Jiggz wrote:
 

I agree mostly. I do think there is room for some gun regulation. And I think if you need a gun at the grocery/movie/dinner out, then there is a much larger problem that needs to be addressed.  But the pro gun lobby here has won. They are entrenched and will never allow anything that hints of government regulation. so....

Look at our society. Joe Biden once said 

“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.”

We spend a larger amount (by percentage or volume) than any other country on things that go boom and blow shit up. We do this at a cost to our infrastructure, education, health care system and all public commons.  We value conflict and devastation more than peace and well being. Look at our politics for the last decade or two. We don't seek compromise, we seek to win. And all that matters is winning, or trying to hamper those that did win.  This is who we are (collectively). 

I'd love to say we'll turn it around. But I see little evidence that it could even happen. I used to think that if something really bad happened we would come together and find some solutions. But then Sandy hook. And then the others. Maybe a full on civil war would be horrific enough to get people to change, but honestly I doubt it. Even if that did happen, we would just wind up with centuries of ongoing conflict like they have in the middle east. It's apparently just our nature. 

 Coaxial wrote:
 
I'll agree mental health support is a problem, but lets not ignore the fact that Americans are growing more stupid every day.

The guy yesterday is reported to have had an AR-15.  Nothing new there...we all know what that weapon is because it's been a common thread in many of these shootings.  Canada had someone in Nova Scotia go off with an AR-15, and what did they do?  They banned the weapon last summer.  New Zealand is a popular destination here for "where would I live"...they had a ban in place weeks after the Muslims were attacked a few weeks ago. 

The problem with America is this sense of Individualism.  I have a right to own an assault rifle.  I don't have to wear a mask.  I should be able to eat in a restaurant, go to the gym, see a movie.  But when it comes to you...well you shouldn't have the right to an abortion, because that kills innocent lives.  WTF?

Guns don't kill people...ask Kurt.  Give that guy yesterday handguns and he kills fewer people.  Give him knives and maybe a couple die. 

There isn't a single founding father who would agree with legalized guns in today's world.  The 2nd amendment was written for a country of farmers without a national army, to enable local militia to protect the nation.  They used one-shot rifles that took a minute to reload...thus the need for a bayonet.   One AR-15 would have ended the war in a week.

Rugged Individuals.  Personal rights. Freedom.  Liberation.  Oh wait...I don't have a job....blame everyone else.  Too much competition...close the border!  Build that wall!  I'm tough and should do whatever I want...but I can't win a job against the uneducated illegals stealing our livelihoods.

The Right is just so sad.  The inability to rationally see guns as a problem is the easiest example of pure stupid.  It's why I had to join the libs...at least they think about something beyond themselves.

 kurtster wrote:
 
I agree that guns aren't the problem.
Guns don't kill anyone.
People do that.
And it is a kind of unimaginable crazy that makes people hose down a movie theatre or shopping mall.
I do think that a reasonable background check plus some sort of competency testing should be implemented before the purchase of a weapon can be made but that is no guarantee that someone who passes muster today doesn't flip out tomorrow after he catches his boss humping his missus or whatever.
But what is it that makes someone think that because he feels bad that a bunch more people should feel bad too? Why the desire to inflict pain on others because oneself is in pain? Is it a form of bullying taken down a very weird path?
Is it subliminal messaging on TV or in movies? Something in the water? High fructose corn syrup? Opiates? A desensitisation to violence as a result of TV and movies?
A combination of factors?
Perhaps your society is harsh and uncaring towards those on its fringes?
Is it a perversion or reverse of some uniquely American cultural phenomenon that doesn't exist elsewhere, because this is an almost uniquely American problem?
I don't know.

It's as astounding to people outside the USA as it is to you within the USA, but I don't think taking away people's guns will change it much. If criminals can get guns then crazy people can get guns.

I don't think weed has much to do with it because people use weed all over the world and don't act out like this, even where guns are prevalent and available.

It's one of the main reasons I wouldn't live in the USA....something is wrong and it isn't guns.

 kurtster wrote:
 

As usual, your analysis is complete garbage.   Here's a broader graphic view of mass shootings (old, missing several recent events even):

It's a lot more than three. And it's a lot more than Denver. 

 Coaxial wrote:
 

I get it.....people getting the help they need when they aren't doing so well. I appreciate the opinion, Randy....always nice to hear from you.
I almost made a detour to find your door in San Antonio late in 2019 on a jaunt to Houston and Corpus Christi, but ambled down to New Orleans instead then hustled back to get out before a shoulder-charging hurricane....have a good day, mate!

 Jiggz wrote: 
Universal health care that includes help for the mentally ill in Canada, Here the government has defunded much of the care available for those that need it the most and more and more people fall through the cracks until it is too late and they act out violently.

