Gun Control Laws

[Junebug]

I teach high school, as does my wife. You are not going to get armed guards come January 2 and have them be effective. Where does the money come from? Since the NRA wants this so bad, why don't they donate a hefty sum each year to paying for it?

Other questions to be answered: Who is going to be chosen for these guards? How many are assigned to each school? Do they stand guard at every door or hallway? My school has at least 15 points of entry. The doors are locked during the day, but we know that only does so much. If we go the guard route, it will take time to create a plan of action for responding to these events. What prevents a student from sneaking the gun in and waiting til he/she gets in the classroom? Do we install metal detectors at every school?

I do know that our principals and county staff are reviewing all our lockdown drills; take that for what it is worth as I don't know what the end result will be. And I'm not saying it can't be done, but this is not as simple as the NRA wants it to be. So what is going to keep your kids safe? I don't have a good answer for you. All I know is as a teacher I will go back to school on the 2nd feeling just as safe as I did when we got out Thursday for break.

The constant media attention on Sandy Hook puts it at the forefront of our mind, but, historically speaking, the chances of being killed in a mass shooting are about what they are for being struck by lightning.

 

[MBDeac08]

The constant media attention on Sandy Hook puts it at the forefront of our mind, but, historically speaking, the chances of being killed in a mass shooting are about what they are for being struck by lightning.

Agreed. What no one is asking (that I am aware of) is why we do not put armed guards in movie theaters? Shopping malls? Both have been the scene of mass shootings (or what could have been in Portland) but I don't see the NRA or anyone concerned over that.

Semi related note, when I went to see the Hobbit last weekend, I noticed a theater worker came in to check the emergency exit 3 times over the course of the movie.

 

[isledeac]

i seriously can't believe that the solution being bandied about is putting armored guards at every school.

i think obama has too much common sense for this to be the actual answer. and you can put me down as the lone whacko that would prefer a complete gun ban. logistically, it would be impossible, but i still think it is the best idea. the assault weapon bad is a good start.

 

[Milhouse]

this is fucking asinine. the same people who think we need to arm ourselves to protect against the government think we should put armed government officers at public places to protect us.

 

[Shorty]

i seriously can't believe that the solution being bandied about is putting armored guards at every school.

i think obama has too much common sense for this to be the actual answer. and you can put me down as the lone whacko that would prefer a complete gun ban. logistically, it would be impossible, but i still think it is the best idea. the assault weapon bad is a good start.

I am in favor of a ban on everything other than hunting rifles and shot guns. If for no other reason than some people use those as part of how they feed their family. My brother who is a school teacher and has three kids being one of them.

But one police-trained, armed resource officer at each school can be PART of the solution as well.

 

[Milhouse]

1984

 

[Junebug]

Agreed. What no one is asking (that I am aware of) is why we do not put armed guards in movie theaters? Shopping malls? Both have been the scene of mass shootings (or what could have been in Portland) but I don't see the NRA or anyone concerned over that.

Semi related note, when I went to see the Hobbit last weekend, I noticed a theater worker came in to check the emergency exit 3 times over the course of the movie.

Children are uniquely vulnerable. Plus, schools are gun free zones, so there generally aren't average citizens around carrying who could bring a gunman down.

 

[Deacfreak07]

The United States of America is a gun industry organization. FIFY.

The idea of disarming this country or trying to keep guns out of the hands of bad guys is right up with the "war on drugs" or any of the countless other "wars on" we've attempted.

Might be as productive to ask "why is this type of person more and more prominent in my society"?

We need to figure out why we are producing so many fringe characters similar to Camus' Muersalt... No feeling, a meaningless existence dominated by pure Darwinian imagery. Some of these prople display less emotion and care than even my two cats who, I'm sure, are somewhere torturing some small creature this sunny morning.

Why are we producing these killers? The only variables we have more of than similar countries are guns and religion. Take your pick.

 

[Deacfreak07]

this is fucking asinine. the same people who think we need to arm ourselves to protect against the government think we should put armed government officers at public places to protect us.

