The people with guns are:
- The cops.
- The corp cops
- The corp security guards
- The corp merc armies.
- The real army
- Most corp personel for protection.
- Most criminals.
- Virtually everybody else.
Why?
"The function of the police in Corporate America is to solve crimes, not to
prevent them. The corps keep their own security forces and mercenary troops
for enforcing the peace in the areas they control."
If you're in a corp zone if you have a gun and are a corp employee you're
probably allowed to have it.
If you're in a corp zone with a gun and you're not allowed to have it. Your
naughty and corp security and cops will ask why if they catch you.
So in a corp zone, be allowed to have a gun or dont get caught.
If you're not in a corp zone and you have a gun no matter who you are nobody
really cares. Corp cops won't ask you about it. Not in their area, who cares?
Normal cops don't have the time to ask you about it. They only care once you
cannon someone. Police presence outside corp zones is virtually non existant.
Out a corp zone carry any gun you like, as long as it is not obviously illegal,
carry it in the open if you like. Very few will care.
No matter where you are use of a gun is not such an easy thing.
Even if outside a corp zone if a corp employee is fragged the cops will chase
you. If you cannon a squatter, if no one cares and no one notices it in the
act very likely no one will chase you, unless the cops are bored.
Where?
Guns are relatively simple to obtain. In todays society guns are easily
accessable (esp in USA). A large variety can be obtained legally. Some may be
reduced power miltary systems obtained legally then modified back up to their
full effect. Corporate employees probably carry legal weapons, esp when outside of corp
zones.
In third world countries military hardware is easy to get, esp in warzones.
These can be smuggled out and sold on the black market.
Another source of hardware.
A lot of things become easier to get when the structure of society starts
breaking down - and ours is stretched to breaking point. You want an M324
anti-armor machine cannon? You find an underpaid Army ordnance sergeant
who's three months behind on his mortgage and fifty thousand NuYen in debt
to his bookie.
Of course, the average thug can rarely get his hands on the latest military
stuff. Small-arms, plastique, and claymore mines tends to be about the
limit.
On offensive cyberware:
Knives are basically legal. So why should cyberknives not be so?
Rippers, hand razors etc are probably not technically legal but no one is
going to worry about them.
In most CP cyberware is accepted.
This is unlikely if it is merely in use by the military and cops etc.
Cyberware would have been developed by the military, wired reflexes, muscle
replace and enhance, smartgun links, retina enhance, cybereyes etc.
But these would become commercially avaliable.
Muscle enhance for manual labour, mining, contruction, etc
Wires would mostly be for cops (a rare few) and special forces military.
But wires could also be used people in high risk areas where speed may be
needed to save their lives. eg pilots. even airline pilots after it is
found to increase safety by 70%
Cybereyes could be used for the blind and later to even replace glasses by the
rich and trendy.
Smartgun links would be probably common on all security, military and police,
they make them more efficent in their jobs but don't make them a walking
assault unit when not at their work.
Once they become part of life cyberware would become trendy. Someone may not
need muscle enhance but they're too lazy to do body building and want it easy.
Cybereyes look funky and the flat chrome eye look is in.
Wired reflexes make tennis easier.
Of course the above is for the rich but they make them more common.
Cyber Surgeons needed. Doctors are not just needed to heal the sick but to
enhance people.
Most cyberware is legal, but may need to be licenced.
Mr drug dealer or other high level crim won't be missing the fact that some
cops can dodge bullets and shoot rounds through peoples eyes at 200m range.
The crims (generally vastly superior monetary resources than cops) will be out
enhancing themselves.
These crimes dont want the fact of their enhancements on police records so they
bring out their own surgeons.
Lower level thugs notice the effect of enhancements.
They spend money and get minor cyberware.
They become more effective. They get more money due being better theives or
better mercenaries for hired company work. They get more enhanced, they become
more effective, they get paid more per mission they get enhanced more.....
A large status symbol of the street samurai is how chromed they are.
A guy with wires, muscle enhance, dermal plate and a smartgun link must have
been alive awhile and in a few successful missions to get the money to get
the gear.
The thug to cop gun ratio:
> Or are CP type authors so manically depressed that they think the the
> world will be a lawless place of gore and violence with all carrying
> H&K MP15 flechette assault SMGs and no cops to stop killings at will?
"There are many people - myself among them - who would argue that this trend
has already begun. Ask my elderly friend Rheuth, who lives on the edge of
East Palo Alto, and who needs a new roof because there's so many holes in it
from the drug dealers firing their Uzi's into the air on New Year's Eve.
There are places right here in the U.S. where every kid over 12 years old on
the block owns a gun, and half the kids over 15 own Uzis.
You see, the trouble is, police forces are funded through limited budgets...
but drug dealers can have whatever they can afford, and some of these street
corner coke dealers pull down $10,000 a week. Cash, no taxes. You project
trends, and by about 2010, the average street hood is going to be better
armed than the police. Many of the drug dealers and the Mob already are."
Orginised crime would be fairly well equiped. large profits and relatively
small numbers. Eg mid to high level Yakuzza.
Low level yaks would be just thugs off the street trying to make it up. They
have to equip themselves.
Small scale orginised criminals would be very well equiped. Eg a drug dealer.
Large profits and tiny numbers, 2-10. Each may well have wires, smartlinks,
dermal armour, and top of the line guns.
Cops would be badly equiped. Low resources, large numbers. Corp cops are in a similar boat.
However with much of the load being taken by corp cops and security,
government cops can be equiped well. They are low numbers and usually actually
investigating rather than needing to waste men and time on patrolling etc.
Corp Security would have guns and thats about it. The numbers and relatively
low importance stops the corps caring.
Military would have awesome gear. Due to rarity of full scale conflict most
are special forces types. Lower numbers but they are still the test bed for
corp technology. Top of the line on the street is probably a few years behind
the military.
Corp military (mercenaries) are not well equiped as the government. But still
good. Usually with more money per man but less access to the top gear.
Thanks to (mostly):
phils@sti.com, alaric@smurf.sti.com (Phil Stracchino)
Jay_Brandt-RZEX6@APRDLGTR.SPS.MOT.COM (Jason Magnus)
timk@tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca (Tim Kuehn)
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