With the recent school shooting it seems as though I can't get away from people putting in their two cents worth about gun control. So being a veteran (of two wars) who has used a weapon to protect this country (and myself) I thought I would say my peace about it.
Although I am now a hippie and don't believe in violence, I do believe in being able to protect yourself by any means possible. I believe we not only have the right, but the obligation to. I am not a christian but even in the bible it says "sell your cloak and buy a sword" as an instruction by Jesus to his disciples. Because defending yourself is important!
The way I see it guns don't need to be controlled, people do. We need to start taking some responsibility for our actions, not only as people and parents but also as a society. We need to quit blaming problems on inanimate objects. The fact is people will continue to kill even if you take away guns. People will use not only knives but also blunt objects, sharp objects, poison (cleaning products or other household items), ropes, chains and even vehicles to kill. Does that mean those things should be outlawed?? People can buy crossbows and bow and arrows without any permit at all, those are actually weapons meant to kill, but no one seems to complain about them??
People are very crafty, they will come up with a way to harm or murder and not having a gun wont stop them at all. They can make things like pipe bombs very easily with items bought at a hardware store, come to think about it a lot items in a hardware store could be used to maim and kill, so should we outlaw hardware stores too? I know it sounds ridiculous but so does gun control because some asshole miss uses a gun.
Let's go over some numbers
Pharmaceuticals kill anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 people every year and there is nothing being done to stop that, in fact they are worse than ever before in history and making more drugs by the day!
Nearly 500,000 Americans died after taking a prescription drug in 2015, according to cases reported to the US National Poison Data System. By comparison, no deaths were recorded for vitamins, minerals or nutritional supplements.
In total, 443,900 deaths from prescription medication were reported to one of the US's poison centres, with analgesics—or pain-killers—being the deadliest poison, responsible for 11 per cent of all deaths reported. Sedatives and antidepressants were the fifth and sixth major killers respectively.
Of these, 275,000 were due to some error—such as a wrong dose—and 130,000 were caused by unintentional misuse, such as taking the drug more frequently than prescribed. Nearly 40,000 deaths were attributed to an adverse reaction to a drug that was properly prescribed and taken.
I'm sure those people didn't want to die! Maybe we should make doctors and big pharma illegal, that seems like it would save much more lives than taking away guns..
What about smoking?
Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day.
That is a lot more people dying from second hand smoke than mass shootings!!
Let's talk about cops quick
Every likes to think more cops is the answer, when that couldn't be farther from the truth. I read this interesting article a few days ago by the Activist Post (a media company). It was explaining how gun control means the people loose their guns, not the government. That definitely seems like a really stupid idea to me considering the government has to much power as is.
In 3 Years, Cops Have Killed 450% More Citizens Than 4 Decades of Mass Shootings COMBINED!
That's right, the people you trust to do justice are actually mass murderers! They don't abide by the law and let a judge and jury choose your fate, they become the judge, jury and executioner when they decide your fate for you! I know you think they have no choice but many of the people they shot were unarmed people who did nothing wrong.. SO PLEASE TRY TO JUSTIFY THAT TO ME!!!!
I promise you that if you take guns away people will still kill and be violent. In fact WAY more people are killed from knives than guns every year but you don't hear anyone talking about that.
Stabbings
Believe it or not mass murders happen with knives too, this guy killed 19 people and injured another 26 just a few years ago. This is just one story, I found quite a few.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/25/tokyo-knife-attack-stabbing-sagamihara
HUH??? Why no knife control?? Because as all of you know it would be ridiculous.... just like gun control is ridiculous! Stop blaming OBJECTS for violence.
The problem is people! We need to start taking responsibility for our actions instead of always blaming something else. Guns aren't the problem, stupid people are. We have become a nation that is obsessed with placing the blame on anything but ourselves. We have become a nation of people who just want to complain about things instead of addressing the situation and taking action!
Let's just pretend that we did let gun control happen, let's pretend for one moment that guns were banned here. What does that even mean? Who do you think would turn in their guns? The honest law abiding citizens, not the criminals, not the people who you would want to turn in their guns. A lot of people who own guns are already criminals who have been in trouble with the law and aren't suppose to have guns right now anyhow. So how does that help this situation at all? It doesn't, it actually only makes things worse. Now only the bad guys have the guns, that makes NO SENSE AT ALL!
