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.

You would be happy, but many others (millions) would not.

Yes, isn't that just a boatload of IRONY there!

Sooooo, summary, guns kill people, no they don't, yes they do, no they don't, I say, if you see something, say something, lot of missed opportunities in Texas mass murders.

My post "It protected the children?" was in reference to THIS thread, not some random event some place. And NO 19 children are dead, they were not protected by the 2nd amendment, they were MURDERED by someone exercising it.

And someone asked earlier about the "guard" and why he didn't stop the shooter, the reason, it the shooter shot the guard first, lucky for the guard I think he survived.

Because it was in our face 24 / 7. Social media video games are brutal. The kids and young adults that play video games get so involved with them they are becoming desensitized to what life really is, they don’t see life, they don’t value life the way we used to see and value life.
Movies today are nothing like yesterday. They tend to glorify the more you kill the big better the movie.
It is sad if people really don’t see the correlation of video games and Hollywood with these mass shootings

Social media and and video games exist around the world. So, nope not the cause. And btw, correlation does not equal causation. There is NO, ZERO, ZIP evidence that either CAUSE mass shootings.

Any easily available comparisons of gun violence by world countries quickly show that the US is, BY FAR, the country with the biggest gun violence problem. WE are numero uno !

so sad what our grandchildren and our children have to deal with today....

how did we ever get this far out of control?

For over two hundreds years we have had total access to nearly every type of firearm and then Columbine in 1999; and many mass shootings since then. Our access to guns did not change. In other words, you could buy whatever you wanted. So what changed? The only portion of the equation that changed was the people. The access to the internet and the rise of social media has created a new generation of people with low morals and very poor social skills. The AR has been around for over 60 years. Now all of a sudden it is a problem.

People who believe the dogma that it's the gun, it's the gun, lack critical thinking skills and are easily manipulated by the media they watch. That is a major factor why this problem won't be solved.

Law abiding Americans will not voluntarily give up their guns. Forcing them to do so by law will end up with a repeat of 1776. The number of people who would die if such an event happened will make all mass shootings pale in comparison. Gun control fanatics are barking up the wrong tree.

The responsibility of maintaining our Freedom is up to each one of us. Even if you don't exercise your 2nd Amendment Right you should never surrender it. "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty".

Another possible cause, the pandemic made everyone NUTS!

You're wrong, I'm afraid.

AR-15 - style rifles (and large capacity 30-round clips), under the original Colt patent, have been sold to and were popular with American gun enthusiasts for well over 50 years. No less an authoritative source than NPR states this: "For more than a half-century, the AR-15 has been popular among gun owners, widely available in gun stores and, for many years, even appeared in the Sears catalog...." ("A Brief History of the AR-15", Greg Myre, NPR, February 28, 2018). Once the colt patent expired, other gun companies began manufacturing the AR-15 type as well. Remember--the type was designed to be sold to America's CIVILIAN population and they've been around for a long time and were quite popular well over a half-century ago.

But guns with large-capacity magazines have been around far longer than that. Keeping it to more-or-less recent history, following WW II hundreds of thousands of surplus M1 Carbines were sold to the public: many by the Federal Government itself at steeply discounted prices under the Civilian Marksmanship Program. They came with 20-round clips but even then, larger clips were available for purchase. I recall seeing the ads in The American Rifleman magazines: you could buy many surplus military rifles, not just the MI Carbine, for as little as $12.00, and as I recall the NRA as well as other retailers sold the large-capacity clips as well.

You may be thinking of the Federal Firearms Control Act, which banned large-capacity magazines (I believe any that held more than eleven rounds) but that was in effect for only 10 years, 1994 to 2004.

The fact of the matter is that semi-automatic rifles with large-capacity clips have been around since the middle of the last century, and were probably a whole lot more available to people then, than the AR-15 models are available for purchase now. But even with the easier access, things like Texas or Columbine just didn't happen then.

Face it. It's a people problem, NOT a gun problem. And until we fix the people, that won't change.

Seems that the law enforcement response could have been better

MSN

If you remember the days when your company treated you like a family. Many of us joined a company thinking one day you will retire from the same company. There were office parties for your personal celebration and company picnics and yes, pensions for your long dedicated service. Some of us were actually happy to go to work spend time with your co-worker/friends. Then over the years the society changed, Business changed to pursuit of profits regardless of employee happiness. Remember the movie "Wallstreet"? Michael Douglas claimed "Greed is Good".
Now, happy people with guns should have no reason to become a mass murderer. But society changed. Opioid epidemic means killing more people means more profit. In this environment, we must change. We have to limit the availability of guns that can kill people so easily so fast. 2nd amendment yes but when Gov has F-35, what chances average citizens have to resist and win against them. Voting is one way but for guns, I think license/reg/insurance is the way to go to limit the availability.

