What can we do about the shootings?

[YourNameHere]

I, too, owned guns as a child to hunt with. I owned a .30.06 Springfield and a Remington 20-gauge shotgun. But no pistols or semi-automatic type weapons. My guns were used only for deer, dove, and an occasional rattlesnake, if out in the woods and a good size rock was not available.

 

[phil3]

I am done with you. You are wrong and I am right, period. There is way to much anger and hate in your post. Byebye

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

Why do you care?

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

What hypocrisy?

 

[phil3]

There is none, He know is so do I. But at least he admits that he Contempt and disdain me. Why? because if he is like most liberal this is how the feel about all people that disagree with them.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

Contempt and disdain me.

You’re also doing the same thing.

 

[Economist]

What hypocrisy?

The hypocrisy of believing that a bunch of innocent victims being mowed down is irrelevant compared to his right to have guns of any kind, any caliber and any destructive power just so he can use it in a nonexistent self-defense scenario against the evil, liberal government.

Having a one-shot rifle or shotgun would be legitimate for hunting. The same kind of weapon for target practice as well. But that is not their desire. To have automatic or semi automatic weapons (which can be converted to fully automatic by a bump-stock) because the “evil, liberal” government is about to bang on their door and tries to take away their varmint guns. To have 10-15 guns? What nonsense.

What is really amazing that I don’t find this attitude in a gun-enthusiast magazine, but in a Christian / Catholic site, where the posters forget Jesus’ warning: “who lives by the sword will die by the sword”. Who forget the teaching: “turn the other cheek”.

Yes, there was the Ruby Ridge, where some criminals resisted the legal investigation of the US Marshal Service. But to own a gun logically entails the desire to use that gun (if it is necessary) and to use a gun is dumb if it is not aimed to KILL. No gun expert would encourage to shoot the gun out of the fist of the “bad guy”, because it is impossible. Draw the gun, aim to KILL, and pull the trigger. Not a Christian attitude, even in self-defense.

This is their hypocrisy.

 

[YourNameHere]

I believe that law-abiding citizens have the right to own a hunting rifle and/or shotgun. I do not like the idea of pistols, but I know some who life them for self-defense.
What I do not understand is why some thing they need to own a semi-automatic weapon or something like an assault weapon.
Background checks. What is wrong with that?
Actually, I have no problem with gun registration.
I would like to see some sort of course for those who buy a gun. Kind of like a driver’s license.

 

[Wife.of.Gabriel]

Teens need to reach out more instead of alienating the ‘weird kid’.

Many times the “weird kids” are alienated simply BECAUSE the other children are able to discern the evil brewing within them. We should NEVER place the blame on the Victims of Violent Crimes.

At Combine High School, the first person they killed was Rachel, the girl who was well-known for reaching out to & being kind to the two shooters everyday at school. If the shooters didn’t have access to the guns & ammo they used, she, along with many other children killed that day, would still be alive.

 

[phil3]

This is the last I am going to post on this topic. We have people that will murder other people in mass. They are willing and plan on dying in the process. If we want to stop Mass killing we need to find out why people are so willing to do this.

You are not going to gather up all the guns in the USA. You are not going to stop people from making their own ammo. You are not going to stop a person willing to do illegal things from making their own fire arms, is isnt that difficult. With 6 to 8 thousand dollars you can set up an entire shop.

What you can do is study and find out why these people feel complied to murders as many people as they can? if you don’t do this and you can magically end the use of all firearms these people will find other ways to commit murder. We can use technology to stop lots of evil and bad behavior, how can it be used to understand the mind of a person that is so willing to die for the sake of killing others. Solve that and you will solve the mass shooting. Ignore it and soon people will look to other methods to murder in mass.

This is my last post in this thread.

 

[Lea101]

Saying that kids should reach out isn’t placing the blame on victims of course. It’s just acknowledging that alienating lonely children has negative effects that could, in combination of other factors like abuse and bigotry, create something ugly.

I’m in favour of gun control, as I’m from a country with extremely strict gun control and practically no gun related deaths. Low murder rate too. Low crime, generally. Of course, I do think that the US is so far gone that even banning guns wouldn’t solve the problem. Too big to regulate, and obviously a war would erupt before the government can even do so. So instead of only focusing on legislation, I think the culture should also start thinking about why people feel the need to massacre in the first place.

 

[YourNameHere]

I would say, make it harder first to gain access to guns. Then concentrate on why people with hate turn to gun violence.
But that is my opinion. I know many would probably disagree.

 

[Sarcelle]

Those other countries you’re thinking of just have fewer mass murderers among them. Other countries, many with even more wicked gun control than in Western Europe, have more. It’s not guns, and it’s not gun control either, that makes a mass murderer, suicidal (which most are) or otherwise.

