you have two choices

[CoachKandSportsguy]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

[Keefelane66]

And, NRA Sues ATF Over New Pistol Stabilizing Brace Regulations.
There are an average of 100 shootings daily
So far this year there have been over 350 mass shootings.
Wish it wasn’t so.

[Whitley]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

Someone O'D's on opioids that they abuse. Two choices

Get rid of opioids or get rid of people

Get rid of the opioids so someone with addiction issues does not use it to kill themselves and others (DUI). Sure there are people who do not abuse opioids, or need them. Cancer patients. Legitimate pain patients. And there is one of the problems, punishing someone because of the actions of another. The person with the addiction will probably still get drugs, illegally, from a home lab etc..

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Someone O'D's on opioids that they abuse. Two choices

Get rid of opioids or get rid of people

Get rid of the opioids so someone with addiction issues does not use it to kill themselves and others (DUI). Sure there are people who do not abuse opioids, or need them. Cancer patients. Legitimate pain patients. And there is one of the problems, punishing someone because of the actions of another. The person with the addiction will probably still get drugs, illegally, from a home lab etc..

You have a point here, that you probably don't even realize you have.

Recreational drug users, use drugs for fun - until they're addicted, but they start out using it for fun. You don't see any advertisements recommending that folks take these drugs because it's a fun high (other than Viagra).

So maybe we need to get rid of the billboards in Florida that advertise how you too can use a real automatic weapon, at Jimbob's Range! You know the ones - with depictions of large-breasted women holding an AR-15 in a somewhat provocative pose.

Maybe we should stop looking at guns as "fun." And remember they're weapons, with the PRIMARY function being to kill. The "gun culture" is built up around guns being fun sporty things to use. I think this might be leading people to forget about the reason guns exist in the first place.

[fdpaq0580]

Someone O'D's on opioids that they abuse. Two choices

Get rid of opioids or get rid of people

Get rid of the opioids so someone with addiction issues does not use it to kill themselves and others (DUI). Sure there are people who do not abuse opioids, or need them. Cancer patients. Legitimate pain patients. And there is one of the problems, punishing someone because of the actions of another. The person with the addiction will probably still get drugs, illegally, from a home lab etc..

Apples and oranges? People become addicted to drugs. Are you also suggesting people are addicted to guns? If so, maybe to own a gun or purchase ammunition one would have to have a doctor prescription for same.

[Battlebasset]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

I grew up with guns, and used them in the military. I don't own one now as I don't really see the need. But that doesn't mean others who purchase them legally shouldn't have them.

I wish I could wave a magic wand and make them all go away. But they won't. So it is painfully simplistic to say "Ban guns", when anyone that wants one can get one, and even make one. What we should do is enforce the laws we have, and make any gun crime punishable by long prison sentence, up to and including life without parole/death penalty. And do a far better job when a person is identified as being mentally unstable, making sure they don't get guns.

[Stu from NYC]

Lots of villagers own guns and almost never do anything stupid with them.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

Good luck with that. It's impossible.

Remember what happened when we banned alcohol?

[Bogie Shooter]

Someone O'D's on opioids that they abuse. Two choices

Get rid of opioids or get rid of people

Get rid of the opioids so someone with addiction issues does not use it to kill themselves and others (DUI). Sure there are people who do not abuse opioids, or need them. Cancer patients. Legitimate pain patients. And there is one of the problems, punishing someone because of the actions of another. The person with the addiction will probably still get drugs, illegally, from a home lab etc..
Is this what is called a butism? But, but wait what about this………

[MrFlorida]

Shooting is a SPORT, and has lots of FUN events. I suggest you join a club and see what's it all about before condeming it.

[ThirdOfFive]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .
What is the point? I somehow doubt that getting rid of guns will cure stupidity.

[ThirdOfFive]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .
How?

[petsetc]

Just to add fuel to the fire .... remember, ATF is specifically prohibited from digitizing their records by Congress, making all requests for info to be done by hand using boxes of paper or scanned records. In fact, I just recently heard that ATF is the only Adobe client that pays extra to have the search function removed.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Is this what is called a butism? But, but wait what about this………

There is nothing called a butism.

You are referring to "whataboutism." The phrase has been around since the 1970's.

[Blueblaze]

If you waved your hand and all 300,000,000 guns in America suddenly vanished, the lunatic in the doctor's office would have simply whipped out his knife and murdered the Doctor.

So you pass "common sense" knife control, and suddenly all the knifes disappear -- and your lunatic in the doctor's office whips out his club and bludgeons the doctor to death.

So you pass "common sense" club control, and the lunatic chokes the doctor with his bare hands.

Is it starting to sink in yet?

Here's a better idea. What if we passed "common sense" LUNATIC control -- like we had when we were kids and the lunatics were kept in lunatic asylums and the murderers were simply executed?

There weren't any fewer guns when we were kids. Heck, in my Oklahoma hometown, every pickup had a rifle in the gun rack in the window. We just had fewer lunatics and murderers.

How about we try that again?

[Stu from NYC]

If you waved your hand and all 300,000,000 guns in America suddenly vanished, the lunatic in the doctor's office would have simply whipped out his knife and murdered the Doctor.

