Gun Control

[It'sNotAFakeID]

The mental health copout is only used because the people who have perpetrated the last mass shootings have had mental illnesses. Are people with mental illnesses not predisposed to acting impulsively and sometimes violently? Depends on the illness, but to say they're not is a completely ignorant statement.

 

The same can be said about if we do more about mental illness, gun crimes will decrease. No, we all have the penchant for violence. All it takes is the right conditions, and...a gun.

 

So maybe the issue isn't going to be resolved by addressing one, the other, or both. Maybe the way we can prevent these atrocities is by protecting our most vulnerable areas better.

 

Gun violence isn't going to stop so long as there are guns. Mental illness isn't going to stop so long as people exist. We can't effectively change those (and we can't use other countries as examples, because we as a nation are different and what may hold true there may not here).

 

[The Dude]

I think that nearly everyone is calling for regulation and not prohibition. But I suppose if you want to be consistent you should argue for legalizing methamphetamine.

Ironically, legalizing drugs, or at least reworking the policies so they're more effective, would probably do a lot more to reduce gun violence than another assault weapon ban.

[carlfense]

I think that nearly everyone is calling for regulation and not prohibition. But I suppose if you want to be consistent you should argue for legalizing methamphetamine.

Ironically, legalizing drugs, or at least reworking the policies so they're more effective, would probably do a lot more to reduce gun violence than another assault weapon ban.

Probably so. It wouldn't effect the mass shootings . . . but it would probably lower the homicide rate in general.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

See posts above from carlfense in how I'm wrong and he's right about the ballistics.

 

I'm also not going to go back and read every post from this thread. My statement about your shooting ability wasn't a dig at you personally it was more of a blanket statement. Also, I guess I didn't realize a post was considered a rant, shows that you're just trying to attack everything I'm going to say because that's your mentality towards me apparently. Love how you threw the mod dig in there as if I'm using that on some level towards you, nice reach on your part.

 

Knapp, believe what you want about mental health care, you haven't proven to me that it isn't broken so the same can be said from my side.

[carlfense]

I'm also not going to go back and read every post from this thread.

That's fine . . . but I'm going to point out the ignorance reflected in your statement when you accuse me of wanting to "ban X" when I've said nothing of the sort.

 

My statement about your shooting ability wasn't a dig at you personally it was more of a blanket statement.

K.

 

Love how you threw the mod dig in there as if I'm using that on some level towards you, nice reach on your part.

Call it whatever you'd like.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

J.C. I didn't say you in wanted to ban X, that was the second part of my paragraph. That was what I was saying in reference to the ban firearms folks. That's why it was the second paragraph, the first was a direct response to you.

[carlfense]

J.C. I didn't say you in wanted to ban X, that was the second part of my paragraph.

Looked like it was all in reply to my 2:42 post. If that wasn't your intent then I apologize.

 

That's why it was the second paragraph, the first was a direct response to you.

I honestly didn't realize that the paragraph break indicated a change in direction. Proceed.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Listen, I don't have a problem with any of you guys, I'd buy you a beer and joke around with you no problem. I think we all want an answer to this question, but it's unclear what the answer is. I'm not a hardcore gun advocate, but I also don't know what the right answer is. I have my opinion on the matter just like all of you do and we have that right to our opinions and I'm not saying no one can change my mind, I'm just saying I have a hard line there where I personally think that mental health is the core of the issue, not just the weapons.

[knapplc]

Knapp, believe what you want about mental health care, you haven't proven to me that it isn't broken so the same can be said from my side.

 

I'm not the one saying poor mental health care is the reason we have mass shootings. That's your point, so you support it. It's not incumbent on me to disprove everything you throw out there - you need to support your argument. In the absence of that support the argument fails.

 

Question about this mental health thing - I've never heard anyone bring this up before as the root of the gun violence problem until Wayne Lapierre trotted this out in the recent hearings. How long has mental health care been the focus of this debate? Can anyone show me where this concept didn't stem from the head of the NRA once again trying to deflect blame for gun violence to anything but guns?

 

 

I agree about the Mod part. BRI isn't saying a THING about being a Mod. He's offering his opinion, and it's a copout to throw his Mod status at him. Just because he's a Mod doesn't mean he's not a member, and he has the same right to discuss this stuff as anyone else.

 

And I'll have a beer with you any time, BRI.

[rawhide]

In the same vein knapp,

 

Where is it a proven point that even "more" gun control will stop mass shootings?

 

yur a bitchin' mod too. I'm such a suckass.

[It'sNotAFakeID]

None of us have the answer, but what I can almost guarantee that there is not one issue at the core of this problem.

 

Do you guys think it is possible to predict who will engage in gun violence? If so, what are those predictors? And how are those predictors lined up? Are some of those predictors manifested right before that person partakes in gun violence? Or are some of those predictors characterlogical and just ingrained? Then what variables happen in between, potentially mediating some of the later manifesting variables? You want to understand gun violence, you better start answering those questions.

[Junior]

In the same vein knapp,

 

Where is it a proven point that even "more" gun control will stop mass shootings?

 

yur a bitchin' mod too. I'm such a suckass.

 

Australia.

[rawhide]

I don't really care about another country that doesn't have the same freedoms we enjoy today under our Constitution. just sayin' apples and oranges.

[Junior]

I don't really care about another country that doesn't have the same freedoms we enjoy today under our Constitution. just sayin' apples and oranges.

 

I wouldn't say apples and oranges. I would maybe say gala apples and fuji apples. Australia isn't exactly North Korea.

 

And it is really convenient to be able to ignore pertinent data by simply saying "well, it ain't 'murica, so F-em!"

[It'sNotAFakeID]

In the same vein knapp,

 

Where is it a proven point that even "more" gun control will stop mass shootings?

 

yur a bitchin' mod too. I'm such a suckass.

 

Australia.

 

No, Australia is a different country in the United States. We have a problem, you want to answer it, answer the questions from my post above using data from the USA.