Editorial: End the gun epidemic in America
Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the Dec. 4 New York Times.
All decent people feel sorrow and righteous fury about the latest slaughter of innocents, in California. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are searching for motivations, including the vital question of how the murderers might have been connected to international terrorism. That is right and proper.
But motives do not matter to the dead in California, nor did they in Colorado, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut and far too many other places. The attention and anger of Americans should also be directed at the elected leaders whose job is to keep us safe but who place a higher premium on the money and political power of an industry dedicated to profiting from the unfettered spread of ever more powerful firearms.
As a Libertarian, I am used to dealing with people who think the Second Amendment is some sort of mistake or that automatic weapons make guns too dangerous. I tell these well intentioned folks if they think gun control is so great, put a sign in your front yard that proclaims there are no guns in your home. Good luck with that.
It is obvious by now that ALL these crimes and attacks are on innocent UNARMED people, women and children.
The politically correct call these “soft” zones.
So if I understand the thinking, we (Americans) want and expect our Government to keep us safe and the best way to do that is by taking our guns away from us? Does anyone with even a speck of common sense really believe that will make us safer?
Enjoy the pipe dream.
Statistics. What is the difference between the U.S. and every other first world society? Well, we can be proud that we have an overwhelmingly high murder rate by firearm. We lead the pack by a long shot. Ok. So I guess we like killing each other here in the U.S., and we almost always use a gun. Got it. What, then, is the reason for this difference? Do we have a corner on the market for crazy people? on angry people? on religious extremists? on angry old men brainwashed by Faux News (yes), on frustrated teenage boys? Etc etc etc. Nope. So why such a huge difference in gun violence in our country relative to all the other civilized countries in the world? Access. Access to guns and ammo. That’s it. Pretty simple. Anybody want to explain it any other way? Good luck with that, because you can’t.
True American gun owners overwhelmingly support background checks and solid, reasonable laws to safeguard themselves and their communities. I am one of them. Gun FANATICS do not. Gun FANATICS believe that the daily carnage we see across our country is a fair price to pay for their unrestricted access to gun and ammo. They just like guns. They just enjoy them, for whatever reason. Like their little hobby, or a pet. Their little hobby is all important, it makes them feel powerful and safe. Yet, guns don’t make them any safer. Statistics show this clearly. Stats also clearly indicate that having them in your home or concealed on you makes you hugely more likely to die by gun violence. Forget your little fantasy about taking out the bad guy at Wal Mart. It’s BS. Just ask the cops. They know, and they don’t want you packing. Mostly because you’re an idiot and you don’t have the proper training for those situations and you will likely pop innocent people in the process.
This country has a problem and somehow the whole world knows it better than we do. Maybe that’s because those other first world countries know we are CRAZY for tolerating such insanity. And it is insanity. It’s got to end. It’s access, straight up.
Mark Twain…”There are three kinds of lies, lies damned lies and statistics.”
Herman Cain…”Numbers do not lie but people that lie use numbers.”
http://johnpavlovitz.com/2015/12/03/letter-to-an-american-gun-lover/
GUNS AND THE NRA IDIOTS ARE WHATS WRONG WITH AMERICA IMHO
The firearms used in San Berdoo were illegal in California. And yet, with all the stringent laws in place, they were used. More gun laws would not have protected us against a Jihadist bent on terrorism. More gun laws will never protect us against domestic Islamic terrorism. The only action that will protect us is to stamp the evil out where they live. It is long past time to take the fight to the middle east and decimate our enemies. The government’s prime responsibility is to protect us. They cannot. So what is the only solution the left has in the face of this danger? Disarm us.
If the left was merely satisfied with enacting some control and leaving it at that, then a discussion might be had about the merits. However that is not their goal. Their goal as stated by many, including Clinton who said that Australian style confiscation could be considered, is confiscation. And to leave the public at the mercy of a totalitarian government. Never mind that confiscation would lead to revolt, the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and the potential end of the republic.
That is the the most lame perspective imaginable…….the Gubmint is gonna take ALL our guns…….for gawds sake, just stop it. You just like your gun, plain and simple. And let’s count the ways YOU think it’s all worth not doing anything tangible to curb this violence.
Sandy Hook: all those first graders slaughtered. Worth it, I like my guns. Let’s do nothing.
Movie theater massacre: random killing bloodbath. Worth it, my gun makes me feel safe. Let’s do nothing.
Countless school shootings. My grade school kid now has regular ‘active shooter’ drills and comes home terrified. Worth it, the gubmints gonna take my play toys. Let’s do nothing.
On and on and on……..
The politicians are criminally responsible for disallowing anything sensible from taking place. I don’t expect the average low grade voter to be able understand nuance in lawmaking. I DO expect the politicians to wake up and do their duty to protect the citizens and put aside their petty career tracks.
