‘America is killing itself’: world reacts with horror and incomprehension to Texas shooting

[Phoenix Rising]

2 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Unless you have a belief in God, no one has any God-given rights. If you do believe in God, all rights are God-given. 

Following that logic and believing that your god is all powerful then "he" is behind all the killings. What a guy!

[fredwiggy]

48 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Whether children have 1 or 2 parents is utterly irrelevant and just another right wing talking point to excuse guns as being the problem. There is no issue of 2 parents being better than one. If you think there is, start another thread and demonstrate that.

 

There is a reason why beating children is considered child abuse these days.

You seem to have an answer, and mostly wrong, about everything. You post other's opinions and we state facts. I listed ways that will definitely curtail the amount of killing and victims and you have to rebut. Broken homes in the number one reason we have such chaos on earth. Please educate yourself on what happens to children from broken homes, and what a narcissist is, and you will see,if not in denial or worse, that this is exactly why these things are happening. The US is a hugely populated country with maybe yes, more freedom than it should have but this is the reason it;s so popular a destination for people from every country to move to. Why you should list beating a child to his response is ludicrous. he said no such thing. Discipline doesn't mean beating,and I never but a couple of times spanked my children. Giving them limits, teaching them that all people, and animals, deserve respect, that things can be resolved by communication, whereas the breakdown of communication, or lack thereof, is the reason most relationships fail, whether it's child to parent, husband to wife, or country to country. We have a maniac, Putin, in charge of one of the largest countries on earth, and thousands are dying from his narcissistic thinking. Guns are NOT the problem. People are. People can, and have killed millions before guns were invented. High capacity guns are a problem, and I'm a gun owner and hunter. Again, I listed ways, from my experience for 48 years, and not by reading what others have made opinions on, but being in the business, owning guns, and knowing the proper usage of them,storage of them, and what they can do. This is something that has to be fixed immediately, as mass killings made by insane, mentally ill, unguided, neglected or abused people will continue unless they are stopped BEFORE it happens. First, having at least one parent who cares enough to listen to their children, and not buying them off to shut them up with media devices. Killers don't only come from single parent homes but homes where they are neglected but either the one or both. If the parents don't teach values, they learn it from peers, and most everyone knows what happens when this is the way. A justice system that is broken, where children are given a slap on the wrist or men aren't held accountable for the children they make, is another major issue. This can go on forever, with opinions doing nothing, as well as posting others opinions that are garnered from some studies which might work in one place. Gun control works, if it's used correctly. Background checks work, if they are done properly. Children should not be allowed to buy a gun, period. At 21, the brain is ALMOST fully developed, and before that, with hormones raging and peers giving bad advice or bullying, decisions to do things are irrational much of the time. All the other things I listed will work, IF politicians would actually think of more than themselves and their rich counterparts, stop fighting each other and do what's right for all people. I'm no expert when it comes to political ways by any means, but these are the people in charge that we voted for. Sadly, they promise much and deliver little, which is why one leader will never be right.

[heybruce]

56 minutes ago, KanchanaburiGuy said:

Or, they still would have recognized that "The Right to Keep and Bear Arms" is not a fashion statement, but a recognition of a much bigger principle. 

 

Seems to me, them recognizing it as a Right........... speaks volumes.

 

It seems unlikely that anyone who would recognize it as a Right would then say, "Because they are cheap and easy to get, now it isn't one!"

 

Generally, people who make decisions based on principles............. make very different decisions............ than those who are just reacting emotionally to tragic circumstamces.

 

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are, first and foremost, documents based on PRINCIPLES.

 

Principles are what you get down  to through reason and logic, after emotionality releases its grip! 

 

Cheers! 

Just as the Right to freedom of speech is limited with restrictions on libel, slander, yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, etc., so the right to bear arms is limited.  That's why the crazy neighbor down the street isn't allowed to build chemical weapons in his basement and to keep the kids off his lawn with landmines.

 

The Constitution and Bill of Rights are based on principles, compromise, and the experiences the authors had at that time.  The original Articles of Confederation had no provisions for a standing army, which the 18th century Americans considered a bigger threat to liberty than foreign powers.  The US Constitution provided for raising a standing army, but not a permanent one:

 

"The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; . . .".  https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI_S8_C12_1_1/ 

 

However, as society, technology, and understanding of the real world improved, the principle of not having a permanent standing army changed.  I'm sure the Founding Fathers would agree with that change.  I'm also sure they would agree it's time for a change to the 2nd Amendment.

