Gun control logic

by Gregor 174 Replies latest social current

• 

  MinisterAmos

  Would it have been possible for several guys to jump on the shooter?

  Rule one of a gunfight is to have a gun.

  I can tell you what happened in at least a few of the deaths based on personal experience in another situation. A gentleman walked up to an Engineer who was sitting in front of a city building filled with people waiting to pay their water bills. Right in front of at least 200 people he demanded his Rolex then shot him right in the head when he refused.

  Sure as the sun sets, above all the screaming, the predominant scream was "Get down on the floor!" And lots of people did just that presumably to save the guy from having to run to shoot them all I guess? I always though rule two of a gun fight was "If you aint got a gun, then run like hell"
• 

  journey-on

  Someone pointed out to me today that two of the worse mass murders in recent history were carried out with box cutters and fertilizer---not guns.

  Control people, not guns. Our society is not perfect. Sometimes a crazy will slip through and do something horrendous and it breaks our hearts and blows our minds and we start looking for solutions. But I have reached the conclusion that we must vigorously defend the Bill of Rights. They are basic freedoms which government should not encroach upon and no matter how innocent or beneficial it may seem to some group of individuals to tamper with them we must view that tampering with skepticism and inquiry.

  Americans sometimes go about their daily lives under an apathetic cloud, believing that our government is invulnerable to a take over by tyrannical or sinister forces. I went to James Madison's writings in The Federalist Papers to see if the founding fathers actually intended for the populace to have the right to keep and bear arms. I found my answer in the 46th writing when he spoke of the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nations. He said that in the several kingdoms of Europe, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. Then he expresses his confidence in the American people and their ability to defend the rights which they possess. We have a unique and historic civilization and just because our immediate comfort, safety and interest might seem to benefit by the restriction of another's freedom of choice, the reality may be the hastening of the end of our democracy as we now enjoy it.

  I also read that had the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto been allowed to own firearms, Hitler's SS forces would have met with so much resistance that a successful uprising may have prevented much of the attrocities that we are no so familiar with. Their fates just in the past century should demonstrate the folly of a disarmed citizenry.
• 

  Satans little helper

  so what is it about American "society" that breeds people who are prepared to kill a man for his Rolex? Sure it happens elsewhere, including Europe, but nowhere near on the same scale as in the US.

  Maybe as a society you are all too angry to be allowed to own guns at all. Finland has lax gun laws and does not have the gun problems the US has, what is the difference?
• 

  SWALKER

  what is the difference?

  We don't have a clue....

  Swalker
• 

  journey-on

  This is a huge country with a very diverse population and lots of great freedoms which we cherish. We are not an angry country. In general, we have big hearts and open arms. We're a generous country and sometimes we fail miserably in our attempts to show our true nature because the media, especially the foreign media, play up our failures and shortcomings.

  Yeah, you hear about the guy that kills somebody for his Rolex. But we have over 300,000,000 people and every language and nationality is represented here! But do you hear about all the heartfelt things our people do....all the day to day kindnesses and acts of generosity performed. We are one of the givingest countries in the world. We deal with the diverse, opinionated, free-thinking, individualistic society superbly imo. It's not utopia, but it's not bad. I've been to Europe and other countries as well and I can tell you without hesitation, that there is no place like home!

  The population in a small country like Finland can be more easily controlled. There's less diversity. It's like a family. It's a lot easier to control and organize two kids than a family with twelve kids.

  Give us a break, okay.
• 

  heathen

  I think more people die from smoking cigarettes than being shot . What are the statistics here ? I really don't think gun violence is that big a problem , sure we get columbine but who's responsible? The parents , for leaving weapons that children find . They tried to even blame video games for that one. ridiculous. I don't even think guns are the number 1 way serial killers go about killing. I do like the adds for stun guns which do sound like a good idea. I am so into conspiracy theory right now and think the move to take guns away from the populace is just another step in totalitarianism that I would oppose amending the constitution just based on that.
• 

  MsMcDucket

  Maybe they're to busy drinking themselves to death.

  Alcohol becomes leading killer of Finns

  HELSINKI, Finland: Alcohol has become Finland's leading killer of adult men and women, as consumption reached an all-time high last year, officials said Friday.

  In 2005, more than 2,000 people between the ages of 15 and 64 were killed by alcohol poisoning or illnesses caused by alcohol consumption, the government's leading welfare and health agency said. Also, almost 1,000 people died in accidents or violent incidents caused by alcohol.

  Alcohol was responsible for 17 percent of all deaths among 15 to 64-year-old men, surpassing heart disease for the first time, the agency said. It also caused more than 10.5 percent of all deaths in adult women, alongside breast cancer, for the first time.

  "This is truly a worrying trend," said Kristiina Kuussaari, from the National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health. "The serious negative effects will continue to grow for years to come."

  Last year, Finns drank the equivalent of 55.2 million liters (14.5 million gallons) of pure alcohol — an increase of 2.5 percent on 2004, but 14 percent higher than in 2003 just before alcohol taxes were slashed.

  Today in Europe

  Nationalism suspected in 3 deaths in Turkey Is Ségolène Royal stooping to win votes in France? Poland and Ukraine count the benefits of soccer championships

  Since 2003, the cost of treating alcohol-related illnesses has grown by 14 percent, peaking at €850 million (US$1.1 billion) last year in this Nordic nation of 5.2 million, known for heavy drinking.

  The government has traditionally kept a tight control on alcohol consumption with high prices in its Alko monopoly retail outlets, and supermarkets do not sell beer with higher alcohol content.

  However, in March 2004, it slashed alcohol taxes by more than 40 percent to discourage growing "booze cruises" to Russia and neighboring Estonia, where alcohol is much cheaper.

  The move caused an outcry from health officials who warned of the negative health effects, and police who reported a growth in public drunkenness and anti-social behavior.

  Officials reported a 10-percent growth in binge drinking among 17-year-olds in the first six months after the tax cut, and general consumption began to grow, reaching new records.

  http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/08/europe/EU_GEN_Finland_Alcohol_Deaths.php
• 

  Dark Knight

  Personally I believe in having very strict gun control in any country, but with 200 million guns (probable more) floating around in the USA I'm beginning to believe it's probably too late for strict gun controls in the US.
  
  And as a side point, if I lived in the US I think I'd want a gun too.
• 

  IP_SEC

  so what is it about American "society" that breeds people who are prepared to kill a man for his Rolex?

  SHL

  you are a fool.or you are trying to incite people with your foolish words I banish thee
• 

  GoTan

  i live in a country with very strict controls, hell even our uniformed police force don't have guns. I like the fact that I walk down the street i know i have more chance of being hit by a car than a bullet. The only ones with guns are criminals and farmers. The criminals keep the gun violence between themselves, regular citizens rarely get caught up in it.

  What i have been been wondering in the last couple of days was though, if a nut in the states wants to make a point, the first thing he does is go somewhere public (usually a school they are connected to) and shoot up a bunch of people, sometimes not even connected to him. We simply do not get events like that in Europe. The last one was Dunblaine in Scotland if i remember rightly.

  I like knowing that for the most part, wacko's here will never, ever get a gun. Hell a farmer has to go through 12 months of checks before he can get one. All i can think about is that episode of the simpsons when Homer wants a gun, and hates that he has to have a cooling off period "But i'm angry now!!"