Sadness

Probably just the closest available tactical unit. I heard the question asked about why was NOT the local Fire Station called in because they have BREECHING equipment to knock down doors?

The Villages population is self-selected to be older and more stable than the average violent younger character throughout the whole US. That is not a good comparison. Rather, compare US violent gun crimes with ANY other country and the US death rate due to guns is GREATLY ahead of Spain, Germany, or any other country. Those charts are easy to find. Increased gun availability equates to greater gun death - it is pretty logical.

Australia did what was best for public health during a Covid surge. It is quite a stretch to relate that to how many armed citizens they have. And Australian citizens have plenty of guns - they are just bolt actions NOT semi-automatic. The slower bolt actions allow citizens time to fight back against mass murderers. Also, a limit on rounds in a clip to 5 would definitely slow down a mass murderer - 30 round banana clips are sick and used by inhumane COWARDS!!!!!!!!

Excellent point. I’ve been saying that for two decades now. It’s a training device and when they lose touch with reality their instincts take over . Now there are virtual reality games

Agreed.

Compare the gun deaths of any of America's largest inner cities, to the gun deaths in the surrounding suburbs and rural areas.

Very true

If I want to own one it’s none of anyone’s business. Guns are guns . A damn 9mm will kill 30 people within two minutes or less so it’s not the gun it’s the ABSOLUTE NUT pulling the trigger

For argument's sake let's say that I believed the theory that people in the US somehow (?) changed around 1999 into mass-murdering zombies. How does that explain away the fact that both Australia and New Zealand brought down mass murders to about zero after they had years of problems by concentrating on the GUN? They said NO semi-automatic rifles. They can have bolt actions. Then, why does the US have the MOST, by far, available GUNS and also the MOST gun violence in the world?
......... The GUN is the obvious factor for the US being # 1.

Jim, we are not talking about murderous zombies. We are talking about American citizens who, in the past 20 years, have gone on heinous shooting sprees targeting defenseless victims. The select gun free zones for maximum carnage. There is a very serious fault in their brain, not their trigger finger. It is very short sighted to think a cookie cutter approach will be effective, at any cost. That is your solution, at any cost restrict the Rights of hundreds of millions of people because of the actions of dozens. The leap you have to make to justify that is just bizarre.

I have a better solution. Since the problem is clearly a male problem how about if we just make it illegal for men to have guns. Women committing these heinous crimes are so rare it's safe to say the nation would be much safer if only women had access to guns.

That is a nice explanation of the history of guns from 1950 to say 1999. But after that, things started to evolve from hunting guns to man-killing semi-auto military-style guns. Man-killing guns made more profits for the gun makers. Both mental illness and violent movies or games are the same worldwide. The US is by far the outlier among all countries because it has, by far, the most mass murders. So, what is the reason for this? The only FACTOR left is that the US has the most, BY FAR, available semi-auto military-style rifles - the weapon of choice for mass murderers.

The movie about "Greed is Good" was like a turning point in America. Today "the Handmaid's Tale" seems like another turning point. The increasing quantity of guns (and type) in the last 2 years may be a bad premonition of things to come.

A lifetime ago I had a business relationship with the Board of Education in Paterson N.J. During this time I had many conversations while providing a service to some machinery in all of the schools. I was speaking to a man named Joe Clark. We became friends. I'm not certain what his job was when I met him but I sure did know it a few years later.

The summer that they filmed the movie in East Side H.S. they spray painted the walls, threw garbage on the floor, and exaggerated how dirty the place really was. I guess that was just Hollywood putting their flavor on the site.

This man singlehandedly took on many members of the Board of Education in Paterson who seemed to work against him as he tried to prevent drug dealers from walking the hallways, going into classrooms, and having free run of the school he was put in charge of. He chained the doors and locked the doors with chains and locks you couldn't buy at Rickels. He took the money from his own pocket. He cared about the kids and teachers in the school and wanted to provide a safe environment for them to be able to learn. Unfortunately, the kids came from the hood. Many looked to Mr. Clark as a father figure. He did his best to speak in the auditorium to the kids about avoiding the temptation that was all around them. He spoke of teenage pregnancy and the down side of what comes with it.

