It seems like almost everyday there is some school put on lock down because a student or former student has a gun on school property and is shooting. There have been 74 shootings at schools since Sandy Hook and there have been so many that I heard someone in my office yesterday say they are almost getting used to them. It was not that long ago that any school shooting was front page headlines for weeks, but now it seems there are so many that they are reduced to a one day. I can't even keep track of the ones that have occurred in the past month. It is obvious that something needs to be done but I don't know what you do to fix it. There is no way that guns will never not be for sale in the US. It just isn't going to happen. There are not enough states that would ever vote to repeal the amendment. I would like to know if there have been any school shootings at schools with metal detectors. If there haven't been any, then maybe that is an option. Have there been shootings with police stationed at the school? I know this is a gossip site but I think that unless people start discussing the situation and possible solutions that there is no hope for any kind of change.
Why does this shit only happen in the US? So sad :(
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't. I just read an article about one that happened in Scotland. The difference is there was a major crackdown on gun ownership in the UK after that one.
DeleteEnty's right, guns will never be illegal in this country. I don't know that they need to be (although, I'm personally at a loss as to why anyone would want to own one.) But we do need to enforce the laws we have, tighten the loopholes. Nothing will stop 100% of gun tragedies, but so much of what's happened should have been preventable.
Looking for clicks?
ReplyDelete@Krgl---UM lets see could it be GUN CONTROL?!?!
ReplyDeletehere come the whack-jobs to call me stupid SMH
ReplyDeleteThe one Sunday was 5 minutes from my house
ReplyDeleteLast time it was chaos. And anyone who wasn't American who dared to voice an opinion got shot down in flames.
ReplyDeleteWay to antagonize the crazies Enty!! Let the fun begin!
ReplyDeleteOh, and metal detectors in schools? That's really going to solve the problem (sarcasm abounds).
ReplyDeleteNOT the place Enty. I come here to escape the evil in the world.
ReplyDeleteNEXT!!
Americans are gun crazy, I grew up in a time where you didn't need metal detectors in schools….it would be nice to be able to return to a safer time
ReplyDeleteI usually have the answers to everything...:) But I really don't know what the answer is to this....I don't understand why this keeps happening.
ReplyDeleteThis one seems to be tailor made for inciting arguing that quickly degrades to name calling and ad hominum attacks. Probably end up with a post count passing 100. I'm turning around and walking out the door. Both sides view themselves as being on the side of righteousness, and thus rationalize the personal vilification as justifiable. Let's just get right to the trite cliches of right wing, small penis gun nut and pinko commie bastard that makes baby Jesus cry, and skip the small talk. Peace, out!
ReplyDeleteFor the love of all things sacred, can we NOT get this bees near stirred up??? Too many opinions/feelings.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just gun control, although it's a major factor. I think it says a lot about us as people as well, Derek :(
ReplyDeleteBlogger ate my post, I'll try again.
ReplyDeleteNot gonna jump in the gun argument, but I think that making these shootings famous is a powerful draw for those without hope.
All these guys feel powerless in their lives, miserable and like they've been horribly wronged by whoever. They think "I'll show them, I'll show them all!" and have the world terrified for a little while. It's horrible, but it works for them.
No idea what the answer to that is, but it's key that we somehow reach people before they become so lost.
But all these shooters are whacked out in some kind of way. Effective parenting would help. Not breeding with drugged up alkied out psychos, not substituting drugs for parenting, being responsible for your guns. I think all that would go a long way to prevent these tragedies. I think it's a good idea for Enty to do these posts. It's always a learning experience here. And it's easy to skip posts, and comments, if you don't want to read about it. So thanks Enty!
ReplyDeleteAgree that we don't need to start anything dramatic. Would this be a good time for a recipe exchange or weird family stories post instead?
ReplyDeletethe solution is obvious. ban schools.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post Zeeky, couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent idea Karen. But the only recipe I see herei s for disaster.
ReplyDeleteUK here.Aren't we having a lot of weather lately?(sticks to save topic
ReplyDelete)
Safe, not save.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOn the US not making any effort to stop the carnage:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27643649
"If not, then Americans should stop "pretending to care", he says. The next time a mass shooting occurs, he writes, let's just "skip the histrionics"
----------------------------
I don't engage in conversation on this subject.