 

The authors of the Constitution knew they couldn't predict the future and its needs.  That's why they designed in mechanisms to change the Constitution as needed.

Edited May 30, 2022 by heybruce

[jvs]

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I think that those people are dead is a tragedy.

 

Many more kids are killed by teenaged drivers than by mass shootings, why not raise the age of driving to 21? 

Just to add yet another cliche,i can think of a few positive uses for a car.

[ozimoron]

4 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

You seem to have an answer, and mostly wrong, about everything. You post other's opinions and we state facts. I listed ways that will definitely curtail the amount of killing and victims and you have to rebut. Broken homes in the number one reason we have such chaos on earth. Please educate yourself on what happens to children from broken homes, and what a narcissist is, and you will see,if not in denial or worse, that this is exactly why these things are happening. The US is a hugely populated country with maybe yes, more freedom than it should have but this is the reason it;s so popular a destination for people from every country to move to. Why you should list beating a child to his response is ludicrous. he said no such thing. Discipline doesn't mean beating,and I never but a couple of times spanked my children. Giving them limits, teaching them that all people, and animals, deserve respect, that things can be resolved by communication, whereas the breakdown of communication, or lack thereof, is the reason most relationships fail, whether it's child to parent, husband to wife, or country to country. We have a maniac, Putin, in charge of one of the largest countries on earth, and thousands are dying from his narcissistic thinking. Guns are NOT the problem. People are. People can, and have killed millions before guns were invented. High capacity guns are a problem, and I'm a gun owner and hunter. Again, I listed ways, from my experience for 48 years, and not by reading what others have made opinions on, but being in the business, owning guns, and knowing the proper usage of them,storage of them, and what they can do. This is something that has to be fixed immediately, as mass killings made by insane, mentally ill, unguided, neglected or abused people will continue unless they are stopped BEFORE it happens. First, having at least one parent who cares enough to listen to their children, and not buying them off to shut them up with media devices. Killers don't only come from single parent homes but homes where they are neglected but either the one or both. If the parents don't teach values, they learn it from peers, and most everyone knows what happens when this is the way. A justice system that is broken, where children are given a slap on the wrist or men aren't held accountable for the children they make, is another major issue. This can go on forever, with opinions doing nothing, as well as posting others opinions that are garnered from some studies which might work in one place. Gun control works, if it's used correctly. Background checks work, if they are done properly. Children should not be allowed to buy a gun, period. At 21, the brain is ALMOST fully developed, and before that, with hormones raging and peers giving bad advice or bullying, decisions to do things are irrational much of the time. All the other things I listed will work, IF politicians would actually think of more than themselves and their rich counterparts, stop fighting each other and do what's right for all people. I'm no expert when it comes to political ways by any means, but these are the people in charge that we voted for. Sadly, they promise much and deliver little, which is why one leader will never be right.

I'm from a broken home. I'm not a narcissist. Your opinion is not only ignorant but also offensive.

Edited May 30, 2022 by ozimoron

[fredwiggy]

Just now, ozimoron said:

I'm from a broken home. I'm not a narcissist. Your opinion is offensive.

I'm also from a broken home, and that doesn't mean you're a narcissist. Narcissists come from all homes. Homes where they are neglected, abused or spoiled. Narcissists sometimes don't know they are that way. They will usually deny they are if they do know. That's why they get what they want and are in charge of things, including nations. I never said you, nor anyone else here, is one. Narcissists show themselves eventually. They have to be always right, control others around them, and even if proven wrong, will put the blame on others. This isn't exactly off topic, because it is one reason we have these problems, and all problems in the world.

[billd766]

10 hours ago, kbelyeu said:

Its already legal for teachers to be armed in Texas as well as many other states.  If we would have had an armed teacher in Uvalde then this might not have happened.

OTOH the teacher could have been killed anyway, as sadly two of them were, and the murderer could have gained another weapon to carry on the slaughter.

[KhaoYai]

Its interesting to see some members trying to defend gun ownership in the USA whilst others can clearly see the harm that a nation full of gun owners can do.

 

Cries of 'its not guns that kill people, its people that kill people' seem to miss what should be an obvious point - people have to pull triggers!

