back to article American Stereotype™ walks Google's mean Street View

We're fully aware that some of our UK readers have pretty well decided that the average American wears a baseball cap, Harley-Davidson sweatshirt, jeans and cowboy boots and walks the mean streets of the Land of the Free with a hunting rifle while swigging from a bottle of hard liquor. Nothing, of course, could be further from …

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  1. Joe
    Thumb Up

    Hahahahahahahahahaha

    Hahahahahahahahaha that is TOO perfect!

  2. Alex
    Pirate

    may I be the first to say

    HELL YEAH!

    that is all.

  3. alan
    Happy

    I am waiting for the British equivilent

    A group of 13 year old hoddies, with knives and cider :)

  4. Rick Giles
    Joke

    Easy....

    Or you will get a cap popped in yo ass!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Nope

    Hes not a stereotypical Merk'n, he looks quite slim and there's not a V8 pickup piled high with dead deer in the photo.

  6. Bassey

    Obviously a fake

    The rifle has obviously been photo-shopped in but that doesn't matter in the least. A fake well done, with a sense of humour, is a wonderful thing.

  7. John McNeally
    Thumb Up

    Wohooo.....

    Stereotypes are the best ;)

    He looks mormon...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    Watch out

    Lester Haines, I don't know where you're based, but if it's in North America I recommend you wear a Kevlar vest at all times because there is a high chance this guy will not be amused...

    If he is upset and you're not careful... well, the icon says it all...

  9. Jan

    YeeeeHaawww

    ...´nuff said

  10. Adam Williamson

    Baseball?

    Nah. More like UFC. Or NASCAR.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How?

    How do people keep finding stuff like this?

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blighty must respond!

    Only a picture of an 18 year old drunken chavette being taken from behind while she gropes for a bag of chips while her two children, Chantelle and Jason, look on, will do!

  13. Boz
    Happy

    What the...?

    Mom, put down that frito pie! Dad is on el reg!

  14. Anonymous Scotsman

    </title>

    What amuses me the most is that he appears to have dress-shoes on...

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Bottom of the screen...

    ... I just love the option at the bottom of the screen... "Report a concern".

    Unfortunately, I fear it may be rather too late for this chap's wife and kids!

  16. Dan

    Optional accessories for this picture

    Confederate Flag

    Can of Budweiser in right hand

  17. Will Shaw
    Thumb Up

    "Report a concern"

    Ha! Loving the link bottom left of the image. "Report a concern" indeed. Hmmm, where do I start?

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    fsckin' awesome

    even the moustache fits

  19. easyk

    that container is a Thermos

    not a bottle

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    May

    I be the first to welcome our gun-toting, liquour-drinking overlords.

  21. alan
    Happy

    Re Anonymous Coward 13:28 GMT

    its not v8 pickups piled high with dead deer its Google Street View cars :)

  22. Tim

    @ Bassey

    Surely it hasn't been photoshopped... as if you follow the link to it direct on Google then there the gun is still. Unless I'm being dim & am unaware that people have write access to Streetview to enable them to photoshop stuff. Which would be a whole lot of fun, come to think of it.

    Oh, have we had either (a) the roadsign hacking story which is doing the rounds (e.g. http://www.thevine.com.au/blog/tobler1/iz-in-yr-box-steeling-yr-worningz.aspx ) or (b) any playmobil?

    Tim#3

  23. Nick Davey
    Thumb Down

    @ Wohoooo

    Actually (active) Mormons don't drink alcohol so I doubt that he is really. Just sticking up for my homies.

  24. Psymon
    Coat

    american sterotype?

    There's no ways he's an American!

    Yeah, he dresses the part, he's got the gun, the moustache, the cap...

    but he's at least 200lbs underweight!

    To be the all-encompasing stereotype that world instantly recognises as 100% burger munching stars and stripes, he needs to be taller when he lies on his back than standing up!

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Heart

    Up with this sort of thing...

    I've got some corkers, to which address should we submit them?

