Current Affairs The " another shooting in America " thread

[peteblue]

Asparagus has been linked to school shootings. The obvious solution is to go after the asparagus lobby and the asparagus industry.

I thought you were better than this......

 

[verreauxi]

Perhaps. It's clear, though, that there simply isn't just one root cause for this rash of senselessness.

No doubt, though reducing the number available guns is the most sensible route, as folks here have repeatedly said.

 

[peteblue]

Of course not. But I suspect it still has something to do with it, as does your suggestion. Add things like the desensitizing effect of ever more violent video games, a lack (at times) of parental guidance, the 24/7 bullying over social media and that's a pretty good recipe for disaster.

Indeed........

 

[verreauxi]

I thought you were better than this......

That analogy is just fine and dandy, and wasn't meant as a poke to you. You understand exactly my point: Guns kill people, so let's reduce the number of guns. Determinants of why people use guns to kill people are secondary to getting rid of the number of guns available to kill people.

 

[Steve0]

Perhaps. It's clear, though, that there simply isn't just one root cause for this rash of senselessness.

See I'm not sure there isn't. Everything you listed is probably true to some extent, thing is they can all be applied to the rest of the western world.

What differentiates America is the availability and fetishisation of guns in that country.

 

[peteblue]

That analogy is just fine and dandy, and wasn't meant as a poke to you. You understand exactly my point: Guns kill people, so let's reduce the number of guns. Determinants of why people use guns to kill people are secondary to getting rid of the number of guns available to kill people.

I totally agree with getting rid of all the guns, what I can’t accept is that ‘it can’t be done’. However, once the guns are gone the same nutters will exist and will just use a different weapon, what then........

 

[Ruairi77]

I totally agree with getting rid of all the guns, what I can’t accept is that ‘it can’t be done’. However, once the guns are gone the same nutters will exist and will just use a different weapon, what then........

find ways to deprive nutters of those weapons/try to reduce the amount of nutters
but the first step is to reduce access to guns.

 

[Prevenger17]

However, once the guns are gone the same nutters will exist and will just use a different weapon, what then........

Yeah, but you can't knife 57 people to death from a balcony in Las Vegas. The stats for violent crime would be far less depressing if the modes of death available to nutters were restricted. It's why they ban fully automatic machine guns and bazookas and the like

 

[peteblue]

See I'm not sure there isn't. Everything you listed is probably true to some extent, thing is they can all be applied to the rest of the western world.

What differentiates America is the availability and fetishisation of guns in that country.

This is a really good point, but rather than state an answer the question still needs to be asked, why America ? Or why Brazil ?...

 

[peteblue]

find ways to deprive nutters of those weapons/try to reduce the amount of nutters
but the first step is to reduce access to guns.

There are over 300,000,000 guns in the USA and even with reduced access that number will grow. Either have them or get rid of them because people who wish to kill will just find a way of getting weapons off those allowed to have them......

 

[LinekersLegs]

Yeah, but you can't knife 57 people to death from a balcony in Las Vegas. The stats for violent crime would be far less depressing if the modes of death available to nutters were restricted. It's why they ban fully automatic machine guns and bazookas and the like

With the failure so far to put in any federal bans on bump stocks, which allow semi-automatics to mimic the firing speed of full automatics, I very much fear that Las Vegas won’t the last mass shooting they are used in.

 

[Ruairi77]

There are over 300,000,000 guns in the USA and even with reduced access that number will grow. Either have them or get rid of them because people who wish to kill will just find a way of getting weapons off those allowed to have them......

are you bored Pete?

 

[Ruairi77]

With the failure so far to put in any federal bans on bump stocks, which allow semi-automatics to mimic the firing speed of full automatics, I very much fear that Las Vegas won’t the last mass shooting they are used in.

Yea, they've banned them in Mass but it's a bit futile if you can just drive into NH and get them.

 

[neil999]

There are over 300,000,000 guns in the USA and even with reduced access that number will grow. Either have them or get rid of them because people who wish to kill will just find a way of getting weapons off those allowed to have them......

You still try though dont you? Its easy to buy weapons like this for one reason...to make money

 

[LinekersLegs]

Yea, they've banned them in Mass but it's a bit futile if you can just drive into NH and get them.

Yeah, on the one hand the local and state bans are at least some sign of progress but as you say the patchwork quality of implementation makes them far less effective.

On the good news front on state gun laws, happy about this.