Does the Virginia Tech massacre show the need for more gun control in the United States?
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There should be a lot more guns all states should be a law to protect the constitutation and all kids going to school should learn to safely use guns like I did when i was nine,my dad showed the proper way thats the way it use to be.The more guns People have the safer it is take the colleges that have guns no trouble google it search the facts so I say with the corrupt Government we have we should be heavly armed .
People who are willing to give up freedom for safety deserve neither.... The problem isn't the guns, it's the people behind them. We have mentally ill people running all over this country ever since President Kennedy got rid of the mental institutions and turned them lose of the streets.
The idiot at Tech had a long history of mental problems and was ignored, the real problem is with the officials who ignored his crys for help, not the gun nor the guy who sold it to him...
It's always easy to blame the the other guy instead of taking responsibility for what really happened. Today's communist movement is all about political correctness and gun control...
Remember it was Trotsky who invented PC and all the people who follow in it's path are what Lenin described as Useful Idiots...
Generation X Virginian
Okay. So how do we protect ourselves from the mentally ill person with a gun? Are we just supposed to be sitting ducks?
It seems to me that it would be a lot easier to defend against a person like this in hand-to-hand combat. I'm not sure I want my fate to depend on being able to hold my own in a shootout. Hell, I might as well be living in a cave and subsisting on nuts and berries as living like that.
The bottom line is that no matter what the anti-gunners say, the numbers uphold the fact that violent crime drastically decreases when the amount of concealed carry permits increases. People that say "Only police officers should carry guns because they're trained better" really should ask a police officer how often he practices.
In reality, the average gun-owning citizen practices MUCH more than the average police officer.
As far as VT goes, that university is guilty of infringing upon a constitutional right at the very least, criminally negligent at the most. Virginia state law allows concealed carry deadly weapons (CCDW) permit holders to carry on campuses..but VT forbids carrying of firearms on campus upon penalty of expulsion. They deemed the campus a "gun-free zone" which does nothing more than paint a big red bullseye on every single student.
Criminals are criminals because they don't follow the law! The only people that abide by gun control are the lawful citizens!
Better to be judged by twelve than be carried by six.
Oh yes, by all means, let's return to the days of the old west, when everyone was strapped with a side arm. There were gunfights in bars and on the streets. It'll be so nice to get back again.
Because of a persistent misinterpretation of the Constitution, which clearly meant for the right to bear arms to apply to militias, the United States has, far and away, the highest annual body count due to gun use. Google it yourself and compare gun deaths in the U.S. to those in the United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, France or just about any other nation on earth.
Think if all the students at Virginia Tech had been packing heat. Yes, the shooter would have been taken out sooner. But how many others would have died in the crossfire?
We need to start outlawing handguns which are of no use to hunters and are good for one thing and one thing only...the killing of human beings. Where do you think criminals get most of their guns? Not from legitimate sources. Most of them are stolen in home burglaries and sold on the black market. If those guns aren't there to be stolen and aren't in stores to be bought, where will they get them?
It's time to join the other civilized nations of the world and do away with private handgun ownership.
Owning a handgun doesn't protect the Constitution. It just kills people.
If you check your history you’ll realize that our Constitution was written for the benefit of the PEOPLE, NOT the government. Our forefathers were escaping an oppressive government.
The right to bear arms, like the right of free speech, is an INDIVIDUAL right as affirmed by the Federal Court.
http://www.jpfo.org/ragingagainstselfdefense.htm
Smith
IF you out law guns...
then only outlaws will have guns.
-------------------------------------
your gun free america idea is beautiful. but based on fantasy.
Guns are here to stay in america. Even if guns are outlawed today, there will be guns here forever. Guns dont expire like milk.
if there are no guns in the homes, and in the stores, the guns will come in from out of the country like the DRUGS that is currently not in stores and not in homes.
If they outlaw guns, only the lawful citizens will hand in their guns to the police. thus only the lawful citizens will be unarmed.
Believe it or not, currently GUNS ARE ILLEGAL for the people who are criminals. Guess what ? They arent handing in the guns.
In japan, guns are illegal, but the YAKUZA got guns go figure.
In england, the mafia has guns.
Guns are here to stay, and laws do nothing but affect the lawful citizens, the very people who could have helped.
