Why the need to control the item rather than a desire to deal with the root cause? Knife deaths are three times more prevalent in Europe than firearm deaths...leading for some to call for a ban on knives.

As I've always said. You can throw a pile of weapons, military grade or otherwise into a group of responsible emotionally stable people and no one will get hurt. You can drop a plastic spork into a prison yard...and someone's going to get shanked.

The problem is not the gun, the problem is the people. Mabey, just maybe, if we spent more time on trying to prevent people from getting to the point of wanting to kill other people, guns would no longer be an issue.

I'll have genuine conversations about gun control. Honestly. I truly understand and find some merit in SOME of the arguments for gun control.

Will you train with and carry a concealed firearm? Will you accept that responsibility? Or is this an instance of "they" should do something???

Why don't these guys attack/shoot up a police station? Why do they always choose soft targets where they KNOW that nobody will shoot back?

The government can't save you from everything.

I can't legislate away evil, but I can fight back.

Until the laws are changed and guns are gone (which may be necessary), are you just going to wait? Do nothing other than blame the Republicans or the NRA? Hope and pray?

What are you going to do?

Nothing.

The real problem is people believing that resolving temporary problems is to use a permanent solution.

I'll have genuine conversations about gun control. Honestly. I truly understand and find some merit in SOME of the arguments for gun control.

Will you train with and carry a concealed firearm? Will you accept that responsibility? Or is this an instance of "they" should do something???

Why don't these guys attack/shoot up a police station? Why do they always choose soft targets where they KNOW that nobody will shoot back?

The government can't save you from everything.

I can't legislate away evil, but I can fight back.

Until the laws are changed and guns are gone (which may be necessary), are you just going to wait? Do nothing other than blame the Republicans or the NRA? Hope and pray?

What are you going to do?

Nothing.

There are 2 states, Virginia and New Hampshire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/...tional_homicide_rate,

Sort of an interesting correlation you're making but while sort of true, also not entirely true.

Your last paragraph is nonsense. The US is not special. You have a much higher gun homicide rate because you have more guns. So yes, guns are the problem. To say otherwise is to be fooled by NRA nonsense. Fewer guns equals less gun violence. End. Of. Story.

The US is not special. You have a much higher gun homicide rate because you have more guns. So yes, guns are the problem. To say otherwise is to be fooled by NRA nonsense. Fewer guns equals less gun violence. End. Of. Story.

Your last paragraph is nonsense. The US is not special. You have a much higher gun homicide rate because you have more guns. So yes, guns are the problem. To say otherwise is to be fooled by NRA nonsense. Fewer guns equals less gun violence. End. Of. Story.

What are you saying in this thread?

Are you actually saying that gun violence is something that our government cannot protect us from?

Why do you carve gun violence out from all the things that government protects us from?

The government’s role is to help secure our health and liberty. It protects us against foreign enemies. It protects us against sickness & disease, against unsafe food & medicine, against environmental hazards & toxins, against defective buildings, against all crimes (except gun violence apparently), against fire & natural disasters.

Why don’t you expect government to protect children from gun violence?

My position is that 2A gun nuts are responsible for our lack of common sense gun laws, which in turn is killing kids.

What is your position?

Yeah, you're full of shit. Most republicans oppose school shootings as much as everyone else.

I actually think the solution is a combination of proper gun control (sorry one does not really need military grade assault rifles, no matter what they think) but even more importantly, we need to figure out how to get our American society back on track so we don’t produce a ridiculous amount of evil psychotic narcissistic/sadistic assholes.

Good post!

I carve gun violence out from the excellent list you mention based on the fact that it only takes one evil individual and a relative simple and common machine (400 million!) to carry it out. The rest of the list is based on large systemic concerns in which government oversight is much more valuable and effective. Similar to how a modern powerful military is insanely powerful against opposing military forces, yet struggles against local guerilla warfare. Systems are effective for systems but will struggle against isolated individuals, and vice versa.

I appreciate efforts of the US government to keep me safe, but fundamentally, it's primarily my responsibility.

No legislation will remove an evil individual attempting to do harm.

Maybe the ultimate answer is gun control. How long is that going to take? Realistically?

Maybe the US isn't special, but it is unique. So many opposing and even enemy cultures in one place, such a clash of wealth/poverty, different religions with millenia of conflict all brought into one mixed up region with a government based around individual freedoms? Shove all of those people into small places (urban environments) in a place that is fundamentally violent (culturally), and some bad things will happen. The US is a grand experiment. Could be argued that it's failing. I'd probably agree. There's a ratio of responsibility:freedom that our citizens are fucking up royally.

Did you hear that the shooter engaged with police at the school before he went inside to kill kids? Your good guy with a gun fantasy is a fucking fantasy. It isn’t a solution. https://twitter.com/...P0Pr9twJ1c_y3OjnOKxw

Did you hear that parents are getting DNA swabbed this afternoon to help identify the destroyed and unrecognizable bodies of their kids? https://twitter.com/...P0Pr9twJ1c_y3OjnOKxw

Your idea that avoiding gun violence is a matter of personal responsibility seems pretty crass.

Your views about government don’t appear grounded in reality— in terms of constitutionality, the benefits of gun laws, and the reasons we don’t have gun laws. Your nonsense is particularly aggravating to read within the first 12 hours after a school shooting. It has not been a pleasure.

Was the police officer at the school armed or not?

How about we hold people responsible? You bought your kid a gun and he kills someone (Crumbleys), you’re responsible. Your buddy/girlfriend/kid took your gun from your nightstand? You’re responsible. Someone stole it from your car? You’re responsible (though this is more of a gray area).

People who responsibly own and store guns are not the problem. However, people who are part of the problem should be held accountable.

The question I’d be asking is that though a border patrol agent who is presumably well trained in the tactics required to engage an active shooter took this dude down, is it really a reasonable assumption that the avg person who’s only real experience is laying down 4-500 for a decent gun has the natural ability to do the same thing? Statistics say no. I just think “good guy with a gun” is a fantasy and thus not really safe for anyone.

What statistics?

I’d start with LE v suspects then move on to us military v almost everyone else, w/r/t light arms firefights. There’s plenty of examples of trained v not trained or less trained.

Maybe the ultimate answer is gun control. How long is that going to take? Realistically?