"There is no catastrophe so ghastly that America will reform its gun laws"
In France,there was ONE shouting at school( in 50 years) (it was recently in a jewish school) but never attack with other weapons.In China,there are NEVER a school shouting even if there were some attacks with knifes ...for one reasons,it's difficult to find guns.It's very controlled.
ReplyDeleteAnd in a horribly unfortunate defense of the US, Finland has these, too. Way less, but the population is only 5.3M. Some have been high schools, some at uni, one was a man angry at his ex, and shot up the supermarket in Helsinki where she worked. Maybe last year someone went on a stabbing spree.
ReplyDelete@Zeecky...
ReplyDeleteYou're right
I see two main causes, and one contributor. First cause is our reality fame culture, fueled by social media. Anyone can now be famous, and everyone has a public forum for their feelings. A psychopath used to be alone, with no one to validate their feelings of outrage. Now, a loner can go online, post a video or write a manifesto, get likes from others, and feel like their hatred is more valid. They can see other examples of shootings and copy the perpetrators. They can learn how to get weapons, hide it from their parents, etc. they see how they can become infamous and a celebrity for a day or two.
ReplyDeleteSecond factor is the total breakdown of the US mental health system. So many parents of killers are aware that their kid needs help. They reach out for help, but there is no mental health safety net. You can't commit someone until after they have committed a crime, and as we saw in Santa Barbara, the police are ineffective at diagnosing mental health issues. Psychopaths are just too good at hiding it for 5 minutes while a cop asks if they are ok. We need a mental health system that trusts a parent's assessment and gets the child help (or can commit the kid, as sometimes a psychopath is in redeemable)
The contributing factor is the ease of getting guns they aren't the cause, because a psychopath can use other weapons. But guns kill much more efficiently than other weapons, and are too easy to get in our society. License them, regulate private sales, and limit manufacturing or tax bullets to make it more cost prohibitive to own an arsenal. I'd rather a psychopath have to jump hoops to get a fun and perhaps err on the side of using a knife or building a bomb (which is harder to hide and often fails/blows up in the psychopaths face while he's learning to build one). Stop making the most destructive weapon so easy to attain.
@Seachica, + infinity.
Delete+and beyond!
DeleteRight on Seachica- we can all argue about guns but I think your points are valid. The easiest thing that could be done to alleviate these events would be to stop the media feeding frenzy. Of course that will never happen and you won't be hearing the pundits and news departments acknowledging that this might be a factor in these attention grabbing copycat events.
DeleteI'll be brave & jump in....
ReplyDeleteYes, school shootings are horrible and I fully agree something needs to be done. I never really thought beyond that though until Sandy Hook. I live in CT, and obviously, that hit very close to home.
So many - too many - of these shooters have mental instability in common. I think in theory it was a great idea to close down mental hospitals & to also integrate kids in schools, however, it just isn't working. It is horrible to say, but it needs to be said - take Newtown for example - they used to have a mental hospital that housed thousands of patients. It closed decades ago. Where are all of those people now? YES, some of the patients did not deserve to be locked up, but some truly did. There are very few options for families of troubled people to turn to and many times, they are left to fend for themselves, and the results are devastating.
I just don't know what the right answer is though. However, one other thing I need to say - I absolutely RESENT all of the posts on FB/Twitter/etc., of all of these sad looking people & celebs holding up signs & hashtagging #notonemore. Yes, I agree, however, it seems violence in schools only suits their agenda when a gun is used. Where were they in April when Maren was murdered in school? Were they silent because it wasn't a gun? Was it because it was more evidence towards better mental health help to go towards ending school violence?
Flame away folks....
Actually integration has not only proven to be effective, it has also been shown to be the best chance for their future. People with mental illness or who have a developmental disability have the same rights as any American.
DeleteWhen is society going to hold the parents responsible?????
