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I've followed this issue for a while now, also by way of more than a few gun threads, and though I have not been altogether against gun control, I have come to accept there isn't much that can be done to stop gun violence in America or even to lessen the body count by any acceptable level. I am no gun expert, and I have been chastised for having an opinion though I am not an expert, even for relying on experts instead. However, as compared to many gun enthusiasts in these threads, for example, I just tend to pay closer attention to other experts that tend to make more sense without all the gun obsession detail down to the patina. Accordingly, rather than go round and round those gun circles, I'm glad to have this to offer as my position. IOWs, I tend to agree almost entirely with what is written here. Not that the "answers" put forth here are altogether satisfying, but about the best we can do I think...
"What can be done to address this much larger toll of gun violence, which leaves nearly 100,000 Americans killed or wounded each year?"
I've followed this issue for a while now, also by way of more than a few gun threads, and though I have not been altogether against gun control, I have come to accept there isn't much that can be done to stop gun violence in America or even to lessen the body count by any acceptable level. I am no gun expert, and I have been chastised for having an opinion though I am not an expert, even for relying on experts instead. However, as compared to many gun enthusiasts in these threads, for example, I just tend to pay closer attention to other experts that tend to make more sense without all the gun obsession detail down to the patina. Accordingly, rather than go round and round those gun circles, I'm glad to have this to offer as my position. IOWs, I tend to agree almost entirely with what is written here. Not that the "answers" put forth here are altogether satisfying, but about the best we can do I think...
"What can be done to address this much larger toll of gun violence, which leaves nearly 100,000 Americans killed or wounded each year?"
Virtually every idea in that article could be viewed as a violation of the 2nd amendment or 4th amendment.
Gun nuts are fine with the status quo. That's the bottom line. You can't limit their access to firearms in any way, including ammunition. You can't deny anyone the right to buy a gun without a court case.
Bottom line, you aren't allowed to do anything about anything because 10% of the hard core, militant, gun worshipping country wants it to be exactly as it is, of worse. And when you realize that a good chunk of that 5% are far right survivalist types waiting for a race war, it makes further sense.
Your link doesn't work for me so I'll throw out my opinion.
1. Better education for everyone. We as a society need to teach people that violence isn't the first means of resolution to a problem. We also need to teach tolerance. It's too easy and too commonplace for someone who doesn't like a person's choices to stand against them. This starts in the home from a young age.
2. Less media coverage. The media sensationalizes gun violence and violence in general. This becomes appealing to aggressive youth and they soak up the media coverage like a sponge without yet being able to form their own thoughts and opinions.
3. Required gun safety courses. Just as we are required to take a driving test to get a license, we should be required to take a gun safety course before being allowed to purchase a firearm. Being caught without this li
4. Hold people accountable for their actions. Enough with the PC baloney. If you commit a crime, regardless of your race, political stance, gender, or religion you should be held accountable. I would recommend mandatory counseling and psychological treatment for those who commit crimes to try and get to the root cause of what sparked those actions to prevent future reoccurrences. If deemed psychologically unfit to own a firearm, the person would be denied legal means of obtaining one.
Gun violence and violence in general is at historic lows; exactly what do you think the gun death/wounded rate should be? At what rate would you state "our gun issue is just fine"?
There are more guns and more people in the US now than in 1980, yet the rate is lower.
Remove young black males who commit the over whelming proportion of gun crimes from the equation, the US has a rate the is equal to or exceeds those precious European countries with their low rates.
Given the ease of access and manufacturing of weapons, to the point even Norway and France cannot keep them out of peoples' hands who have intent to commit violence; it would be best to understand bans do not work and will never work, and only create criminals out of 99% of gun owners who do not commit gun crimes.
The article is good and is one of the few common sense articles on this subject, especially that it acknowledges that "assault" weapons make up a very small percent of gun crimes, and that gang/drug crimes make up a lot of it as well as domestic abuse issues.
I'm uncomfortable with the mass shootings statistics. Most mass shootings are inner city drive bys that hit a bunch of people. It skews people's perception of what's going on here.
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