Boing
Let me just clear something up here. I am not against arming pilots because of a belief that guns are "evil". I actually think the UK laws on guns are stupid in the extreme, and I certainly have no objection to the American desire to own guns. I'm not a pacifist, I'm not a socialist, I'm not even a liberal. I am concerned that we don't make hasty decisions that will lead to more problems in the future.
This shouldn't become a Europe/USA argument because it's not about attitudes to handguns - whether pro or anti - which I'm sure Roadtrip would rightly describe as emotional arguments. This should be a rational argument purely on the basis of safety.
With regard to your paragraph about Americans as "hunters/survivors", I just had to do a double-take. Maybe you move in more elevated circles than I, but in my experience, the majority of hunters are not some kind of Rambo/Delta Force hard guy. The case you quoted of the person who hunted with a bow has to be the exception that proves the rule. Most hunters that I've met have high-powered rifles with telescopic sights, usually sitting around in hides with all sorts of high-tech gear to make the experience rather akin to a video game. Hunters they are not. Survivors they most certainly are not. Again, I'm not an animal rights type, but if you were to characterise hunting in the USA, I don't think "fair" would be one of the words that leaps to mind.
Shooting a deer with a hunting rifle at 100 yards is a world apart from shooting a human being with a handgun three feet away from you. Strange as it may sound, I think that paintballing probably prepares you better for combat better than "hunting" - which is to say not very much at all.
Furthermore, what you appear to be saying is that Americans are culturally better equipped to handle firearms than Europeans (or, I presume, any other national). What are you implying then? That only American pilots should be armed?
[ 17 October 2001: Message edited by: Covenant ]