Are we ready to do something about guns yet?

[Craig Arko]

Following the largest, deadliest, mass shooting in U.S. history.

[Squirrel]

[Vanimal46]

It's beyond time to do something about this... There are a lot of sick people in this country. 

If we implemented the usual talking points for regulating guns (background check, mental health screen, deny those with a criminal history, etc.) I'm still not sure this particular suspect would draw any suspicion unfortunately. 

 

From what I've read about the suspect, he was a 64 year old man who was a licensed hunter, no criminal history, and private pilot. It sounds like he's a madmen that wanted to do this without a prior motive, and kept it from significant others/family. 

 

It doesn't get any better reading about this. And sadly, I hope we're not at the point where we're numb reading about this. 

[Mike Sixel]

It's harder to get on an airplane than to buy a gun that can shoot hundreds of bullets a minute (give or take).....

[twinsnorth49]

My guess would be no. 

 

 

[ashbury]

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, we white males over the age of about 45 ought not to be in our militia anymore, I reckon. We just don't seem to contribute enough to the security, nor to be able to self-regulate.

[gunnarthor]

After Sandy Hook, I'm pretty sure nothing will let us decide that guns are part of the problem. If that didn't do it, nothing can.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I did feel the Sandy Hook actors did a terrific job, however.

[D. Hocking]

 

After Sandy Hook, I'm pretty sure nothing will let us decide that guns are part of the problem. If that didn't do it, nothing can.

 

Agree with this - but do not want to "like" it.

 

I did see a comment from a Sandy Hook "truther" today -- I can't even....

[SweetOne69]

 

It's harder to get on an airplane than to buy a gun that can shoot hundreds of bullets a minute (give or take).....

 

There is no legally owned civilian firearm that can fire hundreds or rounds per minute.

 

My above statement is mostly true.  I realize it is possible for a civilian to legally own a full auto firearm, but it would require a good sum of money and a lot of hoops to jump through.

 

If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.

[Craig Arko]

"In the developed world, these levels of gun violence are a uniquely American problem."

 

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/2/16399418/us-gun-violence-statistics-maps-charts

[Mike Sixel]

 

There is no legally owned civilian firearm that can fire hundreds or rounds per minute.

 

My above statement is mostly true.  I realize it is possible for a civilian to legally own a full auto firearm, but it would require a good sum of money and a lot of hoops to jump through.

 

If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.

 

Seems to work in every other part of the civilized world but here. Every. Single. Other. Country.

[Pardon My Dinger]

If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.

This is a tautological argument, and one I am not particularly fond of.

[Mr. Brooks]

Unfortunately, no.

It's been shown that to some, being able to own a bunch of guns is more important than any reasonable safety.

 

And I agree, there is not a shooting that is possible that would move the needle. If 5 year olds getting shot in the back trying to run didn't, nothing will.

[Mr. Brooks]

There is no legally owned civilian firearm that can fire hundreds or rounds per minute.

 

My above statement is mostly true. I realize it is possible for a civilian to legally own a full auto firearm, but it would require a good sum of money and a lot of hoops to jump through.

 

If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.

An expert shooter can easily fire a semi-auto 90 to 120 rounds per minute, with accuracy.

 

With 17 rifles to cups cycle through, even reloading isn't going to slow that down.

 

It's also being reported that he may have used a trigger crank.

[Craig Arko]

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke

[PseudoSABR]

 

If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.

Was this guy a criminal before this particular crime?  It's not known-criminals that commit mass-shootings.  

 

In any case, no one wants to take all your guns away.  That said, there's no defensible reason for semiautomatic weapons to be sold to the public at large.  Many semi-automatics, legally bought, can be modified to be automatic...

 

(And yes, if faced with both the crazy white guy living next to me having an automatic weapon and the gangbanger, I'd rather just the gangbanger have the automatic weapon, as there's a lot more crazy white guys than criminals). 

