Peter Van Uhm: Why I Chose a Gun

[Gman]

I ran across this video today on YouTube. I checked it out because my in-laws are Dutch. The Netherlands Chief of Defense is a very eloquent man and thought you might be interested in what he had to say as well. (I searched to see if this was ever posted before and found nothing. My apologies if it's a repost.)


http://youtu.be/LjAsM1vAhW0

[Aloha_Shooter]

Excellent talk. Thanks for posting.

[BladesNBarrels]

According to Wikipedia:

In the Netherlands, gun ownership is restricted to law enforcement, hunters, and target shooters. Self-defense is not a valid reason to own guns. To obtain a hunting license one must pass a hunters safety course. To get one for target shooting, one must be a member of a shooting club for a year. People with felonies, drug addictions, and mental illnesses may not possess any firearms.

Once obtained, firearms must be stored in a safe. Firearms may only be used in self-defense as "equal force". Police annually inspect civilian firearms. Fully automatic guns are banned, but there are otherwise few restrictions on the types of guns one may own. Semi-automatics, handguns, and magazines of all sizes are legal, as are all types of ammo. A licensed gun owner may only have five firearms registered to his or her license at one time.

[BushMasterBoy]

Too much government in the Netherlands.

[Gman]

According to Wikipedia:

Too much government in the Netherlands.
If that's all you took from that video, I'm sorry for wasting your time.

[ben4372]

Good story, thanks.

[BushMasterBoy]

If that's all you took from that video, I'm sorry for wasting your time.

Huh?

[BladesNBarrels]

If that's all you took from that video, I'm sorry for wasting your time.

Not disputing the thoughts and his passion.
Just trying to understand his perspective from where he is located and he is speaking.

[Rucker61]

If that's all you took from that video, I'm sorry for wasting your time.

I did disagree with the speaker's praise for a government monopoly on gun violence.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Not disputing the thoughts and his passion.
Just trying to understand his perspective from where he is located and he is speaking.

Realize that he's trying to get a message of responsibility across to an audience of privileged elites who don't think of themselves that way. I took his message as being one of trying to wake them up to the fact that someone has to defend civilization and that's something microscopes and flat screens don't do.

[O2HeN2]

I did disagree with the speaker's praise for a government monopoly on gun violence.
This.

Don't get me wrong, he makes some excellent points, but does go off the rails when he starts talking about how govenment should have a monopoly on violence.

In orther words, not a good video to show the antis, because that's the only thing they'll latch onto.

O2

[Gman]

Realize that he's trying to get a message of responsibility across to an audience of privileged elites who don't think of themselves that way. I took his message as being one of trying to wake them up to the fact that someone has to defend civilization and that's something microscopes and flat screens don't do.
Thank you. That and the values of a democratic constitutional republic concerning the rule of law. I see many similarities here at home.

Europe is a different place than the US. We have a much shorter historical record, one without centuries of feudalism. We have a 'frontier story' that occurred in the age of firearms. Just as our troops don't directly protect our streets, it's the same for them. The democratically legitimized use of violence that he's referring to is in an international context. The government and gun laws of the Netherlands wasn't the point of the speech.

My Father-in-law was born in occupied Holland. If you understand how the Nazis asserted their will by force on once sovereign people, you get a better understanding. To this day, my FiL will not discuss his past, religion, or relationships with other families and friends. This type of talk or information got people killed. Most Americans on the other hand are fairly isolated and think we got rid of the Nazis back in '45. Those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

[Martinjmpr]

Is there a transcript or synopsis for those of us who don't want to sit through a video?

[Irving]

me..
I dont care if there is worldwide peace, I still want my guns. for just in case and for all the fun I have collecting them, loading for them, shooting them, hunting with them. having good times with family and friends. so even if we lived in utopia I would still want my guns.

I noticed in your list of fun ways you enjoy guns, that you left out "cleaning." An innocent oversight I'm sure.