Essentially the argument from the FANATICS is that NO amount of sensible gun control will do anything to curb this violence. This, in the face of OVERWHELMING evidence that in EVERY other country on the planet that has enacted sensible gun control, gun violence has cratered. Once again, proof doesn’t matter to these people. They just like their guns. THEY JUST LIKE THIER GUNS AND F OFF TO ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO GET IN THEIR WAY. SLAUGHTERED FIRST GRADERS OR NOT.
Why is it that only UNARMED people…like first graders are being SLAUGHTERED?
Only ARMED people that show up 5 minutes LATER stop it.
Atomic -Well said and I couldn’t agree more…
Robin Smith,
Do you actually believe that arming 1st grade teachers or hiring wannabe cops for 10 bucks an hr. to patrol every school in America with a military grade weapon is the answer? More guns is the solution? That’s the NRA’s dream and I’m sure they appreciate your support for their gun sales programs.
KC…I didn’t say anything about ‘arming’ first grade teachers or hiring ‘wannabe’ cops.
You just made a lot of assumptions in 3 lines of text:(
ASS U ME…my third grade teacher gave us that.
You are naive if you don’t believe there are those in power who would enact confiscation if they could. And your generalizations about the desires of the majority of gun owners are infantile at best. No one is espousing or accepting the slaughter of innocents. That is pure KOS demagoguery.
How about a complete media block out on the names of these people or why they did it. I believe most of these people do these horrible things is because they want attention for themselves or their agenda. DONT GIVE IT TO THEM. Give attention to the victims, but if giving no media attention to the sick f***s who do this,I’m ok with not knowing their names or why they did it. Another thing that may be causes of these things( besides extremism) is violent video games and violent entertainment.
“elected leaders whose job is to keep us safe” ? Does anyone really think this premise exists? Pretty naive assumption.
It’s really pointless interacting with posters that deny the obvious intention of their ALLCAPS words or even worse is those that believe the stupidity of claims by wing nut radio hosts like Glenn Beck and Alex Jones that “gungrabber” gubment agents are coming to your door.
yobobby,
We need to end our obbseesion with guns a few facts:
– white males make up 32% of the pop in US but account for 62% of gun ownership
– Blacks and hispanics on average own few guns then whites and are less comfortable living in a house with guns
– the US has 5% of world pop but owns 44% of guns world wide
– the top 20 states with gun deaths are conseratie states (18 red states 2 purple)
– gun deaths are hightest in the US and world wide in areas where gun ownership is highest
– Australia since they have banned assulat tupe weapons and spent a significant amount to buy back guns and ammo have gone over 7000 days without a msss shooting.
We have a problem and we need to realize that guns do not make us safer, actually less ssafe, lby a lot. We need to seek a Nationwide solution – and they are available,but the NRA is busy making smith and wesson tons of money.
Rick
Relo. A complete censorship / media blackout of the murderers… exactly how would that work with Smart Phones, Twitter, Youtube etc.
I agree that more attention should be given to the victims and instead of the caution tape, Americans need to see the blood and gore. The Terrorists are already here and they simply go down and buy a weapon from a friend or gun show… legally and the NRA smiles all the way to the bank.
for a lot of you folks Hatred follows you like the wind.
you forgot this is America we are bombing and raping and pillaging all around the World so I can be free to own whatever I want.
How many people do you know of who killed someone (according to the killer)because the government legal system failed (according to the killer). Yeah, I know at least one person (dead now, rest his soul)who told me he killed someone who abused his family and the government refused to prosecute. Very SAD!
“Do we have a corner on the market for crazy people? on angry people? on religious extremists? on angry old men brainwashed by Faux News (yes), on frustrated teenage boys? Etc etc etc. Nope.”
WRONG. YES WE DO. So what do you do when you remove the firearm in the above equation?? Your still left with the above ^^^What do you now do to help them? Is it now then acceptable that the crazy kills someone with a knife, fists, car, stick etc…? Its OK because he only killed one or two?? We still as a nation need to help change our culture on the way we identify and treat these sick people. They’re still there when you remove the firearm from the equation
So Kubby, Based on your “Libertarian” post, I gather people can put flags out proclaiming arsenals of weapons here, Skin Head flags, Pot flags, Islamic flags, Jewish flags, Buddhist flags, Nazi flags, Straight flags, Gay flags etc too. And here I thought the American Flag was fine.
Of course semi-Automatic weapons are dangerous and the proof is in the rounds per minute and the time it takes to kill. Jared Loughner was able to kill 6 people and wound 13 others with a Semi Automatic Glock 19 and a 33 round clip in Tucson in about a minutes time. The Glock 19 is rated at 45-60 rounds per minute in semi automatic mode and 1100 rounds per minute in fully automatic mode.
The 2nd Amendment from 1791 reads: A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. (yes it it one sentence)
Prior to 1977, even the NRA supported a number of gun safety and regulation measures when gun violence swept through our country. Since 1977, the NRA is more a gun manufacturers lobby.
