another school shooting in U.S. of A. :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by keysersoze

I'm not advocating that you allow your girls take firearms lessons, but I will respond to your question.

1) After shooting a handgun, one would definitely have a sense for how much respect a gun deserves, and would be less inclined to be careless, or be around others who are careless. Let me elaborate: recently I saw a news report of the young man who encountered the Oregon mall shooter who killed two shoppers before turning the gun on himself. This guy, in his early 20s, was formerly a mall security guard, and had a permit to carry. When he heard the shots, he pulled his gun and encountered the gunman trying to change his magazine. He had the shot, but refused to take it because there were people behind him and he knew the risks of pulling the trigger. Eventually, the gunman (who had an AR-type weapon) saw this guy with his handgun aimed at him, and decided to kill himself at that point. I saw this kid being interviewed. He was big and tough-seeming, but when asked questions by the interviewer you could see that his training made him very level-headed and a "big-picture" person. He seemed enormously aware of his surroundings and quite willing to not pull the trigger. In short, knowledge is power. Granted, he may be an exception.

My brother, who has significant training, guns out the wazoo, and a permit to carry, told me that if he heard shots ring out, he would not approach the gunman, that his goal would be to still try to get out of the area with his family. His training has enabled him to protect his own while calmly dealing with the situation....

---

Fair enough if you feel the likelihood of encountering such a scenario necessitates educating appropriate preparedness for your children.

POLARIZATION is a word that is now oh so common.

Here in the U.S.of A. we are polarized ideologically in so many areas.
The different shades of gray seem to have been squeezed out.

We are living it politically - constantly - and both sides just budge and close themselves down because they HONESTLY believe that they are right, even morally right.

And we are seeing it on this thread.
I'm on one end of the spectrum accompanied by many
and on the other side there is a very large group that probably think that we are crazy or ignorant or whatever.
We may sometimes probably feel the same way about them. :angel:

Will we agree on anything? I do hope so.
Continue to disagree? For sure.

It's a slow day at the office.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by schmenke

Fair enough if you feel the likelihood of encountering such a scenario necessitates educating appropriate preparedness for your children.

---

Well, it is often said that one should, for example, give one's kids a bit of alcohol before they are allowed legally to consume it, in order that they then know how to drink it responsibly.

However, I would contend that it's a strange society that has no problem with widespread gun ownership and yet gets all outraged when Janet Jackson shows a bit of tit on television.

How easy is it for someone to purchase an assault rifle (AK-47) without an ID?

Virginia Tech Survivor Fights Back Against Guns | Video - ABC News

Too easy! There is a "gun show" loophole in USA where a gun-buyer can bypass the following: ID check, background check, taxes, and gun registration. A buyer simply has to show up in person, and pay in cash without any strings attached.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gloomyDAY

How easy is it for someone to purchase an assault rifle (AK-47) without an ID?

Virginia Tech Survivor Fights Back Against Guns | Video - ABC News

Too easy! There is a "gun show" loophole in USA where a gun-buyer can bypass the following: ID check, background check, taxes, and gun registration. A buyer simply has to show up in person, and pay in cash without any strings attached.

---

And I am sure that many gun owners would agree that that situation cannot continue.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by race aficionado

And I am sure that many gun owners would agree that that situation cannot continue.

---

I'm a cynic when it comes to gun laws. Nothing will change. Nothing.

I believe that the American gun lobby has done a magnificent marketing job in convincing Americans that sport rifles, similar to assault rifles, are a necessity. Who really needs a .223 or .300 caliber semi-automatic rifle, with 30-round magazines, and 250+ yard range? Nobody, unless you're intent on killing people with brutal efficiency.

Machismo also plays a huge roll in the type of weapons Americans decide to buy. I'm seen as a weakling in the gun community because all I have is a Ruger 10/22, which is just a 10-round .22 caliber rifle. My little Ruger can easily kill a person, but I just use it to plink at the range from time-to-time. I learned how to shoot in the Army, and I know most of the jokers at the range took their training from John Wayne flicks. I cringe knowing that most gun owners have never received any kind of formal gun training and treat a weapon as a deadly toy.

My point is that laws governing the possession of weapons should be more strict. As I stated earlier, probably not going to happen, but it wouldn't be an infringement on my 2nd Amendment rights to have other people get professional training before purchasing a sport rifle. Oh, and "sport rifle" is a complete misnomer, which was done intentionally by the gun lobby. There's nothing "sporting" about a sport rifle.

Just my $.02

The next big media event that awaits us on this end is the first interview - or the first comments - from the NRA and it's top guy Wayne LaPierre.
I look forward to seeing what transpires.

Meet the Press

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BDunnell

Because there should be no reason for any teacher to carry a concealed weapon, full stop. It is simply unnecessary, just as is having an increased uniformed presence in schools.



You and your like-minded countrymen do not have a monopoly on seeking to preserve civil liberties. I believe their erosion in recent years, much of it predicated on the notion of the terrorist threat, to have been a pernicious process. However, I do not believe that the right to bear arms should form part of basic civil liberties in a modern, civilised country. Firearm ownership is simply where I draw the line.

---

We have had a uniformed police officer assigned to our schools for over ten years. When I tought school just inside of the DC beltway in the late 80's , we had two full time police officers permanently assigned to that school. They were needed for problems INSIDE the school. It was a horrible neighborhood. We hadshootings at school, in a city with the tightest gun ban in the nation Baltimore City schools have police officers.

Every school in my county has had similar procedures as the school in connecticut for years. All external doors are locked once the first bell rings. Teachers or administrators are posted at all doors when the doors are unlocked. All doors have video cameras and intercoms. That has been in place since my 15 year old daugher was in pre kindergarten. Our schools are far more concerned by abductions than mass shootings.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gloomyDAY

I'm a cynic when it comes to gun laws. Nothing will change. Nothing.

I believe that the American gun lobby has done a magnificent marketing job in convincing Americans that sport rifles, similar to assault rifles, are a necessity. Who really needs a .223 or .300 caliber semi-automatic rifle, with 30-round magazines, and 250+ yard range? Nobody, unless you're intent on killing people with brutal efficiency.

Machismo also plays a huge roll in the type of weapons Americans decide to buy. I'm seen as a weakling in the gun community because all I have is a Ruger 10/22, which is just a 10-round .22 caliber rifle. My little Ruger can easily kill a person, but I just use it to plink at the range from time-to-time. I learned how to shoot in the Army, and I know most of the jokers at the range took their training from John Wayne flicks. I cringe knowing that most gun owners have never received any kind of formal gun training and treat a weapon as a deadly toy.

My point is that laws governing the possession of weapons should be more strict. As I stated earlier, probably not going to happen, but it wouldn't be an infringement on my 2nd Amendment rights to have other people get professional training before purchasing a sport rifle. Oh, and "sport rifle" is a complete misnomer, which was done intentionally by the gun lobby. There's nothing "sporting" about a sport rifle.

Just my $.02

---

I enjoyed your post gloomy :) but I will be an optimist when it comes to believing that some change will occur.
let's see . . . . . .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gloomyDAY

How easy is it for someone to purchase an assault rifle (AK-47) without an ID?

Virginia Tech Survivor Fights Back Against Guns | Video - ABC News

Too easy! There is a "gun show" loophole in USA where a gun-buyer can bypass the following: ID check, background check, taxes, and gun registration. A buyer simply has to show up in person, and pay in cash without any strings attached.

---

Agreed, Where cash and carry gun sales are allowed. I have never and would never purchase a firearm at a gun show for just that reason. I believe in training, registration and regulation, and responsible ownership not outright bans.