I really wish that by magic, all the guns in the world will float into outerspace. there will be no more shootings. but that is NOT reality.
CCW carry is reality. the whole united states needs to be "shall issue" for a free society.
Let's be truthful about this:
Guns = phallic symbolism
Nothing more, nothing less.
The only reason some people want their guns is that, to them, it's like taking away their dicks.
Too bad! Anyone with a dick worth having doesn't need a gun.
Tell me that guy at Virginia Tech wasn't just using his gun as a phallic substitute -- a substitute for all the manhood he wasn't able to access without it.
Let's stop being a society that equates a gun with a dick. Dicks give life. Guns give death. Let's get our heads on straight about this. Owning/using a gun doesn't make someone a man -- quite the OPPOSITE!
We need to start outlawing handguns which are of no use to hunters and are good for one thing and one thing only...the killing of human beings. Where do you think criminals get most of their guns? Not from legitimate sources. Most of them are stolen in home burglaries and sold on the black market. If those guns aren't there to be stolen and aren't in stores to be bought, where will they get them?
YOU ADMIT THAT CRIMINALS TODAY HAVE GUNS.
you admit it yourself.
To defend against these criminals, I will use MY GUN.
there is no way in heck that the criminals of the united states be giving up their guns.
Therefore there is no way in heck I will be giving up mine.
YES you moron, no matter how many laws you can draw up in crayons, the criminals are not going to give up the guns, so neither will I. if you dont like AMERCIA, then GET OUT ! or move to new york city.
I feel sorry for the kid who did the shooting just as much as for the people that died. He was made fun of growing up and he couldn't take it anymore. Shootings like these don't happen very often and they wouldn't happen at all if society in general was more appreciative of others.
I cannot understand how can you feel sorry for a murderer. He deserves to die cause he`s a devil. He cannot be compared to a guys who`s wondering for the first time what are legal buds, He was aware of what he`s gonna do and still he decided to take those kids life.
Everyone should realize that the 2nd Amendment grants a right to everyone and that there will always be people who will abuse that right. This is the price we all have agreed to pay for the right to keep and bear arms.
After the Oklahoma City bombing, it was possible to put stricter controls on high nitrate fertilizers because the 2nd amendment does not grant a right to keep and bear fertilizer. You can get it, but not as anonymously nor as easily as before. After incidents like this, there are those who talk about trying to make guns more difficult to obtain but they will never be successful.
So since we can't control guns, we need to put stricter controls on people. If I hear any crazy talk from anyone, I want to be able to have treated like an enemy combatant. Guilty until proven innocent. You write some crazy stuff that upsets your English teacher you get disappeared. That will put a stop to all this killing.
Through all of the posts, the one thing that no one mentions is the parents. Are we as parents so involved with our own lives that we ignore our children? Unfortunately, most are. My wife stayed home with the children until the graduated HS, and they never got into serious trouble, but others from the school, whose parents both worked, did get into trouble. No, not all of them, but more. When are we going to put that blame where it should be, or at least where it should begin? PARENTS GET INVOLED WITH YOUR CHILDREN.....
Netmonger the unfortunate truth is that there are many times when people DO NEED firearms . It isn't about being cool or shooting tin cans it is about the most basic of right which is self preservation .
20 years ago I found myself and family in a situation with 4 men armed with baseball bats and metal pipes who figured they could just do what they pleased and their pleasure seemed to be derived from killing my wife and perhaps 1 year old son who was in her arms .
I did indeed NEED my 357 magnum and fortunately I had it and as soon as they saw it pointed at them they decided they NEEDED to be somewhere else and I didn't NEED to fire a shot .
The world does and always has and will have it's share of sick people who actually enjoy killing people for absolutely no comprehensible reason to normal folk . when these things happen waiting for the police to arrive would get you killed .
There is a piece on MSNBC about two high school boys from NE America , they decided they were bored and hated their lives in the small town they lived in . They made a plan to leave town and go to California and they would get the money they needed by robbing and killing people .
They randomly picked homes and knocked on doors until they were allowed into the home of a couple on the pretense of an environmental survey .
They stabbed and cut those two very nice people to pieces and while they attempted to escape didn't have a chance against two physically superior attackers . Had they had a gun in their home they might still be alive .
