars, or anything made of glass, are good too. Rain them down."

A kitchen chair sailing through the air or lying on the ground is an effective, if temporary, obstruction. As our graphic shows, any sharp-ended object, such as wooden spoon, a pen or a toothbrush, can be turned into a weapon.

Mr Beale's instructions are clear: if an intruder comes for you, use everything you have - your hands, your teeth and your elbows - to repel or disable him. Poke, jab and strike at his eyes, nose and throat. Thumbs gouged into corners of eyes and fingers pushed up noses as far as they will go are particularly effective. Bend fingers backwards, quickly, until they snap - this is more easily achieved than might be thought.

Contrary to popular belief, the groin is a predictable target and should not be aimed at first.

Run your fingers across the intruder's scalp and grab a handful of hair in your fist. This is a simple technique that causes a great deal of pain and should distract an aggressive intruder. Do your best to force the intruder to the floor. Once he is there, do not let him get up again.

If you use a tight head-lock to choke the intruder, applying pressure to the carotid artery in the neck, bear in mind that cutting off the blood supply to the brain for more than five seconds can cause death. However, if the move is carried out effectively you will be in a position to dictate the situation.

Mr Beale demonstrated his advice last week at the the East Sussex home of Major Roderick Petley, 71, pictured above in his home, and his wife Victoria, 62, who earlier this year were raided by a gang of violent burglars. The gang smashed their way in with a hydraulic battering ram and stole items worth £3,500. The Petleys have since spent £32,000 on home security improvements, but fear a return visit.

While Mr Beale stressed that knowing how and when to fight back against intruders was important, there was no shame in choosing flight. Fighting back contradicts police advice, which is for householders to escape to a locked room and dial 999. Also, under the current law, which, according to an ICM poll in last week's Sunday Telegraph, 70 per cent of the population view as inadequate, householders who resort to self-defence could find themselves charged with assault and even sued for compensation by their burglars.

For those who decide to run, Mr Beale recommends a heavy door wedge.

"Even if its lock is broken, a solid door cannot rise an inch on its hinges. With a good wedge stuck under it, the door would have to be smashed into pieces or taken off its hinges altogether if the burglar wanted to get in."

For those who choose to stick it out, or who are obliged to do so, the first step is to bellow as loudly as possible.

"Body language counts for a lot. The moment you stand up, walk and shout with authority, people think twice. This applies to anyone, even the elderly. If somebody has breached the boundary of your property, your voice and presence can be enough to deter them."

Clear thinking and decisive action are needed during any confrontation. "There's nothing magical about what I have showed you," said Mr Beale when he had trained the Petleys to use his techniques.

"What it comes down to is an awareness of your own abilities, and common sense. Just make sure you know how far you can go." Mrs Petley, whose husband served in the Rifle Brigade (now the Royal Green Jackets) from 1952 to 1964, was impressed. "I was surprised to discover all that I could do, which is more than I had thought," she said. "I had no idea that so many of the things we have lying around could be used in such ways.

"What I have learnt today has been wonderful. I hope that I will never have to use it - but who knows what will happen?"

She has now invited Mr Beale back to teach the same techniques to her neighbours and friends.

Kind of self explanitory, I thought. But there you are.

this belongs in the politics forum because... :confused: you're really high?

Oh I DO apologise. Please forgive me.

Euphoric said it all


Peace

In Britain, there is a debate about householders having the right to defend themselves in their own homes. Guns are illegal, so other methods have to be found.
This was an article that was written very much with that POLITICAL debate in mind.

Is that OK, sir?

the worst. It's 3am, you've been woken by a strange noise in the kitchen. Sleepy-eyed and scared, you go downstairs. Before you can reach for the light switch, you come face-to-face with a burglar.


Try waking up from this paranoid fantasy.



Will you run or will you stand your ground? What if the burglar is armed?



What percent of burglars are 1) armed 2) looking to fight not run and 3) doing b and e at 3 AM when you can be sure there is no one home by knocking at 10 AM?

Sorry this shit just doesnt happen. And if you got by security system, I wish you all the best getting by my dogs.
All this self defence shit gives people false confidence, call 9-11 or in your case 999. Confronting a guy unarmed is moronic.

What planet are you on? Can I come live there?
In Britain this situation happens all the time.

"What percent of burglars are 1) armed 2) looking to fight not run and 3) doing b and e at 3 AM when you can be sure there is no one home by knocking at 10 AM?"

1) Armed with a tool of some kind that can do damage to your person? About 100%, give or take.