So you pass "common sense" knife control, and suddenly all the knifes disappear -- and your lunatic in the doctor's office whips out his club and bludgeons the doctor to death.

So you pass "common sense" club control, and the lunatic chokes the doctor with his bare hands.

Is it starting to sink in yet?

Here's a better idea. What if we passed "common sense" LUNATIC control -- like we had when we were kids and the lunatics were kept in lunatic asylums and the murderers were simply executed?

There weren't any fewer guns when we were kids. Heck, in my Oklahoma hometown, every pickup had a rifle in the gun rack in the window. We just had fewer lunatics and murderers.

How about we try that again?

Hang em high?

[Byte1]

Questions:
For those that wish to ban firearms, do you feel that you are a danger to society if you owned one?
Would you ban law enforcement and our military from the use of firearms?
Do you believe in the death penalty for First Degree/Premeditated murder?
If you or your spouse, child, family member or friend were being stabbed or raped, and the Perp. dropped a firearm or one was available, would you use it against that bad guy?
If you were being threatened with imminent murder by a gun or knife wielding subject and you knew a nearby civilian was carrying a concealed firearm, would you object to them using it to save you?
Do you feel that if you do not ban firearms that someone will force you to own one?
Just trying to get an idea of how anti-gun folks reason. I guess that since I have owned firearms since I was 13yo, I find it puzzling when folks seem to think that guns are more dangerous than criminals. I have surely owned or handled hundreds of firearms in my lifetime and not one of them left my control and gone on a murdering rampage. AND, I have never accidentally injured anyone with a firearm.
Some thoughts:
I am not a carpenter, but I use saws, hammers and drills.
I am not a professional race car driver, but I drive a car.
I am not a professional cook, but I use a very sharp knife in the kitchen.
I have had formal gun safety classes and instruction, but I know folks that have not that shoot better than me and understand gun safety as well.

[PilotGuy]

We don't have a gun problem, we have a people problem. Until that is addressed and fixed, it is not going to get any better.

[mtdjed]

Maybe we should stop looking at guns as "fun." And remember they're weapons, with the PRIMARY function being to kill. The "gun culture" is built up around guns being fun sporty things to use. I think this might be leading people to forget about the reason guns exist in the first place.

You are entitled to your opinion.

It should be noted that the topic being discussed is the illegal use of guns to kill a person.

I would think your use of "PRIMARY function being to kill" is far from correct. How many Villagers live in homes where there are guns? Some studies show that number to be 35% for all of Florida, and 46% in rural areas. How many of those persons have used a gun for the illegal "PRIMARY function being to kill" a person.

There are "sporty things" people do with guns. Target practice comes to mind as probably one of the more popular uses of guns and there is no killing. Shooting things at targets has been around since the beginning of time. Peas, snowballs, rocks, knives, darts, arrows, baseballs, basketballs and yes, bullets.

And there are also legal game hunting uses of guns that do kill legal targets.

All of the above is without intentional use of a gun to kill a person. That gets you down to your "PRIMARY function being to kill." There are legal reasons to protect yourself with a weapon.

There are illegal reasons to kill a person. That is the issue. Those persons that choose to do that can and will use drugs, knives, cars, hammers, fists or any other "weapon" available.

[Eg_cruz]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .
Maybe we should focus on fixing the hate in America. We are living in a time were hate among us is more and more common then kindness and care for each other.
Fix that and just maybe we will see less murders.
My 2023 saying is Be Better People.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Maybe we should focus on fixing the hate in America. We are living in a time were hate among us is more and more common then kindness and care for each other.
Fix that and just maybe we will see less murders.
My 2023 saying is Be Better People.

But, that's much harder to do than simply pulling the trigger.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

If you waved your hand and all 300,000,000 guns in America suddenly vanished, the lunatic in the doctor's office would have simply whipped out his knife and murdered the Doctor.

So you pass "common sense" knife control, and suddenly all the knifes disappear -- and your lunatic in the doctor's office whips out his club and bludgeons the doctor to death.

So you pass "common sense" club control, and the lunatic chokes the doctor with his bare hands.

Is it starting to sink in yet?

Here's a better idea. What if we passed "common sense" LUNATIC control -- like we had when we were kids and the lunatics were kept in lunatic asylums and the murderers were simply executed?

There weren't any fewer guns when we were kids. Heck, in my Oklahoma hometown, every pickup had a rifle in the gun rack in the window. We just had fewer lunatics and murderers.

How about we try that again?

Some might say that people who have rifles in the gun racks in the windows of their pickups are the lunatics. Maybe if they were all put into asylums, no one would need a gun to defend themselves in the first place, hm?

Also - knives have purposes other than killing people or animals. You can't fillet a chicken with a rifle. You can't trim your hedges with a Colt 45. You can't scrape a few errant drops of dried paint off the floor with a pistol. You can't perform surgery on a patient with a machine gun.

What can you do with a gun? You can - fire at a target. Or you can use it as a club to beat someone or something over the head. I suppose you can use it as a paperweight. But mostly - you can fire at a target. Whether the target is a person, animal, or a non-living inanimate object set up to see how well you can hit it - it involves a bullet, and bullets exist to cause damage, destruction, and death.

[Decadeofdave]

It's methamphetamine induced psychosis. I am not a doctor or an expert in anyway. These dopeheads want to fight anything and with everyone with no rationale. This is just like the 70's, inflation, war, car theft, murders, robberies, drugs, major clamp down needed.