    PS where the playmobile reconstruction? It is friday isn't it?

  26. Stu
    Thumb Up

    So how come...

    ...Google StreetView car didn't knock HIM down and send him sprawling across the pavement at 60mph, all finely captured across a 4 frame comic strip style recreation, as the streetview car trundled on?

    Now thats what I would call a senseful killing!

  27. Conrad Longmore

    He's just leaving the gun shop

    The shop on the corner of the street is a gun shop - http://www.firststopguns.com/aboutus.php - so I guess that kind of explains it.

    Although seriously.. put it in a gun bag dude. What's amazing is that nobody seems to care.

    I can see an el Reg Playmobil mocukip..

  28. Matt
    Thumb Up

    pickup....

    if you pan round a bit you will see an assortment of pickups for him to choose from!

  29. Solomon Grundy

    Party Pooper?

    Everything else seems to be correct, but the "bottle" he's carrying is what we call a "thermos". That's actually a brand name so it should be "Thermos", but we apply it to any of the magical containers that keep hot things hot and cold things cold. I'm sure you islanders have something similar.

    While I'm absolutely certain he's not carrying a bottle of liquor, I can not vouch for the contents of the thermos. But if I were guessing it'd be vodka with a bit of coffee mixed in or straight bourbon.

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    FYI

    Keep in mind, he's in South Dakota. Like, 5 people live in South Dakota. Hunting rifles are very common in SD, and part of everyday life. Ever wonder why the biker rally at Sturgis, SD never turns into a bunch of thugs trashing the town? It's because the residents have the bikers outgunned.

    On a side note, the pic makes it kind of look like he's pointing the gun ahead of himself, but it's at a funny angle, so I think the barrel is actually pointed down (so the gun is not pointing at anyone, which is good because it's very rude to point a gun at someone, even accidentally, even if the gun is unloaded).

    BTW, SD has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, so you can all stop being asses about the fact he has a gun.

  31. Kate
    Heart

    Chavs

    This IS pretty funny... but it's most definitely not something you'd see every day.

    London, however? You can't swing a dead cat without hitting some half witted, knife-wielding chav.

  32. Peyton

    @watch out

    No, Lester need not be concerned. I have encountered this type of compatriot in the wild, and they are usually most proud of whatever degree of arsenal they manage to accumulate. After all, those guns are not cheap, and represent many paychecks - think of it as his version of a Ferrari. If he learns of his new célèbre, the only thing Lester should be wary of is an invitation to the resulting party (probably involving vast amounts of PBR* and tiki torches).

    *a profoundly cheap American beer

  33. Dave
    Happy

    Face

    Nice to see that Google blurred his face, or did they? ...

  34. Doug Glass
    Paris Hilton

    Well Just Damn!!

    What did I tell him about wearing those damn wimpy faded jeans! He's supposed to be wearing original Levi's! And he calls himself a Glock man. Damn I'm embarrassed.

    Paris because even she knows what pants to wear.

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Rick Giles

    "you will get a cap popped in yo ass!"

    -are you suggesting the use of some kind of anal contraceptive? I don't get it.

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Thermos

    magical containers that keep hot things hot and cold things cold

    yeah, but how does it know?

    just because she's puzzled too.

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Oh no!

    A hunter during hunting season is carrying a hunting rifle and a hot jug of coffee! Will the problems never end? This poor guy is about to go out and shoot at some poor, defenseless, antlered, fast as a deer or elk, deer or elk that only outweigh him three or eight or so to one! They should never be hunted and should be allowed to overpopulate and die from starvation and disease after eating all the farmers' crops, I tell ya!

  38. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    sigh

    Gotta love the Brits for attacking US gun ownership. You guys have no personal guns and you still have gun crime, and stabbings are up, woooooo! I can make stereotypes too, ready? All Londoners are pasty, tea drinking ninnys. See it's easy.