There is nothing anyone can say or do to make me give up my guns. Sure I would turn in my registered ONE, but I would just hide all of the rest. I would never ever ever give up my gun to a government who will use a gun against me. The only way anyone could take them from me is if they pried them from my cold dead hands!
Just as an experiment I left my loaded gun on the back porch for the last few days, funny thing, no one got hurt or killed!! Can you believe it! My fiance, my dogs and I must of walked by it 100 times or more each, and nothing.. I even decided to try to piss it off by yelling at it, calling it names and spitting on it.... still nothing. HUH? weird.. I must have one of those "nice guns" that doesn't "like to kill or hurt people".. lol.
Truth is, most gun owners are very responsible and now other people (who don't own guns) want to ruin their rights because someone else was acting like an idiot? How does that make sense to anyone?
Correct me if I'm wrong but Isn't this the land of the free? In the constitution only freedom of speech comes before our right to bear arms. Does no one care about our constitution anymore? What has this country become where we want to punish the innocent for the guilty peoples crimes?
What happen to our freedom?
(photo taken with my Nikon DSLR 3400)
Yes exactly to all of the above! I completely agree that we've become a nation obsessed with blaming everything and everybody but ourselves! It's like people can't handle reality anymore!
I'm so tired of people demanding to be treated like children by a nanny government. Thinking that the government can legislate us into utopia, provide for all our needs and protect us from every unpleasantness. Jeez, grow up and then act like an adult who can handle both responsibility and the fact that there are bad people in the world. Blame the bad person, not the weapon they happened to choose.
Yes yes yes!! I love everything you said in this comment! Its so great to hear people feel the same way as I do.
That was a brilliant statement! I wish I would've thought to put that in my article! SOOOO TRUE!
It was such an awesome comment I had to follow you! lol..
take care
I'm glad I could contribute a good comment :) I've followed you too! I don't have the balls to actually write articles like yours; I prefer to be the supportive peanut gallery when someone does, haha.
The "gimme a nanny state" phenomenon is blowing me away though! It makes me want to explore, what happened to people wanting to grow up and be independent? Where did that switch flip in our society. What's with wanting to pass straight from their parents' care to The State's care, even though it means not being free? It's really a very lazy, envious, childish mindset.
upvote for "the supportive peanut gallery" lol. Resonates.
I generally stay away from articles like this too because they only piss people off but I just was so sick of seeing articles of people volunteering to give up more rights!?! I was a soldier that fought for these rights and people just want to trash them without even thinking about the consequences. Taking away rights and disarming citizens never solves anything but most aren't educated enough to realize that.
You are soooo right, we coddle generations so much now that they feel comfortable being controlled, maybe even scared to think for themselves, they always have to go with the crowd. We give so many handouts that people are scared to bite the hand that feeds them and they can't fathom taking care of themselves... :/ its sooo sad.. im gonna have to read some of your articles when im not so busy because you seem to have a lot of great things to say..
criminals love gun control
Fuck yeah bro! That is fucking awesome!!
thanks dude! i have a shoulder piece that says From My Cold Dead Hands. I'm trying to sleeve my right arm in all 2nd stuff, we'll see if I ever get it done though haha
Saxxxyyyy ... that's sssexy with an accent ... wink wink :))
I had missed this post and had to back my way over here after reading you had flagged, I know how patient you are with folks so I knew I had to read this in it's entirety, meaning the comments.
You are spot on, as I have said plenty of times, we are sowing the seeds of what has been planted here in the USA. When the government no longer values life, neither will the people (Rowe vs, Wade). That is how you end up down the road we are on, it is just a long and winding road that is starting to get more traffic (school shooters).
The first school shooting was in the 1800's, the 1900's had 297:with the majority of those in the 70's thru the 90's. Planted a lot of seeds around then and we continue to plant as fast as we can as a society. We are just unfortunately planting seeds that bear fruit we don't like the taste of, guns don't kill people , bad apples do.
Well man you know, ive learnt that they want to disarm the people so in the future when we all wake up, only THEY will have the guns..
How many of these shootings are actually real? Its sad to say though that i think many people still believe sandyhook was real, when it was actually all staged- proved by a great documentary on pootube.
TRUST NO NEWS FROM THE MEDIA..
Ill leave norway on a boat, and just before I do, ill find atleast some shotguns from somewhere and take them with.
I had the epiphany the other day of "Democrat conducts mass shooting-->liberals scream for gun control. Democrat conducts mass shooting-->liberals scream for gun control. Democrat conducts....hold on, I'm seeing a pattern here...." Throw in the shady ones like Vegas, and it's hard not to turn it into a vast conspiracy theory.
