Another Fatal Shooting in a movie theater

[samsnee]

I hate to say this but I think I the only way we will see political action is if NRA supporting lawmakers are directly and personally affected by a mass shooting. They lose a child or some other loved one.

It's similar to the change toward gays. If you look at the Republicans who supported gay marriage, they usually have a gay relative. Look at Dick Cheney, he's as conservative as they come.

 

[regwec]

^^
I have said before that gun massacres appear to be becoming an accepted part of American life.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Research and come up with a reasonable gun control measure that would've prevented most of these mass shootings.

Pass the law.

The end.

 

[redhawk23]

Research and come up with a reasonable gun control measure that would've prevented most of these mass shootings.

Pass the law.

The end.

Then actually follow through by enforcing those laws.

Many states have laws pertaining to mental health checks and such that they never actually do.

 

[redhawk23]

^^
I have said before that gun massacres appear to be becoming an accepted part of American life.

Sandy Hook was a bit of a moral event horizion. Once a society can just kind of shrug off and do nothing after a mass shooting of children, there's more or less nothing that will motivate them.

 

[redhawk23]

Seeing these topics all the time are starting to make me numb to the issues hand. I'm not trying to sound cold, but like people have always been killing each other. Since the beginning of time. This isn't really news to someone like me... Take away guns, people will find a way. Or.. just use guns because killers aren't really concerned with the law. I'm probably sounding like a terrible person, but I don't know what people expect to do by creating topic after topic about gun shootings.

Those other ways tend to be much less efficient. Yes there have been cases of rapid stabbing and such but people tend to survive those and bombs tend to fail.

A lot of people don't tend to realize that Columbine was less of a successful shooting than it was a failed bombing.

 

[KevanG]

That's only somewhat true. Melee weapons are more personal and takes a slightly different mindset to use...also, it's harder to kill as many people with a melee weapon. Where as a gun is very impersonal, easier to use and kills in larger amounts.

Study after study shows violent death drops when gun control is in place.

Countries that have gun control laws have far less violence. That should be proof enough. But it won't be enough...because americans prefer their guns over human lives.

And if you look at my other posts in the thread you see I advocate gun control.

 

[Blind_Lawyer]

I hate it when tragedies like this happen, but I'm not going to BS you guys, I'm totally pro-gun ownership.

I was in the military, I had training. I had a BB gun at 6, a pellet gun at 10 and a .22 as a teenager. Now I take my 20 gauge and .45 and meet my father-in-law at the range. I love to shoot. So does my mom, my dad, my wife, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law, etc.

A lot of my friends are avid "gun people." My boss keeps one in the office. The point is, I know, and am involved with, a lot of people who carry guns. Shoot, my mother-in-law walks around strapped. But I don't know a single person who has ever committed a a gun crime of any kind, let alone mass murder. I don't know, it seems the majority of people think the availability of guns is what leads to these mass shootings. But I don't think that's accurate because the vast majority of people who have guns are not out murdering people.

Anyway, let's say we outlaw guns. Then what? Murder's been outlawed forever and it still happens. If you now outlaw the tool which these people use to murder, and you think that will solve the problem, that's really a lot of wishful thinking.

I don't have the answer, I'm not going to pretend I have the answer...hell maybe total eradication of guns IS the answer...

...but it's not the issue.

The problem isn't guns, it's some of the sick, demented mother****ers using them.

That's what we need to address: why do we have so many individuals who have this thought process? What is our social climate that breeds mass shooters?

 

[The Endless]

Yea there obviously is a problem with American society that produces so many of these nut cases. As already said, there are other countries where guns are legal yet they don't have so many of these massacres.

But again, a nut case with a gun is going to kill a lot more people than a nut case with a knife. I've been stabbed twice. I obviously survived. The second time it happened the nob head ended up worse off than me. But if he had a gun? I'd be brown bread.

 

[chamber-music]

People bring up countries with higher gun ownership per cap than the United States but there is often a reason for that.

Switzerland for example conscript the vast majority of men aged between 20 and 30 into the militia and undergo military training, including weapons training. The personal weapons of the militia are kept at home as part of the military obligations.

Switzerland has one the highest gun ownership rate in the world but that is because much of the population is essentially military reservists.

Finland has a lot of guns but they have far tighter gun control laws than in the U.S. Guns are primarily for hunting. Self defence is not considered a valid reason to own a firearm in Finland. Your local police authority has to inspect and approve the place you store your firearms to get a licence. Gun applicants are also subjected to an extensive background check from police accessible databases and even citations for speeding or drunk driving can be grounds of not granting the license.

So this whole other countries have more guns thing isn't a valid argument because the way the use and regulate firearms is completely different to the U.S

Gun culture and the way the U.S views firearms is very much unique and not the standard thing in rest of the world.

So while everyone blames gun availability, is the issue of why so many people have violent tendencies in the US just a bothersome inconvenience?

It seems like the combination of crazy people and their easy access to fire arms.

How do so many lunatics get their hands on guns?

How many psychologically impaired people are roaming the streets of America right now?