[Stu from NYC]

Some might say that people who have rifles in the gun racks in the windows of their pickups are the lunatics. Maybe if they were all put into asylums, no one would need a gun to defend themselves in the first place, hm?

Also - knives have purposes other than killing people or animals. You can't fillet a chicken with a rifle. You can't trim your hedges with a Colt 45. You can't scrape a few errant drops of dried paint off the floor with a pistol. You can't perform surgery on a patient with a machine gun.

What can you do with a gun? You can - fire at a target. Or you can use it as a club to beat someone or something over the head. I suppose you can use it as a paperweight. But mostly - you can fire at a target. Whether the target is a person, animal, or a non-living inanimate object set up to see how well you can hit it - it involves a bullet, and bullets exist to cause damage, destruction, and death.

Lived in Roanoke Va for 30 years and about 90% of the county had weapons. It was a front page headline when a gun caused either injury or a death.

During hunting season many people would keep a rifle in their truck and after work or high school go hunting. How in the world does that make them lunatics? Your first sentence would be offensive to many people.

[Andyw]

Cars kill more then guns

[mikeycereal]

In the small neighborhood town where I grew up in (late 60s-80s) there were no police lights, almost no crime, no shootings or murder. We lived in our safe little bubble with little fear. All that dangerous stuff happened elsewhere. Very thankful that my parents chose such a safe place for us to grow up in.

I would love to continue that family tradition here. After 1 year SFSG.

[Ellwoodrick]

How can you rely on government to protect you. Yes there are many wonderful and caring police officers who will do their best at their job. The government that can't stop neighborhood crime, can't stop illegal drugs from coming across the borders, can's stop illegal immigrants from coming into the country. That can't stop organized crime. That can't stop constant battling between the two main parties in control to work together for the common good. I would much rather be able to protect my family if necessary than rely on the government when there is nothing else left. What do you think the criminals would do if there were no guns in the public's hands. Not a world I would want my grandchildren to inherit.

[jparsoneau@aol.com]

My choice would be to keep the guns and get rid of the idiots. But that’s going to be just as hard as getting rid of all the guns. Especially the guns from the criminals.

[ThirdOfFive]

How can you rely on government to protect you. Yes there are many wonderful and caring police officers who will do their best at their job. The government that can't stop neighborhood crime, can't stop illegal drugs from coming across the borders, can's stop illegal immigrants from coming into the country. That can't stop organized crime. That can't stop constant battling between the two main parties in control to work together for the common good. I would much rather be able to protect my family if necessary than rely on the government when there is nothing else left. What do you think the criminals would do if there were no guns in the public's hands. Not a world I would want my grandchildren to inherit.
Can't? Or won't?

Where there's a will there's a way. That was proven in New York: Guiliani did wonders for that city. He cleaned up a lot of the big stuff by clamping down on the little stuff; I recall a lot being said at the time about "arresting the jaywalkers" as his starting point. Sounds extreme, especially according to the (non) standards of today. But it worked.

The ONLY way to reduce crime is fair implementation of our laws across-the-board. Do the crime, do the time; sentences the maximum allowed, and NO plea-bargaining your way out the door. Free up prison and jail space by dumping that incredibly stupid war on drugs, and incarcerate the REAL criminals among us.

It will work. And it has nothing to do with banning guns.

[kendi]

We don't have a gun problem, we have a people problem. Until that is addressed and fixed, it is not going to get any better.

Exactly!! Need to get to the source of the problem.

[bp243]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

First of all, what an absolute shame. In reality, anyone shot to death with a gun has lost their precious life…whether a good, bad or otherwise person in your view!

Why do we have a driver’s license? In the simplest terms it’s to prove that we qualify to drive a car and to designate that our car belongs on the road. When someone proves incompetent regarding their driving record, their license can be removed. They may still continue driving w/o a license, but the message is clear that they are doing so illegally.

It seems that current gun owners object to this idea for guns. Why is that the case other than the second amendment which is clearly outdated for the times? Although I’ve heard every reason from gun owners, the reality is that losing precious lives continues to grow and if it’s someone you know then the pain of loss continues. Have you lost someone to a gun and if so, how do you feel about tighter qualifications to own one? Likewise, if you haven’t lost someone to a gun, what is the issue with proper controls to address the potential loss of a precious life?

[jedalton]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .
It's not the gun!

[ffresh]

If you waved your hand and all 300,000,000 guns in America suddenly vanished, the lunatic in the doctor's office would have simply whipped out his knife and murdered the Doctor.

So you pass "common sense" knife control, and suddenly all the knifes disappear -- and your lunatic in the doctor's office whips out his club and bludgeons the doctor to death.

So you pass "common sense" club control, and the lunatic chokes the doctor with his bare hands.

Is it starting to sink in yet?

Here's a better idea. What if we passed "common sense" LUNATIC control -- like we had when we were kids and the lunatics were kept in lunatic asylums and the murderers were simply executed?

There weren't any fewer guns when we were kids. Heck, in my Oklahoma hometown, every pickup had a rifle in the gun rack in the window. We just had fewer lunatics and murderers.

How about we try that again?