No this isn't simply wishful thinking as at the home prior to theirs the home owner saw them entering his property and observed one of them hanging back from the door and hiding by a bush near a window and he got a pistol before going to the door . The one by the bush saw the gun in his hand through the same window he had observed them and they took off . Had he been unarmed they would have killed him and his son who was in the home .
The fact that two seemingly normal kids from good families of upper middle class means could calmly decide to kill total stranger just to get money to leave town scares the daylights out of me .
So yes I KNOW decent people need guns because when evil comes calling it doesn't call ahead to warn you so you can summon the police to protect you , it is up to you to do it because it all just explodes in your face without warning !
If you can't accept the fact that the world is dangerous and need to take precautions to care for yourself I suggest it is you who needs to grow up as you obviously have a problem with a lack of maturity .
The 3 posts I read are nothing but disturbing.
You people think the freedom to own a gun pre-empts the freedom to live without being murdered?!? Are you kidding me?
Here's a good analogy: why arent box cutters allowed on an airplane? I mean its not the box cutters that kill people, its the *person* right?
But pretty much everyone can see the point in this: regardless of it being the fault of the person, its simply too dangerous to allow box cutters to be on a plane, because there is the potential for many people to die as we saw on 911.
So if we are going to play it safe with box cutters, dont you think we ought to play it at least as safe with 9mm semi-automatic murder machines? Its the *exact* *same* thing people. Another great example is DWI - same thing.
People dont need to have box cutters on planes.
People dont need to drink and drive.
People dont *need* to have guns.
People do *need* to be able to go about their lives without being shot.
The problem is deep in American culture and things need to change on so many levels. Guns arent cool and its time for people (and Hollywood) to grow up and realize this.
As far as Elmo's comment 'This is the price we all have agreed to pay for the right to keep and bear arms.' I'll make this very clear to you:
My children's lives should not have to be at risk so that some red-neck retard who is too stupid to do something useful with his life, can pretend he's 'cool' shooting tin cans in his backyard with a 'glock.
I never agreed to 'pay any price', and most people in this country agree with me.
Guns are murder weapons plain and simple.
Semi-automatic guns should be illegal, background checks should be greatly improved, and people need to open up and realize that guns arent 'cool' and stop buying into this nonsense.
Grow up.
The intent of the second amendment is to allow organized citizens' groups to violently overthrow the government and/or defend itself from the U.S. military when necessary. Nearly all of the various gun and weapon control laws violate this intent and some violate the literal wording. Due to these weapon limiting laws, it is no longer possible for a neighborhood to get together and prepare for the possibility of an invasion of the military. In recent history, when groups have wished to excercise this right to be prepared, the FBI and other government forces have invaded to kill, arrest, and disband the members of the group.
It is in the government's best interest for the people to feel empowered to defend themselves but to actually be effectively powerless. That's terrible. We should all be ashamed that our country turned down this path.
--Jarrod
I think it's you who needs to grow up. Yes, the posts before were very poorly written.
Why is everyone in this country so acquiesce to weakness and cowardice? Don't people realize that the only person responsible for your own safety is YOU! The police cannot be there 24 hours a day to protect you. Try being a responsible man for once in your life and not a sheep waiting to be victimized. I will never be a victim by anyone who will attempt take my rights or my life.
This country was founded on certain principles, the rights to free speech, choice of religion, freedom of assembly, and the right to keep and bear arms. If you don't agree with those principles then you need to move to Canada or France. Stop trying to change my country! I am a free American citizen. No man has the right to deny me my basic human rights, including the right to self protection. This is supposed to be a free society. The government should not have the power to punish everyone for the actions of a few.
We need to look at how our society functions. Mainstream media promotes violence, gangsterism, sexism, and a complete lack of morality. Turn on your television and what do you see? Rappers glorifying drug use, murder, and disrespect of women. Anna Nicole Smith. Girls Gone Wild. Must I go on?
When you deny people the right to carry a concealed weapon on a college campus you create a "criminal empowerment zone". The only people affected by gun control are those who obey the law. Criminals don't follow laws, that's why they're criminals. One student or faculty member with a concealed pistol could have saved perhaps every life taken at VA Tech.
