Gun Control Debate: 10 Years After Columbine

Gun Control Debate

To S Reeves of AZ.

I don't think you guys are nuts. I realise that your gun culture has developed over the past one hundred years and is a classic vicious cycle. Bad guy gets gun, good guy gets gun to counter act bad guy and so on.

I think in your letter above you hit the nail on the head. You indicated that you are more confortable driving with a gun in your car. If my wife or children were driving through a secluded stretch of road, I am confident in saying that they would be enjoying the lack of traffic and the peacefullness of the drive rather that being to concerned over the fact that someone may or may not attempt to assualt them with a gun. I come from a different culture and realise that your abundance of guns has determined your culture.

You mentioned that guns don't kill people, people kill people. I have heard this over and over again. Without sounding to aggressive, this statement should be dropped from pro gun lobbyists debates. It doesn't help your cause, it makes you sound very ill informed. Guns were developed for one reason only, and that is to make killing something easier and more efficient. Going a step further, hand guns are specifically for killing humans.

If only good people had guns there wouldn't be a problem, bad people have guns so there is a problem. You can't control people, therefore you need to control the guns.

2nd amendment, rules are meant to adapt to the developing world that they govern.

Good luck and godspeed on your next drive through the woods.

Regards,

Silly Aussie.

Defining moment for Afghanistan

The election in Afghanistan is still going on? I thought it was over and done with. Is Afghanistan's future of being democratic now in tatters or is it still up as a good hope for some people. Does the Uniteed States really care if they are democratic or not? IF the country of Afghanistan doesn't become a democratic government, what does that mean for the everybody?

Power to Chaos — Tracking Iran's Four-Month Slide

The article about the "Power to Chaos — Tracking Iran's Four-Month Slide" is a very complex and indiffernt article i think. Many people read things about Iraq since the United States is there rigth now, but Iran is just as or maybe even more important right now cuz of the differnet events that have been going on there. Does the United States plan on doing anything about the Iran issue?

Gun Control

I think the article is more of an opiniated article. Gun control has been a big topic in the United States for a while now. I think certain guns like a hunter's rifle or any kind of hunting weapon should be legal to posses, but assault rifles and others should be illegal. I've learned from this article that everyone has different opinions about gun control and that it comes down to the use of why your goning to have that weapon.

Gun Control

Gun control is going to be needed eventually, if we see it or not. I am not saying to put it all up and not have anything, but we need to have standards of where were put our guns and how to lock them up. In the area I live there was a yound child who killed his pregnant step mother and went to school. He would have not been able to do that if the family had the guns locked up with the keys somewhere safe. If we have permits and do the few small things that the government wants us to do, then there will not be laws and arguments coming forth to ban guns from the people. It is just weather you use your head to do the right actions and precautions with your guns. It is not hard to lock them up, have permits for them and there will not be an issue about them getting banned from us the people.

Gun Control

We should not even have to be having this battle in our country. The second ammendment speaks to all of us and for all of us. I have carried a conceiled weapon in the state of Arizona for some 10 years now. When I'm in my car it is in my door well beside me. When I get out, if I'm going into a store that bans weapons rights I leave it in the trunk of my car. Unloaded and the bullets in my purse. I live in a small town north of the Valley or the sun. over the past 15 years I have spent at least 30, more likely more driving back and forth to the valley in the dead of night. That little gun gives this city girl the courage she needs to make these trips. My husband goes by med-evac. I'm on my own. Well not really I have my gun. I have a 357 revolver. A 45 cal. semi colt combat commander,military issue. However I prefer to carry my 22 semi auto pistol. It has all the power I need for the purpose it is intended. For the aussie that thinks we are nuts, think of how England took them over in the first place. Not with bows and arrows. Their crime rate has risen some 15 % since they confiscated all the legally owned weapon. Canada has had a big increase in gun related crimes since they curtailed their use of weapons and they have to sign for the shot they use and whether they shot anything. Many good friends of mine live in Canada and most of them would like to relocate to the United States Of America. As for columbine. none of the shooters had a conceiled carry permit. Much less the right to purchase amunition. In fact most of our Juvenile shooters have had access to weapons and ammo through their parents. As was stated earlier Guns don't kill. They lie quietly in a cabinet or safe until an unbalanced person no matter what the age decides to make a point of killing some innocent person to make a point. We should spend our money educating our children that they are all created the same and they should not bully,abuse or make fun of their fellow students. Guns are cheap anyone can get hold of one. Only the fellons get them for the wrong reason.

truth on all sides

Just so it's said, we don't need to bring nationality into this at all. Calling someone a "silly Austrailian" is not necessarry or appropriate.

possible:

1) removing guns has a reasonable- strong chance of ultimately decreasing violent crime.

2) After confiscating all guns from registered law abiding criminal would still have the firearms illegally purchased and aquired

3) eventually, most firearms would be removed from circulation. (This would more than likely take years or decades)

4) during the above mentioned period of time there is a reasonable - strong chance that violent crime would rise, possibly skyrocket with the knowlege that no regular citizen has a gun.

5) If the illegal drug trafficing into the U.S could be used as an indicator, it might be reasonable to assume that criminals could manage to arm themselves with guns indefinetly.