Why are there so many mass murderers in the US than in any other developed nation?

Surely we could do something more than just offering thoughts and prayers after every mass shooting?

 

[Wife.of.Gabriel]

2 Professors (one is a psychologist & the other a sociologist) wrote this piece based on their research on all mass shootings since 1966 which killed at least 4 people or more. They’ve p(name removed by moderator)ointed 4 things the vast majority of these terrorists all had in common & offer sound ideas on how to prevent more. Worth a read.

So instead of only focusing on legislation, I think the culture should also start thinking about why people feel the need to massacre in the first place.

You might enjoy the article linked above which found 4 common denominators in the majority of mass shooters since 1966.

 

[Nihilo]

Nihilo:

Those other countries you’re thinking of just have fewer mass murderers among them. Other countries, many with even more wicked gun control than in Western Europe, have more…

Why are there so many mass murderers in the US than in any other developed nation?

I have said that it would be informative to see massacres per capita for all different countries, as a gauge of how prevalent these monsters are throughout the whole world. If there is any other country with more mass murderers than the US, then it can’t be guns, because the US has way more guns than every other country.

Surely we could do something more than just offering thoughts and prayers after every mass shooting?

I’m a classical liberal. What we can do, is what Republicans in 1865-1877 did to the newly slave-free South—impose federal Reconstruction, emphasizing now what was emphasized then, protecting and defending the rights of all poc against racist lawmakers who want to deny poc their rights, including their right to bear arms.

Also, I believe that we are culturally a bit too “forgiving” of the crime of threatening, menacing, or intimidating, which many mass murderers, though not all, commit sometime before they massacre innocent people. We can’t afford to ‘look the other way’ with this crime. Even though no physical harm occurs with this crime, it is against the law, and it is too dangerous to ‘turn a blind eye’ to it happening.

Many mass murderers, sometime before they massacre innocent people, commit the crime of threatening, intimidating, or menacing, without causing physical harm.

 

[Lea101]

I would agree in principle too, but I can’t speak for its effectiveness in an American context

 

[xihha]

Surely the answer is just to pray for proper gun laws?

There are people with mental health issues across the world but when they go on a rampage with a knife they are much easier to stop. OK there will always be people who do get hold of a gun some how, but less guns will at least make it harder. I work with children with emotional issues, children who think of violence as another means of communication, children who lash out for no reason, I have had so many weapons pulled on me, I’ve been stabbed, I have had so many injuries but I am in England and guns are few and far between. The children I work with are not evil, they really aren’t, they are confused and scared and failed by the system, a lot of them have rough home lives or traumatic backgrounds and they are often unloved, if guns were common place over here I could see some of them losing it and shooting people, I’ve had to stop them hurting others so many times. They are children, it isn’t their fault. For some of these kids I am the only person who cares, they hurt me before anyone else because I am there, because I am the one who reaches out, I am the one who shields everyone else and I am the one that tries to show them right from wrong. I wouldn’t do my job in the USA.

Definitely look into other ways to help but less guns will definitely reduce the amount of incidents, I’m not saying it is the solution but it can’t make it worse.

 

[BT3241]

Its all about money - people have been payed off and bribed - gun manufactures and the NRA owns the Republicans - all you hear is silence from them . Gun sales skyrocket after every incident and they love it - profit from the deaths of innocents - they want to keep it going as long as they can. When will the USA wake up? I will also point out the enemies of the USA are laughing their asses off right now as we see the USA become divided and falling into chaos. The USA should be ashamed of it self but just like its President it has a narcissist view of itself. Sad Sad Sad - there will be no gun control there is too much profit involved.

 

[Nihilo]

2 Professors (one is a psychologist & the other a sociologist) wrote this piece based on their research on all mass shootings since 1966 which killed at least 4 people or more. They’ve p(name removed by moderator)ointed 4 things the vast majority of these terrorists all had in common & offer sound ideas on how to prevent more. Worth a read.

I hit a paywall. Can you sum it up? What are the four common denominators they found? Thank you.

 

[Wife.of.Gabriel]

Can you sum it up? What are the four common denominators they found?

1. Most, had experienced childhood trauma or exposure to violence as a young child. Like the death of a parent or abuse.
2. Most, had an identifiable crisis point within days to up to a year prior. Like the loss of a job or a relationship breakup.
3. Most, had studied other shooters. Typically online searches.
4. ALL, had access to guns & ammunition to carry out their plan. 80% of school shooters obtained the weapons from their family members & majority of work place shooters used their own legally purchased firearms and ammo.

#4 is the ONLY thing that 100% of them had in common.