This thread is for ALL the posters who have been hurt

[Dmanuhone]

Failure of the mental Health system. Just look how screwed up it is in NC.

[rbarthle17]

Whatever is the case, the status quo cannot remain. Things are getting worse. We have more mass shootings in the past 10 years than pretty much the rest of the first-world nations combined IIRC.

It seems to me that the pro-gun people are acting like ostriches on this matter. The time for ramming one's head into the sand is over. You may in fact be a perfectly competent gun owner. Others are showing, at a growing rate, to not be. So for the betterment of all, something has to be done and if you're adversely affected by it, then I am sorry to a point because, as Spock said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

Changes do have to be made. What exactly those are can be debated, but anyone thinking that no changes need to be made are part of the problem now. I hear the arguments of a slippery slope, and I do not disagree that it could be a precedent to greater changes. But if I have to choose between a nation with severe gun bans and/or restrictions and one without it, I'm more inclined to take the former and take my chances because as a nation we are proving that the current way things work is not working well enough.

[appst89]

Whatever is the case, the status quo cannot remain. Things are getting worse. We have more mass shootings in the past 10 years than pretty much the rest of the first-world nations combined IIRC.

It seems to me that the pro-gun people are acting like ostriches on this matter. The time for ramming one's head into the sand is over. You may in fact be a perfectly competent gun owner. Others are showing, at a growing rate, to not be. So for the betterment of all, something has to be done and if you're adversely affected by it, then I am sorry to a point because, as Spock said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

Changes do have to be made. What exactly those are can be debated, but anyone thinking that no changes need to be made are part of the problem now. I hear the arguments of a slippery slope, and I do not disagree that it could be a precedent to greater changes. But if I have to choose between a nation with severe gun bans and/or restrictions and one without it, I'm more inclined to take the former and take my chances because as a nation we are proving that the current way things work is not working well enough.

Not me.

Whatever happens has to be balanced with a hard look at why kids are this way. No one is even talking about that because it's just too easy to blame the guns. Something does have to be done, but knee-jerk reactions now will lead to dire consequences later. It is a complex problem and requires complex thought to try to fix it.

[ASUMountaineer]

The assault style riffle is meant for soldiers or tactical style law enforcement period.this is not for a fifty seven year old woman and twenty year old son.There is no other reason to have this style weapon in your home.

Exactly right. I am not for a total gun abolishment, but I see zero reason that anyone outside of the military or special police forces to have access to semi-automatic and automatic weapons. There is a compromise point here, one that will at least make some progress towards eliminating a source of a threat but not swing the pendulum so far in the other direction.

I would love to hear any pro-gun person give me a rational explanation as to why an everyday citizen needs to possess these kinds of weapons. I cannot think of one.

I'm not necessarily a "pro-gun person," I don't own a gun and never have. With that said, I view this topic as a catch-22. In one way, there's not a current reason for citizens to own assault weapons. However, in the other way, a day could come when a citizen does need to own an assault weapon.

There is not an easy solution to fix these mass shootings. The publicity these people get, even after death, perpetuates these acts just as much as the relative ease in acquiring assault weapons. This will not be a one-act solution--especially given the mental health problems most of these murderers are dealing with. This is not to make an excuse for them, but you have to be mentally ill to commit such an act.

[t4pizza]

There is a reason our founding fathers included the second amendment in the bill of rights. If the government is the only one that is armed then the people can be unjustly controlled all the more easily. This is a tragedy but if we continue to freely relinquish our rights after every tragedy in the name of making our country safer than it won't take long before we don't have many rights remaining. 9-11 was a tragedy and it allowed the Patriot Act to be ushered into law and with that a degradation of our Constitutional Rights. Our system of government has worked remarkably well by following the framework the founding fathers laid out for us, lets not go tinkering with it now. Full disclosure- I don't own a gun, there are no guns in my house and I didn't grow up with guns around. That being said, I clearly think its important that if I wanted one I could get one. I really see the bigger issue as identifying those persons with mental illness and finding appropriate treatment.