2) I'd say it's about half and half. Personally, I don't like those odds.

3) All burglaries happen at 10am? That's handy. Do the police know about this? I must say, it's jolly nice of Mr Burglar to be so methodical.

sorry
dont get your suitcase in a riot :p
sticks and stones :D
:cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Euphoric

this belongs in the politics forum because... :confused: you're really high?

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Howdy Euphoric,

This belongs in the politics forum,because it illustrates the stupidity of spine-less political correctness,because the decision to ban guns in Britain,was voted on by British voters,thereby putting themselves in this position on non-deterrence to violent and armed criminals.

STAY SAFE - STAY ARMED!

Have a good one...Torog

LOL poor Torog..Alway's getting abused for being a patriotic American.
And Bbasher Have you led a shelterd life..? There's more people in the UK that have gun's than what you think.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Return of the redi

3) All burglaries happen at 10am? That's handy. Do the police know about this? I must say, it's jolly nice of Mr Burglar to be so methodical.

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Yeah actually the police do know this. Residential burglaries day time, commercial nite time. Go fucking ask them. I can read my local community paper and see the trend quite clearly. All occur either during the day or during a long vacation, which also means during the day.They want to rip you off and run, if they wanted to use violence they could rob someone at an ATM. What would you do if you were a criminal, go for a house you know is empty, or chance a house that may be occupied? Dont give me the crazy junkie excuse either, thats the sound of a poor little englishman who wants a gun and doesnt mind lying about shit for his agenda.
If armed burglars breaking into occupied houses at nite happened regularly there would be way more in the paper, and on the front page. It just doesnt happen.
Rufus (banned)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Button Basher

Oh my god your a retard Torog. Armed criminals? You f*cking dumb-sh*t, there are no armed criminals because there are no guns. You think you need a gun to protect yourself from everything? The only thing you need a gun to protect yourself from is someone else with a gun. If a cat scratches you do you take out a desert eagle and blow it away? Have you even been to Britain before? Worst crime we get here on a regular basis is an old lady getting mugged by some townies. I'm glad I live in a country where I know I won't get shot, full stop.

Have a good one you inbred yank, HAHAHA! Prick.

Laters everyone, this board sucks.

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If a criminal shows up at your house with a crowbar or a hammer,in order to break in,they are armed with a deadly weapon. If you think that criminals don't have guns because of laws banning them-then it is you--who's the dumb-ass. lol Daggum..you're in for a rude awakening...lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ineedskillz

LOL poor Torog..Alway's getting abused for being a patriotic American.
And Bbasher Have you led a shelterd life..? There's more people in the UK that have gun's than what you think.

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Howdy ineedskillz,

I tell you what..this here country..has gone nuts..since I was growing up..lol.

Have a good one...Torog :D

Crikey, some peoples worlds are so ordered!
Burglaries at 10pm, guns extinct in countries that ban them, Mr Burglar a 'take it or leave it' kind of guy that's no more likely to harm you than the milkman.
Which part of Britain are these people living in?
Where I come from (Luton) you are lucky if you go all year without someone in your street being murdered, let alone burgled. Drugs are available on all good street corners, as are guns, and 'respect' is the only thing that matters. And the only way to gain said respect is to be a bit of a villain.
Junkies on the other hand don't care about respect, they just care about their next fix, and getting the money to pay for it.

And if you're going to come at me with such imaginative, thought provoking insults as "you fucking cock" you can save your typing hand!

I don't know how you can be bothered, Torog.

You know europe is sounding kind of like it may have a high rate of crime. Mugging little old ladys all the time, robbing and stealing, guns and killings. Poor Theo, shot and stabbed! Damn, that sucks! You may not get shot at as much, but you ain't making it out of there with any of your stuff, and you may get beaten or stabbed in the proccess of getting it ripped off. What kind of people are you anyway? Good grief, riots for football games, riots for this, riots for that. Your about as violent and criminal like as any country on earth. I got a feeling your crime against old lady's is so bad because everyone knows granny ain't got no gun in that bag. It makes big tough englishmen wanna mug little old granny knowing she can do nothing to stop them.


Toker

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Button Basher

Oh my god your a retard Torog. Armed criminals? You fucking dumb-shit, there are no armed criminals because there are no guns. You think you need a gun to protect yourself from everything? The only thing you need a gun to protect yourself from is someone else with a gun. If a cat scratches you do you take out a desert eagle and blow it away? Have you even been to Britain before? Worst crime we get here on a regular basis is an old lady getting mugged by some townies. I'm glad I live in a country where I know I won't get shot, full stop.