I saw this quote today somewhere " The left wing and The right wing are parts of the same bird"
First of all, thank you for your service! As a gun owner myself, I feel that tightening gun laws only hurt those who abide by the law. People who want to kill will do so no matter what the law states. We have to address the mental health issue in this country. Taking away guns, tightening gun laws won't solve anything. Stronger background checks could help, someone's mental state should be taken into consideration. I often watch the news, and I find it difficult to accept the state that our country is in, the way we are so divided, and people don't want to hear someone else's opinion if it's not the same as their own. If we can't sit down like adults and discuss these problems, how will things ever get better? I'm not hopeful for the future. And I worry about how the country will be for my future grandkids, and great grandkids.
Wow, you really nailed it, I was gonna copy and paste and reply to the parts of the comment I liked until i realized it was basically the whole comment! lol. I too worry about the state of this country and only see it becoming more and more of a police state as time goes on. I am tired of people not being able to have real conversations, it makes it impossible for us to get anything done, but maybe thats they way they planned it? There are so many things that divide us as a country now rather than bring us together and like you I am worried about the future of this country and my family.
Thanks for the great comment ;)
Thank you for putting this out there and starting a discussion. I am seeing other comments on your post and I'm loving that you take things in stride. But I also see people putting "facts" out there that simply are not true. I always tell people to exercise due diligence before believing what they see or hear, but today, that's difficult with the media, and websites putting false facts out there to push their own agenda. It's not easy to find the truth with all the bias out there, but it's out there and can be found. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!!
It's ironic that you cite false facts when the OP wrote one (to be fair he has since withdrawn it), and has cited a false one about knife deaths that still sits there.
I noticed that, and I've noticed how gracious he's been when someone points that out. He's more than willing, it seems, to exercise due diligence and change if necessary. I will tell him, just like I will tell you, that you have to be careful what media you watch, and what websites you visit, in today's politically polarized environment, everyone has an agenda that they're trying to push down your throat. There are very few out there that push the facts and only the facts. And common sense is not so common these days. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. And all I'm saying is to think for yourself and don't believe everything you see or hear on the news or online, seek out the places that want you to know the truth. And that goes to anyone who reads this, not just you. And I understand that in some countries, stricter gun laws may work... but here, in the U.S.A. we have states that have stricter gun laws and those states are some of the most violent in the country, so what works for one country, may not work for another. We are a diverse world, all countries are unique in their own way, just like the people that occupy them.
Sorry about that dick, thank u for being so kind.. he was out of line and now will pay for it with profile points and money.. that is not how we are suppose to act on this platform, it is unexceptable to attact other people who comment to me..
Thanks again..
No thanks necessary. It just goes back to my point of not being able to discuss things like an adult. Thanks again to you, and good luck in your future endeavors! I'm looking forward to watching your adventure!
I hadnt gotten around to checking the other things u wrote, i was going to continue the conversation we started but i am in the middle of a move out of the country and hadnt gotten around to it yet.. but now i feel as tho u are just trolling and i dont like that.. all ur comments from here out will be flagged by me because u are being a a dick to other people.. i did my best to have an open conversation but u refuse to act like an adult and are trolling othe people who made comments on my page and that is just wrong! Ur problem is with me not them, grow up!
First, let me personally thank you for your service and for your sacrifices so that I can sit at a computer and speak freely. Secondly, let me thank your for putting together such a well thought out and researched post on this subject. Nothing like some pesky facts and data to ruin a narrative based on feelings.
I feel you were spot on on most of your comparisons and I agree with most of your conclusions as well. I would like to add the much needed overhaul and additional funding within the U.S. mental health system. The vast majority of active shooters had documented and usually untreated underlying mental health issues. I am against gun seizures and gun control, but I definitely feel we as a society need to do a much better job with the background check system in place now to ensure the gun laws we have on the books are working they way they were intended.
I have been a cop for 20 years as well as a law enforcement and firearms instructor and I agree banning or seizing guns will not solve the problem with a vast majority of guns being used in criminal situations any more than banning and legislating narcotics have done for the illicit drug trade. The criminal element will never obey the standards and moral compass enacted by society. We will just be handicapping law abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves.
Thanks again for posting a sometimes unpopular stance on this issue.
