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Thoughts and Prayers!!!


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I was at a Rite-Aid pharmacy in Florida a couple years ago, killing time waiting for a prescription. Went to the magazine rack, where I found the usual People and Sports Illustrated magazines, a few lifestyle and automotive magazines, beauty, health and fitness magazines. And 12 magazines devoted to guns and ammo. I know, because I counted them. Beautiful, glossy magazines filled with articles and advertisements that celebrated the engineering and aesthetics of the firearms, with subtle hints of doomsday prepper running through everything. One had a two page spread advertising  a silencer that showed a field at dusk with two guys in night vision goggles on one side, a shadowy figure on the other, and the headline "The only sound you'll hear is the body hitting the ground."


What is that scenario? Who do you think you are and why are they creating this fantasy for you?

 

Why are there 12 gun publications being sold in the family pharmacy, far more than beauty, sports and celebrity magazines? 

 

Before we talk about restricting guns, we need to figure out why America has turned them into a near sexual fetish. 

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11 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

I was at a Rite-Aid pharmacy in Florida a couple years ago, killing time waiting for a prescription. Went to the magazine rack, where I found the usual People and Sports Illustrated magazines, a few lifestyle and automotive magazines, beauty, health and fitness magazines. And 12 magazines devoted to guns and ammo. I know, because I counted them. Beautiful, glossy magazines filled with articles and advertisements that celebrated the engineering and aesthetics of the firearms, with subtle hints of doomsday prepper running through everything. One had a two page spread advertising  a silencer that showed a field at dusk with two guys in night vision goggles on one side, a shadowy figure on the other, and the headline "The only sound you'll hear is the body hitting the ground."


What is that scenario? Who do you think you are and why are they creating this fantasy for you?

 

Why are there 12 gun publications being sold in the family pharmacy, far more than beauty, sports and celebrity magazines? 

 

Before we talk about restricting guns, we need to figure out why America has turned them into a near sexual fetish. 

Trump Laughs at Supporter’s Proposal to Shoot Immigrants

 

Quote

President Trump chuckled and joked when a supporter at his Florida rally suggested shooting immigrants as a way to decrease migrant crossings at the southern U.S. border on Wednesday night.

 

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2 hours ago, JJ Husker said:

Has it been reported what kind of gun(s) were used in this latest Highlands Ranch school shooting? I'm assuming it has been reported and I missed it because people are clamoring for gun control. Or are those who are calling for gun control moments after a tragedy like this desiring a ban on all guns?

 

I'm not opposed to making many types of guns harder, if not impossible, to get but it seems shouting "gun control" will only be effective if the pleas for it align with the weapons used.

 

However, my first thought about what needs to be fixed is what is causing these people to increasingly want to commit these heinous acts. I'm all for a ban on assault type, rapid fire guns that can do so much damage so quickly but the much larger issue would be working on ways to identify and prevent whatever is causing these people to do this. If we take away all guns it would make it a little tougher but imo they will still find a way to inflict their senseless damage. Guns aren't the root cause, they just make it easier and increase the carnage.

 

A good place to start would be making it so we can actually research the effects of gun violence again. The chuckleheads running our country STILL won't allow government funds for the CDC to do this.

 

And yeah, I can't imagine anyone but the gun nuts would be opposed to tougher restrictions governing things like AR-15s and high-capacity semi-automatic rifles. Of course they always roll in whenever it's proposed online to graciously explain to use how ignorant the rest of us are and why it's a bad idea.

 

It seems like you're getting at towards the end would be things like improving mental health funding. Of course this is what we always hear from the GOP after one of these shootings because they would never propose restricting gun rights at all. But they're hypocrites, because behind all of their flowery talk they slash funding for mental healthcare.

 

I don't know how more plainly to put this. Yes, liberals need reined in at times, because some of them get overzealous in their gun control efforts. But the financial corruption and utter callousness of the Republican Party is the sole reason nothing gets done on this front in this country.

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Shooting at K-State today. Got a text from a friend holed up in the library. Everything ended up okay, nobody's seriously injured as far as I heard but I realized what a gut wrenching and visceral thing that is to receive from someone.

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48 minutes ago, Danny Bateman said:

 

A good place to start would be making it so we can actually research the effects of gun violence again. The chuckleheads running our country STILL won't allow government funds for the CDC to do this.

 

And yeah, I can't imagine anyone but the gun nuts would be opposed to tougher restrictions governing things like AR-15s and high-capacity semi-automatic rifles. Of course they always roll in whenever it's proposed online to graciously explain to use how ignorant the rest of us are and why it's a bad idea.

 

It seems like you're getting at towards the end would be things like improving mental health funding. Of course this is what we always hear from the GOP after one of these shootings because they would never propose restricting gun rights at all. But they're hypocrites, because behind all of their flowery talk they slash funding for mental healthcare.

 

I don't know how more plainly to put this. Yes, liberals need reined in at times, because some of them get overzealous in their gun control efforts. But the financial corruption and utter callousness of the Republican Party is the sole reason nothing gets done on this front in this country.

 

I totally agree with your summary of why nothing ever gets done. But I also think cries for gun control in the midst of these tragedies is doing as much to harden people against the idea as it is doing any good. And I think the root cause is whatever is causing these shooters to go that route. Guns, especially AR-15 and the like, are the tool that makes it easy and so deadly but I don't think it's wise to ignore the fact there are people operating those guns and that is the most basic problem needing attention. And yes we should be focusing on fixing both issues.