Have a good one you inbred yank, HAHAHA! Prick.

Laters everyone, this board sucks.

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Button basher
You have some nerve , and lack of brains, to call ANYONE names like [retard, fucking dumb shit, inbred yank, and prick].
Mods, please ban members who show this much disrespect for others. THERE are ways to respond intelligently, this isn't one of them. gezzzz shaking my head. If your points are so weak you have to resort to name calling, shut the hell up!!!!!!
peace heart
I await a mods response
thanks

Man, that sucks! I hate to see people call for someone to be banned. Torog is a big boy now, and can handle these types of people himself rather well. Hell, I bet he likes seeing liberals lose their cool. That means he has hit a nerve. If you ban all the fun people, this place will get boring.

Toker

i agree with LT! dont call for people to be banned! torog can handle himself pretty well, hes a big guy lol :)

but LT, hey, what was with all that England insulting ? not that i care, i dont live there :)

Just listen to how they talk about it themselves. All I was doing was commenting on what they were saying. Dude said granny was getting mugged all the time, so I believe that it may be true. He was saying that it wasn't that bad that granny was being mugged a lot, it was no big deal. Others were saying crime was everywhere you looked. To me that means crime is common place in England, if not all of Europe. So much so that they don't see granny being mugged all the time as any kind of real problem. They don't paint much of a picture of Europe, or England anyway.

Toker

I say the goverments law shoudl reflect the peoples laws, if the poeple cant have guns, neither can their miliatary....

And think of what we can do with the present military budget, hell we can use it to feed countries which are envious of us.

We can save the world......

Just an on the spot idealisic thought.

What if we could polie the the gov;t...?

The C

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Libertarian Toker

Man, that sucks! I hate to see people call for someone to be banned. Torog is a big boy now, and can handle these types of people himself rather well. Hell, I bet he likes seeing liberals lose their cool. That means he has hit a nerve. If you ban all the fun people, this place will get boring.

Toker

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Howdy LT,

Thanx for them kind words..and yer right..I'm 10 foot tall..and Wall to Wall..-I've only begun to fight !!! Yeeehhhaaawww !!! :D

Have a good one...Torog :D

Hi Lt and Ghost
I found button's post to be inmature and uncalled for. It WASN"T button's calling TOROG those names but ANYONE being called those names!!!!!
There are ways to express one's self without the name calling.
Are members here allowed to say anything offensive?
I still say ban them.
people like that aren't needed here IMO
you all have a great day
peace
heart

Very few criminals in the UK have guns, especially not petty criminals as they are so difficult to get hold of. Most burglars are just guys that want to grab some stuff then run off, they are rarely armed with anything. However, kitchen knives are often grabbed by panicing burglars. In most cases self defence techniques can be used, as burglars do not go looking for a fight. Just shouting at them to fuck off will often make them take off, they aren't the mafia, just cowardly twats who want some money.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kombucha

Very few criminals in the UK have guns, especially not petty criminals as they are so difficult to get hold of. Most burglars are just guys that want to grab some stuff then run off, they are rarely armed with anything. However, kitchen knives are often grabbed by panicing burglars. In most cases self defence techniques can be used, as burglars do not go looking for a fight. Just shouting at them to fuck off will often make them take off, they aren't the mafia, just cowardly twats who want some money.

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That is kind of funny that you would think telling a panicing criminal that just grabbed a knife to fuck off would cause him to run from grannys house. I can picture it now. As the criminal is running for the door in a paniced fear from the raging granny with the foul mouth he yells, "mug ya later bitch". It would seem little old ladys are fair game in England, and I doubt criminals would just pick houses to rob were people that could defend themselves lived. Sorry granny, but in England your a prime target.

Toker

I have a dog that barks at the slightest noise, but we also have guns in the house. I don't think a burglar would think twice about shooting my dog or me. Burglars that are tweaked out on meth or crack will do WHATEVER it takes to get money or something they can sell for money. Unless you are a skilled fencer, I don't think a big knife is going to help the situtation at all. The same goes for a bat. I'm 5' 6" and a chick, what the hell am I going to do to an armed, drugged out robber with a gun, if I'm waving a bat around? Die. That's about it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heartsurgerysurviver

Hi Lt and Ghost
I found button's post to be inmature and uncalled for. It WASN"T button's calling TOROG those names but ANYONE being called those names!!!!!
There are ways to express one's self without the name calling.
Are members here allowed to say anything offensive?
I still say ban them.
people like that aren't needed here IMO
you all have a great day
peace
heart

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I don't mean this in a nasty way, so don't be offended.

