Chinese Reactions to American Guns

With the Second Amendment the US has some of the least strict gun laws in the world. These sales and ownership of guns confuses many outside of the country. ChinaSmack is a blog based on China, and they recently had an interesting article on Chinese reactions to Wal-mart selling guns in the store.
guns for sale walmart 02 560x406 Chinese Reactions to American Guns From Tiexue, Sina, & Mop:

This is how America’s Wal-Mart sell guns

Today, while visiting Wal-Mart, I took a photo while at the gun sales counter. The guns were sold in a rotating glass display case just like this with price tags attached. If interested, you just ask the salesperson to take it out for you to examine. Being able to buy a gun while buying groceries at Wal-Mart, convenient. guns for sale walmart 01 Chinese Reactions to American Guns In this glass display case are different types of ammunition. guns for sale walmart 03 Chinese Reactions to American Guns guns for sale walmart 04 560x420 Chinese Reactions to American Guns guns for sale walmart 05 Chinese Reactions to American Guns Comments from Tiexue: txgk:
I’d like to ask the lou zhu a question. It may be very naive but please be so kind as to give me an answer. Since guns are sold like this in America, is their government not afraid of social problems? Right now in Shanghai, the supermarkets selling cooking knives have also locked them inside glass display cases like this.
bandit800:
Because the hostility between their people is not as deep as it is with us, which is to say they are harmonious in the true meaning and not river crab. Hehe.
北美孤狼:
China bans guns and aside from political reasons, it may be because the government has considered that there are too many neurotic people in China, people who will bark/howl for no reason. If these kind of people had guns, imagine how bad it would be. (I’m referring to the issue, not people, so I hope certain people will keep that in mind before responding).
破奴:
I think the American Constitution has a part that says the citizens have the right to overthrow an authoritarian government…it is what I have heard, not sure if it is true or not. But in China, that is not possible, and the key is that the character of the people [on average] is not there yet. If firearms were available for sale in China, then we’d probably have to wear bullet-proof vests in order to go out.
飞行音:
Our country’s people have treachery/trouble-making in their bones. You can see it now, in all of China, no one respects anyone else. Learned men scorn each other and military men are lowly to each other, this place cursing that place. If everyone in China had guns, then the country would be torn apart. Even though everyone speaks Chinese, everyone has a different heart. Are we lacking lessons from history?!!
鹰舞苍穹:
Only with citizens who have high restraint and a society with relatively few injustices would [a country] dare be like this.
cbasky:
Imagine for a moment, if we were to sell guns in this manner, I think those domestic tigers, birds, bears, these animals basically could no longer survive.
bluehaze:
I think I saw a short-barrel M700, did I see wrong?? America is really not bad. The weapons that are sold without restrictions appear to be those used for hunting, but even openly selling firearms like this truly makes people sigh.
俺老头是老兵:
If this were China, the number of crime-related deaths would increase ten times. Therefore, America’s gun deaths is still very little. In the future [if guns were allowed in China], those who are involved in forced demolitions and chengguan would not be so niubi anymore. Pressure us and they’ll just shoot you a few times.
五好青年:
Damn, foreign countries are too incredible, even allowing guns to be sold. If China were to also allow them to be sold, things would be a mess. [The population of] black society [organized crime] would at least increase 2 times. And with China’s current education level, it is possible that school shootings would happen often.
kelefly:
America is a country that was built up from the first shot of the Battle of Lexington. And the biggest reason they were victorious at the time was because the ordinary people had guns.
冯欣伯林根:
When everyone has guns, no one is afraid of a few people having guns. If it is fear of overthrowing the government, there is no need. If the current government in power truly doesn’t follow the people’s will, in four years at most, they will have to step down and at worst there are still impeachment procedures. There is no need to use knives and guns [no need for violence], truly not worth it. If one wants to express one’s political views, one can organize one’s own political party. Although America in reality is only a two-party system, there still exist other political parties, and what more, the constitution protects the participation of every political party, with the most powerful non-mainstream parties like the Green Party normally getting around 10% of the vote. If one day, this party were to replace the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, the constitution would also protect it. And when there is social disorder, there is the SWAT. With so many people having guns in America, I don’t think a little handgun or a small hunting rifle can cause any social impact.
中国人都期待航母:
The reason why America allows the ordinary people to possess guns is to prevent dictatorship…when that happens, the people can revolt… Over time, Americans have developed the habit of not using guns even if they have them. Or maybe they are bound by ideas of individual heroism, believing that men should use fists to fight it out, and not relying on guns. But in our country, the once proper so quick to resort to taking up knives, if there were guns, definitely within 10 years, the population of Chinese people would probably be reduced by half…haha. PS: America as a country has the highest penetration of firearms in the world, with one gun per capita, but the number of Americans that die under the barrel of a gun are only a trivial 30,000…
幽狙:
America’s president is chosen by the American citizens, so this type of government is not afraid of the common people harming society and rebelling, because don’t need to resort to guns [violence] and only need to demonstrate and protest to make the president step down~~
kemescape:
Americans lives are comfortable, so why have a good life and not live it? Usually chaotic/disorderly societies are all in impoverished countries; You have guns, others have guns, mutually checking each other. If you carry a gun illegally, the police have the right to kill you. Americans’ tradition highly values life…
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America's Best Idea