 Jiggz wrote: 
One word.  Culture.  Both European and African-American culture glorify sex, violence and materialism in their own ways in the first place, throw in the degradation of morality, values, breakdown of the family, the educational system and the de emphasis of the importance of education to our young people to the point to where in particular the very communities that need education the most condemn the notion to the point of ostracizing and persecuting those that show an interest in furthering themselves through academia.  So yes Cardi B is partially to blame in her own charming way.

 buddy wrote:
 

I hear what you are saying and I am not arguing with you, though I happen to think that firearms in the hands of private citizens isn't all bad.

I live in a society where we have largely been disarmed and so it's really only the State and the criminals who have ready access to firearms, and even a legal firearm owner has to prove that his or her life was in real danger in the event of any type of self- defense shooting, and failure to effectively do so results in serious jail-time.
Usually this means that the criminals shoot the firearm owner, rape the females and boil the babies in the bath and make their getaways without hindrance, even if a legally owned firearm is in the house, and then laugh off the defunded, hopelessly inept police and captured judicial system inbetween doing it all over again and again. Even when someone is incarcerated for some sort of violent crime the crimes are invariably repeated whilst out on bail or shortly after early parole etc. We regularly have mass prisoner releases and many many violent criminals fall through the cracks and simply repeat the offenses after release. We have one of the highest crime rates in the world and particularly gender-based-violence is a serious serious problem here.

So I would respectfully suggest an imagining of what the possible outcome of having no firearms in private hands might look like in your country - it is unlikely to be the peaceful and loving scene your good intentions lead you to believe it will be, because criminals will still and always have access to illegal firearms and will not hesitate to use them on an unarmed population.

But the reason I wanted to respond to your post was to ask, not just of you but of everyone else here, out of genuine curiosity and interest, why is it that Canada to your north has pretty much the same kind of per capita gun ownership numbers as the USA but only a fraction of the fatal shootings and mass slaughters that you have in the US?
What makes the difference, in your opinion?

It's a question that has always intrigued me.

A tragedy is a tragedy is a tragedy.  Not knowing much about the shooter in Boulder, what I do know is that Boulder, Aurora and Columbine are all in what appears to be the Denver, Colorado Metropolitan area.  Perhaps there is something going on there that lends itself to inspire the kind of crazy or depravity that results in these kinds of incidents.  This is a cluster of mass shootings and the proximity cannot be ignored now that we have three events.  Especially if this latest event is to be used as the justification for seizing guns across the entire country.

What Sandy Hook and Aurora have in common is crazy, otherwise there is no connection.  We do not know why what happened in Atlanta, but I would call that an isolated event and evidently more related to some sexually depraved individual or once again, crazy.

There is no fool proof way to prevent crazy from acting out.  Thinking that taking away everyone's guns is going to prevent crazy from acting out is crazy all by itself.  Crazy does not follow any rules and is not predictable. 

Guns are not the problem.  

Normal law abiding citizens who own guns are not the problem.

Crazy is the problem.  Crazy does not obey rules and laws anymore than criminals do.  Defunding the police makes dealing with crazy and criminals and now anarchists even harder.

Now we have a cluster of mass shootings.  That is what needs to be investigated and resolved.  3 similar types of events in a small area cannot be considered a coincidence.

Something is going on in Denver.  It is not Russian Roulette.  If I was really concerned and paying attention, I would move, ASAP.

And before anyone tries to bring up weed, Aurora (IIRC) and Columbine predate the legalization.

.

 buddy wrote:

When nothing was done following sandy hook, it exposed the tragic reality that there is no horror strong enough to spur any meaningful action.  This is just a thing now. It makes my soul heavy, but there is nothing that will sway the other side, and without their interest there will never be any change.  Our nation has a viable market for bulletproof backpacks for children.

The Atlanta Shooting Suspect Bought His Gun Faster Than a Woman in Georgia Can Get an Abortion

 R_P wrote:
 

Psychological Penile Enhancement = PPE for boyz with zero appeal?

... and incels.

U.S. House passes two Democratic-backed gun control bills

 Lazy8 wrote:
 

Substance abuse is going strong in rural areas.   Modern health outcomes are bad and possibly worse in North American rural areas than they are in urban areas.  That result seems more driven by socio-economic background than location, i.e., rural versus urban. 

The whole notion of healthy rural living left the barn a few decades ago.  

Sad.  

GOP state lawmakers seek to nullify federal gun limits

3 Dead, 2 Wounded In Shooting At Gun Store In New Orleans Suburb

 Red_Dragon wrote:
 

Sad.

Sad that so many Americans still believe that the right to deploy political violence is crucial to freedom (sic) in the early 21st century.

Sad that so many Americans mistakenly believe that a hand gun is the best form of self defence.

Sad that this man thought a hand gun was more important than a window or a peep hole or simply talking through the door.  

Sad that American police have adopted a shoot first, talk later strategy that clearly discriminates against the not so intelligent.

Sad that so many poorly educated Americans do not understand strategy, probability, uncertainty and risk management.

Sad that Americans kill each other with almost as much enthusiasm as Americans kill innocent civilians in foreign countries.

When cops and America’s cherished gun rights clash, cops win

In America’s Blood
The NRA: The Unauthorised History by Frank Smyth.