Gun control?

Question

After the tragic shootings yesturday gun lobbyists are saying that gun control should be RELAXED. This seems insane to me. They claim that if the students had been allowed to carry guns then they would have been able to defend themselves, I think it would have lead to further panic and with panic probably more deaths as people would have shot in terror, it would probably have lead to a mass shoot out in my opinion.

I agree that things like this would continue to happen without guns, but a gun is a lot harder to stand up to than a knief for instance.

I agree that things like this would continue to happen without guns, but a gun is a lot harder to stand up to than a knief for instance.

I agree that things like this would continue to happen without guns, but a gun is a lot harder to stand up to than a knief for instance.

I agree that things like this would continue to happen without guns, but a gun is a lot harder to stand up to than a knief for instance.

Yes it is just my "stupid opinion" but it was also an invitation for others to offer there opinions. Sorry, I thought the question was implicit, I should have spelt it out for you!

Answer 1

I agree with you completely.

I own several firearms. I was trained in their proper handling in the U.S. Army. There are appropriate places for them. A college dorm is not one of those places.

If the students had firearms, and used them, there would be many more deaths/injuries due to frightened, panic stricken students shooting at anything that might be perceived as a threat.

The current state of gun control is fine. It's not the issue. If guns were completely outlawed, people wanting to kill other people will still find a way.

Answer 2

It is the personal belief of mine that gun control does not and will not every work. Now, although the gun ban info you have is quite intriguing it does not mean it is true. I am spending alot of my time to verify all that you said to further my argument that gun control does not work. What I can say that a victim that fires back LIVES LONGER. That is the truth because that person ahas something to defend themeselves with. If the people in all the countries listed were to have had guns and the government still tried to kill them they would ahve been met with armed resistance and a there would eb a much smaller body count. I dont want to venture far from topic but when the colonists fought for the freedom of the colonies to give us America there was the Minutemen (Militia) and the Military. The militia was almost entirely armed with Kentucky Long Rifles while the military was armed with smooth bore muskets. The long rifle was rifled which made the bullet go straiter and it went farther. When our forefathers wrote the Bill of Rights it was their intent to make sure that that always stayed the same that the US citizens had equal footing with that of a government controled miltiary incase the US government became corrupt the citizens could fight back.

Answer 3

There is not going to be any gun control in the USA. Most Americans believe they have the right to bear arms. Even if the wording of the Constitution is not exact on this matter, since most Americans believe they have the right to bear arms, they are not ever going to give up that right. Politicians who think they can control this 'right' had really better think before they leap into the burning pit.

We have enough gun crime here in UK, so I do not want people here anyway, just being able to have guns.

The Revolutionary Americans fought and won a major victory, finally defeating the British. What it says in the American Constitution is for the Americans to interpret.

Okay, so back in 1776 the idea of a gun [arms] was a heavy weapon called a musket. This weapon in the hands of a Red Coat [a professional front line soldier] would take on average about 20 second to load. It could probably be done quicker but this usually meant firing with the ram rod still inside the barrel of the weapon.

Since 1776 the 'gun' has become a weapon of mass killing and can be fired almost endlessly at will.

Do please try and bear these things in mind when talking about the right to bear arms. What Georgian Americans of 200+ years ago understood by 'arms' [the gun] is quite different from what we actually have available today.

Answer 4

Before today I would always say guns should banned except for the armed forces. The police being armed at all times was just something I hadn't got around to really thinking about very hard.
Then today I was doing my usual flicking through yahoo questions and came across a question from a gun hater, the question was pointing out that USA had the highest rate of gun crime in the world!!
I just thought, well everyone knows that don't they?
I then did a flick through the answers this question had received, (mainly from irate Americans).
One guy had produced statistics released from the CIA, or FBI.
I cant find the thing again now, but I did make a note of these figures! These figures based on a per population of 100, 000 in each country and relate soley on gun crimes!!
Germany 8179
France 6316
UK (that's us folks)!!7206
USA 5278
There were some higher and some lower but the UK who don't have guns (do we)? are well on top of the list of gun crimes.
If you have a couple of hundred quid in your pocket you can buy a gun, unmarked unregistered, no questions asked!! Why would anyone want to do that? Certainly not to go duck shooting. .
It's true not all guns in the USA are registered, but most have been at one time and are traceable eventually.
So having settled that in my little mind it's doing my head in and I still dont know if I'm for or against.
Also I havent really addressed your question which was basically, ' should all those students have been allowed to carry guns'?
Imagine this scene, we know there is lots of bullying going on at school, UK , (I dont know about USA) and no matter what the so called 'authorities ' may say about having it under control, they dont have it under control do they?
Lets assume all these students are armed, if I was a skinny little nerd being bullied by a very large ugly kid, and I had a gun I would eventually snap and blow his f'ing head off.
If I was in a situation as the unfortunate American students were in then whether I was armed or not I would be very busy cra*ping myself. So my answer to your specific question is no, I dont think students should all be armed.