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2 minutes ago, JJ Husker said:

I totally agree with your summary of why nothing ever gets done. But I also think cries for gun control in the midst of these tragedies is doing as much to harden people against the idea as it is doing any good.

 

What's the appropriate amount of time to wait?  A few weeks?  By that time, there's another tragedy.  

 

So, if we aren't going to talk about them "in the midst of the tragedies" we will never talk about them.


This is the NRAs strategy.  

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36 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

 

What's the appropriate amount of time to wait?  A few weeks?  By that time, there's another tragedy.  

 

So, if we aren't going to talk about them "in the midst of the tragedies" we will never talk about them.


This is the NRAs strategy.  

 

Good point. 

 

 

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There's a civil war within the NRA right now. 

 

There's also a civil war within the American government on whether to remain a functioning Republic. 

 

There's also a civil war among the American public on our President: a gift from God or wretched excuse for a human being?

 

There's also a civil war within the Democratic Party.

 

It sounds like Ragnarok, but maybe this is long overdue. We need to figure out who we want to be. 

 

Interesting times. That's for sure. 

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48 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

 

What's the appropriate amount of time to wait?  A few weeks?  By that time, there's another tragedy.  

 

So, if we aren't going to talk about them "in the midst of the tragedies" we will never talk about them.


This is the NRAs strategy.  

Oh I think immediately is appropriate when the guns used in the crime are the same type of weapons people want to control. In this particular case it was handguns. Are basic handguns what people in this thread are wanting to ban?  There's a pretty big difference in the discussion if it's AR-15 assault style rifles or if it's just any old gun. I think one might be possible to get some consensus but, if it's any and all guns, we're all just wasting our breath. A whole bunch of people in this country will resist that. And when the pleas for gun control fall in that arena, the resistance to any change only will increase.

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3 minutes ago, JJ Husker said:

Are basic handguns what people in this thread are wanting to ban? 

 

Depends on the person, but the question presumes those wanting a ban intend to stop gun violence. I think everyone knows a full stop is unrealistic. At this point, I think most people are interested in just slowing the epidemic down.

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1 minute ago, JJ Husker said:

Oh I think immediately is appropriate when the guns used in the crime are the same type of weapons people want to control. In this particular case it was handguns. Are basic handguns what people in this thread are wanting to ban?  There's a pretty big difference in the discussion if it's AR-15 assault style rifles or if it's just any old gun. I think one might be possible to get some consensus but, if it's any and all guns, we're all just wasting our breath. A whole bunch of people in this country will resist that. And when the pleas for gun control fall in that arena, the resistance to any change only will increase.

I don't think the majority of people are for banning hand guns.  

 

The bigger issue, at least for me, is who is allowed to have access to guns and how do we limit it?  The most sane and responsible person in the world won't hurt someone with an AR.  But, put that same AR in the hands of someone unstable, and you have problems.  Now, the question is, how do you recognize who is unstable and how do you limit their access?  The NRA doesn't even want to consider that question.  They convince gun owners that those bleeding heart liberals will try to convince everyone that all gun owners are crazy.

 

And...like what was said earlier, we need to study why people in our society want to do this.  Again, NRA doesn't want that studied.

 

 

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19 minutes ago, JJ Husker said:

Are basic handguns what people in this thread are wanting to ban?  

 

I'd say overwhelming majority of people aren't trying to or interested in banning handguns.

 

But "banning" nonsensibly easy access to and reckless ownership of them with no accountability or standards, yes. Let's ban those things.

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The analogy was made with automobile safety. Cars accidents were killing 50,000 Americans a year. The government conducted studies on the issue, and working together with auto manufactures, road builders, and ancillary technologies, we significantly reduced fatalities, saving tens of thousands of lives. 

 

The NRA and its Congressmen refused to let us even study the issue.

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1 hour ago, BigRedBuster said:

I don't think the majority of people are for banning hand guns.  

 

The bigger issue, at least for me, is who is allowed to have access to guns and how do we limit it?  The most sane and responsible person in the world won't hurt someone with an AR.  But, put that same AR in the hands of someone unstable, and you have problems.  Now, the question is, how do you recognize who is unstable and how do you limit their access?  The NRA doesn't even want to consider that question.  They convince gun owners that those bleeding heart liberals will try to convince everyone that all gun owners are crazy.

 

And...like what was said earlier, we need to study why people in our society want to do this.  Again, NRA doesn't want that studied.

 

 

 

I agree, I don't think anywhere near a majority want to ban handguns or all guns. That is why I think it is counterproductive to immediately go to "gun control" everytime a tragedy occurs. I think it hardens some people's stance against any type of gun control and causes more people to join them. But I also understand why it comes up everytime because, even when it is an assault rifle, the gun lobby and NRA and certain politicians go into overdrive protecting their cash cow. It's a catch 22, talk about it at the wrong time and hurts efforts, don't consider it at all and nothing will happen and, even when it's warranted it gets twisted and ignored. I don't have a good solution other than we need to elect better people.

 

I agree the bigger issue is keeping any type of gun out of the wrong hands and banning certain types of guns that have no purpose other than mass carnage. I suppose there is a pretty large group that is going to resist any attempts, no matter how sensible. Seems it has to start by somehow weakening the gun lobby and the NRA. I don't have any answers that stand a chance of being implemented in the current climate.  All I know is something has to change because the current situation is not acceptable. Kids should not have to deal with this in schools....or on college campuses....or at concerts or malls or anywhere in a civilized community.

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