 

Without opening a political debate, I also find it interesting that those who support gun ownership also (in general) seem to support certain other political viewpoints - further illustrating the arguments that society (not only in the USA) is polarised and divided.

 

However, and I believe most rational thinking people have the same views, how any sane person can continue to believe that gun ownership is a right or requirement for members of the general public is completely beyond me.  What is so different about the USA that makes such a requirement necessary?  Why is gun ownership not a right or requirement for other Western societies?

 

Although many fail to reach international headlines, the facts are far worse than many realise - there's a mass shooting in the USA on a daily basis - up until 3 days ago the total for 2022 stood at 214!!

 

https://www.insider.com/number-of-mass-shootingsin-america-this-year-2022-5

 

There's gun crime in all Western countries but the scale of it that exists in the USA is just unbelievable.  Its not only mass shootings though - how many are killed daily as the result of an argument?  Tempers are often frayed - remember as a youngster you'd get angry over stupid things and maybe throw the odd irresponsible punch on a Friday night?  How easy is it to replace that punch with a bullet when you have a gun in your pocket?

 

The latest argument coming out of the USA is that the mass shootings are the result of growing mental health problems - as if mental health is the cause.  Why can the proponents of that viewpoint not see that if guns weren't so freely available in the USA, these shootings simply wouldn't happen? 

 

Why is it possible for the sane or insane to easily get their hands on an Assault Rifle!!  The plain and simple facts are that 19 young children would still be alive today if an 18 year old had not been able to obtain guns.

 

What is so bloody 'special' about the USA that make gun ownership a necessity?  Nothing, that's the truth of it.  There is and can be no justification.  I don't even believe that gun ownership in the USA is simply because of the right to bear arms guaranteed in the country's constitution - there are plenty of US citizens that wouldn't dream of owning a gun.

 

I believe that in general, as I hinted at earlier, those who own guns in the USA (and totally refuse to give them up) broadly represent a (large) section of society that hold similar views on many subjects.  Just take a look at who was speaking at the recent NRA Conference in Texas if you want to understand where I'm coming from.

 

Yes, societal and political polarisation is growing in many countries - strirred up by conspiracy theorists and possibly other nations trying to deliberately cause division and chaos - aided of course by the ability to promote such things across borders via the internet.. 

 

The difference is that gun ownership isn't either legal or rampant in most countries.

[ozimoron]

6 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I'm also from a broken home, and that doesn't mean you're a narcissist. Narcissists come from all homes. Homes where they are neglected, abused or spoiled. Narcissists sometimes don't know they are that way. They will usually deny they are if they do know. That's why they get what they want and are in charge of things, including nations. I never said you, nor anyone else here, is one. Narcissists show themselves eventually. They have to be always right, control others around them, and even if proven wrong, will put the blame on others. This isn't exactly off topic, because it is one reason we have these problems, and all problems in the world.

it's totally off topic and you know it.

 

Narcissism isn't about being right or wrong. It's about not caring for the feelings, emotions and physical and mental well being of others.

Edited May 30, 2022 by ozimoron

[PoodThaiMaiDai]

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

Do you even realize just how fckued up that sounds? Why on earth should schools need fortifying by armed guards in the first place? For cyring out loud!!! Wouldn't it be better to put an end to the crazy gun rights?

It is not about "armed guards."

 

Communities add "school resource officers" to their school so there is an officer available to the staff for advice.   

 

As well as for the students to talk to if they are being bullied.

 

The students and staff can talk to the officers if they suspect criminal activities (drugs, assaults, etc).

 

It is. an option for the schools districts and cities.  It is up to them if they want to do it or not.  

 

Of course an officer at the school can help reduce the risk of an active shooter situation. However nothing is guaranteed.

 

Not everyone would feel this way, but as a kid, I would have loved to have a cop in my school. I always looked up to them and it would have been nice to talk about things with them.

 

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, PoodThaiMaiDai said:

It is not about "armed guards."

 

Communities add "school resource officers" to their school so there is an officer available to the staff for advice.   

 

As well as for the students to talk to if they are being bullied.

 

The students and staff can talk to the officers if they suspect criminal activities (drugs, assaults, etc).

 

It is. an option for the schools districts and cities.  It is up to them if they want to do it or not.  

 

Of course an officer at the school can help reduce the risk of an active shooter situation. However nothing is guaranteed.

