Gun Control & todays events in Virginia....?

Question

A similar massacre to the Virginia massacre occured in Australia in 1996. 35 people were shot-dead by a mad-man. Prior to this occuring numerous other masacres had occured regularly in Australia (much like we see in the U.S.)....

The 1996 Australian incident (which was the worst single-shooter massacre in the world) led to a great change in Australia's gun laws. It is now time for America to look at doing the same..... Guns are bad and have a negative impact on society..... The American homicide rate far outnumbers that of other western countries something needs to be done...

Ever since guns laws have been tightened in Australia such events do not occur and gun violance has significantly fallen....

An increase in home break-ins.... due to guns being banned is a small price to pay for the thousands of lives that could be saved yearly. A problem such as an "increasing home break-in rate" could be easily controlled by having better home security and more policing on the streets (which in effect will bring down other forms of crime too...)

Answer 1

I'm also an Australian. It is very easy to comment on Americans laws and culture. I think that something clearly needs to be done in regards to gun laws. I agree that crazy people will always do crazy things, however, given the amount of yearly household accidents relating to guns, simply having easy access to guns taken away will save lives.
Here is something I just found:

Every hour in America, four people are killed by firearms. (Centers for Disease Control)

A gun in your home makes it three times more likely that you or someone you care about will be murdered by a family member or intimate partner (Kellerman,New England Journal of Medicine v329, n.15 1993)

Answer 2

Read up on the states who adopted the Right To Carry Laws. Their crime rate went DOWN. Criminals fear an armed population. Washington DC has the strictest gun laws and it's the murder capital. They claim it's because Virgina has lax laws and the criminals buy their guns there and go back to DC. Hmmm makes you think. If I live in Virgina and can have a gun then I can shoot someone robbing me or raping, or breaking in. The criminal knows that so he goes back to defenseless DC and has a field day. You cant keep guns out of a criminals hands. They are criminals and do not obey the law. It's that simple and easy to understand unless you're stupid or a anti gun nut or believe the anti gun liberals.
Just saw Violets answer. Sorry but the supposed reports by them, Brady's Gun Control group and others have been debunked by neutral party's. Remember what Hitler said, Tell a big enough lie and it will be believed. The center for disease control reports have been dismissed as false by the FBI who reports FACTUAL numbers. Perhaps all the anti gun nuts should read the FBI reports.

Answer 3

I consider this more in a school shooting genre because of the likelihood of the first two victims being an ex gf and her new bf and the fact that this person knew the campus (The Australia thing reminds me more of the Amish tragedy where it is a total stranger). However, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTH, THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS GUN OBSESSION. Think about what the admendment states it basically states for MILITARY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND ETC. to have guns. NOT FOR EVERY BILLYBOB IN MISSISSIPPI TO HAVE A SMALL ARMORY IN HIS HOME.

However, the guns used here at LEAST AT THIS POINT ARE BEING REPORTED AS ILLEGALLY OBTAINED so ALL THE GUN LAWS IN THE WORLD CANNOT STOP THIS WAY OF OBTAINING THEM. HOW MANY PEOPLE GO OUT TO KILL SOMEONE AFTER REGISTERING THE GUN AND DOING THE "RIGHT WAY" VERY FEW, maybe the crime of passion, etc. but not in MOST PREMEDITATED ATTACKS (OR BY STREET GANGS, CAREER CRIMINALS, ETC)

Answer 4

Guns are not necessarily bad, just the people who use them. In lots of cases guns kill people but it takes a human hand to pull the trigger. I am not condoning what happened today in Virgina in any shape form and or fashion. While guns may unfortunately take a life, some lives have been saved by the use of a firearm. Laws in the United States need to be re-worked to only allow law abiding citizens to have one, but this is almost impossible due to the sheer number of guns that can be easily obtained.