ReplyDeleteThere was the famous first school shooting back in the 1970's. There was even a song written about it "I don't like Mondays". Now-a-days there are so many shootings, it's becoming the norm, which is pretty sick. What do you think has changed since the 1970's? The gun control laws were even weaker back then.
ReplyDeleteWow--want to stir up a hornet's nest? Just whisper "gun control" in a public area here in Texas. The Tea Party force is strong here, sadly. It's hard to be a "moderate" around my part of the world these days.
ReplyDeleteMove to Mass, we refer to them as Tea Baggers here
Deletegun control. if you don't want guns readily available pass laws banning guns. there is no middle ground no half assing it. that's the only way imo.
ReplyDeleteOur mental health care system in America is a f**king farce and! as Wen said, parents seem to be too busy teaching their kids they are special little snowflakes and not paying attention.
ReplyDeleteWhy does ANYONE in the general populace need access to a semi-automatic weapon???????
ReplyDeleteI personally believe guns are the easiest way for these crazies to attack a school...but even if all the guns were taken away and none were left on the earth, these nut jobs would find another way to attack these schools. They would use bombs, knives, arrows, anything they could find. It's these psychos who are sick and I also blame the parents.
ReplyDeleteI think the difference between 70s and now is society is more walled off. We're all sitting on the internet talking to pixels, not sitting in a room together. Or we sit in a room individually, where everyone's face is buried in their iPhone. It's harder to learn to socialize. It's only one cog, but it's part of the ugly, shit-spewing engine that will never pass the emissions test.
ReplyDeleteAGREE...which was typed on my phone while I was being anti-social
Delete<Part of the problem
I think the only way to nip this in the bud without hampering the right to bear arms is to hold the gun owners responsible for the actions of their gun. It you do not take appropiate steps to secure your firearm (like a responsible gun owner), then you are just as guilty as the individual that shot up a school. Note: I am a gun owner.
ReplyDeleteYes, I also blame the parents. We need to find a way to make it impossible for civilians to access semi-automatic weapons, assualt weapons, etc. there should be no reason, what-so-ever, for people (not in the military) to have those kind of weapons in their possesion. And people who are not in active duty should obviously not need those weapons anymore either. And yes, I'm aware that not ALL school shootings involve those kinds of weapons but it makes a BIG difference in the amount of casualties is all I'm saying.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder what the role of all the psychological and ADHD medications so many young people are on from such early ages is.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder what the role of all the psychological and ADHD medications so many young people are on from such early ages is.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder what the role of all the psychological and ADHD medications so many young people are on from such early ages is.
ReplyDelete@Danielle...Unless a bomb is used...then you'll end up with far more casualties. Especially if more than one bomb is used.
ReplyDeleteSimple: legalize marihuana across the nation, so the people and young adults who feel wronged will smoke and chill.
ReplyDeletePoliticians will smoke and, hopefully, think about making live and not war.
And us, will be so relaxed we will laugh at every stupidity celebs do.
Yay!
We Americans made the decision a long time ago. We don't mind how many kids get killed, as long as we can live the fantasy of being the hero of a Charles Bronson movie, whipping out a gun and blasting away at bad guys.
ReplyDeleteWhat pisses me off is that we lie about it. When it comes up that the UK and Australia, after mass shootings, enacted strong gun control and it worked, our "2nd Amendment advocates" spout lies about how violent (non-gun) crime skyrocketed in those countries. (Spoiler: It's a lie, violent crime continued to behave much as it had before the laws went into effect.) They say it was the founding fathers' intention that we be able to engage in an armed uprising against the government, as if those same founding fathers hadn't also enacted laws against sedition and insurrection and treason.
We should at least admit that we love that action-movie fantasy so much that it's worth it to us to watch our children die so we don't have to give it up.
It's a combination of things, but it's a waste of time to argue about gun control, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteI think it's more at a grass roots level, as someone pointed out above, it's the isolation that we have created with the internet, I will add that it is the message we have been feeding children from the moment they are born "you are special, you are unique, make your voice heard", this message has taken on a different direction. When some of were kids, if we got into trouble at school, our parents would listen carefully and make us responsible for our actions. Nowadays, kids do something wrong and the parents sue the school, because their precious little angels would never do, say, behave that way.
