Gun Control

[Chad Feldheimer]

The data speaks for itself, I don't need an interpretation of the data. All it shows is that the violent crime rate went down after 1992, feel free to interpret it any way you feel fit.

and after 2004 when the ban ended. Twist it the direction you want it.

[larryselbows]

and after 2004 when the ban ended. Twist it the direction you want it.

Tell that to Tuscon, Aurora, and Newtown.

[Chad Feldheimer]

Tell that to Tuscon, Aurora, and Newtown.

So they all waited 7-8 years to buy assault weapons?

[larryselbows]

In the last 40 years, a legal gun owning individual has not shot down a person firing on innocents in events similar to Oregon, Aurora, and Newtown.

[larryselbows]

Mass murder on this scale cannot be committed with a knife. What better time for a call to action, based on evidence, than right now? Maybe many good Americans who supported the NRA will change their minds based on evidence, or they will please provide solid evidence that supports current policy. NRA policy should not be a form of religion, exempt from evidence.

[Chad Feldheimer]

Mass murder on this scale cannot be committed with a knife. What better time for a call to action, based on evidence, than right now? Maybe many good Americans who supported the NRA will change their minds based on evidence, or they will please provide solid evidence that supports current policy. NRA policy should not be a form of religion, exempt from evidence.

What action?

[Scat]

What better time for a call to action, based on evidence, than right now?

Actually, right now is the worst possible time. You're much more likely to go to the far opposite end of the spectrum when the incident is so fresh. There is no rationality at the moment, just raw emotion.

[bordelais7]

What action?

And what evidence?

[bordelais7]

Another weak example:

http://www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-ma...183593571.html

[bordelais7]

Actually, right now is the worst possible time. You're much more likely to go to the far opposite end of the spectrum when the incident is so fresh. There is no rationality at the moment, just raw emotion.

Patriot Act

[larryselbows]

Another weak example:

http://www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-ma...183593571.html

He didn't use his gun. I'm not knocking him though, I think he was right not to.

[bordelais7]

I don't really have a dog in the fight with your packing argument with Thriller so I'll trust you there. However, I stand by my mental health evaluations/references comments. I don't expect it to stop gun violence. Obviously. I'd have to be insanely naive to think so. But like any tighter regulations we have in society, it may be a deterrent and prevent a situation like we had in AZ where that silly **** was quite obviously as looney as a toon and never should have had one. With no mental health evaluation/references in place, Loughner was able to buy a gun just six weeks earlier. However, the morning of the shooting, a freakin' Walmart clerk had enough common sense not to sell him ammo because the dude just seemed off.

Yes, there will be many situations where these jerkoffs will find a gun regardless. But not in every case. There will be instances where some frustrated **** wants to fly off the handle and get a gun, won't be able to because he'll fail the mental health/references stage of the process, by which time he'll have cooled off anyway and wonder what the hell he was ever thinking to begin with. Or where, a major red flag may come up, like it very likely may have in Loughner's case, and in essence, homicides can be prevented.

Listen, some people just go to gun ranges. But at the end of the day, a gun is designed for one purpose. To kill or at least severely injure. I don't think it's asking a lot to make sure that people who purchase such WEAPONS are not crazy ****s.

I think that's a fair assessment. I believe the impact of such testing would be minimal, but would weed out some of the extremes.

[bordelais7]

He didn't use his gun. I'm not knocking him though, I think he was right not to.

One might say that he did exactly what he should have, and may have saved further rampage by his presence; others might say that's wishful thinking and his actions had no real effect. We'll never know for sure, but the timeline and account seems to indicate that the shooter realized he had reached the end of his sick road.

[bordelais7]

Did anybody else actually read this?

Nice find, Duck. A very interesting read.

I think the answer to that question is obvious.

[moevillini]

As a teacher who practices lockdowns a few times a year, I'm curious as to how much time elapsed from when the gunman entered the building and/or fired his first shot to when he entered that classroom. How much detail as to what went on in the building has been released?

it may have been in the NY Times article I quoted, or in a different article, but I read that he used the butt end of one of the guns to break in to the school and started shooting immediately

I'll try to find a link