I must say though that in retrospect I should not have reacted to a flawed comparison like yours.

.

Ah, so a little light is shown on your assertion, and it's my fault because my comparison was flawed?

The comparison was not flawed. If, as you seem to be saying, there is gun control in Thailand, and the murder rate is still considerably higher in LOS than in the States where a lesser level of gun control exists, then gun control does not work.

But anyway, the question was, why aren't all the anti-gun folk on TV calling for gun control in Thailand?

Comparisons between countries are acceptable, however, please remember that this thread is not about Thailand.

Comparisons between countries are acceptable, however, please remember that this thread is not about Thailand.

Acceptable but in this case flawed. So I should not have reacted to it, see his most recent answer.

As a proud American and in a warped way, I equate our rights to owning a firearm as one of the reasons our country is a world leader. Its not the firearm itself but, our believe in our constitution and country's foundation. We have a love and respect for it and its rights and responsibilities that no other country has. Its that kind of foundation and cultural believe system which allows us to be a leader. Its not perfect nor without flaws but it works. It centralizes our society and gives us a common ground. Thailand would never understand.

If you have such a belief in the constitution why do you keep amending it?

It can be amended to ban guns.

The most recent amendment to our (not yours) constitution was over 20 years ago. Prior to that was over 20 years. Its not easy to change our constitution and our founders built the constitution so that it would take many different procedures with checks and balances to change it. That's a good thing.

What do the thais have and do? Nothing to be honest as they dont see a constitution other than a piece of paper which can be torn up by any army general that doesnt agree with the civilian leaders. History has proven this time and time again.

Sure it COULD be amended but it will NEVER be, nor should it be.

What happened was because of irresponsible parents. There are those kind of people in all countries and walks of life. No amount of laws can legislate idiots.

What happened was because irresponsible laws make it possible for idiots to own guns.

The constitution has been amended before because society changes. It will be amended again.

As a proud American and in a warped way, I equate our rights to owning a firearm as one of the reasons our country is a world leader. Its not the firearm itself but, our believe in our constitution and country's foundation. We have a love and respect for it and its rights and responsibilities that no other country has. Its that kind of foundation and cultural believe system which allows us to be a leader. Its not perfect nor without flaws but it works. It centralizes our society and gives us a common ground. Thailand would never understand.

If you have such a belief in the constitution why do you keep amending it?

It can be amended to ban guns.

The most recent amendment to our (not yours) constitution was over 20 years ago. Prior to that was over 20 years. Its not easy to change our constitution and our founders built the constitution so that it would take many different procedures with checks and balances to change it. That's a good thing.

What do the thais have and do? Nothing to be honest as they dont see a constitution other than a piece of paper which can be torn up by any army general that doesnt agree with the civilian leaders. History has proven this time and time again.

Sure it COULD be amended but it will NEVER be, nor should it be.

What happened was because of irresponsible parents. There are those kind of people in all countries and walks of life. No amount of laws can legislate idiots.

What happened was because irresponsible laws make it possible for idiots to own guns.

The constitution has been amended before because society changes. It will be amended again.

Since you have cited "irresponsible laws", please explain this in more detail. Please let me know the source data ie is it a state law or federal law? If state what state. Please cite the reference code. I would be interested to read them for myself.

....

As a proud American and in a warped way, I equate our rights to owning a firearm as one of the reasons our country is a world leader. Its not the firearm itself but, our believe in our constitution and country's foundation. We have a love and respect for it and its rights and responsibilities that no other country has. Its that kind of foundation and cultural believe system which allows us to be a leader. Its not perfect nor without flaws but it works. It centralizes our society and gives us a common ground. Thailand would never understand.

If you have such a belief in the constitution why do you keep amending it?

It can be amended to ban guns.

The most recent amendment to our (not yours) constitution was over 20 years ago. Prior to that was over 20 years. Its not easy to change our constitution and our founders built the constitution so that it would take many different procedures with checks and balances to change it. That's a good thing.

What do the thais have and do? Nothing to be honest as they dont see a constitution other than a piece of paper which can be torn up by any army general that doesnt agree with the civilian leaders. History has proven this time and time again.

Sure it COULD be amended but it will NEVER be, nor should it be.

What happened was because of irresponsible parents. There are those kind of people in all countries and walks of life. No amount of laws can legislate idiots.

What happened was because irresponsible laws make it possible for idiots to own guns.

The constitution has been amended before because society changes. It will be amended again.

Since you have cited "irresponsible laws", please explain this in more detail. Please let me know the source data ie is it a state law or federal law? If state what state. Please cite the reference code. I would be interested to read them for myself.

....

Any laws that allows idiots to own guns. It aint rocket science.

If you are that interested do your own research. I'm not your teacher.

Sympathy to both the boys

"The right to bear arms" - the death of this child is answer enough and sadly is testament to my views

RIP

Rubbish. Guns should be locked up when not in use. Nothing to do with the right to bear arms. Whoever did leave it lying around should be prosecuted for manslaughter.

