USA ambassador to Iceland wants a gun

Grab All Association

https://twitter.com/yesmarkvalley/status/1287457572371353600?s=21

So the US ambassador to Iceland wants special permission from the Icelandic Government to carry a weapon. One of the safest countries in the world with a population of just 360,000 people.

A genuine fear for his safety or is just compensation for something not measuring up in his trousers?

Insect Overlord

Why should anybody in Ireland, or, more specifically in After Hours, care?

corner of hells

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Why should anybody in Ireland, or, more specifically in After Hours, care?

Maybe hes mixing up Iceland the country with Iceland the shop.
The Iceland shop in Finglas can be a bit hairy on late night shopping.

Manic Moran

At least he asked. I figure that with diplomatic immunity, they couldn’t do much about it.

The use of ambassadorial positions as a reward to political allies, friends, and donors is one of the most consistent embarrassments about the US government structure. One rarely ends up with someone particularly competent in charge.

Man with broke phone

All us officials are targets around the world. Iceland would be a soft place for somebody with a long pencil to turn up and start stabbing multiple people before the police put their 7 pairs of trousers on and ski to the scene.

What's the problem here?

Overheal

Man with broke phone wrote: »

All us officials are targets around the world. Iceland would be a soft place for somebody with a long pencil to turn up and start stabbing multiple people before the police put their 7 pairs of trousers on and ski to the scene.

What's the problem here?

Bringing a gun to a pencil fight.

We used to call them fella's "yellow" or "chicken" back in my day

Dj Stiggie

[Deleted User] wrote: »

We used to call them fella's "yellow" or "chicken" back in my day

No, if they were born in the USA, they were given guns to go kill the yellow men. Sorry pops.

Bobblehats

Gunter wants a gun. Funny that

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

It was a typo. He actually wants a gnu.

Strumms

If Gunter gets a gnu, I want a gnu, too.

There are US Marines stationed at the US Embassy in Dublin, I'd be kinda shocked if they don't have guns. Or the Ambassador, for that matter.

It's what we've come to expect from Americans.

YellowBucket

Iceland's not all that gun-free 30.3 guns per 100 ppl vs 8.6 here and 6.6 in the UK, but nobody has been shot in something like 11 or 12 years.

Zebra3

If he didn't want to take a post in such a dangerous country, he should've turned it down.

Rodney Bathgate

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

There are US Marines stationed at the US Embassy in Dublin, I'd be kinda shocked if they don't have guns. Or the Ambassador, for that matter.

It's what we've come to expect from Americans.

What’s the point in having marines there if they are unarmed?

Feisar

YellowBucket wrote: »

Iceland's not all that gun-free 30.3 guns per 100 ppl vs 8.6 here and 6.6 in the UK, but nobody has been shot in something like 11 or 12 years.

8.6% of people here have guns?!!

frozenfrozen

Feisar wrote: »

8.6% of people here have guns?!!

guns per population and some people would have several guns

jimgoose

I don't think all is quite well upstairs with that fella. Before this, didn't he return to California at the height of the panic over COVID-19 and announce that he wanted to conduct his ambassadorial function from there?

Randy Archer

Rodney Bathgate wrote: »

What’s the point in having marines there if they are unarmed?

Would they not got cool martial arts skills and are trained to kill with a spoon ?

ShatterAlan

Manic Moran wrote: »

At least he asked. I figure that with diplomatic immunity, they couldn’t do much about it.

The use of ambassadorial positions as a reward to political allies, friends, and donors is one of the most consistent embarrassments about the US government structure. One rarely ends up with someone particularly competent in charge.

Dimplomatic immunity only protects you from prosecution it doesn't allow you to go around on a crime spree with impunity which effectivley is what carrying a firearm would be, i.e. being constantly in breach of the law.

Feisar

Feisar wrote: »

8.6% of people here have guns?!!

Most farmers have a shotgun.

jimgoose

Randy Archer wrote: »

Would they not got cool martial arts skills and are trained to kill with a spoon ?

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program these days features an eclectic mix of disciplines and techniques with varying degrees of aggression/lethality, including but by no means limited to wrestling, Savate, Taijutsu, Taekwon-Do, Aikido and Krav Maga.

jimgoose

Deleted User wrote: »

Most farmers have a shotgun.

Many do, yes. Also, a lot of people who are into shooting sports would have more than one firearm, maybe a couple of shotguns and a pistol, or a shotgun and a centrefire rifle for deer.

ShatterAlan

Rodney Bathgate wrote: »

What’s the point in having marines there if they are unarmed?

Like most things American they are there for show.
The place has bomb protection and metal-detectors. What the hell do you even need an armed soldier inside for if you have that?

Beechwoodspark

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

There are US Marines stationed at the US Embassy in Dublin, I'd be kinda shocked if they don't have guns. Or the Ambassador, for that matter.

It's what we've come to expect from Americans.

The ambassador is a frail old man, I doubt he personally “carries a piece” but he has fantastic security

Feisar

jimgoose wrote: »

Many do, yes. Also, a lot of people who are into shooting sports would have more than one firearm, maybe a couple of shotguns and a pistol, or a shotgun and a centrefire rifle for deer.

I have five, I thought the percentage was high as outside of my shooting circles I know one lad with a gun. Having said that I don't go around advertising the fact.

jimgoose

ShatterAlan wrote: »

Like most things American they are there for show.
The place has bomb protection and metal-detectors. What the hell do you even need an armed soldier inside for if you have that?

About the last thing the USMC Embassy Security Group are is "for show".

YellowBucket

Americans can be weird abroad. I remember being in college with someone in Cork and she was extremely worried that she couldn’t carry a gun.

She was from a state that licences people to carry concealed guns and she was a member of a gun club and all that.

As far as she was concerned she wasn’t safe if she couldn’t pull a gun. She has similar issues when she was in college in Massachusetts, where that is also illegal.

In general the parts of the US Irish people tend to be most familiar with have relatively tight gun control. It’s often the more “red states” that tend to be very pro gun, but because of lack of internal borders, guns bought or licensed out of state are often used by criminals in states with controls, so it’s all a little odd.

Overheal

Rodney Bathgate wrote: »

What’s the point in having marines there if they are unarmed?

They have dozens of ways to kill you with their pinky finger

Manic Moran

ShatterAlan wrote: »

Dimplomatic immunity only protects you from prosecution it doesn't allow you to go around on a crime spree with impunity which effectivley is what carrying a firearm would be, i.e. being constantly in breach of the law.

The problem is in detecting it. You can't go about searching an ambassador to see if he's carrying a gun without violating diplomatic immunity or at the very least, causing an international incident. Unless he publicly announced or showed that he was wearing a firearm, it would be an extremely courageous move to search him for evidence that he's in breach of the law, even if the only recourse is expulsion and not prosecution.

ohnonotgmail

Rodney Bathgate wrote: »

What’s the point in having marines there if they are unarmed?

what makes you think they are unarmed?