He was making great progress and was making some of the higher-ups look bad. He had the recipe. He was snuffed out before he could complete his mission. He changed many people's lives for the better. He cried like a little girl the day that someone was raped in the stair case in the school. He didn't give up, he doubled up his efforts. He was the kind of leader that we need now who puts the children before everything else. What a great guy he was. I just looked at Wikipedia and see that he died a few years ago here in Florida.

I wonder what he would have done under the present conditions? I'll bet talking about everything would be low on his list and action would be on top.

I have no words for what's going on in these schools now. NOTHING I say will help or be constructive. We need a miracle to turn things around. We need someone like Joe Clark to come to the rescue. Many people thought he was nuts, he was a great man who motivated the un-motivateable and broke the chain of failure and abuse in many families in Paterson N.J. Hey Joe, send your replacement quickly, we're in deep trouble.

He was really something else with that megaphone. What a memory all this is for me. I think I'll go cry like a little girl for a little bit.

Yes, and next I should compare 5 apples to 7 oranges.

It's cultural. No God in schools and no daddy at home. Social media and device addiction. This is the result. Narcissists willing to kill for attention..

You have a very convincing style of writing, very confident. I am truly impressed. I would love to have a country where only women could own guns because it is based on a STATISTICAL FACT - and would be a real solution - I would even vote for it if it was on a referendum bill. My opinion IS also based on a STATISTICAL FACT.......that we are an outlier amount all countries of the world and # 1 in mass murders and gun deaths. It JUST CAN'T be some COINCIDENCE that we ALSO have the MOST availability of guns in the world.
.........And I would also say that the genesis of the problem was when the Gun Manufacturers and their propaganda machine AKA the NRA decided that "GREED IS GOOD"..........around 1999

And Sarah, I must confess that I thought murderous ZOMBIES was quite clever of me!

Gods and daddies sing the same sad song.

Okay, I'll give you that one. I will also confess I've used the term Zombies to describe the population of Los Angeles when I lived 40 miles north.

America is not a perfect nation. None are. We are also an outlier for the freedom and the opportunities that we enjoy simply by birthright. Millions of people are very committed to coming to our country legally as well as illegally. Why, they are seeking opportunity that can't get in their home country.

We have complex problems that require complex solutions. There is no easy way to solve these mass shootings. We begin by truly trying to solve it rather than settling for knee jerk reactions that will not be successful nor sustainable.

You’re opinion that’s it.

And Mexico don’t have fun violence problem

Clueless nobody tells there kids it’s ok to pack AR-15.

No gun safety laws will be passed.No law will limit assault rifles with high capacity magazines. So what can be done? This is legislation that our conservative legislators will support:
1. Quit wasting energy trying to increase gun safety.
2. Realize the NRA is right. The only protection against a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun.
3. Pass a law requiring every school teacher to carry a loaded automatic pistol anytime he or she is near children.
4. Children under 14 should probably not carry guns, but 15 and older should be required to carry guns while in school to protect themselves.
5. Halls in schools should have glass boxes every 50 yards with a loaded gun inside and a sing that says 'IN CASE OF ACTIVE SHOOTER, BREAK GLASS AND SHOOT INTRUDER.
These laws would stop school shootings! Who would be stupid enough to attack a school if they knew everyone in the place was armed? These common-sense laws would also eliminate bullying. No one wold bully another, if the knew the bullied person had easy access to a deadly weapon.
Widespread gun ownership would also stop road rage. If someone cuts me off, I am unlikely to assail him at the next stop sign if I know he is packing heat.

I remember him from many years ago living in NYC. Man was a hero and such an inspiration.

If the NUT can not have gun, he can not pull the trigger.

Sad

I am a conservative and believe that people should be able to legally own guns. But certainly, there is a limit. If a new gun came out that cost next to nothing and could shoot accurately 200 rounds per minute that allowed quick clip exchange, would it be wise to let anybody have? What if technology changes allow a deadly laser beam with unlimited range and repetition and not requiring reload?

There are a lot of wackos out there that may be unrestrained and use it to kill thousands even though the rest of us claim restraint. Is a wacko someone who should be able to buy this at age 18? How about a Glock 19 with a 15-round magazine plus fast clip change? I look at my Glock as protection from insurrection. I legally bought it as my first gun. Who knew my intent?

And who in their right mind expands law officers to immediately rush into a school with the immediate attempt to take out a wacko with unlimited fire power. Any of us willing to do that? Almost all military and civilian attempts to quell such situations would require a plan.

Wackos of the past did at least have technology limitation, but the future has no limit.

Also, no place for Wackos anymore. "Too cruel to put them away."