Netmonger, not allowing box cutters or anything else on an airplane that could be used as a weapon creates a weapons free environment on that airplane. It levels the playing field. That has no relevance on a country as a whole. Criminals have guns. Gun control only takes guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens. Do you want to ban alcohol because people *may* drink and drive? Maybe we should ban cars. Or cigarettes? I bet those kill alot more people than guns.
Let me let you in on a little secret. Most gun owners aren't "redneck retards", but people who aren't afraid of being responsible American citizens. Maybe one day YOU will grow up.
I would like everyone to think very carefully about what rights you are willing to give up to "feel safe". Do you think that a policeman, soldier, or politican has the right to exert control over you? Do you understand what the definition of "citizen" is? All men and women are equal in our society. The president has the same rights and lives under the same laws as a person who labors. The government should fear the people, not the other way around. If you disarm a populace, you create a tyrannical government that has no checks. They have enough power over us as it is, don't give them semi-automatic weapons too. If we lose those we really are powerless.
Note that while nothing you say makes any actual sense, it all sounds fairly rational if one were to glance over it and just nod like someone on quaalude.
ok then...
You obviously don't
a) do a lot of flying
b) know anything about statistics.
I fly 2x a week. I spend a great deal of time waiting in security checkpoints. These security checkpoints are a farce, they serve absolutely no purpose. If the nation wasn't filled with hysterical fools like yourself, there would be no security. Why? When was the last time airport security caught someone trying to get on a plane with something harmful.
I'll wait while you think about it.
done?
that's right... never.
NEVER!
All the people that wanted to get on a plane and blow it up, hijack it, masturbate in the sinks, slap the flight attendant's ass, light their shoes on fire etc. etc. etc. etc.... they ALL succeeded!
no no... not just before 9/11... since then too!
So... who should be allowed to carry box cutters onto planes? whoever wants to. Why? because millions of planes take off and land every year and no one gets hurt.
There simply aren't enough people who WANT to bring down planes to make this a problem. The proof is in the pudding.
DWI? terrific example. Except it isn't since most accidents in this country are caused by sober drivers! So, what are you suggesting? should be have more auto control? That's the logical deduction here... make sure that only police and army have cars.. everyone else should go on roller blades... cause cars aren't "COOL" either... GROW UP, you don't NEED a car, take the bus!
See? your reasoning is 100% fallacious. Driving while drunk is a problem, driving while sober is ALSO a problem. People die in car crashes all the time. It's just part of life... "SHIT HAPPENS".
So, my advice to you is examine the number of people that have been killed in the way that the kids at Virgina Tech were killed and ask yourself if there is really anything to even talk about here?!
Do YOU know anyone that was killed by a legally purchased and registered gun? How often do you hear stories about such occurrences (not counting domestic violence... but if you DO count it, then you also have to count all the people that get beaten to death with bats, cause, as I'm sure you DON'T know, bats are a significantly HIGHER tool, in the act of murder, in this country, than guns. Perhaps, we need to grow up and stop thinking those are cool too?).
Gun violence, in this nation, is only an actual problem in inner cities, where the guns aren't being purchased legally and are being used mostly by kids who are protecting the corners on which they deal drugs. Passing additional laws isn't going to change THEIR situation in ANY way.
It's simply NOT a problem that rises to the level of one being worthy of discussion.
The guns that people own, for the most part, don't affect you in any way. And on the off chance that this administration gets what it really wants, and this nation becomes a dictatorship, you'll be really really wishing you had a gun as Bush (or his grand kid) votes himself back into office for the 7th term.
This country was made by men and guns, if you don't like it move!
Generation X Virginian
Way more people are killed per year by Driver speeding down the road. People say the we don't really need handguns, assualt rifles or guns period. I ask you then why do we need Cars that go over the speed limit, why do we need cars with 400 horse power. I would be wiling to bet that people are not going to give up there SUV's, and Corvettes just because a there are alot of stupid people doing stupid things in there sports car.
It has been proven time and time again the Gun Bans do not work. Now I will agree that I think there should be a backround check and a waiting period before anyone can by a pistol or a rifle. But there should all ways be a way for law biding citizens to get firearms.