Excellent post; you left out one of the biggest reasons for gun carnage - psychotropic drugs (especially for minors). There are many sources but here is one:
Are psychotropic drugs actually linked to mass shootings? – CCHR International (https://www.cchrint.org/2013/04/17/are-psychotropic-drugs-actually-linked-to-mass-shootings/).

Fred

[Marmaduke]

So Yesterday, it was Climate Control and today it's Gun Control bait.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Lived in Roanoke Va for 30 years and about 90% of the county had weapons. It was a front page headline when a gun caused either injury or a death.

During hunting season many people would keep a rifle in their truck and after work or high school go hunting. How in the world does that make them lunatics? Your first sentence would be offensive to many people.

Yes and many posts here are also offensive to many people, but it doesn't stop any of you from posting.

[Marmaduke]

Headline beliw.. Can't argue with the real-time video, that occurred just yesterday!

You know Who was

"Whisked Away From Helsinki Airport in 40-Vehicle Motorcade Hours After Claiming Climate Change “The Single Greatest Threat to Humanity”

[bp243]

It's not the gun!

If it isn’t the gun, then do you agree that people should qualify in some way to own a gun, as people need to qualify to drive a car which is a lethal weapon as well?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

In the small neighborhood town where I grew up in (late 60s-80s) there were no police lights, almost no crime, no shootings or murder. We lived in our safe little bubble with little fear. All that dangerous stuff happened elsewhere. Very thankful that my parents chose such a safe place for us to grow up in.

I would love to continue that family tradition here. After 1 year SFSG.

Same here. And to my knowledge, none of my neighbors had guns. Most people I went to school with didn't have guns. A few had rifles because they lived on farms and needed them for when the coyotes got too close to the chicken coop but they used it sparingly. Freaking out the chickens with gunshots meant fewer eggs laid the next morning. And a few sometimes would go to the hunt club and bag themselves wild turkey for Thanksgiving dinner once a year. We had a friend of the family who was a supernumerary policeman, who had to leave his weapon in his car if he wanted to come into our house.

In college in Boston - I knew of no one who owned a firearm other than similar farm-raised students, who left them at their farms since they didn't need a rifle in the city. For personal protection, I had a knuckle-stick - which was illegal. It was on my keychain. About as thick as my thumb, four inches long, made of hard-wood with a metal rod going through it. If anyone tried giving me a hard time I'd shove it in their eye, or drive it into their leg. It wouldn't cut them but it could break a bone or pop an eye out. I'd recite Shakespeare out loud while walking to the 7-11 late at night for snacks, and gesticulated with my free hand while holding tight to the knuckle stick with the other hand. People thought I was one of the typical crazy people and stayed far away while I walked in any neighborhood I damn well felt like walking in. No firearm needed.

If they think you're crazier than they are, they won't bother you. It just requires a bit of confidence, and a lot of creativity. For people who lack confidence and creativity, there's firearms I guess.

[Whitley]

Apples and oranges? People become addicted to drugs. Are you also suggesting people are addicted to guns? If so, maybe to own a gun or purchase ammunition one would have to have a doctor prescription for same.

I am not making my point clearly, sorry. The vast majority of people who get their opioids from a doctor with a prescription are not the problem. The problem are those who do not follow the law and get the pills illegally. Saying we should prevent law abiding citizens from the right granted in the second amendment due to people who do not follow the law, is like saying we should ban opioids to cancer patients because others illegally obtain and use them.

[NoMo50]

If it isn’t the gun, then do you agree that people should qualify in some way to own a gun, as people need to qualify to drive a car which is a lethal weapon as well?

Apples and oranges. Driving a car is a privilege. Owning a firearm is a Constitutional right. Yes..there is a difference.

Would you be in favor of having to "qualify" to cast a vote? How about to exercise free speech? Or, going to the church of your choice? Get it?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I am not making my point clearly, sorry. The vast majority of people who get their opioids from a doctor with a prescription are not the problem. The problem are those who do not follow the law and get the pills illegally. Saying we should prevent law abiding citizens from the right granted in the second amendment due to people who do not follow the law, is like saying we should ban opioids to cancer patients because others illegally obtain and use them.

...and saying we should NOT regulate guns with stricter controls, better licensing and registration and background checks - using your example - would be like saying we should not require prescriptions for these drugs at all. Just have them available on the counter at the local Dollar Store.

[Whitley]

Some might say that people who have rifles in the gun racks in the windows of their pickups are the lunatics. Maybe if they were all put into asylums, no one would need a gun to defend themselves in the first place, hm?
.


I don't follow you. If we put law abiding citizens with a gun in a gunrack of their car in asylums, no one would need a gun to defend themself? I don't get it.

Those who commit violence using a gun are already breaking the law. Do you think they will follow new laws?

[Stu from NYC]

Yes and many posts here are also offensive to many people, but it doesn't stop any of you from posting.

My objection was to your post equating gun owners to lunatics. Do not own a gun but do think that was offensive to gun owners.

[Whitley]

Yes and many posts here are also offensive to many people, but it doesn't stop any of you from posting.

So you are ok lumping people into tribes or groups and saying offensive things because you find a post another made offensive.? You realize that is not productive.

[Whitley]

Headline beliw.. Can't argue with the real-time video, that occurred just yesterday!