Answer 5

I disagree with your vote to mandate gun control in the United States. Not only is our second amendment, but the control that has been placed now is doing more harm than good. Here in Texas over a decade ago we had a madman drive his truck into a Luby's restaurant and start randomly shooting people. A lady who later spoke in the state congress on allowing Texans to have the right to conceal and carry a firearm had a .38 revolver in her purse, but due to the restraints of the law at that time she was unable to carry her purse into the restaurant with her, and she watched helplessly as the man shot and killed her mother and father. I now hold a carry/conceal license in the state of Texas, as does my wife. There are bad people in this world, and no amount of "gun control " is going to stop someone who wants to make a statement , rob a bank, hold up a convenience store, mug the little old lady, or just demonstrate how bad of a day they are having with a gun. Once guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have them.

Answer 6

The LIBERALS had just stripped the campus police of their weapons and outlawed students carrying weapons. WHEN GUNS ARE OUTLAWED - - - ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE GUNS As Benjamin Franklin so aptly put it:: a well armed society is a polite society.
As I understand it Australia has had a marked increase in home burglaries since the crackdown.
I have lived in situations where most people carried weapons, and it is true, people are more polite. I would never want to see weapons outlawed. Existing weapons laws and penalties should be firmly enforced, that is all we need. Here in the US our constitution guarantees the right to have weapons. It was wise that our founding fathers put it in and wise to keep it. In their writings they believed that government should fear the people, not the other way around. Plus in this day of terrorism and increasing desire to conquest other countries, "they" might get here, but the only way they will "stay" here is "dead".

Answer 7

here we go if the gun is outlawed only fools got guns ,what ccrap ,possesion of a gun [making arms and ammo] kills 20,000 americans every year
if only crims got guns then all those with guns can shoot back, where you think the crims get thier guns from now ,they steal them ,or steal to buy them , the old clap trap of only criminals habving guns is a lie
crims dont get permits to own guns
right now criminals and gun opwners are the same right
a criminal has the right to own a gun

under gun law only no criminals get the right
stay clean is an incentive to get to keep a gun
commit a crime you loose the right
its total farcical
,i feel they have a gun shoot them before they shoot you ,
you trust law or trust a gun
grow up gun owners got no balls ,frightened fearfilled gun owners delusioned that having a gun keeps them safe,
its what kills so many americans ,putting faith in a gun ,a child fear filled drug crazed loon can get one
fools need guns , fear filled girlly girls need a big bad gun ,to make them feel safe ,poor fools

Answer 8

Self Control not Gun Control.

Answer 9

Your numbers are false, your an outright liar or your ignorant.

Gun control causes crime. Gun control has never worked anywhere so why cite it as a solution? Gun control is for Stalin and Hitler, not free Americans.

I think it was a tragedy first and foremost and my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

The killer alone caused the crime, but the high number of victims is directly caused by gun control. The Virginia Tech killer never registered his gun, so why cite registration as a solution?

They were just sitting ducks with no way to defend themselves much like the victims of Colin Ferguson. Concealed-carry advocates warned us all long ago to expect tragedies like this as long as we have gun control.

When only criminals have guns the rest of us can only ponder tactics like "notifications." Up to two million Americans defend themselves with guns and citizens with guns legally kill two times as many would-be killers as do police!

In a state where concealed-carry is allowed or promoted, the loss of life could have been much less. He may have shot one or two, but a concealed-carrier would have dispatched him right quick.

Sadly there is no way to prevent a killer with a gun. In tribal Africa where there are no manufactured guns, tribesman make them from pipes and rubber-bands so clearly gun control is not the answer. You can make a gun out of wood in an hour! He could have stabbed just as many with a knife.

Since you will never stop the OFFENSE, we must allow ourselves a DEFENSE. We are not all of one culture anymore, so violence will only increase.

HB 1572 was a Virginia state bill to allow college students to carry arms on campus to protect themselves from tragedies like what happened at Virginia Tech. The bill was defeated

The spokesman for Virginia Tech was happy to hear the bill [HB 1572] was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

The fact is NOT passing the bill allowing students to defend themselves caused many more deaths. States that pass concealed-carry laws experience lower crime rates, Texas is a good example of this.

The only way to prevent these killing rampages is concealed-carry. Would you rather protect yourself or wait for the folly of police or school "notification?”

Answer 10

It is still up to the legislature to protect the second amendment...the right to bare arms. If guns are outlawed, outlaws will still have guns. Gun control, to some point, yes. But it still won't stop the crazy people from killing people.