Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2099326)

It decreased smoking considerably!

Originally Posted by MDLNB (Post 2099033)

Sorry, but PEOPLE are the problem, not guns. Take away the bad people and you have no problems. Take away the tools, and you still have the bad people and you still have the same problem, only a different method. When a child hits another child with a toy fire truck and you take the toy away from him, he will just find some other means to bully the other child. Take away the bad child (or correct him in such manner that makes him too scared of the consequences) and you eliminate the problem. Taking away the tool of the crime does not eliminate the causation.

You can stop a shooter with another shooter. If the bad guy uses a bomb instead, you cannot stop him with another bomb. If he uses a knife, do you stop him with another knife? If you outlaw all means of violence, someone will just invent a new method. The answer is to eliminate the cause of the violence. If you cannot fix the person then you must eliminate his ability to perpetrate violence. You lock him up, or in extreme cases you put him down.

Originally Posted by 44Apple (Post 2098822)

I remember when the adults blamed watching violent TV shows for bad des done by the kids. We've moved on.

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive (Post 2099005)

Absolutely!

Back in the day, the "day" in question being 1965, guns in school was nothing out of the ordinary. Gun safety training was offered at the high school I attended and on the range days seeing kids with guns on buses was totally normal. We had to store them at the Principal's office until range time but the ammo we just carried loose in our pockets. Oh--and no self-respecting lad at my school would EVER be caught without his trusty Barlow pocket knife. Saw a teacher borrow one from a kid one time when the pencil sharpener was on the fritz.

The three biggest behavior problems were talking in class, chewing gum and running in the halls. And even then, you didn't want your parents knowing. Mom and Dad had a talk with each of us at a young age: "never get in trouble at school and complain to us about it, because you'll be in twice as much trouble when you get home". And they meant it.

Oh--just about all of came from two married parents households, raised to take responsibility for our actions, respect hard work, and to take pride in academic accomplishments. One of the proudest days of my high-school life was when I was invited to join the National Honor Society. School was a privilege, not an obligation.

Guns were as deadly back then as they are now. But being raised in the right circumstances, with the right values, meant that we respected guns much as would respect any other tool. Blaming the guns for today's ills is on the same par as blaming the fork because you gained ten pounds. Want to fix the problem? Fix the FAMILY.

Originally Posted by villager7591 (Post 2099057)

An AR-15 is not a military weapon. Think of a .22 rifle with an ammo clip.

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC (Post 2099085)

I dont think so. Growing up there were series on TV about war (Combat) with lots of people getting shot and blown up every week. Remember all the war movies about WW II and Korea.

Lots of cowboy and indians shows and movies with people getting killed in the hundreds.

We used to play a game with knives called land where we took a pocket knife and threw it into the ground near our feet. Dumb of course but we all did it.

How the world has changed.

Originally Posted by airstreamingypsy (Post 2099093)

Whose god do you want in schools? Yours. I don't want my kid indoctrinated. Your god is banned from schools by the Constitution.

Originally Posted by Topspinmo (Post 2099096)

Yep, 350 million plus hard core crazy killers and murderers. Now if want to come up with reasonable solutions? No semiautomatic hand guns, no semiautomatic rifles with magazines over 5 rounds or no semiautomatic rifles. No extended magazines. No guns will never happen, but limitations can work. No society is actually free so the free country argument out the window.

Originally Posted by jimbomaybe (Post 2099103)

Police /military ok , everybody else muzzleloaders

Originally Posted by MDLNB (Post 2099123)

A Ruger 10/22 is a semiauto 22cal rifle that allows one to insert magazines that will hold anywhere from 10 to 50 rounds of ammo or more. Is that an assault weapon? Or, is it not used by the military so it is not considered dangerous? M-16's and AR-15's are basically 22cal rifles (223). Pellet rifles can be purchased that are fully automatic and legal. You can purchase a 22cal fully automatic pellet rifle or pistol without a background check. Do you wish to be in front of one that is being fired at you?
Like I said, people are the problem.

Originally Posted by MartinSE (Post 2099128)

It protected the children?

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2099342)

Actually, that would work if only the Police and the military had cartridge weapons. You could hunt, protect your home, and shoot targets with muzzleloaders. I would be happy with just a bow and arrow even.

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee (Post 2099204)

I am not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but the NRA meeting being held in Orlando this week (I believe) is a GUN FREE ZONE

So why do you think that might be? If they believe guns are safe and everyone should have one, why not at their annual parade?

Originally Posted by MDLNB (Post 2099346)

Yes, it protected at least 600 of them when the Border Patrol officer used his weapon to put the killer down.

You can use a gun against a killer with a gun, but it's kind of hard to use a bomb against a killer with a bomb. Not impossible, but really? Guns serve several purposes. It is not the gun's fault or the law abiding citizen if some nut case uses a gun to take out his frustration.

The problem is still blatantly the perpetrator, NOT the gun. Time to think realistically and work on a solvable problem, rather than trying to eliminate the instrument of the crime.