Gun Control: This speaks for itself

[Alan L.]

I'm sorry, but I am not worried about nor do I give a crap about punishing the stupid parents. I'm concerned about preventing the next kid from being killed. What do you propose doing differently so that the risk is less in the future? Telling stupid people to lock up their guns obviously doesn't work.

What particular gun law would have prevented this?

 

[Yamezz]

Like this video. Australia Protests Gun Ban Wake Up American Your Next.flv - YouTube

I think you'll find that video shows a few inaccurate and carefully chosen statistics. It was also produced just after the introduction of gun control, when anger was at its highest. If you watch the videos you will see that the measures were actually positive in the long run. That period of time when the video you link was produced also coincided with a period when home invasions became trendy, just as ram-raids were trendy for a while too.

It's hard to argue with zero mass shootings since gun controls were introduced.

 

[Alan L.]

Why on earth would you bring a gun to school? No wonder America gives the impression of a war zone. Did anyone even watch the videos posted earlier about actual experience with gun control?

I used to think Canada and Australia were sort of like us. I was mistaken.

 

[Alan L.]

We brought guns to school to go groundhog hunting after school before going home The area the school was in was a valley, with a lot of a lot of farmland planted in alfalfa. The local farmers welcomed the teenagers hunting their fields after school. It was good for the farmers, good for the teenagers and bad for the groundhogs. The hours after school, before darkness are prime groundhog hunting hours. America in those years was anything BUT a warzone. Extremely peaceful, and all the males I knew in school with a few exceptions owned firearms from age 12 up. That's right, almost all kids owned guns. Usually .22 rifles at age 12, I had a .22 pistol by 14 and a little later a .357 magnum revolver and a high powered centerfire rifle (7.7 jap) and a 16 guage shotgun. Your impression of a warzone is crap.

James K0UA

When I was in high school half the parking lot was trucks with either a shot gun or lever action Winchester 30-30 showing in the back window. Mostly dove hunting beginning 9/1 and coyote hunting year round.

 

[Yamezz]

I used to think Canada and Australia were sort of like us. I was mistaken.

No, we're not. And thank god for that.

 

[IslandTractor]

What particular gun law would have prevented this?

Good question. No obvious practical solution is available today. Studying the problem in a detailed way might give us some ideas for the future. Nothing will save the kid next week but starting to address the issue might make a difference for a kid five or ten years from now. Doing nothing or letting the NRA prevent careful study of these episodes is not acceptable.

 

[rmk700]

No, we're not. And thank god for that.

You can have your protected slavery. I'll keep my freedom... by TJ

 

[deathtoblackberries]

No, we're not. And thank god for that.

Canada leads the USA in assault, bribes, drug offenses, rape, and suicide man that's one screwed up country.

 

[aczlan]

Good question. No obvious practical solution is available today. Studying the problem in a detailed way might give us some ideas for the future. Nothing will save the kid next week but starting to address the issue might make a difference for a kid five or ten years from now. Doing nothing or letting the NRA prevent careful study of these episodes is not acceptable.

Lets try thinking logically here and looking at all possible vectors to stop something like this. As I see it there are three ways to prevent something like this:
1. Have the parents use some sense and prevent unauthorized access to firearms
2. Confiscate all firearms
3. Require that all firearms have some kind electronics built in so you have to be wearing your super special ring, or the gun wont fire.

The problems with those are:
1. You cannot legislate common sense.
2. Too many guns "in circulation", not politically feasible, against the 2nd amendment
3. Too many "old school" guns "in circulation", not politically feasible, possibly against the 2nd amendment, not reliable enough, vulnerable to a tazer.

Aaron Z

 

[Smallplot]

YES. And part of the responsibility of the government is to keep firearms out of the hands of those individuals who are incapable of using the tool responsibly, so the rest of us can continue to enjoy the freedom.

Where is it worded like that in their oaths of office? If not in their oath is it a responsibility or an agenda?

Sounds like you are putting your freedoms ahead of another's when they should be held equal. Every American citizen should have equal rights as they are written out in the constitution. One can pick and choose what rights they practice but that does not mean one should limit another's based on lifestyle or political views.

What is not addressed with all the firearms crud being force fed to uninformed people is they are going after the lawful citizens and not the criminals, when the criminal is the person deserving of being controlled. There are already laws addressing most issues being portrayed as needed fixes when in fact the laws already exist but only addressed towards the criminal element.

Lets look at the Straw Purchases being thrown around to the uninformed. How many states is it already illegal to sell or transfer a firearm to a convicted felon? Kind of sounds like the Straw Purchase is already covered to me. Background checks, it has been pointed out in several states that the government agencies fall short in the existing scheme of background checks. Weather we are talking about failure to update mental health records or the unconscionable amount of false positive returned, the same governmental agencies will be running the proposed background checks and do you think they will do any better with the proposed system?

As far as background checks are concerned we all know about HIPPA and how does mental health fit in there? Why are there not more officials calling to look at mental health? I think we can all agree here, the people who commit these heinous acts are mentally ill. But opening that can of worms will lead to other cans needing to be opened such as civil commitment and funding for housing and care of these patients. Society pushed for these people to be released many years ago saying they can be productive citizens. Without trying to sound cold hearted, what percentage of these people have become the productive citizens claimed? Society wanted to lessen the drain on funds and we now have to live with what was done.