There are tons of incidents of murder by stabbing in a city nearby me and across the country really that don't gain national attention. Even when it can be considered a mass murder. Is it just a coincidence then that it's only shootings that make the news? Do stabbings not sell anymore? I don't know what I'm trying to get at.

Anyway, my condolences to these folks..scary, scary stuff..

Most stabbings aren't mass murder.

To stab multiple people to death you need to get close to them, you don't with a gun.

Most people would take their chances with a lunatic with a knife over a lunatic with a gun.

 

[Destructus86]

I hate it when tragedies like this happen, but I'm not going to BS you guys, I'm totally pro-gun ownership.

I was in the military, I had training. I had a BB gun at 6, a pellet gun at 10 and a .22 as a teenager. Now I take my 20 gauge and .45 and meet my father-in-law at the range. I love to shoot. So does my mom, my dad, my wife, my father-in-law, my sister-in-law, etc.

A lot of my friends are avid "gun people." My boss keeps one in the office. The point is, I know, and am involved with, a lot of people who carry guns. Shoot, my mother-in-law walks around strapped. But I don't know a single person who has ever committed a a gun crime of any kind, let alone mass murder. I don't know, it seems the majority of people think the availability of guns is what leads to these mass shootings. But I don't think that's accurate because the vast majority of people who have guns are not out murdering people.

Anyway, let's say we outlaw guns. Then what? Murder's been outlawed forever and it still happens. If you now outlaw the tool which these people use to murder, and you think that will solve the problem, that's really a lot of wishful thinking.

I don't have the answer, I'm not going to pretend I have the answer...hell maybe total eradication of guns IS the answer...

...but it's not the issue.

The problem isn't guns, it's some of the sick, demented mother****ers using them.

That's what we need to address: why do we have so many individuals who have this thought process? What is our social climate that breeds mass shooters?

The availability of guns doesn't lead to mass killings...it's just one result. Obviously mental health is a major issue in this country. But when you examine 1st world countries that have created strict gun control laws their gun related violent crimes dropped in a massive way. Every. Single. Time. Lives trump gun ownership in my book.

 

[samsnee]

It's both. Mental health but as well as the ease for people to get guns.

 

[KevanG]

I'm fine if responsible people have guns, legal or not. The problem is that there's enough of the irresponsible ones that have them that enjoy just acting like morons and showing off causing accidents. Like that idiot who went to 'protect' the recruitment station and accidentally fired off a shot while showing off for the news camera.

Like I've said before, repeatedly, gun control has been proven to cut down on violent crime a massive amount even when there are lots of guns in the country. Identifying the people who would be capable and willing to go on rampages falls under something else entirely.

 

[regwec]

There is also the fact that the prevention of the impulse to murder still lies somewhere on the borders of science fiction.

Gun control is something that government can actually, you know, do.

 

[KevanG]

Not unless they up the anti-aggression chemicals they spike the drinking water with using contrails!

*Cough*

I mean, yeah! What he said.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

I'm really getting to the point where I think that, as soon as a Presidential candidate brings up God in a speech, they should be immediately disqualified. We're potentially putting our country in your hands, stop relying on the Man upstairs. You're the Man (or Woman) in the f***ing White House.

It really is time for an atheist president I think.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I'm sure there have been plenty of Atheist presidents who only gave lip service to religion.

 

[Blind_Lawyer]

The availability of guns doesn't lead to mass killings...it's just one result. Obviously mental health is a major issue in this country. But when you examine 1st world countries that have created strict gun control laws their gun related violent crimes dropped in a massive way. Every. Single. Time. Lives trump gun ownership in my book.

Well, like I said, for all I know, taking away all the guns in the world may be the answer. But, it would only be short term.

At some point, some nut case would make a homemade bomb and blow up a public building to make a "point" or whatever. So while taking all the guns might end the problem right now, we're still just eliminating the tool and not the cause. That seems kind of irresponsible to me. It leaves potential for future violence.

If we're finally going to address this problem, we need to address it in a way that prevents the cause. And I wouldn't know exactly how to implement it--whatever "it" is.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

I'll amend my statement then, I think the lip service needs to end. Being a God fearing Christian needs to stop being a pre-requisite for our elected officials. It possible to be a decent, intelligent human without being afraid of an invisible man in the sky.

 

[Pink Ranger]

I'm an atheist, and yet I still attend weekly church services. I'm sure many politicians are like that, but maybe won't admit it.

 

[KevanG]

The church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster loves you anyway Pinky.

 

[Snow Queen]

I'll amend my statement then, I think the lip service needs to end. Being a God fearing Christian needs to stop being a pre-requisite for our elected officials. It possible to be a decent, intelligent human without being afraid of an invisible man in the sky.

Somebody might want to tell Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

 

[Pink Ranger]

The church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster loves you anyway Pinky.

Spaghetti? What is this, 1985? I worship the Wild Mushroom Medley Pappardelle Beast.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

All my least favorite states. Strange, .

 

[tzarinna]

I would like to think that if I was present that I would try to help.
I guess you never know until you find yourself in that situation .

In all my training for work and first aid, they say to never endanger yourself to help someone else. If I felt I could help without getting killed I certainly would.