Since the previous thread on this topic has been closed, with an invitation to start a fresh thread, here goes.
http://community.mybboard.net/showthread...443&page=5
On the news the other day the comment was made that Virginia is one of the easiest states to pick up weapons legally.
A news reporter went to a man`s house, who was a firearms seller, who did it as a legitimate living selling his wares in the kitchen. The weapons are normally stored under lock and key in his upstairs.
The reporter could have bought a pistol, ($500), or an M16 Assault rifle for $1,100. It would have taken less than 30 minutes. How crazy is that?
According to what I
ve read about 10 kids each day are killed because of gunaccidents,
things like getting hold of their parents guns, and either shooting themselves, or killing someone else. Many are too young to fully comprehend what they are doing. Americans havethe right to bear arms` but people also have a right to life. Those who lobby for the gun laws not to be tightened often have a vested interest (commercial) in keeping it that way.
I thought it was interesting the other day when someone on a local radio statio in Virginia was interviewed, the producer I think it was, and asked why, although they had phone-ins on the shootings itself, they wouldn`t touch the subject of stricter gun laws.
The answer was that they daren
t! As soon as its mentioned, and it has been in the past, some gun nutter will phone around all his circle of gun lovers who will purposely all phone in at once to block the lines.
Hmm, so, freedom of the individual to carry weapons, but they don`t believe in freedom of speech to go along with it.
If it were up to sane people we would have scrapped guns years ago. In this modern world there is no need for them, however that's probably not going to happen in my lifetime.
Failing a total ban, there should be tighter restrictions across the entire US, not just Virginia. Handguns should be banned, as should assault rifles. The only guns allowed should be shotguns and rifles since they are used in hunting. There is no reason for a person to carry "combat" weapons such as handguns or assault rifles since the only use for them is against another human. They are useless for hunting with.
There should also be better background checks imposed on those buying a gun. If a student walks into a gun shop wanting to buy two handguns, and the background check says he was in a mental hospital a year ago...DO NOT SELL HIM THE GUNS. Simple.
Certainly the US should not implement a "concealed gun" law because that would just make it easier for things like this to be carried out. I don't care if people concealing guns managed to stop this in the past, the fact is that if the would-be criminals cannot get hold of the guns in the first place there is no problem. Also, if he manages to gun down people who are carrying concealed guns, you've just given him more ammo...
If the US were to allow more people to buy guns then it'd just make the problem worse. It'd just make it easier for people to get their hands on one - and if they're crazy - they'd see more and more of attacks like these. The best way would be to definitely tighten the hinges and get rid of the guns that would only be used for killing other people. Police officers might be exception, though doing what France does I believe is the best way. No guns allowed - even police officers - Interpol would take care of anything gun related. I think the US should work the same way
Quote:There is no reason for a person to carry "combat" weapons such as handguns or assault rifles since the only use for them is against another human.
Precisely! Why on earth do people
need to have weapons, especially the likes of handguns, and M16`s?
All we hear is that it
s all in the 2nd (I think) Amendment. So what, cant that ever be amended? Even if it means less suffering, less injuries, less deaths?
ODLS Wrote:Quote:There is no reason for a person to carry "combat" weapons such as handguns or assault rifles since the only use for them is against another human.
Precisely! Why on earth do people need to have weapons, especially the likes of handguns, and M16`s?
All we hear is that its all in the 2nd (I think) Amendment. So what, cant that ever be amended? Even if it means less suffering, less injuries, less deaths?
Just wait till the NRA nuts find this thread and we will find a load of
lovely reasons why we should all worship guns...
I suspect some members will be part of the NRA...
My only argument is that restricting guns only limits the access of the normal members of society. If someone is going to go on a killing spree, they'll do it with the nearest weapon that they can. Gun, bow, knife, or bare hands. In the USA you cannot remove firearms period, a background check makes things extremely difficult for valid people like hunters (many of which are actually poor and need the meat of the animals they hunt).
Doesn't matter that statistically a person with a concealed weapons permit is 3-4 times less likely to commit a crime with a weapon, does it?
The gun doesn't commit the crime, the maniac does. If schools and colleges were permitted to order a student to have a mental examination like in the case of VT, the whole massacre might not have happened in the first place.
Don't punish the responsible for the actions of the irresponsible, or you're no better than the killer.
The Wicked Flea Wrote:The gun doesn't commit the crime, the maniac does.
Hooray! I was wondering if anyone would mention this! You are of course correct, a gun cannot commit a crime, however as I have pointed out
many times in the past, a gun offers the maniac a much easier way of killing people. a maniac with a knife might manage a few before being taken down by people surrounding him, but a maniac with a gun can use it at a distance. Guns don't commit crimes, they
make crimes worse.
The Wicked Flea Wrote:Don't punish the responsible for the actions of the irresponsible, or you're no better than the killer.
We should punish both. The killer (if he were still alive) because he did it, and the authorities because they allowed him to do it.
Safety and precautionary measures to prevent deaths by accident or by mass murder and we are talking about the loss of life including children and young adults. We could not imagine the impact that has on their families, as with the incident that occurred recently! We could not imagine losing someone you love if only it could have been prevented. Those families will never completely get over the loss of their love ones.
There definitely needs to be stricter:
- Gun safety laws and regulations/protocols
- Training and psychiatry testing for all gun owners
- Regular random safety checks for all gun owners
- Regular random psychiatry tests for all gun owners
- Security protocols at places such as universities
I may live in the USA now but I was born and lived most of my life in Australia. The Aussies certainly do have strict gun laws yet illegal more dangerous fire arms have been sold on the black market and yes there are tragic incidents involving guns. Removing guns from the legally and responsible sports people and farmers isn't going to completely solve the problem and it isn't fair on those who are decent responsible gun owners. All issues pertaining to guns and owners must be done legally not tossed away just to be hidden out of sight on the black market to thrive among low-life criminals who will actually not only make money terrorizing and robbing shop owners and killing innocent bystanders but also make additional money selling the damn guns to evil moronic mentally disturbed criminals.
When you go for flight training, do you just show up a couple of times at your convenience during your 30 minute lunch break and that's it's!! Here's your captains license off you go flying that large commercial airliner or very small private passenger plane to take the kids to school?
NO!! I don't think so.
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The Wicked Flea Wrote:Don't punish the responsible for the actions of the irresponsible, or you're no better than the killer.
It's not a punishment, it's like a security flaw. You've got to stop the security flaw by putting in safe-guards. If those safe guards fail, then the whole thing is vulnerable. If the thing is a tool that allows you to query the database, then it can be very dangerous. The same concept applies to guns. If it gets in the wrong hands it can be very dangerous. Which is exactly why MyBB doesn't have a database query tool. And which is exactly why people shouldn't have guns. They're just too dangerous.