New Trail wrote:With shootings happening at a seeminly increasing rate in the USA, and the NRA and gun enthusiasts not wanting ANY kinds of restrictions on guns, doesn't America find itself in a position where it just has to accept that a certain number of killings are going to happen no matter what we do?
We can't have armed guards everywhere, and we can't screen everybody in the USA for possible mental problems, but it appears that we can't limit guns, or gun access, either, With the amount of guns in American don't we just have to accept murders, suicides, and mass killings as part of the culture?
Well, there's nothing to indicate that the number of shootings is increasing, and the NRA accepts the limitations already on guns, they just don't want more.
But yes, if there are going to be guns, there are going to be shootings. However, a lot can be done about mental health, safety, proper storage, and a number of other things that would actually help.
Enforcement of the laws in place, expanded mental health resources for teachers, coaches, parents, clergy people and others that troubled kids come in contact with is what we need.
guido61 wrote:
dblazer wrote:
Enforcement of the laws in place, expanded mental health resources for teachers, coaches, parents, clergy people and others that troubled kids come in contact with is what we need.
I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating: for those who fear a government who wants to take all their guns and strip away their 2nd amendment rights, I'd be more concerned about a government who would use simply labeling certain people as "mentally unfit" to carry a weapon as a reason to do so.What sounds like the more do-able plan to you? Starting with banning assault weapons and then riding down the slippery slope to banning all guns?
Or defining those who fear the government and buy arsenals of guns as "mentally disturbed" and unfit to own them any longer because they present a danger to society?
There's still a hefty social stigma associated with mental health help in this country, which is a shame, but it's still there.
I've had guns all my life, at least from 11 years of age, and most of the people I grew up with have also, and NONE of them have ever been in gun related trouble.
Things like the 'loophole' of the Virginia Tech shooter being disqualified by Federal mental health reporting standards and not by Virginia's standards need to be addressed.
My father required gun safety and marksmanship training (through relatives and the N.R.A.) before I was allowed to own guns. I'm good with the licensing approach; "first time buyers" should have to undergo some safety and legal training, demonstrate that they can safely and accurately operate their weapons, and they should undergo an "in-depth" review of their civil, criminal and mental health records prior to issuance of a license. That doesn't take away anybody's 2nd amendment rights any more than requiring a driver's license and liability insurance to operate a car takes away their right to drive.
When the government thinks that it can commit "extra judicial" killings in foreign countries without due process or the consent of the governments of those countries, how much of a reach is it for them to decide they "know best" what we should be allowed to do or not do domestically?
I don't have any "military style" weapons or "high capacity" magazines, so I'm not fearful of anything related to them, I just think that the "trickle down" effect isn't going to be any better or more efficient related to gun availability than it is to the economy.
We need to find out why people aren't being raised to respect guns and other people's "right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". I was, I'd never use a gun to get something from someone or punish them, MAYBE to defend my own life or that of my family, but very reluctantly.
Sane, responsible, law abiding people aren't the problem, so legislating further behaviors for them won't effect the solution.
The Oregon shooter and the Connecticut shooter were both thieves, neither one was a legal gun owner. The best stumbling block for them would have been adequate security/storage on the part of the gun owners, not what kind of guns they had to steal.
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