[Leica] LUG Digest, Vol 53, Issue 39

[joecodi at clearsightusa.com (Joseph Codispoti)]

Larry,

Please allow me to alley your fear and discomfort about "all those young
military types in airports and wandering the streets with fully armed large
magazine assault rifles slung over their backs".
Speaking for Italy I can assure you that any policeman who draws his weapon
unnecessarily, he would be subjected to a very rigorous investigation and
his career would be in jeopardy at best. 
What you should worry about is the testosterone laden, overreacting cops in
large U.S. cities. There is ample evidence of that type of cop as being
judge jury and executioner.

As for the correlation of guns and murder, I have said it many times: Mental
illness and the lack of familial bond (Which may lead to mental instability)
are the root causes for this country's murders (nearly 15,000 in 2012; 8,775
by guns).

On a lighter note, your post reminded me of the elderly man who walked into
a gun store and asked to see a shotgun. He explained that lately he had a
"burglar problem" in his neighborhood and wanted to protect himself, not by
hurting anyone, but simply by scaring away the scoundrels. He did not need a
fancy one for the purpose, he explained. The store owner showed him a used
single-barrel model costing $400.
The customer inspected the shotgun carefully. He held it for a minute or two
and asked to see a better one. The store owner showed him a new one this
time, with a price tag of $875. Again our customer looked over the details
of the gun and, again, asked to see a better one. The store owner, convinced
that his time was being wasted, said that the best one he had in the store
cost $8,000. "What makes it so expensive"? The customer asked. The store
owner laid the Italian Caesar Guerini shotgun on a velvet mat on the counter
and pointed to the beautiful silver engravings, the meticulous attention to
details, how the metal met the beautifully sculpted walnut stock perfectly.
To the astonishment of the store owner, without hesitation our customer
said: "I'll buy it". The store owner was speechless but obviously delighted
for the handsome profit realized with only minor annoyance.

A week later the customer returns to the store. The store owner panics
thinking the worst: The old man is over his head after an impulsive purchase
and wants his money back. Instead the customer declares that he is a
collector and lover of quality. He appreciates beauty as well as function.
"I own several modern and collectable Leica cameras as well as old fine
violins", he continues. 
The shotgun you sold me is as precise and beautiful as my Leica M9; it hangs
next to the Stradivarius in my den. But I still have a burger problem; would
you please also sell me the first used shotgun you showed me, so I can scare
away the scoundrels?"
 
Joe C


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <lrzeitlin at aol.com>
To: <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2013 8:54 PM
Subject: [Leica] IMG: Tina's "Tea Party" reunion propaganda photo


>
> The prevalence of arms has a low correlation with gun murder rates. 
> Vermont and New Hampshire are the U.S. states with the highest per capita 
> gun ownership, minimum regulatory requirements, and also the lowest rates 
> of gun homicides. What really disturbs me is traveling through Europe and 
> the Middle East and seeing all those young military types in airports and 
> wandering the streets with fully armed large magazine assault rifles slung

> over their backs. How responsible are they? You guys who are appalled at 
> seeing weapons, think about that.
>
> Larry Z