It is difficult to compare crime rates in different areas of the U.S., let alone the rest of the world. This is because of the many different cultures and microcultures that can effect the mannor and method of violent crimes. I live in the midwest of the U.S. and I am sure that crime rates are lower per capita from big cities on the east coast. yes, rural areas do own more guns than big cities (per capita)(on average) but many of those places also have a slower paced attitude.

My point is that there are too many guns to make any kind of rapid changes without leaving the good guys vulnerable to the bad, and that maybe we need to focus a little more on why we have so many violent criminals (maybe) instead of the tool they use. If the majority of crime is in big cities and impoverished slums, than focusing on improving those pockets of the country could be a good step to take.

John

Gun Control Debate: 10 Years After Columbine

Hi Dryfire,

Ha Ha, silly Australian. Nice. This comment alone speaks volumes about your attitude.

You also show your intelligence by stating that a grandma needs to protect herself from armed hoodlums. I will assume that you will deny that your gun culture is not to blame for these kids being armed in the first place.

So is it people control or gun control? People control is out of the question until someone does get murdered. They then go to jail. That leaves gun control. Simple.

People like yourself and the gun lobby are so lost in the debate that they lose sight of whats happening in front of them and begin to believe what they are saying. This is a normal human reaction and I consider very weak. You are obviousely in this catagory and it is also obvious that you are not a reasonable person.

Again I will state that my emails are not trashing or bashing the US. If you were a politian this would be called propaganda. Rogue governments practice this. You are guilty of what you are afraid of.

Silly Australian!

Mark, how is it you don't have the time to look up your country's (see I use grammar) crime statistics but you have time to bash me?

I am so glad you brought up the grandma analogy. When Katrina swamped New Orleans, news reporters were all over the city assessing the damage and the mindset of the survivors. Guess what they found in a grocery store? A little old lady with a shotgun across her arm. When asked why she was carrying it, she points to a group of seedy looking kids and exclaimed, "That's why!" Remember, there were a lot of hoodlums running around armed after the hurricane. But that doesn't stop an American from telling criminals when to slow down and think about what their next move is going to be. And if a gun fight did ensue, the fault doesn't lie with the grandma for being equally armed and for protecting her property. The fault belongs to the hoodlum that was harassing her.

Yes, the 2nd Amendment is old, but because it is the law it can transcend time until the American government dissolves and the US ceases to be a nation. Without it, America would be asking for someone with political ambition to take it over. If the right to bear arms is now irrelevant, so are all the other rights stated in the Constitution. The Bible is very old, yet I find that it is still useful for the modern day man to live his or her life by.

Also, there are druggies where I launch my boat for duck season. Typically, drug dealers and users carry weapons. Guess what happens around duck season? They go somewhere else. Why? Because no one messes with red-necks who are up at 4:00 in the morning in the dead of winter and have shotguns loaded with steel shot that is capable to break skin over fifty yards. As I said before, us Yanks just want an equal fight! At the Grand American, a national trap competition, everyone is on their best behavior. Why? Because everyone is equally armed and not willing to put up with stupidity.

You seem to be looking for a picture perfect world. Sorry to say it, but we don't live in that world. Fact is, there a lot of bad people in the world and I would rather that the good guys be able to defend themselves.

Point of the illustration with the crocodile was this: if a crocodile doesn't have teeth, what would make it dangerous to humans? If citizens don't have the right to bear arms, what would make it dangerous to a tyrannical government?

One more thing, guns don't kill people. People kill people. A gun is just a tool for killing. But you know what? Things like ropes, knives, acids, pillows, cars, planes, rocks, baseball bats, etc. can be used to kill people but they are not the problem. People are the problem.

P.S.: Seeing as how the 2nd Amendment pertains to my rights as a citizen, I think I should be able to interpret it without having to be a lawyer. If citizens always left their rights to be interpretted by the government, then it would George Orwell's Animal Farm all over again.

Gun Control Debate: 10 Years After Columbine

Hi Dave,

I don't think by entering into a debate about your country on one particular subject should be seen as trashing your country. Thats not my intention.

I think your right in what you said about people pretending to be lawyers and they are attempting to analyse the 2nd amendment or the law. They are then trying to prove each other wrong by words that were written back in 1791. Ridiculous and a waste of time.

I do disagree with your statement regarding the US as one of the safest places to live. For this statement to be accurate you can only compare 1st world nations. You can't compare countries without a modern police force. If you only take into account the countries within this criteria the US would be one of the more violent countries in the world relating to guns. That is what we a re talking about, not burning cars or buses. Some countries in the in this criteria do have there moments when a section may rebel against some specific issue however when it comes to outrunning a burning bus I think I can do this. This kind of crime is also not directed at other people rather a symbol or a message from a community to the people in power.

Guns give an instantaneous result to a persons current issues. They don't give the handler time to think clearly about what they are doing and I will admit when I was in my teens you can very emotional and carried away in certains situations. I am happy that I did not have a gun available to me. I would expect that there are alot of shootings in the US caused by people in the younger age brackets.

In an ideal world surely you would have to agree that guns shouldn't be apart of it. Maybe the US has already past the point of no return. If this is the case it can only get worse as guns keep on improving in efficiency. Guns keep improving however the laws don't. That maybe a good way to view it???