I also have 3 childeren and I think it is nessesary that childeren get some exposure to firearms. Just like in school childeren are getting prepared to deal with the world and firearms are a big part of the World not just in America. I have over 30 firearms which includes both Assault rifles and pistols because just like a Corvette I like Assualt rifles because they are more fun, but if used responsibly can be very deadly just like a car that goes over the speed limit. I have show my childern how to be responsible with a firearm just like someday I will show them how to be responsible with a car that goes over the speed limit.
My Wife works as a 911 dispature and her Officers tell her all the time that citizens need firearms because the Police can't be everyware. And when someone is breaking in your house or attacking you, you can't hit pause and tell them to stop until the Police get here, you have to be able to protect yourself. Mybe it has never happened to you but it happens all over America every day and more then 32 people are getting killed or raped or robbed everyday.
"People dont need to have box cutters on planes."
Destroy and Ban ALL box cutters across the nation. Don't allow box cutters to be sold ANYWHERE. Afterall, it's the BOX CUTTER'S FAULT!!
"People dont need to drink and drive."
Destroy and Ban ALL alcohol across the nation. Don't allow alcohol to be sold ANYWHERE. Afterall, it's the ALCOHOL'S FAULT. (ooops.. I don't mean to launch any attacks on that wine spritzer in your hand... now it get's personal when it affects you, eh?)
People dont *need* to have guns.
You get the drift...
Looks like someone's parents and education failed them... it's called being able to draw RATIONAL parrallels, and logic
And here we have the problem with America...few people understand whats broke, so they blame the tool.
Murder is illegal....Criminals dont care about that, so why do you think they will care about a gun law.
I know, lets make all guns go away....really??? you really think by writing a law, guns will simply go away?
Its like that in other places..no guns in Canada, thats why no one is shooting up schools....right?? Wrong. Canada's system of Government, social programs and medical system is far superior to the US. With less poverty and more public support for the under class brings less crime. Taking guns away from the majority of Americans would be like opening a half-way home for child sex offenders INSIDE a school.
More to the point, Do you really believe if we were to arm 50% of canada that they would have this type of problem? Do you really believe that as soon as I put a gun in your hand, you will want to kill people?
The States with the highest gun crime rates are the ones with the most anti-gun laws. People like to say, " thats because all the guns are coming from the states with little or no laws"....Really???? Then why isnt Canada having a problem? The guns maybe coming from those states BUT the criminals are not.
Take away a persons tool used to defend themselve inside a culture of crime and you just made another victim. America would be better off working on ways to mend the culture rather then disarm its honest, hardworking citizens.
If you continue to focus your anger at a tool, an object, you will never fix the problem. When you find a way to ban criminals by writing a law...I'm all for gun control...till then, we need to be armed in this country.
You state:
Guns are murder weapons plain and simple.
I'll go so far as to agree with you.
That said, the shooting at Virginia Tech took place after a combined failure of the school administration, the Judicial system, and our society at large. It also took place despite Virginia's adoption of several "gun control" measures, including limiting the number of firearms an individual can purchase, a mandatory background check, and the declaration of the Virginia Tech campus as a "Gun Free Zone".
You talk about box cutters being prohibited on planes. Funny, I know that guns haven't been allowed on planes since the great "Cuban hijacking" events of the sixties. If we want to carry your apple to orange analogy to the ridiculous level (although you're close already), shall we say that, since you can't have ferrous object in an MRI laboratory that we should ban all iron and steel containing materials and products?
You go on to state:
My children's lives should not have to be at risk so that some red-neck retard who is too stupid to do something useful with his life, can pretend he's 'cool' shooting tin cans in his backyard with a 'glock.
WTF? I didn't know that we were discussing this; I thought the topic was about the Virginia Tech shooting. If you have a problem with your neighbor shooting cans in his backyard, might I suggest you talk to him, involve local law enforcement and file a noise complaint, or move to somewhere where it is illegal to do so.
I never agreed to 'pay any price', and most people in this country agree with me.
No... my great (x4) grandfather did, when he stood against the British Army detachment in Concord Massachussets in 1775. I would sooner raise my children in an environment where they have the freedom to rather than the total freedom from, even if it does entail a certain minimal risk.
