love this @jasonshick thanks for inducing the conversation. I think my biggest desire before getting into gun violence is just the desire to not harden my heart toward anyone dying regardless of the size. All of these deaths are people with families and friends that have to deal with the repercussions.
In regards to solutions - the problem is not guns. The problem is people. Trying to restrict people from being murderes is great. But I do not think guns are the problem. Sure we could increase our regulation on getting access to guns, which I believe would help to a degree. However people willing to murder people is the problem.
Trying to address that problem is massive, and our responsibility, and has to be looked at systematically in our culture. Guns are the symptoms.
One of the solutions that I would propose is a government that holds firm and somewhat harshly the enforcement of laws - to all people regardless of race, cultural background, and economic state. The government is not responsible to be merciful, thats individual peoples responsibility.
I think a look into Saudi Arabia's enforcement of their laws would help.
*I do not agree with Saudi Arabian laws - rather their enforcement of their laws is the point on want to make!
For example, if you smuggle drugs into Saudi Arabia they kill you.
harsh? effective?
you can read more about Saudi Arabia law for yourself and their enforcement of their law yourself...here is some light reading
http://www.vocativ.com/underworld/crime/saudi-arabia-execution-beheading/index.html
The problem is the US government becoming social justice police
the role of the government is to protect it's citizens, not be merciful. The role of our community is to come around people and help them, get them resources, express empathy and mercy.
Not the government.
I think the US government needs to up its enforcement of its law's, and in some ways develop harsher punishments.
I think it would at least put more ownership of the problem on local communities and not on the government. The problem with these mass shootings I do not believe is guns. I believe its much bigger then that.
Some interesting points you make here. It is a very difficult subject and like you said guns may just be a symptom and not the root problem. When there are so may factors involved it is difficult to single out just one as the main cause for the problem.
With regards to the strictness and severity. When people are afraid of the consequences for committing a certain crime they are definitely less likely to commit that crime. Like the Saudi example, If one or two examples are made then the public will learn that the government is not playing around. However, the same law exists in Thailand where trafficking drugs is punishable by death, but because of corruption, drug traffickers can usually pay of police and continue on.
Communities is an interesting point. When people are more tied to their community, crime is more likely to go down because of the strong social fabric. I think this might be the most telling point. When people don't feel isolated, they are less likely to commit heinous acts.
My perception - which could be wrong is that my millennial generation feels like they are activist because of social media but in reality do close to nothing in their actual local community. Instead they are looking to federal government to take on their value system. Which is not the governments job.
I think the Saudi argument is incredibly extreme - the point being our government's role is to just enforce the law. I think if local people in local communities actually engaged their community like they engage on social media, corruption in politics would begin to get addressed, racial stigmas would start to fall apart, local business' would thrive and people would be unable to get to the point of lunacy as we have experienced here with Las Vegas. This takes time, patience, and individuals steeping to the plate.
I hope to keep that trend moving in Fort Collins Co...
Really appreciate this dialogue -