The National Parks: America's Best Idea is a six-episode series directed by Ken Burns and written and co-produced by Dayton Duncan. Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales – from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska - The National Parks: America's Best Idea is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background – rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy.
PBS

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Crazy Birther Claim #2

Ok, so the birthers not only claim Obama was born in Kenya and not Hawaii, but they have an argument for even if he was born in the US.

His father, who did not live in the United States for more than a couple of years, was a subject/citizen of Kenya/Great Britain at the time of Barack’s birth and afterwards, AND further, as Barack himself admitted on his website during the 2008 campaign, Barack was therefore born SUBJECT TO THE GOVERNANCE OF GREAT BRITAIN.

The FACT that he was not born of TWO US CITIZEN PARENTS is all that matters. The question of his birth certificate is a distraction (a distraction fostered by Obama’s supporters?) that ought not to occupy our time and resources.

Except this is not so, and has already been debunked before.

Not only does it make no sense (if Britain changed the law so that anyone born in America was also a British Citizen, would no one be able to become President?  It's our laws that matter, not theirs.),  but Obama is not even the only/first President to only have 1 American parent.  There have been 7,  that's SEVEN, Presidents of the United States with 1 parent a US Citizen and the other a foreigner.

Thomas Jefferson
Andrew Jackson
James Buchanan
Chester A. Arthur
Woodrow Wilson
Herbert Hoover
Barack Obama

I'm sorry some people not only don't understand the law, but also can't do a little research.

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The vast majority of Americans don't want Uncle Sam to touch their health care.

Today, speaking at the National Press Club, Michael Steele explained: Transcript:
260 million Americans currently have health insurance coverage, the great majority through private insurers, and polls consistently show that they are overwhelmingly pleased with their current coverage.  ...  The vast majority of Americans like their health care coverage. The vast majority of Americans like the quality of their health care. The vast majority of Americans don't want Uncle Sam to touch their health care.
I would like Michael Steele and others echoing these same lines why the actual numbers show otherwise. 85% of Americans support "fundamental changes" to or a "complete rebuild" of the health care system. 64% believe the government should guarantee insurance for all Americans and 72% think the government should offer a public option styled after Medicare to compete with private insurers. OK, so they don't like the current plans.  Then become involved and put out some ideas and plans of your own.  All I've heard from Republicans so far is "this is too expensive", "Americans don't want this", and "This is a jobs killer". None of which helps the actual problem. No health insurance causes people to put health care completely, or resort to the emergency room, which usually only makes their health problems worse.  These people are the same that if they survive will eventually be on Medicare/Medicaid with worse, preventable health problems.  It will cost more to help them then, than to find some way to get them affordable preventative medicine now. Also, especially in this economic climate, many people are attached to their jobs not just for their paychecks, but their health insurance.  Many households may have a desire or idea to go into small or home-based business, but don't want to lose their families health insurance package, so they stay at their job.  This has often been referred to as "Job-Lock". So please politicians, we know your party is hurting, but do a favor for America and instead of standing in the way, help come up with a way to get this done affordably. Health Care ‘Job Lock’ Stifles Entrepreneurship

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American drones in Pakistan

A look at why America should be more careful with it's drone program in Pakistan and what it's side effects could be.  Highly recommended.
American drones in Pakistan 4:15 June 18, 2009 download | email | permalink The World's Jeb Sharp reports on the controversy surrounding US drones strikes in Pakistan. There's growing resentment in Pakistan because of how many civilians are killed by the missiles. Listen to Jeb Sharp's previous story: The debate over drones 5:00 via American drones in Pakistan 4:15 | PRI's The World.

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