Gun Violence is as American as Apple Pie

[Going411x7]

So goes an often quoted expression.

In my lifetime, I've witnessed three American political leaders assassinated and many others assaulted with gun fire. I've watched one of my very own kin shotgun to death an innocent woman, in an insane rage. School children and college students kill their teachers, administrators and fellow students at an alarming rate.

At this very moment, our fellow Mod, Calixto, is mourning the "accidental" shooting of a college roommate on New Year's eve, his best of friends, gone forever. Resort to gun violence is part of our culture.

Must we accept such an act as the norm in America?---and in the process, isolate ourselves even more from our fellow man? :fear: Is this "aberration" the price we all must pay for the "right" to own/carry such a weapon?

 

[Flanker6]

No its not. I think its ridiculous that people have LESSENED the restrictions on guns. As soon as you try to restrict or ban weapons people are all up in arms about their right. I'm sorry but I do not believe in strict constitutionality. People have to observe the time the bill of rights was written. Guns were NEEDED. You needed weapons to hunt and defend yourself from wild animals, indian attacks, and even your own neighbors. Obviously, thats no longer the case. The only reason I feel like I should own a gun is to defend myself from other humans, which I think is pretty sad.

 

[Pegasus]

We here in australia have moved towards more gun control after some mass shootings. It's a terrible thing.

 

[Hanma]

Didn't we have some unprovocated gun shootings in Gold Coast or something?

 

[Pegasus]

Yes we have had gun voilence here,it has lessened since tighter gun controls. These came in after the Port Arther massacre.

 

[TinyMutantNinjaTurtle]

I stand by my right to bare arms adamantly I believe the stupidest thing that a government can do is put restrictions on firearms! I'm sorry but criminals aren't known for following the law. I believe in gun control, i believe you should hold it with both hands before you blow that motherfuckers head off. I think everyone should be issued a gun and be fined if caught without it! Watch crime drop and courtesy and respect fo one another SKYROCKET!!

 

[NP97]

I wouldn't quite agree with that... but...
I'm all for restrictions... I'm also all for keeping my guns. It's my right to have them. I think we should ban cars for the number of people killed by them.

 

[TTBB]

Where i live the police don't carry guns(Its might soon change).. but for the most part there are very few gun related crimes or accidents here... Incidents involving guns are so rare, when there is a gun related incident (even if its an air gun ) it makes the national news and it's big news... compared to the rest of the world our crime statistics are fairly low and we are listed as one of safest countries in the world.

The last time I was back in the US, it was a huge shock to me how many people own guns, and how passionate people were about them..I really wasn't sure if the idea of my grandma's 80 yr old companion having a hand gun for our protection made me feel safe or more vulnerable.

 

[redbear52]

The vast majority of people who own firearms are in no way in favor of gun violence. But the fact is that gun laws have not kept weapons out of the hands of criminals in the areas in which they have been passed. Washington DC long had a hand gun ban and was known as "the murder capitol of the USA". Chicago IL and Oak Park IL have enacted hand gun bans and have faced an escalating wave of hand gun violence since.

Virginia Tech was a "gun free zone". Didn't prevent or deter Cho from chaining the front door of Norris Hall shut and calmly walking from room to room killing 32 people and wounding many others, while some teachers bravely attempted to barricade the doors of their classrooms and were shot by Cho through the doors. But if one of those instructors had been allowed to have a weapon (appropriately stored) in their classroom, many lives could have been saved.

 

[ridiculed]

If it wasn't for gun control I probably would have killed myself years ago.

 

[coconutta]

Guns are big business. Hospitals are big business. Funerals are big business. Unfortunately. The people at the top don't give a sh*t.

 

[hunglet]

I live in Europe and I can tell you that, If guns are out of the law, than guns are for the outlaws... we have less than 1 weapon per 100 people and yet we have more armed crimes than USA(twice as much per 100 000 people). Gun restriction sucks, I would never buy an illegal firearm, but they are all over the place(in the wrong hands ofcourse).

 

[Waylander]

I love my guns and my right to own them!

After reading some comments I'm going to have a hard time with this thread and holding my tongue, "Gun control has kept me from killing myself"???
WHAT HORSE HOCKEY! Your not dead because you don't want to be, its that simple so don't even throw gun control in there. I'm gonna bow out of this thread from here on out, maybe I'll go shoot some clays

 

[redbear52]

This is part of the problem with gun control laws. They function well in only one regard, and that is to criminalize those who would choose to have a weapon for personal defense. A person who is intent on going on a shooting rampage, and then killing himself, is not going to be deterred from getting a gun for fear that he might get in trouble.

Of course, most people who commit hand gun crimes are not suicidal. But the average armed thug who is intent on breaking into your home in the wee hours knows that he will be long gone before the police arrive, if the police arrive. Such criminals are emboldened when they know there is a very good chance that their victim(s) will be unarmed. If they think there is a chance that they might shoot back, they will likely look for easier prey.

 

[ErictheGed]

The incident in Arizona is sad. In a country where you can walk into a shop and buy an assualt rifle, that fucking moron Palin should not be using targets to pinpoint her political opponents, and using words like "eliminate" them. Talk about irresponsible.

 

[MrBigDick]

I will make this one comment on this issue:

Those of you that believe we should have the right to bear arms, go tell that to the father of that 9 year old girl who was killed in AZ this past weekend at the hands of that fucking psycho.....nuff said.

 

[Closed039]

I will make this one comment on this issue:

Those of you that believe we should have the right to bear arms, go tell that to the father of that 9 year old girl who was killed in AZ this past weekend at the hands of that fucking psycho.....nuff said.

Killing is illegal - stabbing shooting strangling - yet people do it anyway. This guy was intent on shooting and killing people, and if he discovered that it was "illegal" to own a gun that wasn't going to stop him. So I'm sorry I really can't buy that argument.

It may be cliche to say "guns don't kill people, people kill people," but it is a sad fact.

There will always be sick fucks that choose to use their penis for rape, but I hope you wouldn't be in favor of not allowing men to possess their penises.

 

[CUSP82]

You guys really think the America has a corner on the market of killing people with guns? This has nothing to do with where you live. People are the problem and not just here. A Pakastani govenmemt official was just shot the other day by his own bodyguard. Sadat, Gandi, and on and on and on.

 

[TinyMutantNinjaTurtle]

Wow when i posted originally i expected to be on the bad end of a one sided argument thanks for the support guys! Also thanks skeptic that was to be my next point about rape but you beat me to it lol! if we're gonna ban guns because some stupid people are hurting themselves then i guess we better get rid of .. penises,knives,forks,cars,planes,baseball and sports equipment,washing machines,ATV's,shovels,rakes,chainsaws, you know pretty much home depot as a whole,the police(there's bad cops too for these pussies that want to run to the police for every little thing. sorry that's a whole different nerve altogether.)straws,toothpicks,textbooks,pencils,OTC drugs,we cant have stoves in our house,or tile floors or I'm sure I've made my point.

anyone here should understand, you don't hear about the millions of responsible gun owners doing the right thing, being careful, and protecting people same as you don't hear about the guys working hard on the health of they're penis to please they're women Point is that the real problem is the sick ass people with nothing better to do than watch stories about Murder and Rape. That's the problem people just get off watching something just hoping they may get to see a dead body. As long as its not them they love it . Now no one wants to admit it, but you know who you are!

 

[redbear52]

The world would be a better place if we could get rid of guns, nuclear weapons, and war. But that isn't going to happen.

If passing a law or series of laws was going to be effective in getting guns out of the hands of people with criminal intent, I would be happy to go along with it.