    My guess is this guy had just purchased the rifle. You see there is a sports/hunting store at 513 7th st.

    http://yp.yahoo.com/yp/Rapid_City_SD/Recreation_and_Sports_Sporting_Goods/8111484.html

    Way to be an ass author.

  39. Andy Bright

    @FYI

    Lowest crime rates? I always find that one amusing. In Alaska you can buy machine guns and assault rifles in Walmart. This guy would be getting at least 2 tickets in Anchorage but in SD he's not breaking any laws. Does that make Anchorage a more dangerous place to live because it has crime statistics that include arresting people for getting drunk in public places?

    My feeling the city that gets drunks off the street, particularly armed drunks, is the better place to live. Even if that means a statistic is higher because of it.

  40. James
    Joke

    @John McNeally

    "Wohooo.....

    Stereotypes are the best ;)

    He looks mormon..."

    Did you mean to say moron?

  41. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So what?

    Well, that's South Dakota, so what's the problem?

    Enjoy your Nanny State™

  42. Stuart Butterworth
    Flame

    @AC 18:01GMT

    >>I can make stereotypes too, ready? All Londoners are pasty, tea drinking ninnys. See it's easy.

    That may well be true for Londoners, but up here in the North of England, we are a different breed from those southern pansies.

    Londoners are a bunch of soft nancy-boys, while we are real, red-blooded, hairy-chested MEN!!

    The average Mancunian could kick the average Londoners arse any day of the week - so please stop lumping us in with them soft buggers, please...

  43. Paul Leroux
    Gates Horns

    rednecks

    I am sure his sister is waiting for him across the street sitting in their pickup truck

  44. dontsurf
    Go

    Set up...

    Sometimes these things are set up, go to Google Maps and enter :

    8 Sampsonia Way, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA 15212

    Walk down the street and have a look around.

  45. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Stuart Butterworth

    "The average Mancunian could kick the average Londoners arse any day of the week"

    Then why are all Northern England football supporters so scared of Chelsea and Millwall fans then? Why is the home of the British army just outside London? Why all the most famous English boxing gyms in London? I could go on, but I need to give my (Hull born and bred) assistant a slap for forgetting to make the tea.

  46. theotherone

    how in

    how in God's name did these people get independence from, and then overtake you?

  47. chris

    yep..

    welcome to America where we haven't traded in our god given rights in exchange for constant interference from the government.

    how are you Brits enjoying those Truvelos and Gatsos by the way? your tax money paid for them.

  48. ian

    @Stuart

    Arrr Stuarrrt! Dinna come to Glasgow, ye cake-eatin, Beurla-speaker. Arrr!

    I love listening to stereo-types.

  49. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Doesn't look like a bottle to me...

    Look at the way he grips or, or zoom out one level.

    Looks like an appointment book or some kind of case.

  50. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Smells like...

    Envy :)

  51. Eddy Ito

    @Andy Bright

    Just so you know, an assault rifle is a machine gun, not that you care since I'm sure any rifle is scary and more so when it looks like the ones used in an Ah-nold Govinator movie. Machine guns which can fire fully automatically are defined by the Gun Control Act of 1968 as Title 2 firearms and the scary ones that can't fire full auto are Title 1 firearms. Yes there are some that look nearly the same but just because a Title 1 AR-15 is just as scary looking as the Title 2 M-16, it doesn't make it a machine gun even if some politicians can't tell the difference or get paid by lobbyists to ignore the difference.

    If you saw one in any Wal-Mart, not just Alaska, you probably didn't notice the muzzle was painted orange and you can get it online here: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10248639

  52. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Being Canadian...

    I know America and Americans and I can categorically say that all Americans are NOT like that. Only about one in four.

    But you can guess who's going to be ready when the revolution comes. That's right "the trailer park boys". The rest of us will just have to hope for mercy or that they pass out after the fight, so that we can then tie them up. That only seem implausible if you don't know them.

  53. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Paintballer

    Sorry to disappoint you lot, but that is a paintball gun, and the "liquor bottle" is the air canister.

