The American gun Laws.....can it remain as it is?

I was reading a discussion on a facebook page about gun control, this post was quite interesting:

Problems with "just handing in my guns": 1) I paid money for them. Will I get that money back if they're essentially confiscated? No. 2) I went thru the background checks, did the paperwork, jumped thru the hoops, made the requisite promises. All for naught? 3) Penalty without due process? That is NOT supposed to be the American legal system. I committed no crime, I should not be penalized. 4) Being punished for something someone ELSE did. Guilt by association? Again, NOT the American legal system.

If I haven't committed a crime, my guns should not be punished for anything.

What are people's thoughts on these points?

I don't own a gun nor have I ever had the desire to purchase one, but as I stated I do have neighbors who belong to a militia, and I understand (to a point) where opinions like this come from. I try and see from both sides of the issue. Its hard, especially when twenty children just lost their lives, but I dread the day the U.S Government attempts to take away their people's guns and the right to bear them.

Andy Spalding wrote:

ren wrote: Not to mention the martial arts I've seen do not seem aimed at combat efficiency.

Wait.. Your telling me that something originally designed to help people be better killers is not bad in the hands of responceible people?

No. I'm saying that martial arts do not seem to be very efficient killing methods. I mean here I am on youtube, looking at two guys fighting... 1: no-one dies, 2: if they exist, injuries are not visible, 3: I have yet to witness anyone's balls or throat being crushed. [...] etc


Akkarin: is legal whatever the legal system says is legal. This type of scenario happens all the time. FDA is one cause for example.

I do own guns, and I went through the hoops (bg check etc) and I am a responsible owner....and trained in the care, and use of said guns...why should I be lumped in with idiots that acquire or would acquire guns in an illegal way with the intent to go out and cause harm?

My guns are for personal protection and hunting...not to cause undo harm...

This topic again...:blink:

I didn't read all the posts, but did you guys hear about the recent Bow shooting? A boy killed his father with a bow while he was teaching a college class...he also killed his step mom and himself. People will always kill people no matter what is "allowed" or not. Of course, guns get more media attention.

Also, there were gun restrictions before Nazi Germany, before Stalin...

I know some people would feel safer with a gun ban, but I wonder if they're thinking rationally or emotionally. Gun Control only effects law abiding citizens. The unstable and criminal don't give two hoots.

Because this is such a sensitive topic I talked to some police officers to get another side of the story. Turns out every single one I talked to supported the right to bear arms. In fact, a few said that knives were 100 times scarier than guns because of the quickness and severity. They understood that the world is not safe (it never has been, never was meant to be) and that punishing the masses for the mistakes, evilness, cruelty of the few is unwise and unhelpful.

Akkarin wrote: I was reading a discussion on a facebook page about gun control, this post was quite interesting:

Problems with "just handing in my guns": 1) I paid money for them. Will I get that money back if they're essentially confiscated? No. 2) I went thru the background checks, did the paperwork, jumped thru the hoops, made the requisite promises. All for naught? 3) Penalty without due process? That is NOT supposed to be the American legal system. I committed no crime, I should not be penalized. 4) Being punished for something someone ELSE did. Guilt by association? Again, NOT the American legal system.

If I haven't committed a crime, my guns should not be punished for anything.

What are people's thoughts on these points?

I think there are some valid points and I think there are many more points to be made. What happens to all the people employed by this industry? If we outlaw this then many, many, many people will be jobless, some will lose everything. There's gun ranges, gun manufacturers, sporting stores, ammo makers, people who make their living selling the accessories, hunters, national sporting teams, not to mention you'd be taking away an activity the Boy Scouts and 4-H have been participating in for a while now.

Would they all be taken? Even the antiques and ones just for show? How much money would they lose (because there is no way the government would pay what they're worth)? Would hunting be outlwaed? Would we be unable to participate in the Olympic shooting competitions? What happens if we're invaded? What happens if someone tries to break into my home, my mothers home, my grandmothers?

ren wrote:

Rickie wrote:

Desolous wrote: increased funding for mental health care and assessment. find those most likely to snap and get them help, and treat them.

too bad mental health funding has been cut severely over the past decade or so. its sad that things like this have to happen before it is brought back into the scope of legislative debate.

Bravo.

I do not share your enthusiasm. Mental health has been used to falsely imprison a lot of people in the past. You'd be replacing "you can't shoot without a gun" with "you can't shoot with a straitjacket on".

I'm not following you and am not sure what youa are saying? People with mental health issues need much more support and many don't need to get their hands on a gun for sure, nothing was implied about imprisioning them or puting them in straight jackets, just no acess to guns.

Morgan Freeman's brilliant take on what happened yesterday :

"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.

It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."

Hadi Apollos wrote: Morgan Freeman's brilliant take on what happened yesterday :

"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.

It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."

That was very very good. Thank you and good night.

Now everyone go out there buy a present for a child and give it to a local charity of your choice.

Rickie wrote:

ren wrote:

Rickie wrote:

Desolous wrote: increased funding for mental health care and assessment. find those most likely to snap and get them help, and treat them.

too bad mental health funding has been cut severely over the past decade or so. its sad that things like this have to happen before it is brought back into the scope of legislative debate.

Bravo.

I do not share your enthusiasm. Mental health has been used to falsely imprison a lot of people in the past. You'd be replacing "you can't shoot without a gun" with "you can't shoot with a straitjacket on".

I'm not following you and am not sure what youa are saying? People with mental health issues need much more support and many don't need to get their hands on a gun for sure, nothing was implied about imprisioning them or puting them in straight jackets, just no acess to guns.

I don't see mental health as an issue. The approach to mental health is "they might do something therefore we have to prevent them" or "there is something wrong in our opinion, therefore we have to do what we believe is right". The opposite of the legal system, which punishes after the crime was committed, and contrary to basic human rights. What people call "help" is not necessarily helpful or welcome. My overall opinion of mental health institutions is that I'd rather be without them, and deal with any problems when and if those problems happen. I don't mind if people are crazy, if they're criminals they can be treated like any other criminal.