And I've seen this same problem and heard the same complaint from educators in several countries. Those countries do not have mass shootings, they have knife attacks on crowds.
+1,000! Entitlement is a huge issue. In some places, teachers feel so emasculated by parents, they fear for their jobs if they dare address certain students' behavior.
DeleteRunwithscissors is onto something. Apparently violent crime of all sorts has gone down dramatically in Colorado since the state legalized grass.
ReplyDeleteWe had to sit in on a workshop about active shooters in schools, and it was eye-opening. The presenters were well-trained law enforcement who have conducted lots of research into situations like these. They said that in most-not all-cases like this, the motive is notoriety. The shooter/s are usually white, male, and somewhere on the middle-class spectrum. They said it's almost like a video game to them-get as high of a body count as possible to outdo previous shooters. If they can "live forever" in the media, they've gotten what they were after.
ReplyDeleteI think if the media would report without giving so much attention to the shooter/s, maybe some incidents would be curtailed.
I agree. The Las Vegas couple wanted everyone to "hear" and "see" them fight for the cause. They knew they would get attention and felt like they would die as martyrs. If the media would focus on the crime and not the assailants it would definitely decrease
DeleteOh, and I might add that they said these shooters were almost always fully prepared to be killed themselves or to kill themselves, so repercussions aren't that detrimental to them. They also suggested that schools practice active shooter drills & enforce existing security because shooters typically take the path of least resistance where they think they are not outnumbered by others with guns. They said that this would probably not ever truly end, so our best options are to take measures to reduce the likelihood by effectively training teachers & dealing with students & watching for warning signs, etc. It's all very sad... I
DeleteAssault Weapon first of all is a BS term, those AR15s are no different in function than another semi auto rifle that has a wooden SPORT stock.
ReplyDeleteBans for them is rather stupid, but on the other hand someone should not be able to go into a gun store and plop down money and walk out with one no questions asked.
WE need to stop drugging boys and girls into oblivion, start treating ADHD like a behavior problem not a chemical one. France does not drug up their students, it is one factor why their schools are not violent.
Start dealing with violence in schools with the same attention we do with fire safety. Start dealing with the factors lead to these incidents, bullying etc.
I might get flamed for this, effective way to get rid of violence is to stop supporting it in schools.End HS full contact football, explain to me why a violent full contact sport has any academic merit in schools. Especially after we learn of the health problems concussions are causing we might see in end in schools withing 30 years.
Some people react differently to pot than other people. What might make one person mellow could make another act aggressive. duh. Same with ADHD medicine. The last thing the USA needs is more drugs. SMH.
ReplyDeleteAlso I don't hear about too many football players going around shooting people. Get rid of the guns and your stupid white trash video games(WOW or whatever its called) or stop bitching about the shootings cause you all aint doing shit to stop em....
Premont school district in TX, out of budget reasons cancelled all sports programs. you know what happened? Test scores WENT UP and fights and discipline problems vanished.
ReplyDeleteIf you notice these shooters tend to be 12 and up, puberty is starting to kick in and we are drugging the crap out of them. Parents then at this time decide to stop paying attention because that is when 80% of them quit some sort of organized activity their parents signed them up at 2. They stop being mommy's vicarious amusement at that age and start living "Their" adolescence. Not surprising they start getting into weird youth culture stuff like Slenderman. IT is something they understand but the adults do not. It is a warped attempt of taking some control of a live that was over-scheduled into oblivion.
@Nosey, but notice the common denominator? Middle class. The officers are not going to tell us how to raise our children.
ReplyDeleteThink what middle class society is and does: most if the time two jobs to make ends meet, push the children to succeed in sports and academia, shower the child with the latest gadgets in the hopes that they will fit in yet remind them constantly that they are unique. All these factors are
Contradictory, a child will create their own opinion within this struggle and, sometimes, it does not go the right way.
Good point, there. So it all just compounds...