 

Not everyone would feel this way, but as a kid, I would have loved to have a cop in my school. I always looked up to them and it would have been nice to talk about things with them.

 

A trained social worker is far better qualified than a cop to counsel kids. Cops are wholly untrained. A social worker can also exercise judgment and pass information along to the police if they deem it appropriate. Unless the cop is sitting there with SWAT gear and assault rifle at the ready he is near useless  against a kid or adult with an assault weapon.

[PoodThaiMaiDai]

1 minute ago, ozimoron said:

A trained social worker is far better qualified than a cop to counsel kids. Cops are wholly untrained. A social worker can also exercise judgment and pass information along to the police if they deem it appropriate. Unless the cop is sitting there with SWAT gear and assault rifle at the ready he is near useless  against a kid or adult with an assault weapon.

I agree with you to a certain extent, but the school are not hiring social workers for these jobs.

 

The kids can go to teachers, counselors, the Vice Principal or Principal for most of those things.

 

The schools treat it as risk management. It is not to have a bad ass cop on campus.  It is normally a cop who is softer and more approachable. Good with kids and people.  

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, James105 said:

Not sure if you are aware, but your government has access to fighter jets, tanks, warships and tactical nuclear missiles.    You are going to need bigger guns if that "really" is the reason you think you need them.   

I'd reply, but since that, as my past replies were removed for being off topic, (since they were) as I suspect most of the replies on this page are, no need to reply here, as they all may be gone soon anyway.  Maybe on the NRA thread, as almost on topic there.

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Its interesting to see some members trying to defend gun ownership in the USA whilst others can clearly see the harm that a nation full of gun owners can do.

 

Cries of 'its not guns that kill people, its people that kill people' seem to miss what should be an obvious point - people have to pull triggers!

 

Without opening a political debate, I also find it interesting that those who support gun ownership also (in general) seem to support certain other political viewpoints - further illustrating the arguments that society (not only in the USA) is polarised and divided.

 

However, and I believe most rational thinking people have the same views, how any sane person can continue to believe that gun ownership is a right or requirement for members of the general public is completely beyond me.  What is so different about the USA that makes such a requirement necessary?  Why is gun ownership not a right or requirement for other Western societies?

 

Although many fail to reach international headlines, the facts are far worse than many realise - there's a mass shooting in the USA on a daily basis - up until 3 days ago the total for 2022 stood at 214!!

 

https://www.insider.com/number-of-mass-shootingsin-america-this-year-2022-5

 

There's gun crime in all Western countries but the scale of it that exists in the USA is just unbelievable.  Its not only mass shootings though - how many are killed daily as the result of an argument?  Tempers are often frayed - remember as a youngster you'd get angry over stupid things and maybe throw the odd irresponsible punch on a Friday night?  How easy is it to replace that punch with a bullet when you have a gun in your pocket?

 

The latest argument coming out of the USA is that the mass shootings are the result of growing mental health problems - as if mental health is the cause.  Why can the proponents of that viewpoint not see that if guns weren't so freely available in the USA, these shootings simply wouldn't happen? 

 

Why is it possible for the sane or insane to easily get their hands on an Assault Rifle!!  The plain and simple facts are that 19 young children would still be alive today if an 18 year old had not been able to obtain guns.

 

What is so bloody 'special' about the USA that make gun ownership a necessity?  Nothing, that's the truth of it.  There is and can be no justification.  I don't even believe that gun ownership in the USA is simply because of the right to bear arms guaranteed in the country's constitution - there are plenty of US citizens that wouldn't dream of owning a gun.

 

I believe that in general, as I hinted at earlier, those who own guns in the USA (and totally refuse to give them up) broadly represent a (large) section of society that hold similar views on many subjects.  Just take a look at who was speaking at the recent NRA Conference in Texas if you want to understand where I'm coming from.

 

Yes, societal and political polarisation is growing in many countries - strirred up by conspiracy theorists and possibly other nations trying to deliberately cause division and chaos - aided of course by the ability to promote such things across borders via the internet.. 

 

The difference is that gun ownership isn't either legal or rampant in most countries.

