[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

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]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

‘Shocked and heartbroken’: Patient shoots, kills doctor in 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]

Originally Posted by Eg_cruz

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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