Follow the money.

 

[Junebug]

Why are we producing these killers? The only variables we have more of than similar countries are guns and religion. Take your pick.

Do you have any evidence that any of the recent mass killers have been religious people or otherwise been motivated by religion? Any?

 

[Milhouse]

two separate problems. please keep up.

 

[Deacfreak07]

Do you have any evidence that any of the recent mass killers have been religious people or otherwise been motivated by religion? Any?

I'm not suggesting that at all. I am just pointing out that our society and media are no more or less culturally violent than our peer countries. Lectro was suggesting we figure out why we are producing these killers. I think we are just arming our killers more efficiently. The big discrepancies, culturally, between us and similar countries are gun proliferation and religiosity. You tell me which one might be the problem (hint there aren't semi-automatic crucifixes).

 

[Junebug]

I'm not suggesting that at all. I am just pointing out that our society and media are no more or less culturally violent than our peer countries. Lectro was suggesting we figure out why we are producing these killers. I think we are just arming our killers more efficiently. The big discrepancies, culturally, between us and similar countries are gun proliferation and religiosity. You tell me which one might be the problem (hint there aren't semi-automatic crucifixes).

I admit that I don't have a great deal of experience with other cultures, but, based on my limited travel and reading on the subject, the United States seem much more culturally violent than our peer countries, even removing the 20-25 mass killings that occur every year.

 

[RJKarl]

Do you have any evidence that any of the recent mass killers have been religious people or otherwise been motivated by religion? Any?

Not many of the mass killers, but Eric Rudolph was. The guy who murdered Dr. Tiller was religiously motivated.

 

[Deacfreak07]

I admit that I don't have a great deal of experience with other cultures, but, based on my limited travel and reading on the subject, the United States seem much more culturally violent than our peer countries, even removing the 20-25 mass killings that occur every year.

We kill each other more. We right depict it in our media in similar levels to Japan, Scandinavia, the UK, etc.

 

[Junebug]

We right depict it in our media in similar levels to Japan, Scandinavia, the UK, etc.

Again, my experience is limited, but it sure seems to me that our movies, songs, TV shows, etc., are more violent. Our foreign policy is way more violent. Hell, even our sports (NASCAR & football) are more violent.
Violence sells.

 

[Deacfreak07]

Again, my experience is limited, but it sure seems to me that our movies, songs, TV shows, etc., are more violent. Our foreign policy is way more violent. Hell, even our sports (NASCAR & football) are more violent.
Violence sells.

Watched many Japanese or Danish movies lately?

 

[Lectro]

Why are we producing these killers? The only variables we have more of than similar countries are guns and religion. Take your pick.

So what was this guys religion? Looks to me like he didn't believe in shit...mayhem, maybe.

 

[Deacfreak07]

So what was this guys religion? Looks to me like he didn't believe in shit...mayhem, maybe.

Facepalm

Religion has nothing to do with it. My point was the deflection away from gun control to other aspects of our culture is a fallacy. Other countries are less religious, watch the same movies, play the same games, watch the same news (more shocking and tabloid in places), have less guns and don't have this problem.

Gun control works everywhere. If we can't agree on some common sense gun control, we will continue destroying one another.

 

[Lectro]

Watched many Japanese or Danish movies lately?

You ever lived anywhere else long enough to call it home?

I have. I have lived for over 2 years in Italy, Spain and France.

The cultural dissonance I felt upon my return to Foster Dulles was one of complete shock.

Uber physical environment...I felt as if I'd landed in some enormous stomach such was the incredible obesity of my fellow fat Americans. They may eventually get sucked into the base nihilism for which their own Barthes, Delueze, Derrida and Foucalt foisted on society. Those assholes took the Marquis De Sade out of "human quarantine" and elevated that dithrambic and orgiastic abuser of all flesh into a hero worthy of the upper canons of art. -- Roger Shattuck "Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography" is a good place to start.


So yes, as the great Canadian novelist Saul Bellow once said " In America, there are no ideas except, 'in things'".