  54. Alice Andretti

    The *real* stereotype

    Wow, you British totally have the wrong impression of we'uns here in the U S of A.

    The *real* stereotype is more like everyone stoned on pot *or* crazy-high on crack or crazy on meth (take your pick, one of 'em usually fits a significant portion of the population at any given time).

    Guns: replaces the quaint oldstyle rocks, spears, bows-and-arrows, knives, swords, clubs, fists, etc... nothing new about any of those. Sensible modern U.S. citizens need at least one of the aforementioned to defend against home-invasion robberies by hopped-up crack-heads etc (or, in some areas, from being attacked by grizzly bears etc - in either case, don't expect the cops to arrive until *afterwards* if at all, and then the cops probably still won't be able to do anything about it), while drug dealers need weapons to defend against having their stash/cash stolen.

    Liquor? Meh. That's kid stuff nowadays :(

    But, as others have said, a Reg Playmobile scene would be fun :)

    "John J" said:

    "But you can guess who's going to be ready when the revolution comes. That's right "the trailer park boys". The rest of us will just have to hope for mercy or that they pass out after the fight, so that we can then tie them up. That only seem implausible if you don't know them."

    Probably true enough.

    "theotherone" said:

    "how in God's name did these people get independence from, and then overtake you?"

    Er, I think the guns mighta had somethin' to do with it... and fighting "dirty". We were taught in U.S. public schools that in the American Revolution, the Americans would fight any way they could, using "guerilla warfare", while the British were just standing there in nice neat little formations/ranks/whatever like sitting ducks, so it was easy to defeat the British. Whether or not that's true, I don't know, as I wasn't personally there (duh) - have to go by what's been written in history books - and as everyone knows, "history books are written by the winners".

    Then again, I've read that the British don't consider the U.S. portion of North America to be much of a loss - a mere minor footnote in hundreds of years of British history/rule of the world.

    "Stuart Butterworth" said:

    "That may well be true for Londoners, but up here in the North of England, we are a different breed from those southern pansies. Londoners are a bunch of soft nancy-boys, while we are real, red-blooded, hairy-chested MEN!!"

    Oooh... now you're getting me all excited :) So if I ever get around to taking a trip to England, now I know which part to visit ;)

  55. kain preacher

    Ah South Dakaota

    A state were the nearest living person can be 50 miles from you . Speed limits ?? WTF unless you're a major city (defined as having 15k or more people) your luck to see a cop on the freeway.

  56. Thomas Crowley

    FREEMEN

    I think you Englishmen should learn to respect your betters. Just because you'all have pissed away your freedom doesn't mean we yanks need to or will.

  57. raving angry loony

    @John J

    Until they run out of ammo, at which point they'll be completely unable to deal with what's left of the revolution.

  58. adam
    Coat

    @chris

    ok, we may have traded in the right to own guns for the right to not be shot, but if you look at the murder stats for the US versus the UK, it seems to have been a good plan.

    <maths>

    murders in the UK in 2007 :: 784

    murders in the USA in 2007 :: 16,929

    </maths>

    mines the one with the calculator and the pocket protector.

  59. Tomare Utsu Zo
    Alert

    Poor crime ridden Brits

    Just a couple facts to ruin your day.

    South Dakota violent crime rate: 172/100,000

    The UK violent crime rate: 2300/100,000 (that's the low number and lets not forget the UK.gov has been cooking the books by only counting violent crimes that result in a conviction. We count all crimes regardless of how sneaky the perp was.)

    Enjoy your gun free paradise, serfs.

  60. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    A view from another American

    Hey hey now. I am an American. I don't have a harley davidson sweater, I have a Cardinals Football jersey. I don't have any of that swill in the picture. I only drink the good stuff like crown and coke. I also don't have a hunting rifle. I have an assault rifle, 3 shotguns, and 5 pistols.

    Not all Americans fit the stereotype shown in the picture.