Answer 5

This is a terrible and tragic event and I mourn for the lost students and feel for the parents, as many felt for those in the UK when a lunatic went into a primary school in Dunblane.

Trying to find some sense out of this I searched "GUN DEATHS INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS" hoping to find supporting statistics to show that:-

the USA is -the most violent country-

As many here in Europe believe, and it is the US's phobia of being without this last means of defence (guns for all who want them) that is the root cause of all this horror. Also in the USA's Government there is a terrible inertia built in to the American psychy of not wanting to mess with the Gun Law status quo / or the polictically powerful NRA and gun lobby groups.

Of course it was naieve of me as it is not a straight forward argument - many have been this way before and each faction has there own spin on the awful statistics of death by gun violence. I do know though in many states of the US with a driving licence I (a UK citizen) can walk into a gun store and order "HEAVY DUTY MACHINE GUN" that could grace the gun turret of a tank and be the pride of an armed revolt.

WHY OH WHY would any private citizen possibly need to own such a thing. I understand that some do ( 'cos they are obsessed with the things) but there is no possible justification for heavy calibre weapons like that - nor should they be so readily available ( a phycological profile at least!!) at some point some political leader has got to say.....


"OK we've tried it this way and it OBVIOUSLY IS NOT WORKING..... lets try something else so our kids can grow up without this terrible fear of being gunned down in the street.............. " HOPEFULLY

Answer 6

It was a tragic situation, sadly the follow on will be a goldmine for lawyers , they will play on the fact the the authorities knowingly put the lives of all the students in jeopardy, by not vacating the university or putting out a general warning to barricade the doors until the culprit had been apprehended, to let him run around after he had already killed two innocents and then rampaged on to kill even more, if I was a parent , I would sue them for every penny for not protecting the life of my child better than they did, my thoughts are with these parents , but the clowns who did not take control of the situation could surely have prevented the massacre if handled better, they should lose thier jobs in the least.

Answer 7

Those lunatics who claim that this would have happened anyhow are the sort of lobotimised Americans who rule the country, the fact is that guns are made for one reason only and that is to kill. As for defending themselves this is the mentality that had millions of Americans buying hand guns to defend themselfs againt the snipers a few years ago, hand guns only have a range of a few feet despite the fantasies projected in films and the snipers were using rifles which could kill from around 2 miles so what defense would hand guns be against a sniper.

Answer 8

I think everybody should be armed with a less concequencal weapon. Were talking about a weapon that can kill somebody and we have to remember, that the peron has family and friends. These people may be bad people but it doesn't mean their family and friends are. Its harder than you think to turn your back on your own blood, some people just can't do it.
I think that EVERYBODY should be armed with pepper spray. This is very effective and not dangerous. It means that you can spray your attackers eyes, which will give you time to get away. They won't be able to see you. You will then have control of the situation. Being armed with guns isn't the only way to protect yourself. Its sending a message to young people that its okay to use them. Its not.
Guns should be used in emergency situations by people who know how to use them i.e: Police Officers. There is more to guns, than pressing a button. Its wear you shoot the person that could make all the difference.

Answer 9

You are demonstrably correct in your opinion. But in their opinion "Gun Control" = "Hold the handstock, pull the trigger."

There are more guns in America than people and 3 or 4 million more (or is 30-40?) per year, so a good social education is probably the best long term solution, with "demonstrable need" for a licence.

Have a look at Australia's (yay!) gun laws, and in particular what Victoria did after her spree killings a few years ago (gun buy backs, and banning certain types of weapons).

The 2nd Amendment will never likely be repealed though.

Answer 10

For gun control, I'd use the handle. And to operate, the trigger. And what else were the lobbyists going to say ? They are lobbyists. By all accounts Norway and Canada have very high levels of gun ownership, but not the same levels of shootings...

See Bowling for Colombine to promote futher ideas on why these types of incidences seem to occur mostly in the USA.

Answer 11

As a brit i can say that i think the US gun laws are INSANE. This move by pro-gun campaigners to RELAX gun laws to me is complete madness. Are you actually suggesting that there should be WEAPONS in a place of Learning?!? I think that as the republicans are clearly not going to let go of their guns, that SECURITY at schools and universities should be improved. I agree with the poster of this in the opinion that if there had been students with weapons to "defend themselves" most would probably have hurt themselves/innocents. In addition, are these trigger-happy lobbyists suggesting that students should have carried their weapon to CLASS. I'm sorry, but i think that the gun laws should be tightened, at least that way violence is reduced to knives and good ol' fistycuffs - things which are generally less lethal than a gun. Although the level of knife crime also disgusts me.

I hate to say it, as believe it or not, in many respects i have a great respect for the american people, but this "right to carry a weapon" is as viable to me as a "right to shoot someone i dont like". If these weapons weren't avaliable in the first place, maybe things like this wouldnt happen. Suggesting that the students should also carry weapons would just enter this violence into a vicious circle - i get a knife, you get a pistol, i get an UZI, you get an high calibre rifle.... etc etc you know what i mean!

I offer my condolences to those members of the US's future professional elite who have lost their lives.