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I have to plan a trip back to my Philly home so I can visit some family for the new year. Its been a while since I shot my AR-15 too, she really was a lot of fun. I hope to own one here in Holland one day too.
@freemo Seriously? I hope the Dutch laws will never go batshit crazy and allow citizens to own assault weapons. As you might have noticed most people in Europe have a slightly different understanding of safety and guns when compared to the United States. We do not really believe in that "good guy with a gun" doing any good but we do see the insane number of mass shootings in the States. Strangely, these things rarely happen in Europe. I have no idea why... must be the #thoughtsandprayers. NOT.
@bikejourno My friend has a legal AR-15 rifle over here in his home in Holland. Its already legal, has been for a long time apparently though I dont know the laws, its certainly not as enlightened as the american system, but it seems to allow for ownership.
Yes I have noticed many europeans have a very "big brother" approach when it comes to peoples ownership of pretty much anything that would require maturity and safety (guns, fireworks, SCUBA diving, you name it), hopefully an attitude I hope to change in some of the europeaners I meet now that I live here.
@freemo The US are a pain when it comes to allowing e-bikes/pedelecs to the roads. The "big brother" steps in as soon as the holy car and its supremacy are being questioned. Those e-bikes seem to be so much more dangerous than guns.
Btw Switzerland has pretty liberal gun laws as well reg. ownership, but not regarding actually carrying guns or buying ammunition. Seeing folks openly carry guns in the public in the US is seriously disturbing for those who have not grown up with this *tradition*.
"The US are a pain when it comes to allowing e-bikes/pedelecs to the roads"
How so. In america an e-bike and regular bike needs no registration, no license plate, no yearly taxes, nothing. You buy it you can ride it, your good
By contrast in the netherlands if you want an e-bike then above a certain speed you need a license, license plate, everything, even the slower type of electric scooter needs a license plate and costs to get it.
Would seem of the two that the USA is far less big brother on electric scooters and e-bikes honestly.
@bikejourno Well you are right it is based on per state, but to make the claim they are more big brother than europe isnt really a fair or accurate comparison.
Yea a few states regulate it, and in those states the regulations arent particularly damning, they treat e-bikes as electric scooters, which actually makes some sense, the issue being they require a license for an electric scooter, which I agree is heavy handed.
But again in other states there is no restriction on e-bikes or electric scooters, and in the netherlands such things require licenses and registeration.
So no matter how you slice it your argument falls short. They certainly arent more big brother, they are at worst a little too big brother in some areas maybe. But nothing all that more damning than the norm in the Netherlands, and still a very isolated example for the most part either way.
@bikejourno Just for comparison I have owned an electric bike/scooter, in 3 different states in the USA and never cost me a penny nor did I need a license. In the Netherlands I would need both for an electric scooter and was unable to the license without moving here.
@freemo Ordinary pedelecs that only support up to 25kph/20mph do NOT need any kind of license, insurance or number plate in the Netherlands or any other EU country. It's really only the fast pedelecs (supporting up to 45kph or delivering more than 350W in support) that require this, and these only make up a small piece of the entire pedelec market in Europe anyway: Less than 1% in Germany, about 14% in Switzerland where a relatively simple legislation has been in place for many years already.
@bikejourno Notice my wording carefully said electric scooter, and not only e-bike.
If you have an entierly electric scooter, still limited to less than 25 kph then yes you need both a license and a registration. In most states in america the same configuration does not need a license or even a registration.
If you stick a battery on a regular bicycle then you can use that loophole to get around the restriction in the netherlands, but the restriction still exists where it does not in (most) of america.
@freemo The big difference is the throttle: In America the legislation allows for e-bicycles with a throttle, so the pedals and cranks really are more like decorative elements. Within the EU and Switzerland, anything that offers support by the twist of a throttle rather than by turning the cranks is not considered a bicycle but a motorbicycle, with all the legislations that come with it. Rightfully so, as this has nothing to do with what a bicycle is all about. Move to get going!
You can call the big brother approach to "anything you twist with your wrist..." to be a good thing, thats your perogative.
But that fact remains that your "america is more big brother" argument has failed when the facts are considered. Long story short For the most part if its electric and slow we really dont care if you have to accelerate with your wrist, your feetm or your penis, because, well America isnt a big brother state trying to tell people if they accelerate with their wrist they need their approval, lol, that was kinda the point :)
@freemo
Sorry, but you are wrong here: The legislation reg. speed pedelecs is up to individual states in the US. California has taken the lead, but many other states have not acted at all thus far. In New York a more liberal law has just been vetoed claiming safety concerns. I should know about this since I'm a b2b journalist specialized in bicycles and the bicycle industry and e-bikes are kind of a big-ish thing in recent years.