You are very welcome my friend! I only did what I thought was right at the time. Although my views have changed about war now, I am proud of my service and the person it has made me today. ;)
I totally agree with the mental health system, I started in on that but realized that was a whole other post in itself. But I'm glad you brought it up. It really is a huge problem. People are being drugged from kids on and mental health is a huge issue that is being dealt with in the completely wrong matter. As a disabled veteran with terrible PTSD I know the mental health system well.. The VA had me so drugged up for years I didn't know up from down, and that definitely wasn't the answer. I have lost quite a few friends after the war as well due to those types of meds.. Something needs to change SOON!
I didn't mean to hate on you when I did my piece about cops, i was really trying to make a point about safety with guns.. My uncle was a cop for 30 years and my brother was a cop and then a under cover cop in the military so I do respect them (at least the good ones). I just don't think a police state is the answer to anything. I really respect you for the things you said in this comment and thank you for YOUR service! This country needs more of the cops to think like you do..
Thanks for your awesome comment, Im glad you appreciated the post.. It was not an easy one to write cuz I know I will be getting a lot of back lash on it sooner or later.. lol.
This video is the truth about Sandy Hook school shooting. it needs to be shown out there, because then you see how staged everything can be.
A'oo brother! God Bless our Vets and our Hippies. I love them all and everything you said, including we have the right to do as we please. I have a gun, moved from NYC to SF to CO just so I would have the total right to choose. It is my choice and Fuck anyone who says different.
As a side note all this crap pops up on the belief what happened at the school and investigation has seen Soros and method actors in the audience, possible set up. That's the whisper on the street. Eyewitnesses claim shots came from a different direction. That said, what was really questionable was the Russian plane that went down with the Uranium 1 deal guy on it, investigations into all the Russian deal BS coming to the fore, and many other issues that past political figures are now being brought up on. What a disgrace.
Oh i agree, there has been a lot of shady shit going on with crisis actors and multiple shooters and it started way back with sandy hook.. i also feel like a lot of this may be a way to persuade the country into banning guns slowly so eventually only the government has guns and thus total control. But u cant say shit like that in an article or everyone would just think u are fucking crazy! Lol.. so i tried to take a different approach on the matter.. but yes, i believe there is definitely some seedy shit going on here..
total shady!
mutiple shooters and yes even further back .. let's go to kennedy and farther .. lincoln.
well we are supposed to say this shit on steemit .. the entire objective was for us to have free speech instead of the censorship on YT and FB!! WTF
Now we have to deal with people here that still believe in MSM and/or are from other countries that already bend over .. chipped bastards.
totally seedy! A'oo
You are spot on with your comments and I appreciate you taking the time to point out facts and figures that destroy the illusion that outlawing guns decreases crime or homicide for that matter. I was in the middle of writing a post on the same topic but from a slightly different angle and I'm glad to see that there are a lot of logical/rational people here in Steemit land that don't fall for the anti-gun hysteria. My post will be comparing our reactions historically to other forms of gun/terrorism/explosive violence and how it differs completely from what we do with schools. Feel free to check it out if you have time and thanks again for the post.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Yes, steemit for the most part is filled with a lot of people who don't fall for the bullshit, but there is always the few who think the government is all knowing and only here to do good for the people, LMAO.. anyhow, I will definitely stop by and check out your post.
Finally a post that I can relate to. My own post about the shooting is getting hammered about gun control when it is actually a post about protecting our student as teachers.
Glad you can relate, seems like most people on steemit are on our level although I have had a couple of trolls as well. You can't change those peoples minds so no bother even replying to them. I have found a few people that don't agree with my view but we are having a great conversation anyhow, so I am enjoying that.
I don't pretend to have any answers to this dilemma but I know getting upset and trying to shove opinions down peoples throats doesn't solve anything. But you know very quickly the people who do think that lol.. I am intrigued about your post now so I am going to read it when I get a few mins.
Thanks for the comment..
it's time for teachers to start strappin .. people will think twice to come in there .. whether its a patsy kid or some real agents coming in to kill people .. i mean seriously if anyone is halfway awake we have to admit there are ppl in shadow gvt and other undercover agencies that are taking people out!
Wow!! You knocked me out. Talk about freedom of speech. You area living example.
Thank you for your service to our country. There is another side of this.
If our rights infringe on the lives of others those rights should be re-examined. Freedom must come with responsibility on all levels.
There is another argument about the right to have a cell phone in school. Some think this communication keeps us safe in a disaster. Others say it is a distraction.
