Gun control discussions in the wake of the Newtown, CT deaths

[Todash]

I will say one mildly political thing. A (very conservative) friend of mine posted a quote from a missionary friend of his that read, in part, "People do not want to solve the problem, they just want to use a specific problem for their own political agenda." He was implying that gun control advocates don't care about mass killings. And I have seen equally inflammatory, emotional comments from those who believe we need more control.

These types of statements just about break my heart. No one, with the exception of a statistically insignificant few who are truly evil, wants to see this kind of thing happen. NO ONE. It doesn't matter if you firmly believe all gun ownership is wrong, have a collection of 50 guns and go shooting every weekend, or are somewhere in between. Can we please, please start by understanding that most of us know this was a horrible, awful thing and are sickened by it?

[Moderator]

I've started a thread here for anyone who wishes to express their opinions about the pros and cons of what should be done to minimize the possibility of more incidents in the future such as the recent mass shootings in Colorado, Oregon and Connecticut.

[Moderator]

Sorry, Todash, I'd thought my starter post had come in before yours so that it wouldn't show you as the thread starter. I don't think there's a way to override it.

[Bev Vincent]

I think the first step is to ban assault rifles and other automatic / semi-automatic weapons.

[fljoe0]

I don't see any reason that regular citizens should have assault weapons and would be supportive of legislation banning them but I do understand why the NRA takes the stands it does (I don't agree with it though but I understand). It's because of what I call "chip away" legislation. The NRA is afraid of giving up any ground because as soon as they do, then calls for legislation for further restrictions start, and on and on. I think you can compare he abortion issue to this (I am very pro-choice by the way) where pro life groups oppose any legislation like parental notification etc that may sound reasonable. They know that if they give in on one issue they have lost some ground and the pro-life groups will start on the next issue with the ultimate goal of a total abortion ban.

But, it is time for an assault weapon ban. And probably more importantly, it is time to try to figure out a system to deal with the mentally disturbed. We have nothing except jail after a crime has been committed. This gets really tricky because you don't want people to just be able to commit people on a whim but we have to figure out a solution. Scott can probably back me up here - my friends that work in prisons say that a good chunk of the inmate population are totally nuts. Our jails have become our mental health facilities.

[Becks19]

I think the first step is to ban assault rifles and other automatic / semi-automatic weapons.

Bev, I absolutely agree!! Who would need a semi automatic weapon? It is definitely not your average homeowner. The only people who should have access to these types of weapons are swat and military.

[Moderator]

@fljoe And many of them end up in prisons because their support system has been lost due to budget cuts. When those people are cut from the system, they no longer have case workers to follow up with them and make sure they're taking their medications and to step in earlier when they do so that they don't run afoul of the law and/or hurt someone or themselves. This is one of my issues with the short-sightedness of where budget cuts are made because they only defer the consequences and put strains in different areas, e.g. the police, fire, and medical personnel who have to deal with the mentally ill when they decomp. It looks great for the politicians who can claim they are now saving the taxpayers money but do they ever make public how much it costs them on the other end?

[~Ally~]

And probably more importantly, it is time to try to figure out a system to deal with the mentally disturbed. We have nothing except jail after a crime has been committed. This gets really tricky because you don't want people to just be able to commit people on a whim but we have to figure out a solution. Scott can probably back me up here - my friends that work in prisons say that a good chunk of the inmate population are totally nuts. Our jails have become our mental health facilities.

Your sentiments made me think of this piece I read this morning.

http://gawker.com/5968818/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother

[fushingfeef]

It makes you wonder, they closed many of the old government-run sanitariums, but now we have mass shootings. Of course many of the old "looney bins" were true hells-on-earth for those people stuck in them with no hope of getting out (ever read "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"?) But you are right, I think we just traded those for prisons now.

If you know you have an unstable member of the family, does anyone think it's a good idea to keep guns around? The family of the shooter is responsible to some degree in this case.

Let's compare gun ownership to the privelege of driving a car. We have all kinds of laws in place to make sure that people know what they are doing before they drive a car (driver's license testing, etc), and all kinds of traffic laws on top of that, speeding enforcement, car safety laws, etc. Does it stop all people from driving poorly? Of course not, but can you imagine how many fatalities there would be if we didn't have all those checks in place? That's where I think we at least need as a starting point--some sanity here. But the gun lobbyists act like we're trying to take their guns away from them as soon as anyone talks about any kinds of new gun laws. They need to re-think their positions and be realistic.

And yes, there's no need for anyone to own an assault rifle--we're not allowed to own bombs, after all. Why isn't an assault rifle termed a "weapon of mass destruction"? After all, that's what it is. And to those of you who say you need it to protect yourself from the government, the moment you talk about taking up arms against US soldiers, guess what? You are un-American traitors--you better leave the country while you can.

[cat in a bag]

I normally stay out of political discussions, so first I just want to say that it is difficult for me to put my thoughts down.

We are a gun owning household. My husband has several. Most of them are for hunting, I've talked about him being a hunter before. He has a couple that belonged to his grandfather, and they never get used. We have 2 handguns. I have recently learned how to handle one of them, because he is gone so much at night. He has always wanted me to learn, but I resisted. I could never imagine any situation where I might need to know how to use one. But my opinion on that has changed in recent months, my faith in the goodness of people has wavered. So I am now comfortable and knowledgeable enough to protect myself and my children if, heaven forbid, the need ever arose.

They are all legal, registered weapons. We take the precautions necessary to keep our children safe, and they have each seen, not only what a gun will do to a paper target, but also what a gun will do to a living creature. They have all been along on hunting trips and have seen what happens when you point and shoot at a living thing. They are locked in a gun cabinet in our bedroom and no one goes down there unsupervised. But, we have been rethinking even that...and as soon as we are financially able, we will be buying a gun safe. We do have a small one for the handguns, but the rifles are on clear view, the gun cabinet is glass fronted. So we will be taking one step further and making sure that they are even more secure than they are now.

I am torn between wanting to support what my husband believes in so very strongly, that it is his right to own them, and wanting to never, ever have to watch an event like Friday's unfold on the news again. Or like what happened in the mall earlier last week, or Aurora, or any of these terrible incidents. I know we are responsible owners, and would never do anything to hurt another human being with one of them, short of protecting ourselves and our children, but you don't know about the person next to you. How do you make sure the people who wish to do harm do not get their hands on a gun without also punishing the good, law abiding citizens? And here in Wyoming, the gun laws are pretty lenient. Anyone can carry without a concealed permit, although there are places, like schools where you cannot. Yes, there are background checks run when a purchase is made, but it takes 5 minutes, and you walk out with your gun.

3 weeks ago, there was an incident at a Casper, Wyoming college, which is about 100 miles from us. A young man, who was also diagnosed as being autistic, killed his father's girlfriend with a compound bow, and then went to the college, where his father was an instructor and walked into his classroom and shot him with the bow, then stabbed him and then killed himself. His motive? He blamed his father for having him and "making" him autistic. People who want to cause harm always find a way.

Whatever happens, whatever changes are made, I hope that good, law abiding citizens will not be punished for the actions of some who are not. But that is the problem...making that distinction. You just never know what the person next to you is thinking or will do.

I apologize for the long post. I feel like I rambled without really saying anything. (Told ya...I'm no good at this stuff) Somehow, things need to change...but I think the very first thing is to reinforce in all of our kids respect and compassion for their fellow man. Without that, nothing is ever going to get any better, with or without guns.