Originally Posted by buggyone (Post 594975)

"It's not the gun laws that are to blame. It's the culture of violence in which we live. We need to stop exposing our children to violence on television, in the news, in video games, on the internet, at the movies. Children need to be taught AT HOME to love and respect others, and that violence isn't normal or permissable.

I would agree with parts of this post and disagree with other parts. First, when we were kids, we almost all had cap guns and played Cowboys and Indians with plenty of play shooting of each other and seeing each other clasp their hand over their heart and go down dying. There were all the cowboy movies and television shows with Roy, Gene, and Hoppy doing violence on the bad guys who did violence on good guys. None was graphic!!

It is the graphic violence of video games like Black Ops or World of Warcraft or Grand Theft Auto that is a problem (but not the whole problem). Who buys the games for the kids? Mom and Dad do and that is the problem.

The teaching of respect needs to be taught at home, school, and church.

There also is NO NEED for civilians to own high capacity magazines for their rifles or pistols. There is a need for more evaluation and treatment of people suspected of mental problems. I am sure Figmo and Ladydoc would agree with those two statements.

Will Congress do anything? Probably not - the NRA has too many Congressmen scared of not winning re-election if they vote in a reasonable (non-NRA approved) way.

Originally Posted by janmcn (Post 595136)

That was then. This is now. What has changed, you ask? It's the ages of the victims in this case that makes it so horrific. After listening to the coroner explain how these little angels died, I am sick to my stomach.

What else has changed, you ask? The frequency that these events are happening -- one happened Tuesday, one happened Friday.

IMO, no law maker wants to have the blood of children on their hands.

Originally Posted by Bucco (Post 595152)

While I probably would support laws restricting the type of guns allowed for purchase...I simply know so little about guns, etc that is how I think I feel.

Same day this happened someone in China went after school children with a knife.

I submit the problem is NOT with guns.....people today live in a false world...a world of virtual reality. Generally speaking we live in a world where people think that what they think is what every one should think. We have no...none...feelings for others, only ourselves. We cloak that and manifest caring publicly but we do not...and again, I am speaking in a general sense. We are in this country so self involved that we feel we deserve what we want and when we want it and there is no reason we should not do what we want.

NOT ONE PERSON who knew this dark hearted person had problems came forward to have him taken off the street, and we will find many signs he exhibited but still he was protected. And the children died. Make a political issue of this and ignore the real problems and more will die.

Whether it is the debt of the country or any particular issue as with guns, not dealing with it because it is unpopular never ever works. Those you expect to take guns off the street put people ON the street that should not be there so why would anyone expect any different results here.

Bottom line...I hear folks on tv ranting and ravin about gun laws but never ever mentioning the real bottom line !

Originally Posted by gerryann (Post 595078)

Since Wisconsin recently approved the concealed gun law, I know of a whole lot of idiots out there with guns.....sitting in bars, getting drunk, with a gun in their pocket.

Originally Posted by Bucco (Post 595152)

While I probably would support laws restricting the type of guns allowed for purchase...I simply know so little about guns, etc that is how I think I feel.

Same day this happened someone in China went after school children with a knife.

Originally Posted by lovesports (Post 595199)

Zero children were killed in that knife attack in China. Zero children with the knife attack were killed.

Originally Posted by gerryann (Post 595078)

If this boy did not have access to a gun(guns), these children would be alive. Don't compare a gun to a knife....ridiculous.

I do not think the issue is comparing a gun to a knife. The issue is one does not need a gun to commit mass murfder.

You are entitled to your opinion whether the children would be alive if the perp did not have access to guns. You are making one very big assumption....that his desire or need or want to kill those young children was to do it with a gun.
There is absolutely no assurance he would not have carried out his task with or without a gun....just like the person did in China.

The Afghanistan rebels seem to be able to dispatch one hell of a lot of death and destruction to our troops without the use of guns.

Where there is a will there is a way.......for the nut jobs....they will not be deterred because they do not have a gun.

btk

Originally Posted by ugotme (Post 595209)

I can not imagine a more horrible event.

Yes, I am a gun owner. Politics aside, something needs to be done - but what?

As oldcoachED has stated (in another post) safety and mental competence are (obviously) important aspects when issuing a permit to a person
As a former instructor, safety ALWAYS came first. Don't mean to put Figmo on the spot but I do believe he will agree with me.

However, does anyone REALLY think that criminals - repeat - CRIMINALS are going to obey more gun laws?

Do you really think that ALL guns could be collected and
destroyed - IMPOSSIBLE!

BTW - Almost every handgun you buy is NOT an automatic weapon - this is a misnomer. They are semi-automatic - you have to pull the trigger each time to shoot.

I confess that I do not have the answer.