You know Who was

"Whisked Away From Helsinki Airport in 40-Vehicle Motorcade Hours After Claiming Climate Change “The Single Greatest Threat to Humanity”

After catching up on the Nato summit I am left with a few questions;
Is the Aggressor country Iran, Russia, or Ukraine?
Is putin the good guy or bad guy?

After watching the p[ress last night I was more confused than ever.

[NoMo50]

The gun control debate will rage beyond our lifetimes, and there are passionate people on both sides. But, for those interested, remember that you can choose your opinions, but you don't get to choose your own facts.

Fact: You can lay a firearm on a table, and leave it there for 20 years, and it will not harm anyone until/unless it is manipulated by a human being.

Fact: The city of Chicago has more shootings over any given weekend than any other large city. They also have some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation...and, they have the lowest prosecution rate for gun crimes of any large city.

Fact: More people are killed each year in the USA, year after year after year, with blunt objects than with all types of rifles combined. Does that mean we should consider banning hammers, bats, lamps, clubs, etc?

Fact: If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.

Fact: Millions of people keep firearms for self protection. Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. For every news story about the illegal use of a firearm, there are hundreds of incidents where someone has used a firearm to save/protect a person or persons. Just because the media chooses not to report those incidents does not mean they did not happen.

I have owned firearms my entire life, starting with my first .22 rifle at age 10. I carried a firearm every day in service to my community for 34 years. I have never used a gun in an unlawful manner, nor have any of my friends. I know which side of this debate I stand on, but I will defend your right to believe differently. Just be honest with yourself if you are in the gun ban camp, and don't expect a good guy with a gun to come to your aid if the wolf is at your door.

[cjrjck]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

Go ahead. It's not that complicated. 2/3 of both houses of Congress must pass the amendment and then it has to be ratified by 3/4 of the state legislatures. Best place to start would probably be with your state representative, congressman, or one of Florida's two senators. My guess considering who they are you are not going to be too successful but that shouldn't deter you if you are that passionate about it.

[Whitley]

If it isn’t the gun, then do you agree that people should qualify in some way to own a gun, as people need to qualify to drive a car which is a lethal weapon as well?

QUalify "in some way" leaves a lot unanswered. There are some states where the qualification to own a cw are downright racist and elitest.

I have had a carry for NY, NYC, NJ and a few others. To get the NY and NYC license I had to go with my attorneys and spend thousands. I was able to do so, however others who live in horrible neighborhoods often times can not afford what needs to be done to qualify to own a gun. I lived in a gated, private police department community and had my own security on top of that. A person living in the bad section of Washington Heights could not get the license. It seems a bit unjust doesn't it?

[Whitley]

Same here. And to my knowledge, none of my neighbors had guns. Most people I went to school with didn't have guns. A few had rifles because they lived on farms and needed them for when the coyotes got too close to the chicken coop but they used it sparingly. Freaking out the chickens with gunshots meant fewer eggs laid the next morning. And a few sometimes would go to the hunt club and bag themselves wild turkey for Thanksgiving dinner once a year. We had a friend of the family who was a supernumerary policeman, who had to leave his weapon in his car if he wanted to come into our house.

In college in Boston - I knew of no one who owned a firearm other than similar farm-raised students, who left them at their farms since they didn't need a rifle in the city. For personal protection, I had a knuckle-stick - which was illegal. It was on my keychain. About as thick as my thumb, four inches long, made of hard-wood with a metal rod going through it. If anyone tried giving me a hard time I'd shove it in their eye, or drive it into their leg. It wouldn't cut them but it could break a bone or pop an eye out. I'd recite Shakespeare out loud while walking to the 7-11 late at night for snacks, and gesticulated with my free hand while holding tight to the knuckle stick with the other hand. People thought I was one of the typical crazy people and stayed far away while I walked in any neighborhood I damn well felt like walking in. No firearm needed.

If they think you're crazier than they are, they won't bother you. It just requires a bit of confidence, and a lot of creativity. For people who lack confidence and creativity, there's firearms I guess.

So you carried this "knucklestick". An illegal knucklestick. Don't you see the slightest bit of hypocrisy here? You being ok with carrying an illegal item for protection.

[Heytubes]

I guess the folks that want gun registration missed the memo about how guns were confiscated via registration files during WW2 in Europe, (remember the Jews were left unarmed), as well as even in Cuba when Castro’s army went door to door with the registration files disarming the citizens. Our military oath as well as law enforcement contains the phrase, “from foreign AND domestic.” Guess some folks don’t understand that.

[Joe C.]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .
If they can't get a gun, then they'll probably get a knife. Bad people, intent on doing bad things will always be around. IMHO, responsible concealed carry can prevent or minimize these events, as the police always arrive too late.

[Gac57]

And, NRA Sues ATF Over New Pistol Stabilizing Brace Regulations.
There are an average of 100 shootings daily
So far this year there have been over 350 mass shootings.
Wish it wasn’t so.
How many have been killed by cars in the same time frame? Probably more killed by cars. Are you ready to go back to the horse and buggy?

[I'm Popeye!]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

How about bringing back the electric chair and USE it?
PS - Once in a while, I'll volunteer to pull the switch..

