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One example I often bring up to back this point is Charles Starkwether. He went on a killing spree in the Midwest during the 1950s. Here's one of the key differences in punishing criminals during that era compared to now: within less than a year of being caught and found guilty, Starkweather was strung up in the electric chair and zapped to death. These days, if a criminal is sentenced to death, he/she often waits 20 or 30 years on death row and goes through numerous appeals. In the rare case where the capital punishment is actually carried out, it's a painless shot in the arm ... no different than putting a beloved pet to sleep. This is not effective crime control!
During the Starkweather era, serial killers and mass murders of this kind were very rare compared to now, and I believe it's the difference in the attitude toward guns & criminals in general. There was little or no gun control, nearly everybody owned at least one firearm, but the penalties for heinous crimes such as murder were stricter & much more effective back then. Basically, most people were scared sh*tless to even think about committing cold blooded murder because the punishment for it was much more swift and harsh. If not the electric chair, it was death by a firing squad, hanging, or the gas chamber. That's the way it should be ... make the criminal feel the same pain that he put his victims through!
So let's not be pushing more gun control laws that are ineffective. Restricting certain types of firearm purchases will only push more buyers to the black market, and it will have little or no effect on mass shootings. Quit coddling murderers, or making them out to be the victims. Treat them like the worthless trash they really are, and bring back capital punishment the way it used to be.
I think most of the gun violence is linked to poverty. People fighting over limited resources. The U.S. has a high GDP per capita, so there should be a lot less poverty. We should attack poverty more to address the gun violence problem.
I know some gun violence has nothing to do with poverty. Some people want to kill for other reasons. For example, Japan has strict gun control, but that hasn't stopped some people from going on killing sprees. There was an incident in 2019 when a person burned up an animation studio and killed a bunch of people.
The problem is when people go on these killing sprees, they tend to have a suicidal mindset, so the threat of capital punishment isn't really a factor.
Its actually very simple...this is America, our founding document says our Govt is not permitted to infringe on our rights to obtain firearms...doesnt matter if we agree with that or not, we are obligated to protect and defend our rights.
Just like we say in regards to the 1st Amendment..."I may not like what you say, but I will defend your right to say it".
I think most of the gun violence is linked to poverty. People fighting over limited resources. The U.S. has a high GDP per capita, so there should be a lot less poverty. We should attack poverty more to address the gun violence problem.
I know some gun violence has nothing to do with poverty. Some people want to kill for other reasons. For example, Japan has strict gun control, but that hasn't stopped some people from going on killing sprees. There was an incident in 2019 when a person burned up an animation studio and killed a bunch of people.
I think the problem is the person committing the crimes more than anything else. We can blame poverty or whatever else, but if somebody is mentally unstable, wealth status means absolutely zilch. Serial killers come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. A few of them were quite wealthy.
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Originally Posted by jvalens
The problem is when people go on these killing sprees, they tend to have a suicidal mindset, so the threat of capital punishment isn't really a factor.
Good point, but I still want to see the death penalty used more for murderers, and in a harsher form besides lethal injection, as well as carried out in a much swifter manner.
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Originally Posted by phetaroi
Why don't we just say "ditto" to all the previous threads about gun control since no one here will say anything that's new.
This topic has been discussed to death.
It's not specifically about gun control. It's more about an alternative method to controlling crime besides banning/restricting firearms (which is not only ineffective, but unconstitutional). If you think this topic has been discussed to death, perhaps you could offer some new insight other than making blanket statements. If not, please move on.
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Originally Posted by phetaroi
So here's a question for you:
What do the following countries have in common: Brazil, Columbia, El Salvador, Eswatina, Honduras, Jamaica, and Venezuela?
Here's a question for you: when did Columbia become a country?
I think most of the gun violence is linked to poverty. People fighting over limited resources. The U.S. has a high GDP per capita, so there should be a lot less poverty. We should attack poverty more to address the gun violence problem.
A lot of it is. The US has among the highest level of income inequality for a developed nation.
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I know some gun violence has nothing to do with poverty. Some people want to kill for other reasons. For example, Japan has strict gun control, but that hasn't stopped some people from going on killing sprees. There was an incident in 2019 when a person burned up an animation studio and killed a bunch of people.
The problem is when people go on these killing sprees, they tend to have a suicidal mindset, so the threat of capital punishment isn't really a factor.
Those who go on killing sprees to do so for a number of reasons. Mental illness is usually the case, but there are also situations of people being disgruntled by work or seeking revenge against school bullies...
Mass shootings only account for a small number of the total, but they are obviously going to get the most coverage, due to their very nature.
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Originally Posted by Valley Native
I think the problem is the person committing the crimes more than anything else. We can blame poverty or whatever else, but if somebody is mentally unstable, wealth status means absolutely zilch. Serial killers come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. A few of them were quite wealthy.
As I mentioned above, shootings related to mental illness or instability are in the minority. They just get the most coverage, because there is more of a story there. Working on reducing poverty is a good first step as it’s likely to lead to a decrease in crime related deaths.
Mental illness needs to be tackled in a different way. I’m not sure what the best solution to that would be.
Quote:
Here's a question for you: when did Columbia become a country?
Guns do not kill people any more than cars, kitchen knives, rat poison. Cigarettes, alcohol, skydiving, skiing, surfing, flying in airplanes, etc. just ban everything because everything can be used as a weapon. If someone want pst to kill someone,, be it their boss, neighbor or a school filled with children, NOTHING is going to stop them. They will use whatever they get their hands in. Making all guns illegal will have no effect. The.nut job will simply buy one of the millions of illegal guns out there.
Guns are not the problem. People are. End of story. And I am not a gun owner.
The worst part is trying to correct this. You can do nothing or you can repeal the 2nd Amendment entirely. Anything in between would be years of debate followed by a monumental mountain of regulations and probably another Federal Agency to control it. I would sooner just repeal it and let the states handle it.
"Crime control" seems like an empty idea. It's like saying, "Kids' test scores are down, and the solution is better schools."
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