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Anti gun advocates fail to see that this increase in violence is due to society not taking care of those with mental disorders more so than the lack of gun laws.
There are so many gun laws on the books that aren't enforced and you will never get rid of the guns that criminals have even if you confiscate every gun from legal gun owners - in fact the death toll will rise as criminals will no longer be afraid. Then you will probably see increased deaths by cops because it's going to be assumed that everyone committing a crime may have one of those guns not collected.
I live in a household that has guns - I myself hate them and wouldn't know the first thing about shooting one. My husband took me once to an indoor range - I put one in the ceiling and walked out. I'm just not comfortable with them - but I'm glad that they are here in the house if needed.
Discussing the issue with fellow employees one day who are all anti-gun - I asked what would happen if sh*t hit the fan and at least two employees said they'd make their way over to my house as they knew they'd be protected. At least they had the guts to say they knew if push came to shove they'd find someone that could protect them.
Having a gun in your house might make you "feel' safer but that doesn't make it true. The statistical evidence says just the opposite.
A common and misguided belief is that guns in the house make those who live there safer. Guns in the home have been repeatedly linked to an increased risk for homicide and suicide.
I can trace my roots in the U.S. to back before the American Revolution. Many things to be thankful for in the U.S. However, the hijacking of our public life by the "gun nuts" is a damn shame.
I am not calling you (xray) a gun nut. Most gun owners aren't either but a significant delusional number are and they have infected our public life with this garbage about guns for too long.
VITAL TO DISARM
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You can never have an efficient totalitarian police state, when it has to be “benevolent” and fearful of millions of armed citizens. And you can’t disarm millions of armed citizens when they won’t tell you where the arms are. And you can’t arrest them until you criminalize their disobedience to “reasonable” gun restrictions and “common sense” registration. And you can’t tolerate their belief that they have an “endowed right” to self defense against tyranny, that supersedes your political power of the bigger gun.
• An Armed Populace Fears No Government.
• A Disarmed Populace Fears All Government.
- - - MAO was right - - -
Every Communist must grasp the truth, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party. Yet, having guns, we can create Party organizations, as witness the powerful Party organizations which the Eighth Route Army has created in northern China. We can also create cadres, create schools, create culture, create mass movements. Everything in Yenan has been created by having guns. All things grow out of the barrel of a gun. According to the Marxist theory of the state, the army is the chief component of state power. Whoever wants to seize and retain state power must have a strong army. Some people ridicule us as advocates of the "omnipotence of war". Yes, we are advocates of the omnipotence of revolutionary war; that is good, not bad, it is Marxist. The guns of the Russian Communist Party created socialism. We shall create a democratic republic. Experience in the class struggle in the era of imperialism teaches us that it is only by the power of the gun that the working class and the laboring masses can defeat the armed bourgeoisie and landlords; in this sense we may say that only with guns can the whole world be transformed. We are advocates of the abolition of war, we do not want war; but war can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.
- - - Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) Mao's concluding speech at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Party.
“We are advocates of the abolition of war.”
For once all guns are ours to command, no one dare oppose “us.”
Shut up, Sit down, pay and obey, SLAVE.
= = =
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They haven't infected the public life - they've tried to get you folks to see that there are more than enough laws to curb the problem - the fact is most aren't followed and implemented.
If someone in my house is going to kill me or commit suicide - there are plenty of ways to do so without a gun - it's not going to stop them - so that statistical evidence is questionable. I don't believe it increases the risk.
You can't call me a gun nut because as I've said - I don't care for them and only shot one that one time.
The UK now has a bill to ban knives because of all the knifings - this is not going to stop them as it's easier to conceal a knife than it is a gun. Too many people believe in this Shang ra la society which is never going to happen. People are fooling themselves and can't admit there has always been good and bad and will always continue to be good and bad.
I'm pro-gun, but this example is not helping the pro-gun cause. As has been posted, this would have been much worse if the suspect had used a firearm. That being said, this case does support the notion that mass violence is a mental health issue, not a gun issue.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ditchoc
So..it's not the guns fault...we get it...guns are irrelevant. In which case, getting rid of all the guns should not be a big deal.
OK - than I recommend we get rid of all of the following as they too cause deaths
Kitchen knife
A kitchen knife is one of the deadliest weapons in the world, causing tens of thousands of deaths every year.
Cars
Approximately 1.24 million deaths occurred on the world’s roads in 2010.
Road traffic deaths
It's orders of magnitude more than the number of firearm-related deaths.
The following have also been responsible for deaths so let's add those:
Let's also imprison anyone who has the capability to make bombs or buys material that could be used in the making of a bomb - since most of us buy fertilizer - we'd all be guilty. Am I going too far - nope because my next store neighbor is a real whack job and may just cross the line someday.
Except, the violence, and the as a symptom of the breakdown of society is where the focus is needed. Not the 'tool', err weapon used. I am reminded that last year, Britain had a rash of acid attacks. Yet another tool used, but the indication of societal breakdown is the same.
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverdad
although terrible, 22 injured is better than 17 dead and 16 injured (or 58 dead and 851 injured in Las Vegas). Crazy people can't do as much damage with a knife as they can with an AR. The U.S. is not going to do away with the 2nd amendment, but a few common sense gun measures wouldn't hurt.
This happened 4 years ago. All victims survived. The stabber was obsessed with Columbine and had been planning the attack for 7 months. He chose the date to commemorate the birthday of one of the Columbine shooters.
He was subseqipuently diagnosed on the Schizophrenia spectrum.
In reaction, the school district installed video cameras in all schools and live stream to the Police. They also issue clear backpacks to students.
Except, the violence, and the as a symptom of the breakdown of society is where the focus is needed. Not the 'tool', err weapon used. I am reminded that last year, Britain had a rash of acid attacks. Yet another tool used, but the indication of societal breakdown is the same.
Breakdown in society?
This stabber was subsequently diagnosed on the Schizophrenia Spectrum.
There is no known cause of Schizophrenia although there may be a genetic predisposition. Males are 2-3 X more likely than females to be on this spectrum. Average age for onset of symptoms is 18- meaning half are younger than 18.
The Internet has been a game changer. Anything and everything about prior school attacks/ attackers can be easily found online. Want to trick out your AR 15 like Adam Lanza- it's there. Want to find others obsessed with mass/ serial killers? It's out there. They celebrate in chat rooms the birthdays of mass killers who came before them.
Yup. Less deaths in mass stabbings compared to mass shootings. Thanks for pointing that out.
Guns are a force multiplier.
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