Shooting at Northern Illinois University. (Chicago, Champaign: purchasing, legally, adjudication)

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by sbd78

She only used it to harm herself, not others, but its really scary that mentally ill people can simply walk into a gun shop and buy a gun.

It's really scary that anyone can walk into a gun shop and buy a gun.

There are tens of millions of "mentally ill" people in the U.S. Who is capable of determining which ones are most likely to acquire guns and charge into a school?

And what about the ones who have never been evaluated? What criteria should be used to evaluate all of us to determine which of us might be capable, at some future date, of violence?

The only practical solution is to eliminate guns. It's fasinating that the overwhelming majority of the U.S. population do not have or want guns and yet ......just about anyone can acquire one legally.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I took zoloft during a rough few months at college, does that mean I shouldn't be able to purchase a hand gun?

You are absolutely right. There is no practical way to slice/dice this. There is no way to predict who among us will become violent.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by sbd78

There has to be something put into place to force people who are displaying clear signs of mental illness into some kind of treatment. All these school gunmen displayed clear signs.

What exactly are clear signs of mental illness?

Who gets to decide?

What if those signs are not consistent?

Tens of millions in the U.S. take medications for mental illnesses, just as they do for physical illness.

The overwhelming majority of people diagnosed with some form of mental illness are not disposed towards violence.

[sbd78]

Originally Posted by aragx6

You can't eliminate weapons, you can only create black market for them.

That being said- stricter gun control policies are something that should be looked at and considered in this country. no one needs assault rifles.

But I definitely agree that we don't have any idea what this mental illness of his was about. I took zoloft during a rough few months at college, does that mean I shouldn't be able to purchase a hand gun?

I agree that banning guns will create a black market for them, and your typical drug dealer/gang member/career criminal will probably still be able to get ahold of a gun without much of a problem. I do think, however, that banning guns may help to keep them out of the hands of people like this NIU gunman and the Virginia Tech gunman. These were not people with criminal connections, they seemed to be loner types who had mental issues, and were able to easily walk into a gun shop and buy a gun to carry out their deranged fantasies. Gun control has never been one of my hot button issues, but this is starting to make me lean towards the strict gun control side.

[sbd78]

Originally Posted by middle-aged mom

What exactly are clear signs of mental illness?

Who gets to decide?

What if those signs are not consistent?

Tens of millions in the U.S. take medications for mental illnesses, just as they do for physical illness.

The overwhelming majority of people diagnosed with some form of mental illness are not disposed towards violence.

I agree, its a sticky issue and tough to define.

[sgresident]

I think the bigger issue is stressing how important it is to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Also, being a middle aged mom too, it is definitely wrong to assume that once someone is out on their own, that a parent is responsible for their adult child's behavior.
alot of the problems stem from the fact that alot of parents are not as involved with their kids when they should be..middle school and high school..and by the time that they leave for college, too many parents are glad to be rid of them and don't ask enough questions.
over the course of time, there has been a stigma attached to mental illness, then the push for political correctness and total acceptance. then, the medical privacy issues, so even if there is a known mental illness, people want to cover it up..who knows what is the right thing anymore, but the killing has to stop.
I say if you know someone has a problem, it seems more right to speak up than to keep quiet.

[aragx6]

I guess if today someone came up to me and said "Abbey, we need you to decide the direction of gun control policy in the U.S." I would have to say:

Felons should not own any gun, ever. (The problem with that is that felons are the most likely to have connections to getting them illegally)

Ban all assault rifles, semi-automatics etc. It's simple- hand guns and rifles.

We don't need houses full of them either - 3 guns per person total, no more than two of either kind (so you can have 2 handguns and a rifle or 2 rifles and a handgun, but you can't have 3 rifles or 3 hand guns)

Is that far enough? Maybe, maybe not- but at least it's a good start.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by sbd78

I agree that banning guns will create a black market for them, and your typical drug dealer/gang member/career criminal will probably still be able to get ahold of a gun without much of a problem. I do think, however, that banning guns may help to keep them out of the hands of people like this NIU gunman and the Virginia Tech gunman. These were not people with criminal connections, they seemed to be loner types who had mental issues, and were able to easily walk into a gun shop and buy a gun to carry out their deranged fantasies. Gun control has never been one of my hot button issues, but this is starting to make me lean towards the strict gun control side.

Despite how it appears, gun control has never been one of my hot buttons. I think NIU is what it took to make me get it. Those were people's children on both ends of the gun.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by sgresident

I say if you know someone has a problem, it seems more right to speak up than to keep quiet.

Tell me who it is you are going to speak to and what exactly is the listener going to do because you think someone has some kind of problem?

I do not mean to be snarky here, really.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Is that far enough? Maybe, maybe not- but at least it's a good start.

Abby, I woke up today and watched the news again about NIU. The gun control thing just hit me.

Why do any of us need guns?

If fearful of home invasion, get an alarm system to keep them out. Why set up a confrontation, with guns?

If it's a hobby, could you find another hobby if it meant something like NIU were far less likely to happen again?

If it's about the right to bear arms, what about the rights of those who died?

What am I missing here? Please someone educate me.