Family, community, school, government. No one can control the outrageous behavior of human beings. I'm at a loss.
Thanks @mineopoly! As always, I enjoy reading your comments :)
I agree, our rights shouldn't infringe on anyone else. Basically I believe you should be able to do whatever you want as long as you aren't hurting anyone else or their property. That would be true freedom. So I don't think carrying a gun or having one at home for protection is infringing on anyone's rights.
As far as the cell phones in schools go, that is a distraction for sure. But I feel there is a way around that. Let kids have them in school, but DO NOT let them turn them on (at least in class). If they misuse it then they loose their right to have one. If an emergency happens then they can turn them on to use them, that way they can be/feel safe as well. Other than that, there is no excuse to have them on.
Your right, no one can control outrageous behaviors, but we shouldn't punish everyone for a few stupid peoples actions.
Very good post, everyone needs to work to counter the narrative, have you seen how they are using the kids in their propaganda?
You should correct that statistic about more being stabbed than shot to death by "guns", it is "long guns" so just rifles and shotguns. Almost all murders are done with handguns, and yet the idiots want to ban the class of guns that are used the least often in murders.
ah i didnt see your reply there bobby! maybe its along the same lines as where i was comming from but i dont have time to look at mo at the link.. have a good day everyone gotta go catch a bus in 50cm snow lol
Huh, sorry bout the typo ill have to look into that and see whats up.. i actually had found many more statistics that were way higher than that but i used that one cuz it was from the fbi.
Thanks for pointing that out to me.. 😉
It will be more clear if you go look at the actual FBI stats, they break it down by each weapon type.
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/expanded-homicide-data/expanded_homicide_data_table_8_murder_victims_by_weapon_2010-2014.xls
hey, thanks! and i checked out your article too.. i really enjoyed it, thanks for pinning it to my post in a pleasant way. im off to look at these stats now too.. lol.. so much work for an article that was already written.. i guess thats what i get for posting on a sensitive subject.
lol, gun people are sticklers
So, if they wanted to ban hand guns, they wouldn't be idiots?
I'm sure I didn't say that ;)
You weren't a million miles away, you know!
Stats please. References. Stats from countries with stricter gun control don’t back that fact up at all.
I think its funny how everyone jumps on the one typo i have.. its a fact people will still kill without guns.. my bad for typing it wrong.. ill change it so people quit cherry picking the article..
They jump on it because you emphasize it, amplify it as a fact.
Simple as.
It isn’t a typo. It’s fake news. It’s FUD.
It’s BS to call it a typo. It fits in the general context of the essay/article.
I actually merely asked for backup facts/references. I don’t know everything but last I read was indeed that nations with stricter gun control laws have less lethal incidents.
You have to be quite skilled to kill 58 in one streak with two knives or a machete.
Anyway... yes, animals kill even without guns. That includes mammals.
I didn't say with a knife or machete to kill 58 people lol, now who is the one spreading fake news and FUD?.. i said other things.. cars, bombs and others and wasn't referencing any one example.. I was talking about things that have actually happened in other countries with strict gun laws in the last year or two (although there is one instance where a man killed 19 people with a knife, so don't say it doesn't happen!). You are obviously one who just likes to yell and argue instead of having a real conversation to figure out the real issues.. good job buddy, you ARE exactly the type of sheeple they are looking for to push their agenda.. Take away all the power from the people while having them fight with each other instead of finding the real problem!
Did you just call me sheep?
Let me tell you a story, and it ain’t fake news or FUD: school massacres and the Vegas massacre don’t happen with stricter gun control laws.
Period.
Get a grip and some smarts before you insult others of being sheep. For a hippie you are rather hostile it seems.
As for me, I come from a country with stricter gun control laws, have travelled and lived in mostly nations with stricter gun control laws and I have been able to make up MY OWN DAMN mind assessing that, yes, indeed there’s more shootings in the US because access to guns is easier.
Not that illogic if there’s 265 million registered guns, is it?
" I have been able to make up MY OWN DAMN mind"
Thats the biggest illusion ever.
lol, right!! probably believes chem-trails and fluoride are good for us too! ;)
Are you saying the vegas massacre was done by one man with one gun?? lol.. you obviously believe everything the major media says and thats another reason to catorgorize you as a sheep.. That was an inside job done by the cia or some other nameless organization and they will have guns long after ours have been taken away. Stop watching major media.