DeleteIt's not the guns, it's our sick culture. Drugs, mental illness, nonstop violent media, spoiled and entitled brats that have never been told NO or taught to handle adversity are all a part of the problem. Much easier to blame guns, because relatively few people will be inconvenienced and everyone can get back to smug pontificating, finger pointing and feeling like something was done, without them actually having to do anything other than run their mouths. Because if any of the real issues were addressed, it might inconvenience them somehow and we certainly can't have that!
ReplyDeleteExactly! And that's why so many kids are drugged up like Gary says, because they have become an inconvenience too, to the parents OR to the teachers. I heard one time that a teacher asked the school to tell the parents of 6 boys in her classroom that they should be given ADHD meds, because she found boys to be too exhausting.
DeleteStory was told to me by a coworker of such lazyass teacher.
Totally agree. I was aware of these awful trends even before I had my first cub, now 14. I love my kids, but I refused to capitulate to the special snowflake parenting style. Give them whatever they want but lock 'em in their rooms because you're too afraid to let them play outside. Fucking insanity.
DeleteI am all for stricter gun laws, and I own one. I have nothing to hide. Those people who want looser rules...May or do.
Loiness-ita. My 3 yr old grandaughter fell in love with some stencil sponges while we were in craft store. I said okay put them back, we arent getting them. She cried heartbrokenly about wanting them, and my hubbys like oh let her get them, its only 3 bucks. I asked my grandaughter, what are these? What do u use them for? Of course she didnt know and so back they went. Hubby's like only a few bucks- i said thats not the point. Sometimes u cant get what u want. I said she'll be ok, shes strong. And she was ok. But it is so easy ti fall into that trap. Grownuos need to remember it IS ok to say no sometimes!
DeleteYeah, it's not the insane prevalence of guns -- Americans are, by nature, just violent sickos, and so we might as well make high-powered firearms available to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that similar crimes happened once in the UK and Australia, and they passed strong laws to control guns, and gun violence dropped close to zero is completely irrelevant, and nobody should cloud the issue with facts like that.
Jas-word.
DeleteThe 74 count is complete and utter bullshit. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/06/10/wow-journalist-attempts-to-debunk-anti-gun-groups-list-of-school-shootings-in-america-since-sandy-hook-heres-what-he-found/
ReplyDeleteJay, well i think thats bullshit. So whats your point? 60 shootings are ok?
DeleteWoW isn't a white trash video game. I take offense to that!
ReplyDeleteWe need stricter gun laws, but I am not about to get into an argument over it here.
@AnnaNonymous, did you have your little one yet? I know you were expecting. I haven't seen you on here lately to ask.
@Frenchgirl: There are other reasons there aren't any shootings in China, besides a lack of guns...It's not rocket science.
ReplyDeleteIt is ridiculous to compare the US with the UK and Australia. Completely different countries, demographics, customs, and culture. They also have way less people than we do. The UK is about 80 million, Aus is 23 million and the US is 310 million so it's not really comparable. Even with gun control, they still had a guy in the UK in Cumbria kill 12 people with a gun, so they will find a way. Even if all guns are banned everywhere, someone will still find one and use it. That's just reality.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting article on the UK and gun control (don't know how to make it clickable)
http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/gun-crime
Another one, old but still relevant
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/1440764.stm
And the last one!
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/12/11/gun-crime-soars-in-england-where-guns-are-banned-n1464528
Australia and the UK are culturally not that different to the USA we just have better gun contorl and did this as a reaction to some awful mass killings rather than sitting on our hands and doing nothing.
DeleteObama just praised Australia and our crack down on automatic weapons after the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania and we have not had one since then...yes, given our population, we may have had more if we had more people but by doing nothing you will get nothing.....
"It's not the guns, it's our sick culture" - true. We have a sick culture of denial and unwillingness to do what is needed to keep guns out of the hands of murderous a-holes.
ReplyDeleteWhat IS it with the violent gun culture in the USA, anyway? I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteLioness, then you also must be OK with wiretaps and the government spying on you,, since you have nothing to hide? Anyone who would object may or does...right?
ReplyDeleteNo. I was talking about guns and ONLY guns.
DeleteThat's the only way to keep them out if the sickos' hands, leaving them to be used by people who know what a huge responsibility it is to own one.