[mtdjed]

Some might say that people who have rifles in the gun racks in the windows of their pickups are the lunatics. Maybe if they were all put into asylums, no one would need a gun to defend themselves in the first place, hm?

Also - knives have purposes other than killing people or animals. You can't fillet a chicken with a rifle. You can't trim your hedges with a Colt 45. You can't scrape a few errant drops of dried paint off the floor with a pistol. You can't perform surgery on a patient with a machine gun.

What can you do with a gun? You can - fire at a target. Or you can use it as a club to beat someone or something over the head. I suppose you can use it as a paperweight. But mostly - you can fire at a target. Whether the target is a person, animal, or a non-living inanimate object set up to see how well you can hit it - it involves a bullet, and bullets exist to cause damage, destruction, and death.

Bows and arrows must be on your list of things to ban also. How about fishing rods? Spears, swords, javelins, etc.

Whether you accept it or not, shooting things at targets is as a universal human activity. It is a sport and the things that are projected are not evil.

[Joe C.]

Gun violence ......GUN violence ...... GUN VIOLELNCE.
That's all you hear and read about. More people are killed by vehicles in this country than by guns, yet you don't hear about CAR violence. After they flew those airplanes into the trade center, you didn't hear about Airplane violence, did you? That's because those leftists don't want to get rid of cars or planes because so they use them. They want to blame "the gun" and not the person.
Learn some critical thinking.

[Cybersprings]

First of all, what an absolute shame. In reality, anyone shot to death with a gun has lost their precious life…whether a good, bad or otherwise person in your view!

Why do we have a driver’s license? In the simplest terms it’s to prove that we qualify to drive a car and to designate that our car belongs on the road. When someone proves incompetent regarding their driving record, their license can be removed. They may still continue driving w/o a license, but the message is clear that they are doing so illegally.

It seems that current gun owners object to this idea for guns. Why is that the case other than the second amendment which is clearly outdated for the times? Although I’ve heard every reason from gun owners, the reality is that losing precious lives continues to grow and if it’s someone you know then the pain of loss continues. Have you lost someone to a gun and if so, how do you feel about tighter qualifications to own one? Likewise, if you haven’t lost someone to a gun, what is the issue with proper controls to address the potential loss of a precious life?

1. The second amendment is no more outdated than the first. The author's never imagined TV, the internet, social media, etc. However, the concept is still as relevant and needed today as it was in 1776.
2. So, if someone proves incompetent, their drivers license can be revoked. Driving in the villages or I75, you know that is not generally the case, but we can play along. You admit someone can still drive after losing their license, but it would be illegal. How many times a day does someone die from an accident caused by someone without a license or a suspended license. I would bet quite a few. So if someone lost their right to carry a weapon via whatever process you are proposing, yet they want to kill someone, you think the penalty for murder would not disuade them, but the penalty for possession of firearm without a license would? Really? Really? Why can't gun grabbers understand that laws restricting possession or ownership of fireharms only hurts law abiding citizens who would not be committing murder? It has ZERO effect on someone who wants to commit a crime with the firearm.

[GATORBILL66]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

That's exactly what Hitler and Stalin did, they took the guns away from the people and only the bad guys had guns.

[dougjb]

Other countries with the same historic wild west attitude as the USA have banned guns...successfully. For example, both Australia and New Zealand have pretty much resolved their gun issue by making the possession of guns illegal unless properly registered (and that is really hard to do in those countries).

In the UK, you can be in the extreme southeast of the country and if there is a shooting of a person in Northern Scotland (as far away as you can get from SE England), you hear about it on the national news. Here, you don't hear of murders occurring through the use of guns in the next community over.

As far as sports are concerned, there is a huge difference between handguns and long rifles. What hunting event involves handguns? None. At best they are used for target practice...or maybe shooting up your neighbors. The use of them as protective devices is vastly overrated. Most wind up being stolen or used to commit suicide by their owners. Rarely are these guns ever used to protect one's life or property. By the time you get to them, the robber has taken it away from you and used it on you or it has now become the property of the robber.

Here is one proposed solution: All firearms must be registered. Failure to register them is a felony offense subject to a jail sentence. Once registered, the owner is responsible for all the activities of that gun, including all crimes, whether the original owner of the gun sells the gun (without a proper transfer of registration) or if it is stolen.

In my neighborhood in the Villages, a neighbor reported that a handgun they had in their unlocked car in an unlocked glove box was pilfered overnight when they left their car out in the driveway. Some of the responses of the neighbors was, So what...its only a gun!. In my estimation, that neighbor should be held responsible criminally and financially for any crimes then committed by the pilferer.

Stringent requirements: Yup! But, we are not going to get rid of these continous mass murders and less than mass shootings if all we can do is wring our hands and suggest the second amendment says we can do nothing. Believe it or not, since the Bill of Rights was ratified in the 18th Century, the Supreme Court heard only three cases implicating the Second Amendment until the mid 1990's. In each of those cases, it was held the government had a right to restrict ownership/possession of firearms. In a 5-4 decision, the Heller case held that the Washington DC laws were too restrictive an impingement on Second Amendment rights. Even Justice Scalia suggested that possession of firearms could be subject to some restrictions. Yet, the movement of the Supreme Court to a much more conservative perspective (from the mid-1970's onward) has opened up Pandora's Box by allowing the almost unfettered possession of weapons that should only be allowed in a well-regulated militia. Perhaps the Supreme Court's pendulum will once again swing to a perspective that universal ownership and possession of guns is not a smart thing to do in a densely populated country!