How minimal? While not belittling the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shootings in any way, only 2 firearms were used in the incident. The remaining balance of the 4 to 6 million firearms in American did nothing except gather dust.
Obviously your math skills are as developed as your forensic ones, if 2 > 4,000,000.
If you don't want to tolerate the environment, and would willingly sacrifice your freedom for security, I hear the People's Republic of China is looking for new residents. And with only the military and police having guns, it's very safe.
I'll help you pack.
For you, this is all some liberal ideology session, where you can belittle us gun owners as "red-neck retards who are too stupid to do something useful with their lives". Once again, when a liberal fails on a logical front, they revert to emotions or name-calling.
As a person who has had the unfortunate need to use a firearm to defend his family in the past, I will use whatever means at my disposal to protect my family, and prevent any individual or government from removing my ability to do so.
As a would be victim, I am too well aware of the fact that there are criminal predators out there, and I am also acutely aware of the freedom to live without being murdered, and I will not surrender my ability (or responsibility) to defend my family to the government when Police cannot protect every citizen against criminals, and in fact court cases from South v. Maryland in 1856 to Castle Rock v. Gonzales in 2005 reaffirm that the police have no affirmative duty to provide protection of individuals from other private individuals.
I don't own a gun "because it's cool"... I own a gun because it is, as you describe, "a murder weapon", or more precisely, my lawfully owned firearm is my means to stop those criminals that would harm my family from their continued attempts to do so. Your repeated allegation of "cool" as a primary reason for gun ownership is more telling of your naivete on the subject than your knowledge.
Too bad the "Association for the Advancement of Red Neck Retards" can't censure you for "hate speech". Oh, I forgot - only conservatives are capable of generating "hate speech"; when a liberal says spiteful or demeaning things, it's simply "freedom of expression".
As a college graduate, the father of three, a public safety professional who places my life on the line every day to protect the citizens of my community, and as the descendant of a Minuteman, I'll tell you this: Your elitist and totalitarian attitude really show you as another would-be liberal dictator, who obviously knows more than us "common folk"... or was it "red neck retards"?
You suggest gun owners "grow up"... I suggest you "man up", and take responsibility for yourself and your family, rather than raise them in an atmosphere of superstition, fear and ignorance, and relying on the state for your false sense of protection.
The Founders, much wiser than you or I, knew that the right to defend ones self from tyrany and evil was a universal right given to all at birth. When our government fails to serve us, we are clearly entitled to dispose of it and start a new one. Likewise, when we or those in our care are threatened with serious injury or death, we are likewise entitled to use deadly force to protect.
The shootings at VT are the result of gun control. Because of gun control, adults were not permitted to defend themselves or the minors in their care.
On the other hand, what's the death of 32 people anyway? We abort more than a million in this country every year. Each one of them holds the potential for greatness.
Because he used a gun, the shooter is considered evil. If he had used medical equipment and killed for profit, many of you would probably consider him a hero.
If you cannot figure out why the 2nd Amendment does not guarantee the right of the individual to pack a nuclear suitcase, you need professional help. Likewise, the "arms" protected by our right to bear arms today are a far cry more mean and lethal than the "arms" existing in 1776.
The founding fathers simply did not envision assault weapons (let alone nuclear bombs in suitcases). The simple fact of the matter is that there is no constructive purpose or justification for arming ordinary citizens with these weapons. The idea that our right ensures our ability to rise up and revolt against a corrupt government is also completely absurd when the government is armed with a nuclear arsenal easily capable of wiping the entire globe out several times over. (The only "revolution" that will succeed in today's world is a Gandhian one based on non-violence and passive resistance. Any "assault" will provoke annilhiation -- witness the MOVE people in Philadelphia for starters.)
Anyone who honestly believes that the solution here would be for every teenager in a college classroom to be packing has judgment is far off the mark. If you believe that, do you also think that we will all be a lot safer if every country in the world out to have a nuclear arsenal on par with the U.S., Soviets, and China?
The ideas that gave rise to the 2nd Amendment were based on an entirely diffent world, and any strict constructionist interpretation of that Amendment inherently reflects what is wrong here. What the 2nd Amendment means needs to be re-examined and re-defined in light of the realities of 2007.