Just cuz im a hippie doesn't mean I can't stand up for what I believe. It means I dont believe in war and yes I would like everyone to get along but it doesn't mean i have to take shit from assholes! You came at me sideways and I came back at u the same way. I am having many great discussions with other people who disagree with my views and no one is getting angry or upset so I am obviously not the problem here.
I don't know why you think i can't make up my own mind?? If you think im so ignorant that I can't than why even bother continuing to leave comments? I think you are just a troll.. and trolls don't change shit, they just try to shove their opinions on everyone else.
I never forced u to read this or comment. Im not asking u to agree but I do feel like you could be more rational if you wanted better responses from people.
We obviously don't see eye to eye and have started off on the wrong foot to continue so I am done arguing. No point in going any further with someone who is as angry as you, all you see is red, you don't want an open, honest conversation, you want people to agree with u and that is.. have a good day.
yeah, talk about brain washed !!! you are so lucky to be moving where you are ... ho hummmm
we have to stay here and deal with this dumb shit!
actually there are studies that knives and machetes did take the place of guns in britain .. mauahahahah
don't back down !
you are absolutely 100 on this statement and don't back down .. i know you are a hippie now but comon ... hahahaah
let the warrior come out for a sec .. xx
There are plenty of stats @fknmayhem .. get off my man @moderyndayhippie's back ... we are to be "positive" on steemit .. right?
http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2013/jan/30/greg-abbott/greg-abbott-says-according-fbi-more-people-are-kil/
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2017/10/second_amendment_gun_control_a.html
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I'm not from usa coming from Norway. so am going to comment mostly around the mass shootings. we have very strict laws against guns but we also have a lots of guns mostly hunting rifles . and very few mass shootings. I dont have nothing against guns. but as you say one must put some demands on guns owners because it is so much easier to kill lots of people with the AR-15, u can kill people with the most items, but they are very personal to stab 20 people. so a think one ned to remove some of the Freedom to protects the rest of the country against these people its always going to be killings but something ned to be done.
I appreciate the open dialog. It is nice to hear a view from someone who isn't angry or trying to shove their opinion down my throat after reading my article lol.
I have been to war twice and can tell you it is just as easy to kill with a hand gun or "hunting" rifle as it is an AR-15, its just a matter of reloading and distance but let me assure you practice makes perfect! So I guess I don't see your point with outlawing AR-15s. I know it is much more personal to stab 20 people but it does happen, google it. A man yielding knife killed 19 people and wounded 25 others in japan 2 years ago, so it does happen, it just isn't publicized world wide because it doesn't push governments agendas of disarming the people. I am a true believer that no law taking away innocent peoples rights is a good one. We cannot punish everyone for the mistakes of a few, that is not going to turn out well for the majority when we are in a police state (like nazi germany was) and no one can protect themselves from a tyrannical government who has all the weapons and use them only for control, violence and shitty purposes like un-needed wars. But you are right, SOMETHING does need to be done. I wish I had the answer as to what. Education is the most important thing though. Don't just think the government should have the answers and the power, because the never have the peoples best interest in mind, regardless of what the media may tell you.
But this is all my opinion, and everyone has a right to believe what they want.
Thanks for the comment.
I did not mean that one should remove any weapon just having stricter laws to get them.
I'm not from the US but I do realise how polarized opinions are there, around guns. I could be wrong but I don't believe gun control means, ban all guns, I think it means gun control. Not sure why those who want to own a gun have such an issue with a background check? It's not as if we all don't get checked for everything else in our lives.
Having a nineteen year old, of whatever mental stability, walk into a gun shop and buy a semi automatic, no questions asked, seems a little lax! It's OK to say everyone should be responsible for their own actions and behave properly, and they should, but they don't. This is why laws have to be made in all areas of living.
How long ago was the Constitution written? I would think documents need to be updated to reflect current society. Just some thoughts from across the Atlantic.
Loss of innocent lives, wherever it takes place is very upsetting, particularly when it is children who don't get to decide on rules and laws and yet seem to bear the brunt of those decisions. My heart would break in two to loose a child, particularly in this manner.
It starts with banning one type, and ends with banning them all. Thats how governments work. They will slowly manipulate the people into believing guns are the problem when they are just an object and people are the ones to blame for their actions.
I don't mind background checks, but I know how easy it is to get a gun on the streets, so that doesn't help really. Trust me, that 19 year old had a background check he just had never been in trouble before so he got cleared. Its not like he went in there and was like "I want that one" and they gave it to him.. It is an extensive 1 to 2 week background check which is supposed to be confirmed by the government, so once again i fail to see how background checks will stop people from doing stupid shit.