Society should be divided. That's what makes people individuals. Laws are there to prevent chaos. Sometimes laws don't work. America was built on the Constitution and people were given rights. It's still a choice they have. They have the right to own a gun, or choose not to. It's not a requirement. There are anti hunters and such all over America, as there are gun owners and hunters. This is a choice that Americans have. Other countries don't give you that choice. Its why America, being a nation made up of all countries, is different. Certainly, things are getting way out of hand here, and something has to be done. People that are sane or insane can buy guns. They can't buy assault rifles. Assault rifles are automatic rifles only used by police (Swat), military and just a few others. All guns can kill, and they were made to kill, or used on targets. Guns are the reason countries are livable. People here that are against guns have their right to believe that way, and i fully understand why. Guns are being used by mentally ill, yes, that's the reason, individuals that are either getting by the system or "borrowing" them from others, and committing heinous crimes, in this case, against innocent children. If someone wants to kill a bunch of people, they can do it with any weapon, semi auto or bolt action or pump. AR-15 rifles are just like all other rifles, beside capacity. THAT has to be changed NOW. Banning guns will never happen in the US, it being such a free country, so other things have to be done. People make opinions based on emotions, and not common sense, a lot of the time. Fear, lack of education, and other things let things go haywire. As individuals we can't do much. Together we can get things changed, but it takes time, as laws that are on the books can't be readily changed. They require votes. Those votes have to be a majority, and sometimes the majority is wrong, but we can't do anything but go along, because we elect leaders to do things for us. America has a lot of problems, as does Thailand and most other countries (Ukraine). Maybe  some can come up with solid ideas on what to do, knowing the repercussions that come from change, that not everyone is going to be happy, but saving lives is the most important.

[fredwiggy]

18 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

it's totally off topic and you know it.

 

Narcissism isn't about being right or wrong. It's about not caring for the feelings, emotions and physical and mental well being of others.

It is on topic because it's a mental disease, and that's why these things happen. They are either inherited or learned. Narcissism is a learned behavior. Normal people don't hurt other human beings, or  domestic animals, intentionally, especially in this gross a fashion.

[ozimoron]

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

It is on topic because it's a mental disease, and that's why these things happen. They are either inherited or learned. Narcissism is a learned behavior. Normal people don't hurt other human beings, or  domestic animals, intentionally, especially in this gross a fashion.

Narcissism is not just learned.

 

https://psychcentral.com/disorders/what-causes-narcissistic-personality-disorder#genetics

[JCauto]

2 hours ago, kbelyeu said:

You do not have constitutional rights, you just have rights.  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  Unalienable: not capable of being repudiated.

Come and take it!

Uh, sorry, are you under the impression that the entire world is governed by YOUR constitution? It's not. Are you under the impression that the constitution of your country was written by supernatural beings? It wasn't. Are you thinking that the 2nd Amendment was part of the drafting of the Constitution and therefore connected inextricably to it and the writing contained within? It was not. Do you, as a gun owner, likely belong to a "well-regulated militia"? Almost certainly not. 

Your pretending to have some divine connection to your "inalienable right" to carry around weapons that weren't even conceived of at the time is nonsense. 

[billd766]

4 hours ago, ozimoron said:

The house passed a bill already and it's before the senate now. The left know exactly what they want to do. Stop trolling and get informed.

 

https://www.nssf.org/articles/sen-feinstein-proposes-banning-americas-most-popular-rifle-again/

 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-action-should-be-taken-on-guns-we-asked-every-senator

It is telling that the first link was from the NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association who were against it

 

In the second link of the bit that I read the Democrat senators (or their office) answered promptly compared to the Republican senators, who failed to responded by "No response at publishing time."

[KhaoYai]

12 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Guns are the reason countries are livable.

??? Explain please.

[fredwiggy]

5 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Narcissism is not just learned.

 

https://psychcentral.com/disorders/what-causes-narcissistic-personality-disorder#genetics

And I'm going off topic? Yes, narcissism is not just learned, but it's mainly where it comes from. Some studies are wrong. You brought up that link to try and prove me wrong, but it didn't work. I've studied this disease for 25 years, along with depression and other mental disorders. It isn't a cut and dried topic. Now, let's stay on topic, that being maniacs that are killing people in alarming frequency in America. This IS caused by mental illness,and not inherited ones. Violence is a learned behavior.

[fredwiggy]

3 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

??? Explain please.

Wars make peace,unless peace is negotiated. wars require guns, unless the two leaders can box it out.

[KhaoYai]

11 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Wars make peace,unless peace is negotiated. wars require guns, unless the two leaders can box it out.