"I found button's post to be inmature and uncalled for.:

I find your post to be inmature and uncalled for.

"It WASN"T button's calling TOROG those names but ANYONE being called those names!!!!!"

Sticks, stones, you know the drill. They are just words, they can not hurt you unless you let them.

"There are ways to express one's self without the name calling."

And there are ways to deal with loudmouths without banning them.

"Are members here allowed to say anything offensive?"

Are we not allowed to say anything offencive? Are you the one to tell me what is offencive to me?

"people like that aren't needed here IMO"

Sure they are! How are they going to learn if they don't get a chance to see? What kind of people do you think we need here anyway? Blond hair? Blue eyes? Assholes are people too! Don't discriminate against them. I happen to be one, and I find it offencive when assholes get banned for just being themselves.

Toker

Just to be fair to England, we ain't no better.............

http://start.earthlink.net/newsartic...301_lead_story

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Players and fans exchanged punches in the stands as an NBA game turned so ugly a police investigation was necessary. Indiana's Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson charged into the stands and fought with fans in the final minute of their game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, and the brawl forced an early end to the Pacers' 97-82 win.

"I felt like I was fighting for my life out there," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'm sorry the game had to end this way."

Officials stopped the game with 45.9 seconds remaining after pushing and shoving between the teams spilled into the stands once fans got involved by throwing things at the players near the scorer's table.

About three hours following the startling finish, Auburn Hills police walked out of a television trailer with videotapes gathered from various media outlets.

Officers interviewed witnesses at the arena in suburban Detroit, and planned to talk to the players involved in the melee.

"We'll put it all together, take it to the Oakland County Prosecutors Office and have them review it and they'll decide if there are any charges," Auburn Hills Deputy Chief Jim Mynsberge said. "I hope we can do it before Thanksgiving."

Mynsberge added: "At this time, we don't have any indication of major injuries."

That's probably the only fortunate fact.

"There's no place in the game for what went on with this incident," said Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations. "It was just an ugly scene."

Detroit's Larry Brown, who started coaching in 1972 after his playing career ended, said it was the ugliest thing he had seen as a coach or player.

After several minutes of players fighting with fans in the stands, a chair, beer, ice and popcorn were thrown at the Pacers as they made their way to the locker room in one of the scariest brawls in an NBA game.

It all started when Detroit's Ben Wallace went in for a layup and was fouled hard by Artest from behind, and escalated when Artest stormed into the stands after being hit by a full cup.

After being fouled, Wallace wheeled around and pushed Artest in the face. The benches emptied and punches were thrown.

As the players continued shoving each other near center court and coaches tried to restore order, Artest sprawled out on his back on the scorer's table, looking relaxed.

Just when it appeared tempers had died down, Artest was struck by a cup thrown from the stands and jumped up and charged into the stands, throwing punches as he climbed over seats.

"He was on top of me, pummeling me," fan Mike Ryan of Clarkston said. "He asked me, `Did you do it? I said, `No, man. No!'"

Jackson joined Artest in the melee and threw punches at fans, who punched back at them.

Security personnel and ushers tried to break it up. Former Pistons player Rick Mahorn, who was seated courtside as a Detroit radio analyst, tried to stop the brawl in the stands. Detroit's Rasheed Wallace and Indiana's David Harrison were also in or near the stands trying to break up the fights.

Later, a man in a Pistons jersey approached Artest on the court, shouting at him. Artest punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor. Teammate Jermaine O'Neal stepped in and punched another man who joined the scrum.

"The NBA is withholding comment until it can review the incident," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said.

Players from both teams left the arena without comment.

Quentin Richardson of the Phoenix Suns watched the brawl on television.

"I have never seen a fight like that in a game since I was in high school," he said. "Man, there are going to be some lawsuits. You don't think some of those fans aren't going to want some NBA money?"

Police prevented reporters from crossing the loading dock to get to Indiana's locker room or the area where the Pacers' bus was located.

"I'm just embarrassed for our league and disappointed for our young people to see that," Brown said.

Artest has been involved in some bizarre situations, but his latest antics topped them all.

Earlier this month, he was benched for two games for asking Carlisle for time off because of a busy schedule that included promoting a soon-to-be released rap album.

Artest also destroyed television monitors at Madison Square Garden two years ago and missed the team flight to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals at Detroit last season.

