Gun Control

Quote: Gandler

I agree mass shootings are a very tiny portion of gun crime. They tend to get the most media because there is a lot of emotion surround them (and in many cases shooters arrange it in such a way to maximize publicity).

The much larger issues is the routine gang-banger murders and domestic violence. And, the even larger issue -than all combined-(not homicide) is suicide by gun.

This is why I have an issue with "assault weapons bans", if people cared about gun crime they would be talking about handguns (and that is before getting into the endless non-death crimes handguns are routinely used for, robberies, muggings, etc...)

Its very American to get hyper-focused on a specific issue that is not a huge deal (in relation to the total issue), and think that say banning AR-15s would solve gun crime when in reality, there would be no noticeable difference. Probably banning handguns, and forcing all gun-carriers to carry rifles or shotguns on slings would be more effective. There is no comparison.

I don't think it's beneficial to link all gun access issues together. For instance, the problem of preventing organized gang members from accessing guns is on a whole different scale than preventing 1 kid from buying his first gun. They can likely easily overcome many of the obstacles that could hinder your average citizen.

WTF WTF WTF
Ingraham thinks pot is causing gun violence


https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/laura-ingraham-tries-suggest-pot-141233305.html

Quote: rxwine

I don't think it's beneficial to link all gun access issues together. For instance, the problem of preventing organized gang members from accessing guns is on a whole different scale than preventing 1 kid from buying his first gun. They can likely easily overcome many of the obstacles that could hinder your average citizen.

Well it is because the focus is often misplaced. Banning assault rifles (which is an unclear term to begin with) will do almost nothing to impact gun death stats.

Anyone who wants an illegal gun can get one (it is shockingly easy, lots of news stories of reporters going through the process). If a kid is so deranged that he wants a gun, are the laws going to stop him anymore than the black market that criminals (and really anyone) have accsess to?

I mean these attackers (mass shooters) plan everything and spend countless hours scouting out every aspect, so they are not "dumb" (and often have money and resources), if they need to buy a gun illegally, I doubt that would create any hindrance. If anything they probably put more thought into their crimes than gangs... Being mentally ill does not mean they are intellectually disabled (sometimes the extreme opposite), they will figure out ways around.

And, you will just make it harder for sport shooters to buy rifles.

I am all for gun control including registries, training, testing, and Federal IDs (will never happen), but I am just realistic that assault rifles are the wrong focus. These things get talked about endlessly, but the 20 people shot dead on the streets across America today, and dozens mugged and robbed every hour by handguns never get covered (except locally).

Quote: Gandler

Well it is because the focus is often misplaced. Banning assault rifles (which is an unclear term to begin with) will do almost nothing to impact gun death stats.

Anyone who wants an illegal gun can get one (it is shockingly easy, lots of news stories of reporters going through the process). If a kid is so deranged that he wants a gun, are the laws going to stop him anymore than the black market that criminals (and really anyone) have accsess to?

I mean these attackers (mass shooters) plan everything and spend countless hours scouting out every aspect, so they are not "dumb" (and often have money and resources), if they need to buy a gun illegally, I doubt that would create any hindrance. If anything they probably put more thought into their crimes than gangs... Being mentally ill does not mean they are intellectually disabled (sometimes the extreme opposite), they will figure out ways around.

And, you will just make it harder for sport shooters to buy rifles.

I am all for gun control including registries, training, testing, and Federal IDs (will never happen), but I am just realistic that assault rifles are the wrong focus. These things get talked about endlessly, but the 20 people shot dead on the streets across America today, and dozens mugged and robbed every hour by handguns never get covered (except locally).

I'm more interested in things that more clearly identify an individual as a risk. Not things that just makes the process more unwieldly just to make it unwieldly.
Although it does have some positive effects.

Factors which I believe have led to school shootings:

Violent video games.

Increased secularization, with no moral code being beaten into kids at church leading to them not caring about right and wrong.

The break up of nuclear family; half or more kids born out of wedlock, raised without the same man in the home.

Bullying at school.

Seems like he was a kid who went through life only really getting attention when he did something bad enough.

Quote: missedhervee

Factors which I believe have led to school shootings:

Violent video games.

Total BS
Same with people blaming violent Hollywood movies

Take South Korea
They actually have a problem with video game addiction
All over South Korea, best internet connections on the planet. I'm generally sipping at my wifi campground. South Koreans have the huge fat internet pipes. It's common knowledge the best video game players on the planet are South Koreans
South Korea is where the most violent tv series of the year was made. Squidgame
Yet
South Korea does not have the school massacres we have
Violent video games and violent movies are popular on the entire planet but only the US do we have regular school massacres

Whatever.

I believe it's a "factor," and you don't.

Oh, I forgot to mention the biggest factor, the eight hundred pound gorilla sitting in the corner with a locked and loaded AR-15: ridiculously lax gun control laws in the USA.

You want to talk Korea?

Let's see...oh yeah...In the 1970s that they passed strict gun regulations and state-led gun confiscations.

Prior to doing so there was lots of gun violence: not any more.

Cause and effect.

Quote: missedhervee

Whatever.

I believe it's a "factor," and you don't.

Oh, I forgot to mention the biggest factor, the eight hundred pound gorilla sitting in the corner with a locked and loaded AR-15: ridiculously lax gun control laws in the USA.

You want to talk Korea?

Let's see...oh yeah...In the 1970s that they passed strict gun regulations and state-led gun confiscations.

Prior to doing so there was lots of gun violence: not any more.

Cause and effect.

Violent video games are popular on the entire planet
I play them myself and I don't even own a gun

Quote: missedhervee

Factors which I believe have led to school shootings:

Violent video games.

Increased secularization, with no moral code being beaten into kids at church leading to them not caring about right and wrong.

The break up of nuclear family; half or more kids born out of wedlock, raised without the same man in the home.

Bullying at school.

I will say bullying is a factor (that has long been known to increase the risk of violent outbursts), and I will even vaguely agree that single parent homes may be a correlation (even if its not a direct cause, people in single family homes tend to be with a parent who makes poor decisions -not always the case- , but I can accept the correlation).

Though blaming secularism and video games on mass shootings sounds straight out of Fox News. Video games increasing violence has been debunked since the 90s.

And well, atheists just commit less crimes than religious people (and are more peaceful overall), so I don't believe that one either. There are "moral codes" that are not religious (in fact they are superior if they are not religious).

I mean we all know what leads to the high levels of shootings in America, its gun culture. Anyone can get any kind of gun they need (legally or illegally), there is a reason that even compared to countries with similar populations and violence levels we have more shootings than other kinds of violence. There are simply more guns in America (like way more). I am more pro-gun than most on the left, but we can't be fooled that proliferation simply means more shootings. Can it be addressed? Probably not, as long as every States has different rules and requirements (which in some cases is virtually none), unless there is a federal change, local or state changes are meaningless (and that is not even factoring the black market) because guess what too young in this State, no problem road trip for 100 miles.....

Federal licensing for all gun ownership is the answer, but it will be an uphill battle in America (even many Dems are against it, and virtually all Rs, so it will never happen even if Democrats get a large majority which is unlikely this cycle....). If anything, the trend the last 5 years has been more and more states relaxing gun laws, so it will be on the Federal Government to solve for a universal standard, which is what usually is required for progress.