[Cybersprings]

So you carried this "knucklestick". An illegal knucklestick. Don't you see the slightest bit of hypocrisy here? You being ok with carrying an illegal item for protection.


And apparently the fact that the knucklestick being illegal had no effect on her possession of it anyway was missed also.

[Cybersprings]

Other countries with the same historic wild west attitude as the USA have banned guns...successfully. For example, both Australia and New Zealand have pretty much resolved their gun issue by making the possession of guns illegal unless properly registered (and that is really hard to do in those countries).

In the UK, you can be in the extreme southeast of the country and if there is a shooting of a person in Northern Scotland (as far away as you can get from SE England), you hear about it on the national news. Here, you don't hear of murders occurring through the use of guns in the next community over.

As far as sports are concerned, there is a huge difference between handguns and long rifles. What hunting event involves handguns? None. At best they are used for target practice...or maybe shooting up your neighbors. The use of them as protective devices is vastly overrated. Most wind up being stolen or used to commit suicide by their owners. Rarely are these guns ever used to protect one's life or property. By the time you get to them, the robber has taken it away from you and used it on you or it has now become the property of the robber.

Here is one proposed solution: All firearms must be registered. Failure to register them is a felony offense subject to a jail sentence. Once registered, the owner is responsible for all the activities of that gun, including all crimes, whether the original owner of the gun sells the gun (without a proper transfer of registration) or if it is stolen.

In my neighborhood in the Villages, a neighbor reported that a handgun they had in their unlocked car in an unlocked glove box was pilfered overnight when they left their car out in the driveway. Some of the responses of the neighbors was, So what...its only a gun!. In my estimation, that neighbor should be held responsible criminally and financially for any crimes then committed by the pilferer.

Stringent requirements: Yup! But, we are not going to get rid of these continous mass murders and less than mass shootings if all we can do is wring our hands and suggest the second amendment says we can do nothing. Believe it or not, since the Bill of Rights was ratified in the 18th Century, the Supreme Court heard only three cases implicating the Second Amendment until the mid 1990's. In each of those cases, it was held the government had a right to restrict ownership/possession of firearms. In a 5-4 decision, the Heller case held that the Washington DC laws were too restrictive an impingement on Second Amendment rights. Even Justice Scalia suggested that possession of firearms could be subject to some restrictions. Yet, the movement of the Supreme Court to a much more conservative perspective (from the mid-1970's onward) has opened up Pandora's Box by allowing the almost unfettered possession of weapons that should only be allowed in a well-regulated militia. Perhaps the Supreme Court's pendulum will once again swing to a perspective that universal ownership and possession of guns is not a smart thing to do in a densely populated country!

everything about this post is wrong and ill-advised.

[Road Apple]

49,000 died by gunfire in 2021 and 140,000 from alcohol abuse. Where’s the problem? Regardless, neither are ever going to go away.

[Blueblaze]

Besides the absurdity of banning a tool because lunatics exist who might misuse it, we ought to thank our lucky stars that one of those tools is the mass-murder's tool of choice -- the AR15 sporting rifle.

Have it ever occurred to you that, if not for AR15's, lunatics might choose a tool that DOES NOT NEED TO BE AIMED?

Your own home contains all the ingredients necessary to build a far more lethal weapon than an AR15. And, believe it or not, even lunatics have access to Google. Maybe it's time for some common-sense Google control!

Hey, I have an idea! What if we sent the FBI to check on a guy who posts on Facebook that he's just killed his grandma and now he's on his way to the kindergarten where kids were mean to him 15 years ago! Just saying -- they always tell us they're going to do it. Instead of limiting their choice of weapons to WMD's, how about we just pick them up and toss them in a loonie bin before they do it -- like they used to do when we were kids and didn't have to worry about lunatics shooting up our kindergartens!

[Heytubes]

Unfortunately mandatory gun registration doesn’t work for the criminals. Such nonsense.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Bows and arrows must be on your list of things to ban also. How about fishing rods? Spears, swords, javelins, etc.

Whether you accept it or not, shooting things at targets is as a universal human activity. It is a sport and the things that are projected are not evil.

Have you read ANY of my posts? In none of them have I suggested that we ban guns. None. I am AGAINST banning guns. That's why you won't ever see any post of mine recommending the banning of them.

And - I have a bow and arrows. I'm a pretty good shot at up to 40 yards, too. But I don't hunt, never did. I don't begrudge anyone who chooses to (or needs to) hunt for their food, it's a noble activity.

That doesn't make guns any less designed for the purpose of killing. That is why they were invented. They were invented so humans could have an efficient method of killing. Killing animals, killing people, the operative word is killing. People who use guns for target practice and nothing else, don't reduce this fact that guns are designed expressly for killing.

I'm absolutely fine with guns existing, and people possessing them. I don't allow them in my house, and I will never own one. But that's my choice.

What I am in favor of - is tighter and better enforced regulations, more accountability, and more severe penalties for violating those regulations. So for instance - rob a bank with a butcher knife? 20 years if convicted. Rob a bank with a LEGALLY-possessed firearm? 30 years if convicted. Rob a bank with an UNlawfully-possessed firearm? 50 years if convicted.