"That" being background checks.
DeleteYou don't "get it" because there is no "gun culture." I don't get stuff I've never seen any evidence for either. "Gun culture" is a fiction made up by gun control advocates. Kind of like the "74 school shootings" fiction which was also made up by a gun control advocacy group.
ReplyDeleteArmatel- and the nonesense that there is no problem is ginned up by the NRA, who are protecting their MONEY, not your amendment rights. Dont fool yourself. If there was no profit in getting everyone hysterical that govt coming for your guns, there wld be no NRA. During revolutionary war, brits moved into peoples hiuses and confiscated their guns. That is done. IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN. ITS NOT GONNA HAPPEN. MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE.
DeleteI'm quite sad that today's generation has to deal with this sort of violence and fear on a regular basis.
ReplyDelete74 shootings? In gun free shitcago that is called a Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteNo "Gun Culture?"
ReplyDeleteWho do you think buys Guns & Ammo magazine every month?
Who do you think attends all the Gun Shows that do such a booming business?
And , oh yea, ever hear of THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION?????
@ Seachica.
ReplyDeleteThat was the most impressive statement on the problem I've ever heard. Thank you for that.
Thank you, hairydawg. That is a huge compliment!
DeleteIf gun control works, why does the city with the most severe gun control laws still have the highest gun violence = Chicago.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is the most unscientific data I've ever seen citing school shootings. Most of these supposed school shootings are not really school shootings at all - just dig a little deeper -check out Jay Tea's link, which actually provides links to the twitter account that provides actual links to the stories of these supposed "school shootings."
This is simply meant to cause a knee-jerk reaction, which it does. And I sympathize with all INNOCENT victims of gun violence (take away all the gang-bangers and criminals.)
The fact is that no matter how horrible these events are, NO GUN has ever walked itself into a school and killed innocent children, nor anyone else for that matter. The other PROVEN fact is that criminals do NOT OBEY GUN LAWS!!! Or any laws for that matter!
Make guns illegal today and only criminals will have them. Isn't that a scary thought???
If gun control works, why does the city with the most severe gun control laws still have the highest gun violence = Chicago.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is the most unscientific data I've ever seen citing school shootings. Most of these supposed school shootings are not really school shootings at all - just dig a little deeper -check out Jay Tea's link, which actually provides links to the twitter account that provides actual links to the stories of these supposed "school shootings."
This is simply meant to cause a knee-jerk reaction, which it does. And I sympathize with all INNOCENT victims of gun violence (take away all the gang-bangers and criminals.)
The fact is that no matter how horrible these events are, NO GUN has ever walked itself into a school and killed innocent children, nor anyone else for that matter. The other PROVEN fact is that criminals do NOT OBEY GUN LAWS!!! Or any laws for that matter!
Make guns illegal today and only criminals will have them. Isn't that a scary thought???
A lot of Americans love their guns and shoot 'em up movies, so I guess the rest of us will need to learn how to duck and cover.
ReplyDeleteGun fetishism is the problem. It's pretty well established in the US.
ReplyDeletePeople do indeed kill. People with guns kill a significantly larger amount of people in a shorter period of time and at a much greater distance than a person using any other handheld weapon. So let's not use that tired, asinine "guns don't kill" meme. You are part of the problem. Fuck off.
Enty, I love ya but I see this misspelling constantly on your blog.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're using it as an adjective, it's everyday, like "that was an everyday occurrence."
When you just say "I eat lunch every day," it's a noun phrase and is TWO words.
Please help me help you help everyone to be better spellers. :-)
Wacky and insane I know - but other countries NOT controlled by the NRA don't have this problem. The rethugs and teabaggers should move to Somalia so the rest of us can live in peace.