We are not talking about wars - we are talking about normal life within a country.  Guns do not make countries liveable.  We don't have them in the UK or across Europe and with a couple on exceptions over 20 or 30 years, we don't have school shootings or any other form of mass shootings.  Not by sane or insane people and why? Because for most people, guns are not readily available.

 

I shoot (in Thailand), I shoot targets because I enjoy learing the skill.  However, I don't and can't own a gun - they stay locked at the gun club which is where they should be.

Edited May 30, 2022 by KhaoYai

[fredwiggy]

1 minute ago, KhaoYai said:

We are not talking about wars - we are talking about normal life within a country.  Guns do not make countries liveable.  We don't have them in the UK or across Europe and with a couple on execptions over 20 or 30 years, we don't have school shootings or any other form of mass shootings.  Not by sane or insane people and why? Because for most people, guns are not readily available.

 

I shoot (in Thailand), I shoot targets because I enjoy learing the skill.  However, I don't and can't own a gun - they stay locked at the gun club which is where they should be.

Ok, I'll rephrase. Guns have made countries livable.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, kbelyeu said:

How many lives will be lost when the left attempts to take away gun owners god given rights?  How many is too many?  Will you participate in the gun round up?  

Who is god to take away gun owners rights? What "rights" are they? Why are they not in a well trained militia and not wandering around aimlessly and stupidly slaughtering innocent men, women and children of random colours.

 

NONE of them have any "rights" let alone god given rights to hold weapons.

[KhaoYai]

1 minute ago, fredwiggy said:

Ok, I'll rephrase. Guns have made countries livable.

Still irrelevant.  That's war. Weapons are necessary in war - not in society.

[Thunglom]

7 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

No, he spoke the truth, if the guy had been white shooting up a school with hispanic kids the narrative would be different.

This is a racist perception. ...and a hypothesis based on a racist viewpoint What point are you trying to make - that white people are unfairly treated when they massacre 19 children? ..or White people do it because they are inherently racist..or that school children are racist?

[EVENKEEL]

2 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

1. I can see reading comprehension is not your strong suit.

2. Again, it warms my heart how you've turned into a champion for Black Lives Matter. Well done, Sir!

No you're wrong, BLM could care less about the 1000's of blacks killed each year by the hand of another black. There's nothing in that narrative for them. 

[wangotango]

On 5/26/2022 at 9:15 AM, Lacessit said:

If no-one had guns, police officers would be unnecessary.

 

After Port Arthur in 1996, Australians said enough. The last mass shooting at any educational institution was 20 years ago, at Monash University.

 

When these mass shootings occur in America, they have one thing in common. The shooters are equipped with weapons that are designed with only one purpose in mind, to kill and maim as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.

 

The NRA is a powerful lobby group. Until politicians start filing into jail for accepting bribes and support from an organization that aids and abets the slaughter of American children, it will be business as usual. Gun firms are delighted, sales go up every time there is a mass shooting. How sick is that? An 18 yo kid able to obtain not one, but two AR16's. How stupid is that?

 

It's complete nonsense for supporters of the Second Amendment to say one can't own guns in Australia. I was a gun owner, and still could be one if I was living in Australia, along with thousands of farmers and sporting shooters. I just can't own a weapon designed for rapid butchery.

 

26 years on from Port Arthur, and the US still has not comprehended the lesson Australia provided. Dumb or stubborn, take your pick.

 

Both

 

[fredwiggy]

15 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Still irrelevant.  That's war. Weapons are necessary in war - not in society.

You had to understand why I said that. Besides that, weapons are and always will be necessary in society, unless by society you mean just the police and military having them, which leaves out legitimate hunting (necessary to control species over population, and for meat) and target shooting for fun. You think taking them out of "legitimate" owners hands, and by that the ones that aren't criminals, mentally ill or gang members, it will stop crime? It will stop mass shootings, but create many more problems. What, again, has to be done, is to let these legitimate owners own them, and keep them out of the hands of crazies. That's the crux of this problem, not radical banning but control, which again, I am for. Banning AR-15's would stop some mass killings, but people are inventive, as Oklahoma showed us awhile back.

Edited May 30, 2022 by fredwiggy

[billd766]

1 hour ago, LarrySR said:

God gave you gun rights?

By the way, there is no god. 

Actually there are very many gods worldwide who are still believed in.