[bp243]

Apples and oranges. Driving a car is a privilege. Owning a firearm is a Constitutional right. Yes..there is a difference.

Would you be in favor of having to "qualify" to cast a vote? How about to exercise free speech? Or, going to the church of your choice? Get it?

The second amendment was never meant for 2023. Owning a firearm should be a privilege as is driving a car for those who are qualified.

[Byte1]

The second amendment was never meant for 2023. Owning a firearm should be a privilege as is driving a car for those who are qualified.

I went back and read the 2nd Amendment and I couldn't find an expiration date anywhere. As far as I know, the authors of it did not stipulate an expiration date or their intent that the 2nd Amendment was not meant for 2023.

[Number 10 GI]

Back in the late 80's, if I remember correctly, I read an article based on a study about homicides in the U.S. vs Mexico. There were more knife homicides in Mexico than there were homicides from all means, guns, knives, bludgeons, etc., in the U.S. in the period studied.
Private firearm ownership in Mexico is nearly nonexistent due to very restrictive laws requiring a months long process for permission to purchase one. There is only one gun shop in the entire country located just outside Mexico City, so anyone willing to endure the draconian application process some will have to travel a great distance to this shop.
Just like the U.S., Mexico's constitution allows for the private ownership of firearms, but the Mexican government has made the process an arduous one that most people can't take on. Their government is restricting a constitutional right. This is the same thing the as the Jim Crow voting process for minorities that violated constitutional rights in our country.
Mexico has been experiencing record firearm homicides in recent years with machine guns being used frequently in mass shootings. Doesn't sound like their gun control measures are working very well. There are reports that in Australia and England, knife assaults and knife homicides are rising to record levels. A knife, gun, baseball bat, and tire irons are a tools a criminal uses to practice his trade. If one isn't available another one will be used.
We need criminal control!

[DAVES]

We tend to seek a one line answer to the most complex issues. That one line answer-surprise-matches our already existent bias.
How many remember when we were told violence in cartoons is the cause of violence?

[DAVES]

Have you read ANY of my posts? In none of them have I suggested that we ban guns. None. I am AGAINST banning guns. That's why you won't ever see any post of mine recommending the banning of them.

And - I have a bow and arrows. I'm a pretty good shot at up to 40 yards, too. But I don't hunt, never did. I don't begrudge anyone who chooses to (or needs to) hunt for their food, it's a noble activity.

That doesn't make guns any less designed for the purpose of killing. That is why they were invented. They were invented so humans could have an efficient method of killing. Killing animals, killing people, the operative word is killing. People who use guns for target practice and nothing else, don't reduce this fact that guns are designed expressly for killing.

I'm absolutely fine with guns existing, and people possessing them. I don't allow them in my house, and I will never own one. But that's my choice.

What I am in favor of - is tighter and better enforced regulations, more accountability, and more severe penalties for violating those regulations. So for instance - rob a bank with a butcher knife? 20 years if convicted. Rob a bank with a LEGALLY-possessed firearm? 30 years if convicted. Rob a bank with an UNlawfully-possessed firearm? 50 years if convicted.


We attempt to legislate. Law needs to apply to all. Not adjusted for each person's view. It is interesting that their are states where guns are legal and crossbows are not. No shortage of books on the subject of do guns lead to violence.

A bank ad. Our bank guards no longer carry guns. They are armed with bows and arrows.

[Stu from NYC]

We attempt to legislate. Law needs to apply to all. Not adjusted for each person's view. It is interesting that their are states where guns are legal and crossbows are not. No shortage of books on the subject of do guns lead to violence.

A bank ad. Our bank guards no longer carry guns. They are armed with bows and arrows.

Wonder if the bank will fire a guard who engages the robbers?

[Indydealmaker]

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in exam room (https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/12/police-patient-shoots-kills-health-care-worker-exam-room/)

Get rid of the guns or get rid of the people. . .

get rid of the guns so that someone with anger and irrational issues doesn't have a chance to do something stupid. .

No form of prohibition has ever worked.

[MrFlorida]

When someone comits a crime with a gun, the media should report weather the gun was legal or not, also the persons rap sheet, but that would take up the whole front page. Criminals don't care about stricter laws.

[MrFlorida]

Weren't bows and arrows invented for killing?

[Number 10 GI]

Weren't bows and arrows invented for killing?

The English long bow archer utilized by the army was a formidable weapon that greatly affected the outcome of many battles.

[RUCdaze]

I'm calling for total knife control, total baseball bat control, total hammer control, and most of all, total car control. God knows these things have a mind of their own and kill people,

[Kenswing]

Weren't bows and arrows invented for killing?

They sure were. Then the gun came along and made them obsolete. Somewhere in the future we’ll have high powered handheld laser weapons or some other type of firearm replacement. That will make guns obsolete. Then nobody will care about guns like no one cares about bows and arrows.

[Kenswing]

I'm calling for total knife control, total baseball bat control, total hammer control, and most of all, total car control. God knows these things have a mind of their own and kill people,

Might as well ban forks and knives while we’re at it since they must be the cause of obesity which is also a major killer. lol