I usually come down on the side of gun control in these debates but here is an interesting statistic. (lies, damn lies and statistics, I know)

Just read "Freakonomics" by the economist Steven Levitt. In the US if you have a child, own a gun and have a swimming pool, your child is 100 times more likely to die in a drowning incident than from a gunshot wound. Kinda puts it in perspective. He has no ulterior motive in this finding. His kid died from meningitis and whilst attending a support group for parents who had lost children he couldn't help but notice how many people had lost kids through drowning accidents and decided to study it a bit more.

I wonder how many kids died in the US today of easily preventable causes but we only hear about the gun deaths?

Totally interesting point!

a) think it through! With no pool and NO FORKING GUN in the house, your child would be even safer!

b )I guess, you heard this one a 1.000 times...because it IS FORKING TRUE: a swimming pool (fill in a car/ a hammer/ a loose cable ob the TV...if you like) are not DESIGNED to kill anyone! A guns sole purpose is to kill! There is an slight difference between having an accident in your home, because sad things happen or having a murderous device, that -by definition- does,waht it is supposed to do, when it puts a hole in someones head!

And here is WHY, you don't here a bout as much about swimmingpool accidents: because they are JUST THAT!

Accidents and accidents happen!

I totally get your point. I think you may be missing mine. A gun is designed to kill. I think we can all agree on that. A pool is not designed to kill but it does. It kills 100 times more US kids than guns do. Given the lack of resources nowadays I would rather spend some taxpayers money trying to educate folks on the dangers of swimming pools rather than trying to ban guns. If it was possible then tackle both issues but start with the ones that can save most lives.

Like I said in my post I am usually on the side of gun control but banning anything that can harm is not the way forward. And by the way I loved the You Tube clip of the Aussie comedian. Coming from my culture it was spot on but I don't come from the same culture as the US.

At the end of the day, up to them.

Cars and alcohol kill far, far more people than guns ( other than in war ), but if they were banned the anti gun people would be screaming like stuck pigs about their "rights".

I am also an American and love our constitution but you must remember the right to bare arms was written in a time when the country was new, folks lived in untamed areas, the whole land was untamed, and we had just ended a war with England and were constantly at war with Native Americans to rob them of their lands. Guns may have been necessary then, but now? We don't hunt for food anymore. We hunt for pleasure, sport and a misdirected, paranoid need for safety.

The NRA is one of the strongest lobbying group in the country. It's sadly unfortunate that the victims and families of victims of guns can't form their own lobby. There would be as many members as in the NRA providing some balance. Oh wait, they are in mourning and not up to it.

Thomas Jefferson wanted a constitution that was reevaluated every 20 years to be certain it met the needs of the current citizens.

The right to bear arms was written to allow the citizens to be able to resist an attempt by the government to become dictators. NOTHING to do with untamed lands and fighting Indians.

They overthrew the British to get rid of the king, so they were worried about an American seeking to replace him, and quite right to be worried. Seems like the government is now doing its best to disarm the citizens so it can indeed be dictatorial without opposition.

Those that forget the past deserve to be ruled by tyrants.

I am also an American and love our constitution but you must remember the right to bare arms was written in a time when the country was new, folks lived in untamed areas, the whole land was untamed, and we had just ended a war with England and were constantly at war with Native Americans to rob them of their lands. Guns may have been necessary then, but now? We don't hunt for food anymore. We hunt for pleasure, sport and a misdirected, paranoid need for safety.

The NRA is one of the strongest lobbying group in the country. It's sadly unfortunate that the victims and families of victims of guns can't form their own lobby. There would be as many members as in the NRA providing some balance. Oh wait, they are in mourning and not up to it.

Thomas Jefferson wanted a constitution that was reevaluated every 20 years to be certain it met the needs of the current citizens.

The right to bear arms was written to allow the citizens to be able to resist an attempt by the government to become dictators. NOTHING to do with untamed lands and fighting Indians.

They overthrew the British to get rid of the king, so they were worried about an American seeking to replace him, and quite right to be worried. Seems like the government is now doing its best to disarm the citizens so it can indeed be dictatorial without opposition.

Those that forget the past deserve to be ruled by tyrants.

Oh dear me.

An inflammatory post has been removed along with one that has an oversized graphic.

Was the weapon legally purchased and who owned it? How did it find it's way to be left unattended and in reach of a 3 year old?

My point?

All the gun control laws in the world won't help if the gun was illegally obtained and owned. Gun control laws only work for those people that follow the laws to begin with.

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CBS/APApril 13, 2015, 9:08 AM

3-year-old shoots, kills baby brother in Cleveland home

CLEVELAND -- Charges likely will be brought against the person who took a gun to the house where a 3-year-old boy shot his 1-year-old brother in the head and killed him, the Cleveland police chief said.

Chief Calvin Williams said investigators are trying to determine where the gun in Sunday afternoon's shooting came from and how it was left within reach of a child.

Full details about the shooting on the city's east side weren't released, but Williams said at least one adult was home when it happened.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-year-old-shoots-kills-baby-brother-in-cleveland-home/