[firemoose]

Drugs have been illegal in this country for many, many years and yet millions of people use them everyday. It is supposed to be illegal in this country for people to cross the border without the proper paperwork yet many do everyday. Why? Because there is profit in the risk. That is why people smuggle what they do into the US. And surprise, many of the most dangerous assault weapons and many firearms in general, just like a lot of things, are not even made here but overseas and shipped in. For every type of weapon that is banned there will be a criminal who will start to smuggle them in because there will be a profit to do so.

I am a life member of the NRA because I have been a competitive shooter since I was ten years old. We even had a (gulp) gun club in high school. Can you imagine if that were suggested today? However, I disagree with the NRA on several points. I don't think there is a reason for military style weapons except to waste ammo and money. I have had a few before and that's all they were good for in my case. Unfortunately others have worse uses for them. I also don't think there is a reason to allow any gun to be purchased without a complete and thorough background check including people in the home who might have access to the weapons. I have never agreed with being able to purchase a weapon from a gun show that day. I have no problem with waiting for a few days or weeks if it can keep guns from ending up in the wrong hands. If you need it that day then something is either wrong with you or you should have began the search sooner. Ammo purchases and supplies should be tracked. There have been many times over the years that I have gone through a thousand rounds in national events using all three types of weapons. I have a reason for having that much ammo and have no problem showing why. The average person should have no need to have hundreds or thousands of rounds of ammo.

That being said my worry is that, as usual, the goverment will take things too far or not do enough. There is never a middle ground these days, it's either all or nothing on nearly every topic. I don't have assualt weapons but I also don't believe, as was posted above, that all semi-automatic weapons are assault weapons, because they are not. My 12 ga Charles Daly shotgun holds 3 with the plug and 5 without it. It is not a military weapon but under some things being discussed it would be banned. I also have no extended clips, just factory, but my semi-auto handguns would also be banned. I also heard people say that hunting should be banned. That is off the deep end. If you've ever seen starving animals then you would understand that there is a reason for hunting. Cut it out and there is not enough food for the explosion of animals that would occur. Starving is not the ideal way for an animal to die but many would.

There are even things that can be done to the guns themselves such as electronic locks and fingerprint scanners built into the grips so only the proper person can fire the weapon. I would take the added expense for measures like that rather than to remove all guns, as many are suggesting. No doubt something has to be done but there needs to be accross the board fixes and changes in everything. One or two will not stop the violence.
Sorry for the novel

[AppState89]

Failure of the mental Health system. Just look how screwed up it is in NC.

AMEN.....Preach on....A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ for your quote. You hit it right on the head. Our MH system is broken broken broken.... 1/2 of my caseload have MH issues...

[BuddyKirby]

We need to bring GOD back into our schools.

[goapps93]

We need to bring GOD back into our schools.

It's bigger than that Buddy. People who truly allow God to work in their lives take Him with them wherever they go, even to school. People need to accept that there is a God and allow Him to lead their lives. Society, as a whole, has pushed God away. I know this will lead to much debate on how people have also done evil in the name of God but that's not what I'm talking about. Jesus Christ did not teach evil and those who believe their acts of evil are justified by the Bible just do not get it.

This is truly a complex issue that will not be solved by only one or two changes in our laws. There has to be a fundamental change with our attitudes toward others and what is right.

[kiddbrewer]

We need to bring GOD back into our schools.

No we don't. As soon as we allow religion back into schools, then who is going to decide which religion? Is it going to be God? Allah? Buddha? Our public schools is the last place I would want a religious "war". We have enough problems as it is.

[appgrunt71]

Humans kill. Humans use tools to kill. One common tool is the gun. By removing the gun, you're not going to stop a human's urge to kill, but perhaps you can make killing little more difficult. As a career army officer with experience in all kinds of guns (weapons for the military) you understand that if you aim your gun, you intend on killing, not wounding or scaring away. Handguns and assault rifles were made to kill humans. I for one say that our civilian society would be a lot safer without them.

[JCline0429]

This sounds like the old politics folder.