  61. Henry Wertz Gold badge
    Joke

    Weight and @sigh

    Regarding weight... as an American I can tell you the hunters are in much better shape than average. They go out in the fields or woods for hours, stand or squat still in odd positions waiting for deer etc. to wander into view. This does burn much more calories than the lying in bed sleeping they'd probably be doing otherwise (most hunters like to go out at like 5AM to start hunting.) They tend to actually eat some of the venison etc. they shoot too, which certainly is more healthy than fries and hamburger.

    @sigh, "I can make stereotypes too, ready? All Londoners are pasty, tea drinking ninnys. See it's easy."

    Come on prove it! I'd LOVE to see a Google street view with some pasty ninny drinking tea 8-)

  62. Rob Munn

    Land of the free, baby

    A friend of mine from northern Michigan once quipped that they had a very low crime rate where he was from because everyone was armed to the teeth and everyone else knew it. You find the vast majority of violent crime committed in cities where guns are illegal, and mostly among gang bangers.

  63. Pete "oranges" B.
    Flame

    Meh.

    Just a note, that canister bears striking resemblance to the ones used to hold reloading propellant.

    I suppose as a much maligned Yank (from one of the original 13 no less) I should address the gun debate. Don't think I can't see the humor in this though, that is a very undignified pose to be caught in while handling a firearm, and most people experienced with firearms would be quick to inform him that he was being a hazard to those around him.

    However on a more abstract plane, as I see it, many Americans are just more keenly aware that there have been, and will be, times when the collective bargain just doesn't pay off. Sure, things like government and society are nice as far as they go, and in many cases are well worth paying into, but their ability to give the individual a meaningful return on investment is limited, and not always reliable.

    To keep this lighthearted, let's say the zombies come, in lieu of some other unforeseen catastrophe. The bodies of the dead rise and walk the earth seeking human flesh to devour, their victims joining the hard as they fall. Governments crumble and the world is thrown into chaos. In this scenario, it doesn't matter that you voted, obeyed the law, payed all your taxes, and were otherwise a good and loyal citizen; It doesn't matter that you were supposed to receive the support of police forces, armies, a medical infrastructure, and the best research apparatus money could buy; It doesn't matter that you trained for years, at great personal expense, to become a specialist and fill one of society's greatest roles. In this end you are left with nothing but what you can do by yourself and provide for yourself. There is no one else left to intervene on your behalf and ensure that your rights are respected.

    That is why I believe people need guns, and why many Americans, as citizens of a younger nation born out of conflict, desire to keep and be practiced with firearms. They aren't to shoot neighbors who wrong us or to stage an overthrow of the government or even to play sports with, they are just tools that help make us a little stronger and a little more independent, in order to help preserve the balance between the collective and the individual, so either way we don't slip through the cracks.

    I know that all makes me sound like a survivalist nutcake, but I'm really not. I just don't have the arrogance to believe that my country is so perfect as to be rendered eternal and invulnerable (stereotypical US Right), or that it may be made so by more completely devoting myself to its service (stereotypical US Left).

    Flames, since fire is a tool as well.

    (I think I just used up my entire run-on sentence quota there :-) )

  64. Pete "oranges" B.
    Flame

    Meh.

    (oops the IW spell check changed "horde" to "hard")

  65. Rick Giles

    @ Christopher P. Martin

    That is street slang for 'you are going to get shot'.

  66. P. Lee
    Pirate

    @ Pete "oranges" B

    What's more likely, "Resident Evil" or someone using easily available firearms to threaten an old granny or dispose of a girlfriend's new lover?

    Seeing yourself as "stronger, more independent" implies you aren't taken by surprise, you've got the best gun, the best training and you aren't facing two people who might, seeing your M15, lob a grenade into your log cabin to kill the occupants but leave the canned food in the cupboard relatively untouched?

    @Chris - "God--given right[s]" to bear arms? You're not talking about the Christian God I assume. Shiva perhaps, or those who live by "survival of the fittest", but not the "turn the other cheek", "thou shalt not kill" one.

