Guns

[woodensunshine]

I started watching a BBC series on Netflix called Survivors. It's like The Stand by Stephen King, but with a lot less swearing.

The thing that struck me odd was that in one episode, an antagonist, by the name of Dexter, is taking over all food sources. Dexter is this skinny guy who probably couldn't even peel an orange. His gang includes a few unnamed burly dudes. Dexter has a gun, a shotgun, I believe. ONE. I was so confused watching that episode, because I was wondering why the protaganists (who greatly outnumber Dexter's gang) let this little man and his shotgun take over everything. I mean, they could find their own guns, right?

Then, I remembered Great Britain's gun control laws a had a good giggle. That's why American's have Zombieland, I guess

I figured I'd share my little culture shock with you.

[Zod]

Police stations, army bases, gun shops, airports, Peckam, getting hold of guns wouldn't be hard if the bulk of the population had died of plague.

The reason almost no one in the remake of Survivors was armed was that it was written by morons.

[woodensunshine]

And I just thought I had a serious brain derp! I didn't even think of those places that would have guns...maybe some dipwad with a .22 was holding those hostages too?

[draco664]

Police stations, army bases, gun shops, airports, Peckam, getting hold of guns wouldn't be hard if the bulk of the population had died of plague.

The reason almost no one in the remake of Survivors was armed was that it was written by morons.

By the BBC at that. Which means 'further-left-of-Castro' morons.

[SongsOfDragons]

By the BBC at that. Which means 'further-left-of-Castro' morons.

XD Oh dear!

Our lack of guns has to be one of the biggest culture differences between our peoples. A friend of mine was shocked to learn of our ban, then told me her father was annoyed that he couldn't get a concealed carry license.

I find it fascinating. ^^ I've fired a gun before, an old green-plastic-stock cadet rifle and only with blanks. Housemate has fired a handgun, I think it was a BB gun, on a range. And AFAIK it sorta works - we have a lot less gun crime and a lot more knife crime. My cousin is a Detective Inspector in a police force up north, and last I spoke to him (which was admittedly some time ago), even our police don't carry real guns habitually - they used beanbag guns.

[Zod]

XD Oh dear!

Our lack of guns has to be one of the biggest culture differences between our peoples. A friend of mine was shocked to learn of our ban, then told me her father was annoyed that he couldn't get a concealed carry license.

I thnk a lot of Americans don't realise that even before the handgun ban came into place - no one here was really armed : and *definitely* didn't carry a gun around with them all day. Handguns were mainly for target shooting, and those strange people with no friends who always wear camo clothing and store a years worth of tinned food in their attic.

even our police don't carry real guns habitually - they used beanbag guns.

Do police routinely carry guns up north then? Here in East London, they still make do with a stick.

In the original series of Survivors, back in the 70s, everyone was armed - but generally too polite to shoot each other.

I kept expecting Tom Price to steal a tank or something and storm Dexter's base, but it never happend

[SongsOfDragons]

I don't think I've seen gun-shaped objects on police down south either - I don't live in the same area my cousin does. I remember him telling me about the beanbag guns/rubber bullets when I asked him what the police would do in certain situations for research purposes.

[Ginger Tea]

I think thats one reason that atleast one zombie movie per decade camps out in a mall, the sporting goods section of one store is always well stocked to arm a millitia, best you could hope for over here is a baseball bat if you have a large enough sports direct (once you get past the chav apparal) and kitchen knives, hell cos of the rampant knife crime you cannot buy metal dinner knives without being atleast 16 or 18, let alone full on hunting knives which are way harder to come by these days.

[Zod]

We've got airguns. Would an airgun have enough stopping power to kill a zombie?

[Ginger Tea]

if used as a club then maybe

[HYHYBT]

Would somebody please explain why people like zombies so much? (Please don't send me a link to a video or anything like that. Just, please, *explain.*)

[Nekojin]

Would somebody please explain why people like zombies so much? (Please don't send me a link to a video or anything like that. Just, please, *explain.*)

The best I can do is say that it's a phase, just like vampires a few years back (Twilight riding the tail end of that trend, and helping to put a stake in it). In another few years, we'll see a resurgence of werewolves, or aliens, or Bigfoot, or whatever happens to catch the public interest for the moment.

As for the trend itself, there's always an undercurrent that the viewer would be one of the survivors - that they wouldn't succumb to a zombie plague so easily. It plays on people's need to feel special, above the herd.

[the_std]

If you have the time, I think that this article from Cracked is a pretty good way to explain it.

Essentially, people like zombies because they represent a facet of everything we love to hate - a pack of shuffling, dim-witted, crowd-oriented aggressive savages who don't think for themselves but just bumble along, following the status quo. Conversely, people like to hate vampires because they're sexual deviants who get off on the perverse end of the scale, align themselves with dark (Satanic) forces and have no conscience or moral compass.

[Skelly]

We've got airguns. Would an airgun have enough stopping power to kill a zombie?

Define "airgun"? The ones you can buy without any license in the UK? Nope. The high-powered ones shooting .50 caliber slugs at high velocities. Yep .
Crossbow would probably do the trick though.

[HYHYBT]

Why would a gun kill a zombie?