Before the contest was stopped, Artest had quite a game and the Pacers were dominating the defending NBA champions in their first meeting since the Eastern Conference finals.

Artest scored 17 of his 24 points in the first quarter and the Pacers led by 20 in the second. Detroit used a 9-0 outburst early in the fourth quarter to close within 82-77, but couldn't get closer.

Indiana's next game is Saturday night at home against Orlando, while Detroit hosts Charlotte on Sunday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by maryjanemama

I have a dog that barks at the slightest noise, but we also have guns in the house. I don't think a burglar would think twice about shooting my dog or me. Burglars that are tweaked out on meth or crack will do WHATEVER it takes to get money or something they can sell for money. Unless you are a skilled fencer, I don't think a big knife is going to help the situtation at all. The same goes for a bat. I'm 5' 6" and a chick, what the hell am I going to do to an armed, drugged out robber with a gun, if I'm waving a bat around? Die. That's about it.

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Howdy MaryJaneMama,

I agree..it's best not to bring a knife or bat..to a gunfight..lol.

Mornin LT ,

You made a good point about banning jerks,one can invoke the ignore option if need be..I prefer to lead by example..

Have a good one y'all...Torog :D

No a bat or a knife in a gunfight is no use, but the point is, we DO NOT HAVE GUNFIGHTS IN THE UK. No one can get hold of a gun. Burglars are rarely armed. And yes they do often run if you act like you aren't scared. They do not want to be caught and will almost certainly be very nervous walking round someone elses house.

Ya know Lt, you are right, i'll keep my opinions to myself in these matters in the future.
by the way I have neither blond hair or blue eyes. lol
Sorry you found my post offensive, guess you should put me on your ignore list.
Glad that feature was mentioned, I didn't know about it till now.
I was not , nor am i now,trying to tell you or anyone else what is offensive. I was stating my opinion [ I did put IMO]
I'll try to keep my posts from being offensive to you in the future.
you have a great day
heart

You're right Toker. Granny is a target, and one that often gets hit, judging by the amount of battered grannies you see in the papers.
Stastistics say that, person for person, burglaries are more common in anti gun England than in pro gun America.
I think that more or less speaks for itself!

And Kombucha, you keep saying there are no guns in England, so tell me where abouts you live and then I can point out, statistically of course, how very wrong you are!

Ok, I live in Kent. The very fact that anyone can buy handguns in America but no one can buy handguns in the UK is pretty good evidence that the UK does not have a lot of guns. The police don't even carry guns. They don't need them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kombucha

Ok, I live in Kent. The very fact that anyone can buy handguns in America but no one can buy handguns in the UK is pretty good evidence that the UK does not have a lot of guns. The police don't even carry guns. They don't need them.

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It is a neighbourhood with a reputation for drugs and violence; a place where gang rivalry has led to shootings. The police officers patrolling these streets have loaded guns in their holsters; armed units are ready to provide back up. Is this a scene from the ghettos of the United States? No, this is Nottingham in the heart of England, a country with a long tradition of unarmed police officers who walk the beat with only a truncheon for protection.

More on this story here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sta...ime/police.stm

Yep, Nottingham, Manchester, Liverpool, London. It's a situation that is only getting worse.
Unless you live in Kent!

Kombucha, believing there are no guns in England because they've been outlawed, is like believing there was no alcohol in the US during Prohibition. Smoking weed is illegal in my state in the US. Yet, I smoke it every chance I get and it's easy to find. Making something illegal doesn't make it impossible, there is always an underground.

Quote:

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believing there are no guns in England because they've been outlawed, is like believing there was no alcohol in the US during Prohibition.

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Its is not hard to get hold of a gun in England. I have been offered, and several friends have been offered. You only have to know the right person if you want to get hold of a gun. (as with anything illegal)
On the other hand if you dont want to buy a gun you could always rent a gun from underground 'outlets'. I hear that renting guns is becomming increasingly more popular in the UK due to the automatic 5 years in jail if you are caught in possesion of a firearm in the UK .


Peace

There are very few guns in the UK. I do live here you know. It is very hard to get hold of them and as such very few police carry guns. Most criminals do not "know the right people," they are just losers who want to make some quick money. Only serious criminals here have guns, I see a lot of news reports about people being burgled or mugged, I hardly ever see reports like that where guns were involved.

Kombucha where in the UK are you from?

Quote:

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Only serious criminals here have guns

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Sorry but this is simply not true at all, there have been several messed up "drive by" shootings recently......... not by so serious/full time criminals but by people who have watched menace to society to much.

Peace