[stringer bell]

My representative in the US House offered "thoughts and prayers" for the Las Vegas victims on Facebook. How hollow and empty. Republicans have sold their souls to the NRA, lock, stock and barrel. In order for any progress to be made in limiting guns, they must be removed from the majority in Congress.

[Craig Arko]

 

Following the largest, deadliest, mass shooting in U.S. history.

Modern U.S. history. Can't forget about Wounded Knee.

[Mike Sixel]

90 shots in 10 seconds.......that is the frequency according to analysis of the event.

 

You were saying?

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

There is no legally owned civilian firearm that can fire hundreds or rounds per minute.

 

My above statement is mostly true.  I realize it is possible for a civilian to legally own a full auto firearm, but it would require a good sum of money and a lot of hoops to jump through.

 

If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns.

You come out in favor of gun control in the first two paragraphs, then attempt to squelch the discussion in the third paragraph?

[Squirrel]

So, a 'friend' of mine on FB posted a video montage of the victims of this shooting and said 'We need to remember their faces' and I just want to respond, 'For what purpose and to what end? Did you know any of these people? Do you remember all the faces of the victims of Columbine, Newtown, Orlando, etc? What about these victims families and friends, to the survivors, what of them? Where will you be in their pain and grief and ptsd?' I'm so sick of this. And this friend will also post every meme of the NRA because, well, thoughts and prayers this time, and the next, and the next, and the next as bodies are shot to pieces.

[jimmer]

Back when the Bill of Rights was written, there was good reason for the 2nd amendment.

[gunnarthor]

The second amendment isn't really a problem for serious gun legislation. Despite the Heller decision, courts have upheld every single challenge to gun controls post-Heller. A completely ban of guns won't fly but pretty much anything else would be constitutional.  Congress is using Heller as a cop out that they shouldn't be allowed to use. 

[PseudoSABR]

We need to frame the issue better, it's not really about gun control, it's about arsenal control, it's about mass murder control. Really no one has issue with you having a gun or three in your home, it's the 50 guns.  It's the automatic weapons, unlimited ammo, the add-on modifications. There's a reason I shouldn't own anthrax, and it's not because it isn't included in the second amendment. 

[kab21]

I might be more frustrated with the conspiracy theorists that come out after these incidents. I called someone on a fake news article from a site that has articles on the Sandy Hook conspiracy. She took that article down and made some snippy comments about credibility while posting an article from a site that believes the Boston Marathon bombing was staged (fake blood, rip jeans with no injury, etc...). Others are chiming in about fake news CNN while posting this crap.

 

Come on people.

[USAFChief]

Not to make light of this, but in the category "Things I wish I had said," put me down for a comment I read by an Onion reader:

 

"House, Senate consider raising 'Thoughts and Prayers' debt ceiling."

 

Absolutely brilliant.

[kydoty]

 

After Sandy Hook, I'm pretty sure nothing will let us decide that guns are part of the problem. If that didn't do it, nothing can.

 

Maybe if the children were unborn, they might've cared to do something about it.

[kydoty]

Also, my favorite Onion headline still unfortunately rings true... 

 

"There's no way to prevent this", says only nation where this frequently happens

[Squirrel]

Maybe if the children were unborn, they might've cared to do something about it.

Maybe if the authorities released the photos of the victims' bodies, so that everyone can see what these weapons do, that it's not 'just' a gunshot wound like you see on TV. That's what a friend of mine thinks. She went to Columbine HS. She wasn't there when it happened but friends of hers were as was her sister. Her sister was in the library. Maybe we should also revisit the lives of the survivors. That was also a suggestion of hers. She wasn't even there but in her words her life was severely altered. A friend of hers still suffers from ptsd. It's really quite unbelievable that that was 18 yrs ago. As much as the culture of guns has become inextricably entwined in our identity, so have these shootings, any shooting really. It's just commonplace now and nothing changes.