The constitution is what america is built on and it has be amended a bunch! But we the people choose to keep the right to bare arms as one of our favorite rights. I know it is hard for people who don't live here to understand but there is a good possibility of a revolution if they try to take away our gun rights the wrong way so that is why it has never changed..
I agree, its the most sad that it is innocent children. There is nothing more discusting to me about it and thats why this topic is so touchy..
Thanks for making a comment and not being angry or mean, if more people could have open honest conversations about things like this I am sure we could come up with answers to solve some of these problems.
How about not BANNING ALL GUNS but having an adult discussion on WHAT CAN ACTUALLY BE LEGISLATED in this matter?
And let's not drag the word "freedom" into this question, every other country in the world does without AR-15s for anyone who wants one... America certainly is NOT the country where the most people have the most freedom anyway .
I agree, we definitely need to have REAL adult conversations about legislation, but sadly it seems people don't know how to do that anymore. We need way more education about guns and gun safety and we need to stop being so one sided in this country, it is ok for people to have different views but i guess people have forgotten that.
I don't know why everyone is so hung up on AR-15 they are actually way less of killer than handguns which always kill way more people every year! I just looked up the stats here and although they are a few years behind on the data, it easily shows that AR-15s are not the biggest problem when it comes to guns.. However, as i said in my article, guns are just an object, they are not the problem. PEOPLE ARE!
I don't know how I can't "drag the word freedom into this" as it is our right to own a gun as per our constitutional rights. SO yeah? what word should i use? I understand america likes to brag about freedom but in all honesty has way more laws than a lot of other countries.. but I didn't decide to make that happen and neither did the founding fathers, it is the crazy government trying to govern us into utopia which is just a stupid idea that will never work anyhow.
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Hey. I realise that everyone has an opinion about this, and I have also come to realise that as I live in a country where people hardly ever get killed by guns, it's hard for me to understand what that is like, and what that does to a person's attitudes.
However:
This isn't true. It just isn't. Let me give you a completely tangible example. Around 20000 Americans commit suicide with guns every year. 90% of suicide attempts with a gun are "successful". In contrast, 90% of suicide attempts that don't involve a gun fail. These are facts. Actual, verifiable facts.
Do you think that Nikolas Cruz would have killed seventeen people if he hadn't had a gun? Do you think he would have even tried?
Guns are incredibly efficient killing machines. If you have a gun and aggressive intentions, then you can cause far more damage than you could with anything else. Surely this is apparent?
Bringing in strict laws on gun ownership will not stop being killing each other. No-one makes this claim. However, less guns in circulation will mean that less people die because of guns.
Don't take my word for it. In Australia, in 1996, there was a mass shooting, and in response, the PM made huge changes in the gun laws, and there was a massive purge of individuals owning guns. Not by force. By law, and people were, by and large, happy to comply.
There had been 13 mass shootings in the 18 years before 1996. Since this purge, there hasn't been a single mass shooting incident in the following 22 years. And rates of gun murders have dropped up to 60%. Suicides by gun are way down. This is all verifiable, and evidence that gun prohibition can work.
All the other things you talk about, the other ways that people die - this is called "whataboutery". As in...what about this? And what about that?
They are separate issues, and absolutely deserve time and thought. The opiate problem in America is dreadful.
But they have nothing to do with people dying from guns.
I am so aware that this topic engenders very emotional responses from both sides, and I realise to be a dissenting voice is to play with fire, especially in an environment like this. But I have been polite and civilised here, and I hope that you take my comments in the spirit of meaningful discourse.
I appreciate ur comment, and i am not offended or upset at all that people disagree with my opinions, i actually think it is healthy to have these types of conversations and it should happen more often without people getting pissed off.
I never claim to know everything, i just say what is on my mind.. i guess "fact" in that reference was a bad word to use, i was typing fast and never looked back. Sorry about that and thanks for pointing that out.. ill have to correct that statement.
But in the whole cruz thing.. i dont know if he would or wouldnt of still killed a bunch of people, all im saying is there are plenty of ways to kill with out a gun.. a vehicle and home made bombs are very easy ways to kill large amounts of people, so i dont think that banning guns is the answer.. i dont think the actions of a few people should determine the outcome of the majority, that is not the right way to go about things..