  67. Brian Whittle

    if

    if he was about 60 pounds heavier yes he would be Mr stereotype as it is he is just a Dude who has bought a hunting rifle

  68. David Wilkinson

    They used to let kids bring their rilfes to school ..

    In many states where hunting is popular they used to let high school kids bring rifles to school for a hunting safety class.

    That would have made a much better picture.

  69. eli

    They still take guns to school

    One of my buddies went to a high school where many of the kids brought there guns to school. It was cool as long as they left their guns in the gunracks in their trucks.

    On the other hand, you could probably not do that in a place like LA or Compton.

  70. John Sturdy
    Happy

    But it's all alright 'cos

    Well, at least he's not "carrying concealed"!

    Unless, of course, he has some more guns on him too.

  71. Phil Endecott

    Re Photoshopping:

    Re the idea that the gun has been photo-shopped on, see:

    http://xkcd.com/331/

    "My Hobby: insisting that real-life objects are photoshopped."

    "When I look into your eyes, I see JPEG artifacts"

  72. Pete "oranges" B.
    Pirate

    @Lee

    You are looking at my example in a way that is much too specific. The entire point of using an entirely improbable scenario, rather than one which might seem plausible such as a flood or invasion, was to prevent a scenario/counter-scenario argument as to when a particular set of tools would or would not be useful or beneficial, since that's really not the issue.

    The point I was making was that guns merely exist in a broad spectrum of individual tools that form part of the human experience, and that such objects cannot be fully replaced by collective tools like governments. A society needs a healthy mix of both collective and individual tools to function well. Too much reliance on collective tools fractures a society into many specialized fragments which are helpless on their own, while over reliance on individual tools inhibits a society's ability to tackle challenges that can only be met collectively.

    Now, whether any given individual or collective tool is appropriate for any given society is really a matter that only that society can address. Questions as to whether guns, wrenches, chainsaws, senators, members of parliament, presidents etc. are appropriate and if so the exact forms they should take is a matter a best left to the people directly affected by the relative presence or absence of such tools (no pun intended as far a politicians are concerned).

    The only thing I object to is when members a society, having determined what is best for their unique case (in any area, not just weapons), come to believe that their ability to make that decision is the result of some universal wisdom or insight and go about making themselves out to be superior to all societies not conforming to their decisions (May I be the first to say that many of my countrymen are guilty of this in spades, however). Yes, it may be all in good fun, but it does represent a serious set of underlying issues in regard to how people all over the world view the right of self determination.

    Is it not amazing how, not just now but through out history, it is not our differences that divide us most but rather our similarities? They are the basis for the constant temptation to look at ourselves and in our pride try to mold others to our image.

  73. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    No surprise

    Here in America, we believe the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be in charge of planning parties, and not a law enforcement agency!

  74. Seán

    They really are stupid

    Guns make the place safer because there's no crime in SD. There is no money in SD that's why there's no crime, nothing but worthless guns to rob. The worst part is they actually think all that NRA bullshit is true. I guess that's what an uneducated populace will do.

  75. A J Stiles
    Stop

    If it comes down to it

    The only time that firearms would be useful in Britain would be if the Rule of Law finally broke down. And if that happened, it wouldn't matter too much that they were illegal. My first stop, therefore, is to be my old comprehensive school; where there are still well-equipped chemistry and metalwork labs. I know the correct proportion in which to mix sulphur, charcoal and saltpetre, and I know how to run a lathe.

    Until it comes to such a time as a rather crude home-made gun will be much better than nothing, I am quite content with nobody else having guns.

  76. Glenn Charles
    Happy

    the stereotype

    Ah, man, I don't wear Harley-Davidson t-shirts.

    --Glenn

  77. Paul Segrue
    Joke

    Zombies are easy to deal with without guns

    Grab a bat, jump in the car make sure the family is ok, batter a couple of zombies, pick up the girlfriend, batter a few more zombies, get back in the car, hole up in the local boozer, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of it to blow over.

    How's that for a slice of fried gold!