ReplyDeleteNothing will work 100% but gotta start somewhere- background checks and close the damn loophole at the gun shows that allow loons to get their hands on them. Also, it's ridiculous that average citizens can buy the same guns as cops and our military. Assault weapon ban did lower some of this craziness but NRA got pols to let it expire. If anyone pulls back and looks, they'll see it's the gun lobby that wants everyone to buy more guns as a solution to all=money in their pocket. But their mantra that good guys stop the bad ones didn't work with the loons who killed the cops and the citizen trying to stop with their own gun. The bad guys killed all three good guys with a gun because an ambush, any and all guns anyone wants, ginormous magazines, combat gear all equal continued massacres no matter who else is locked and loaded. We are the only nation to be in complete lust with violence and guns. Tons of other young guys play violent video games in other countries but can't get their hands on guns to mass shoot. It's just us. But violent games should be curtailed as well and no way to really get treatment for mentally ill here and pols can't cut back on Medicaid and any aide to people who aren't rich to help them. Even if they are rich, it's hard to get someone committed and keep them there no matter how disturbed.
ReplyDeleteI am not adressing ANY of my comments to sane rational gun owners or hunters. You know what youre doing. You are not the problem. The problem is less than bright people who just stand around going, i can carry my gun wherever i want. I can have as many as i want. But when you ask they why they just keep saying its my constitutional right. But no other reason. I can have guns so im getting them. Its so childish!!!. Well, its my right to fart in public, but i dont load up on beans and make a day of it. Just because you can do something doesnt mean you have to.
ReplyDeleteOh liddy I love ya!
DeleteThanks, jess, right backatcha!
DeleteAmen, Liddy.
DeleteI'm married to a sane, responsible gun owner and am in the process of becoming one.
DeleteI think there are so many contributing factors:
ReplyDeleteSome parents are the problem
Sometimes it is mental illness
Sometimes it is bullying
Sometimes it is all of the above or a combination
It is, however, much harder, if not impossible, to outrun bullets. It is easier to outrun a knife etc. Also, there is no reason why people need semi-automatic and automatic weapons.
All of the above factors need to be looked at. It is a complicated problem that needs a multi-faceted approach. Further, let's not dismiss the influence of media. What you see & watch does influence how you think. They have done studies that have proven we are becoming desensitised to violence. Maybe we all need to play outdoors more.
Well, 90 comments so far and, Amartel notwithstanding, it's mostly very intelligent, insightful and sensitive comments. There MAY be hope for the US after all...Yay CDAN readers!
ReplyDelete@MadLyb - is telling those who dare disagree with you to F-off and argument that consistently works for you? That kind of negates just about everything you said, which may have reached someone who disagrees with you. None of these posts, including mine, are the perfect answer to a very complex problem. So #1, stop telling us we are part of the problem, meaning we are partly responsible for someone else's decision to commit a heinous crime. And #2, accept that others' opinions will not always match yours and you can choose to continue to debate, or just leave the conversation if it gets so heated that you have to throw expletives at those who you disagree with.
ReplyDeleteThis thread is a perfect example of why we can't have a grown-up conversation on this topic, because when you can't argue the facts OR the law, you pound on the table like a bunch of babies and call people names. The post itself is based on a lie promulgated by the gun control advocates: There have not been 74 school shootings. Period. Full stop. But you accept that lie and use it, as the authors of the lie intended, to emote about guns and how they must be controlled. This is clearly not the answer. (See, e.g., Chicago. And, no, I do not accept the Chicago politician excuse that the guns are tunnelin' in from suburbia. If a nut job wants a gun, s/he's going to get a gun. See., e.g., Brussells, which is located on a gun control continent, and where four people were gunned down at a museum a few weeks ago.) If you were truly interested in stopping teen violence you would look at other factors, like the obvious factor of mental health issues, that is the common thread in every one of these instances. Personally, I think it's a failure in the therapy culture which gives these kids an unrealistically overempowered view of themselves, as well as in the media culture which tends to glorify the bozos after the fact. There is no gun culture. There IS definitely a gun control culture, where the answer is always "gun control."
ReplyDelete@CeeKay - what exactly did Amartel say that would qualify as not befitting of your compliment to the insightful commenters? I mean, one person told me to F-off!!! Is that considered intelligent, insightful and sensitive?