Prohibition doesnt work. We have seen this time and time again with alcohol, drugs and many other things. Sure maybe temporarily it my solve the problem, but in the long run people always end up doing what they want regardless of the law. And if i wanted to kill a large group of people not owning a gun sure as hell wouldnt stop me. So u cant say for sure it wouldve stopped him..
I just feel that we are always placing the blame on the wrong thing. We need to evaluate WHY these things are happening, and u cant blame that on an object.. people are fucked up because society has gotten twisted and no one ever wants to accept responsibility and admit the truth anymore.. that was the premise of this article to be honest, it just happened to fall around guns.. i honestly think that medications and media play a huge role in this, they are both poisining the minds of people..
But in the end, i went to war to protect my freedoms like my right to bare arms and I personally dont think its right to punish everyone for the actions of a few fucking idiots.
it actually is a fact .. and i back you up 100! you are right!! these dumbasses are fogged with chem trails and bad flouride water. buaahahahaha
let them zombie out and die .. i could give a shit at this point. die motherfckers die! okay i am usually all about peace and healing but this bs just gets me heated. i am awake and those that aren't you deserve to go .. sorry
its like in a horror film, where someone walks straight into the killer .. sorry .. you deserve it. bye!
Right!! Only sheeple would believe that we are somehow safer without a way to protect oursleves from not only other people (who are obviously crazy) but also from tyrannical governments that keep people poisined daily to dumb them down! Its obviously working in some cases..
Amen, Amen, Amen!!
Thanks for the civil reply. I hope we can keep it like that!
I appreciate you accepting that you used the word "fact" when you mean "opinion", but it is a little frustrating that you then decided not to comment on the actual facts that I did use. I am not one of those people who thinks that it is fair to blame guns solely for the 1.5m people that have died at the hands of domestic gunfire in America in the last fifty years or so (some stat, huh?), but I do find it hard when someone like yourself seems to think that they are nothing to do with it.
Those suicide figures alone are terrifying. The problem is that guns are designed to kill. That is why they exist. And they are really good at it.
Re the Cruz thing. There have already been 18 school shootings in America in 2018. How many homemade bombs attacks and car attacks have been in schools in the last ten years? Is it any? I really understand that you want to own a gun to feel safe but I think this leads you to taking self-serving leaps in order to facilitate that. How could a tiny, weak creature like Cruz have killed seventeen people without a gun? The answer is he couldn't have, and wouldn't have. Surely you accept this, even if it doesn't suit your agenda. Yes, there are other ways of killing lots of people, but there is a reason the term "mass shootings" is so commonplace in America.
No, prohibition doesn't work (as an aside, this should mean then that the war on drugs should stop, doesn't it?), but what about having far, far stricter rules? Make it difficult to have a gun. Not impossible, but harder.
Less guns = less deaths from guns. This is obvious, isn't it?
I absolutely agree that there are a host of factors that lead to the appalling gun death problem that America has, and all of them should be looked into. But a huge factor is the fact that there are more guns than people in America.
It's interesting that you mentioned smoking. Look at the generational shift in attitudes towards smoking. Kids today can't believe that people could once smoke anywhere! There was a problem, legislation was passed, and as a consequence, smoking deaths are in a huge decline. And those changes are now what is normal. Why can't guns follow a similar path?
Guns aren't prohibited in Australia. What they have done shows that a change of the rules can improve things. No mass shootings in 22 years. A 60% decline in gun murders. If you have an open mind, then you surely have to look at this and stop to think.
BTW, that stat about knife deaths isn't correct. Here's a starting point for you, but there is plenty of confirmatory info out there to back it up if you don't like Snopes:
https://www.snopes.com/four-times-more-stabbed-than-rifles-any-kind/
You have been caught by confirmation bias. It happens to me all the time! And btw, of course there is knife control! Get caught carrying one and watch what happens.
I am all for freedom, btw. And I am sure that you would agree that children should have the freedom to go to school without the spectre of guns hanging over them. Apologies, that's a bit manipulative, but surely, some changes have to be made? What is in place at the moment is not working. Is it?
It was a civil conversation until u decided to be a troll and hate on other peoples comments on my page!.. for that u will get flagged and flagged again.. trolls are not welcome on steemit and especially not on my page! trolling other innocent steemians who are saying their peace is unacceptable! Keep that shit on ur own page! Now u get zero conversation from me and nothing changes.. good job.. enjoy the flags..