Now there's a knife.

Hee hee! Since handguns will soon be banned, we will be reduced to carrying around swords like in days of yore. Duel, anyone?

Hee hee! Since handguns will soon be banned, we will be reduced to carrying around swords like in days of yore. Duel, anyone?

Banned in your universe perhaps. In mine, the state hands out concealed carry permits to citizens with a clean background.

I prefer a raned weapon to a melee weapon.

In a knife fight, both parties can easily die and no matter how good you are, you are proabally going to get hurt.

I will stick with guncotton and lead, thank you very much!

raned=ranged

You and I both Mike!

Indeed. The problem with melee weapons is that you need quite a bit of skill to prevail. A thug with time to practice all day is probably going to beat an old grandma walking her dog, when it comes to a swordfight. With melee weapons, the few who spend the time practicing can dominate many who cannot spare such time (since they're actually usefully employed).

With a gun, it doesn't matter how weak that old grandma is, she can take down any body-building prison escapee, no matter how many hours he spent in the weight-room.

Guns were a great equalizing force. I don't think it's entirely coincidence that so many democratic revolutions and reformations began to sweep Europe when they did.

Mike:

Guncotton & lead???
What are you using,an old Krag?
It's the 21st C,we use smokeless powder & jacketed bullets now ;) :D

I'll use what TR used and like it!

And guncotton is smokless powder. Earliest smokless powder.

I could civilize them with cordite in my Lee-Enfield I suppose.

Moder smokless powder is nitrocellouse and nitroglycerin based in double and triple based powders.

"I'll use what TR used and like it!"

:D

One more reason for this being a bad idea generally; I don't know about the US, but in the UK the shopkeeper would probably be arrested for carrying an offensive weapon, and serve time, and the robber would probably get 40 hours of "community service" - if that much. And sue the shopkeeper to boot. And win.

One way to sort this out; change the law. If you attack someone and lose, tough - no liability by the intended victim, civil or criminal.

Fletcher, you just contradicted yourself. First you say that [shopkeeper defending herself] is a "bad idea generally", then base your claim on the specific (admittedly, very bad) legal situation in UK. It's not a bad idea generally, it is a bad idea in countries where you get arrested for defending yourself.

Fortunately, no place in US is that nutty -- certainly not Florida, -- although Massachusetts comes close. (In MA, if confronted with an attacker anywhere, including your home, you are required by law to run away. Using deadly force is permissible only if you are trapped with no escape route.)