ReplyDeleteIf gun control is so obviously the answer, why the need to lie so much about the number of school shootings?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/146537-everytown-map-74-school-shootings-since-newtown-goes-viral-33-questionable-entries/
Totally plagiarized from another site but I just loved this and wanted to share it:
ReplyDeleteThe following is a list of NRA members who committed these school shootings:
And here are the thugs who were known right-wing members of the Tea Party:
And here's a compilation of the names of those who legally obtained and possessed the firearms used in the gang-related shootings:
I agree with @mzmarymac. I live in chicago and NOTHING is being done here. Its heartbreaking b/c what is the resolution? I personally think that there are a lot of mentally unstable people are out here with no resources for help. Its sad to think that there are people that have no regard for another human life.
ReplyDelete"The Right to Bear Arms" is an outdated epithet from an era that no longer exists...gun control is the ONLY answer. The fact that you can get a gun with NO BACKGROUND CHECK in the US is not only frightening but incredibly thoughtless. All I am hearing are excuses....it's not the internet, it is not that Murica has more crazy people it is because you let anyone and everyone have a gun, even those who don't actually need one and this is why your countrymen are dying...
ReplyDeleteWe did it in Australia after Post Arthur....the UK did it after Dunblane....get....with....the....program...
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/09/walt-wawra/
ReplyDeleteI see that several of you know that this post was based on a lie promulgated by a gun control organization. For any of you who are interested in more information - facts, not opinion - you might consider www.gunfacts.info.
ReplyDeleteYou, and those you love, are far more likely to be hurt or killed in an auto accident than by a firearm. Accidental firearms injuries are declining due to long-term, ongoing education and training by organizations like the NRA. (Yes, I'm a member, and an instructor.)
missyrocks53, anyone who purchases a gun through a store or FFL has to submit to a background check. Do you know what the 'gunshow loophole' is?
Most civilian enthusiasts practice more and get more time at the range than active law enforcement and non-deployed military. Why shouldn't any law-abiding citizen be allowed to own any firearm that law enforcement or military use? The National Firearms Act of 1934 prohibited non-regulated civilian use of full-auto firearms, silencers and a few other things. There actually is no category of "assualt weapon" in accepted firearms terms - it's a primarily cosmetic definition made up by a political committee,and is truly meaningless.
Auntliddy, with respect, gun confiscations were very common in WWII in Europe, and gun confiscations happen regularly here, most recently during Hurricane Katrina.
There are countless stories of law-abiding, armed citizens stepping up and supporting law enforcement officers, but the media chooses not to cover those stories.
It's good to see that most everyone has avoided name calling and profanity. Yay!
As a Mom of 4, 3 of them boys, it's a known fact that adolescent's brains are not yet done developing, and don't fully develop until they're 25. Some DO obviously need medicating, but most do NOT. Seems the ones who need medicating don't get it, and because of lazy parenting, the ones who don't need it, get it. Parenting is HUGE. If you can't handle ALL that it entails, don't fucking become a parent. I've been thru it ALL with my kids, and it isn't easy. But no medicating here, and FFS, we TALK, we have a relationship with our teenager, and we do NOT HAVE ANY FUCKING GUNS IN OUR HOUSE!! He is NOT perfect, to be sure, and he's kind of an asshole, but his biggest thing is buying another guitar or a new pair of Chucks or a new t-shirt! HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CHILD! TALK TO THEM! It ain't Rocket Science, people.
ReplyDelete....and yes, I'm fearful EVERY DAMN DAY when my son goes to school. I wish he'd just let me home-school him. Unfortunately, where I live, there HAS recently been a school shooting, so "supposedly" they are more and better prepared against it happening. Pray for all of our kids, friends. This tragedy shouldn't happen to ANYONE. :(
ReplyDeleteThe USA is so fucked up.
ReplyDeleteJust watch Zeitgeist.
I'm a day late and didn't read all the comments, so maybe somebody already said this, but whomever authored these sentences:
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that guns will never not be for sale in the US. It just isn't going to happen. There are not enough states that would ever vote to repeal the amendment.
Is 100% NOT A LAWYER. I believe Enty is a lawyer, but there's no way anyone with a JD wrote this.
Except this isn't even close to true.
ReplyDeletehttp://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/11/us/school-shootings-cnn-number/index.html