In any event, there seems to be no genuine dispute at this time that, 2nd Amendment notwithstanding, the government at least has the minimal right to "regulate" the sale of fire arms. Everyone may be entitled by Constitutional right to own a weapon, but that does not mean the government has to make it simpler than a piece of cake for anyone to buy one.
I find it an utter paradox that the state has now decided without any difficulty whatsoever to make it diffult for me and you to buy Actifed for our sinusitus, but is seemingly completely and utterly incapable of doing anything whatsoever to make it difficult for any and every Tom, Dick, and Harry to buy semi-automatic assault weapons simply by presenting a driver's license. It leaves me with the gnawing feeling that somewhere, somehow, we as a society have lost touch with our most important priorities.
The scale of this tragedy -- and the stupidity and helplessness our leaders exhibit in the face of this issue -- make me really wonder just what it will take to make people really wake up?
Tom Boone, Germantown, Maryland
I gather we dont need computers to type with, I mean the founders never could of imagined the Internet, or TV, or satellite. So we must ban all modern forms of media.
And your wrong about them envisioning assault weapons. You need to know a little bit about gun history to realize, they knew semi-auto and automatic weapons would eventually be COST EFFECTIVE to create. They were too expensive to manufacture and were still working out the kinks during the time of the revolution. AMMO was the big stumbling block to making repeating rifles.
Here is a nice link for you on the Puckle gun.
http://ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/news/PuckleGun.htm
The Puckle gun was a British flintlock machine gun invented by James Puckle in 1718. It took a nine-round revolving block, was mounted on a tripod and was designed to be portable and especially to prevent an enemy boarding a ship. An unusual feature was that it fired square bullets.
And about Nukes... you cannot bear a nuke, so its not covered. Its a silly argument to put out. The right to keep and BEAR arms, means to wear upon a person. NUKES are not worn and their not the kinds of arms one would use as a soldier in time of war. Or for protecting ones self, property, family, and for hunting and sport. Get real.
First of all, In the event of an armed uprising against our govennment, I highly doubt they would push the button and nuke our own country. That's absolutely absurd. A citizen owning a semi-automatic military pattern rifle is a reasonable defense against a modern military force. (A select-fire weapon would be better though...)
So Tom, you're saying that if we can't own nuclear briefcases, then what's the point in owning any defensive tool? A military rifle is a very useful tool. What if you were involved in Hurricane Katrina, and the streets were ran by armed gangs, looking to loot, rape, and kill? The police were no better then the gangs, disarming people, and forcing them into dangerous gang infested concentration camps. (See video of elderly woman body slammed, disarmed, and forced from her home).
What if there was another disaster where you lived? Do you have the means to defend yourself and your family? If not, then how can you call yourself a father, a son, or a husband? You betray your family by not having the means to protect them in case of emergency.
Tom, no one is saying we want to arm every student in the the United States. Not everyone wants to carry a weapon. Not everyone is responsible enough. That's fine. But if someone has the correct mindset, and has passed the proper training course, and background checks, why should they not be able to? And actually Tom, you need more then just a Driver's License to purchase a firearm. You cannot be addicted to alcohol or drugs, cannot have a domestic violence charge, drug offense, mental illness, or felony conviction, and be over the age of 21 for a handgun, 18 for a rifle or shotgun.
What is a cop? It's a person with a gun. Are they more of a human being because they wear a badge? I would risk to say that most police officers know less about guns then your average gun owner. (See video of Hip-Hop DEA agent shooting himself in the leg in a classroom full of kids). It's just a tool of the job to them.
I shall vote and donate money to help remove any elected official that tries to legislate my firearms away and thats a fact.
If you're afraid of living here Delta is ready when you are.
The Founders clearly knew what they were thinking when they agreed that it is an individual right for citizens to keep and bare any common small arm. There is no right to nuke weapons. However, there is a right to not only semi-auto weapons but even full-auto weapons. Unfortunately, we are deprived by our rights.
As for gun control, it has its roots firmly set in racism. Those who support gun control mostly do so for very racist reasons.
The Founders never envisioned an electronic press or the internet. For some reason we have extended freedom of the press protection to those inventions.
BTW, Ghandi said that of all the wrongs done to the Paki-Indian people by the Britts, the disarming of those people was the worst. He had to fight via civil disobedience because that is all they had.