“Even with the current gaps among states, those that have waiting periods report some success. California, which has a 15-day waiting period that I supported and signed into law while Governor, stopped nearly 1,800 prohibited handgun sales in 1989. New Jersey has had a permit-to-purchase system for more than two decades. During that time, according to the state police, more than 10,000 convicted felons have been caught trying to buy handguns.
Every year, an average of 9,200 Americans are murdered by handguns, according to Department of Justice statistics. This does not include suicides or the tens of thousands of robberies, rapes and assaults committed with handguns.
This level of violence must be stopped. Sarah and Jim Brady are working hard to do that, and I say more power to them. If the passage of the Brady bill were to result in a reduction of only 10 or 15 percent of those numbers (and it could be a good deal greater), it would be well worth making it the law of the land.”
Ronald “Liberal” Reagan 1991
Luck is the by product of good planing.
Don’t quote Ronald Reagan thinking that his words hold any weight with libertarians. They don’t. His administration grew government into more of a monstrosity than it was before his “conservative” reign began.
Just ’cause Reagan was for more control doesn’t mean thinking people agree with it. We don’t base our decisions on worship of fallible men. You may follow your leftist leaders without question, but libertarians/anarcho-capitalists do not.
Gun control benefits nobody but tyrants and criminals.
HAHAHA, Thinking people, dog thinks she Is one of….HAHAHA, thanks for the laugh…
Dog. I said “Liberal” Reagan, not “Libertarian.”
Libertarian – Anarcho – Capitalists … LMAO!
Throwing Ronald Reagan under your gun safety bus… That’s a good one too!
Rock it is a 10 day wait come over and I will show you my new Beretta.
the next time you see a Habib Lady buying a 1000 rounds at Walmart say something.
Habib is: an Arabic male name with the meaning “beloved”, or “sweetheart”.
What slur were you intending to say?
But i need my armor piercing bullets, and a lot of them!
After sandy hook 92% of us agreed we wanted “something’ done on gun control. 92 % of us do not agree on anything!
Our Congressional politicions having been bought by gun advocacy money made sure they repaid their donors and sat on their butts.
We need to get money out of politics to get congress to do what constituents
want. A process to get An amendment to get money out and citizens united overturned is in the works. We need 34 states to become super majority.
So sad, But remember in this last shooting try not to get overwhelmed in anger against muslims. Turn off or just kill your network TV.
I am more afraid of the Dylan Roof types than just another religious nut looking for glory. Peace to all during the holidays and hug the one your with.
Miguelito, “So sad….????”
Sorry Miguel…I go waay past Sad when I see the body parts of 6 yr old’s being blown all over the place…………….place the blame on the person/people doing the destruction….NOT the bomb, gun, knife they are doing the harm with.
Yes Robin, so sad! what is wrong with that?
Did i strike a nerve because i propose peace?
I can go way past “sad” but like to kept civil.
So what is your point Robin? I do not blame guns,knifes etc. I blame individual religious,glory seeking people of “God” doing most of the killing.
Just because anytime a person demands new gun legalization the pro gun advocates attack the messenger? I am sure we are not that far off agreeing on many levels. Lets try.
If your so tired of seeing body parts blown off children do you endorse the MIC and it’s perpetual war?
Do you think all citizens have the right to armor piercing ammo?
So please Robin state your beef with my point saying so sad. Or is it just a way to snub a liberal to uphold your beliefs in current gun laws?
It was really vague statement but i appreciate your using a real name to voice your opinions. Please just tell me your argument. I love to debate and learn from other folks experiences in life.
The Majority of Americans want change in guns laws. Deal with it.
Miguelito, Miguel, Michael;)~
“When rising to the bait be sure you know how to eat around the hook.”
Banning armor piercing bullets will do nothing to help save lives. Your typical target practice rifle round will penetrate most 1/2″ steel plates. Banning certain ammunition is just a way to try to chip away at citizens 2nd amendment rights.
Snoplease I was surprised by that. We were target shooting at 5/8 inch plate steel and my normal 7mm Remington Magnum went right through. Tried my 30-06 and the same result. You really have to put them a long way back to keep from turning the plates into swiss cheese. So I am not sure what an armor piercing round does that my hunting rifles don’t already do.
I dont like being at the range with folks with AR-15s though. Tattooed kids showing up (yeah I dont like tattoos either) at the range with that much fire power scare me. My bolt action rifles cannot take out more than one or two people before people would have me on the ground. An AR just changes too much.
ROBIN ..? Never mind a explanation. Your just rude i guess. I have no idea what your trying to say. Rise to the bait?
You might be right about feeling sad is not enough, and neither are prayers.
Try to get the both parties of congress to do the MAJORITIES will and at least bring a discussion to the table if you really care about our citizens.
My name is Mike Lee to be clear.
Happy holidays Robin, peace. I only wanted in on the discussion of the issue and ran into same kind of brick wall all legislation does on this subject.
I’ll go back to being migeulito,adios.
Chief. As I have said before, I have not held a piece in my hands in several decades and hope I don’t have too again. So, I will decline your offer of showing me your Beretta.