    Thanks to Shaun of the Dead for teaching us that zombies are infact slow moving monsters and shooting them just ain't sporting.... get in there crack a few heads and sit back for a pint, thats the best way :)

  78. Rico Croup
    Pirate

    Grossly Offended - Again

    I am considerably offended by being referred to as 'yellow' . To equate my jaundice to mental incompetence is grossly offensive and an attack on my human rights. I demand this person be fired immediately.

    Peace, out.

  79. Chris

    @dan fri jan 30

    Optional accessories for this picture

    By Dan Posted Friday 30th January 2009 14:09 GMT

    Confederate Flag

    Can of Budweiser in right hand

    >>> Silly pom... Now you are being JUST as ignorant as our American cousins... North Dakota fought on the yankee side in the Civil war... The were the opponents of the Confederacy...

    ps: there was widespread slavery in the North too...

  80. J
    Alert

    @chris

    "welcome to America where we haven't traded in our god given rights"

    You have none.

  81. brolin_1911a1

    Deliberate Misrepresentation

    Zoom in on that photo and you can see that's not a bottle of booze. Instead, it looks like a 1lb jug of smokeless propellant for reloading cartridges. There's a gun shop/sporting goods store in the background. Obviously, the guy has just purchased a rifle (bolt action with scope if you zoom in) and some reloading supplies and is now crossing the street to his car.

    I live several states east and south of this Rapid City bloke but can assure you that he'd get as little attention were he doing the same in my own town. My town, approx. 10,000 in population, has eight gun shops with at least three of them selling handloading/reloading supplies like the powder he's carrying. When I first began teaching 4-H shooting sports nearly a decade ago, every one of the kids signing up, including the three eight-year old girls, already had their own rifles. Our local newspaper regularly publishes photos of young people with the deer and turkey that they've harvested along with the rifles or shotguns they used.

    It's really hard to comprehend the tofu-eating please-keep-us-helpless mentality of you Brits.

  82. brolin_1911a1
    Boffin

    Deliberate Misrepresentation.

    The guy is crossing the street in front of a sporting goods store. It looks like he's purchased a rifle and a 1lb. jug of smokeless propellant. Now he's crossing the street to his parked car. That's nothing to be excited about. In fact, in Britain before the poor sods there gave up their God-given freedoms to socialists oligarchs, that would have been in unremarkable sight once as well.

    One can only wonder and shake one's head in pity at a mentality that goes hysterical over a man exercising his freedom in a safe manner.

  83. jake Silver badge

    @A J Stiles

    "Until it comes to such a time as a rather crude home-made gun will be much better than nothing, I am quite content with nobody else having guns."

    But AJ (may I call you that?), it would seem that other people in your country DO have guns. They are called "criminals", and by definition they don't give a rat's ass about "laws". Still feel safe & content?

    On top of that, if you're not already familiar with guns, you are asking for trouble. You see, there is a word for people who attempt to manufacture and then deploy crude home-made guns and explosives based on some foggy remembrance of highschool chemistry and "metal shop" classes. Here in this country, we call them "corpses".

  84. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    In the good ol' USA

    they even allow dogs to hold guns.

    I'm sure the is a Darwin Award story somewhere of a hunter who wanted to take a photo of his dog with a gun and ended up shooting and killing himself cos he forgot the safety catch and the paw was placed inside the trigger guard.

    You can allow all your entire nation to carry guns, but you cannot account for stupidity.

    Someone else said people carry guns here and they are called criminals, exactly, you know who is and who isn't a gun-carryiong maniac, and for that reason alone I am glad we have gun laws in the UK.

  85. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    dear mr usa

    i would like to point out that knives are less dangerous than guns because you must have it in your hand or throw it, both giving the victim avoiding injury. also a knife will slice into you but a built will blow straight through or get stuck somewhere inside again causing more damage than a knife. in the usa you are likely to see a gun with violent crime where as in the uk you are a lot less likely to.

    i want guns in the uk like i want a hole in the head (which i will probs get if they do)

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