Texas shooting 19 dead.

[Chippy_Tea]

The Democrats call for gun control the Republicans say it will not work I am so glad we don't have the choice here.



Nineteen young children and two adults have died in a shooting at a primary school in south Texas.

The 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde before he was killed by law enforcement, officials said.

Speaking on the floor of the US Senate in Washington DC on Tuesday, Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy begged his colleagues to pass gun control legislation.

"These kids weren't unlucky," he said. "This only happens in this country. Nowhere else, nowhere else do little kids go to school thinking that they might be shot that day."

But Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, rejected the calls for gun control. He said restricting the rights of "law-abiding citizens... doesn't work. It's not effective. It doesn't prevent crime."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61573377

 

[Applesnmore]

Liked, though somehow seems inappropriate.
As I student I spent time working in the USA and they found it odd that police here didn't carry weapons (unlike now). When I said they shouldn't, thought I was a communist. Kid had his own AK47. Have to wonder why.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Liked, though somehow seems inappropriate.
As I student I spent time working in the USA and they found it odd that police here didn't carry weapons (unlike now). When I said they shouldn't, thought I was a communist. Kid had his own AK47. Have to wonder why.

They're absolutely bonkers.

 

[Covrich]

They're absolutely bonkers.

THe fact they put the lives of kids above common sense and the right to weild their weapons is truley bonkers.

I sadly think the horse has bolted on USA and gun control. Too many in circulation and far too many in the wrong hands.

 

[Dutto]

There’s a discussion going on in my local “Nextdoor” about the latest Offensive Weapons Act.

TBH the first Act was in 1955 and after nearly 70 years and multiple additional restrictions, it still isn’t working!

Why?

I wish I was 17 again! Then, I had all the answers and now I don’t even know all of the questions; I just feel terribly sad that someone had the desire and the means to kill their colleagues!

 

[DavidDetroit]

Whatever the number is that we've reached, it's terrible. My wife said there have been more mass shootings, in general, than days of the year so far in the US.
Our government grinds to a standstill when it comes to legislating no matter how horrific the shooting event. The conservative is the blockade to getting anything accomplished.
I know little of the UK's stance, as well Australia's. I'm pretty sure school shootings is non-existent?
I don't own a gun. I wouldn't mind it as I like machines, in general. I fancy I'd go to the range every so often and have some sport. I'd probably leave the weapon on the shooting range's premises.
What do all you folks think about owning guns? Are you fine without? Do you feel threatened that your government might go tyrannical on you since you don't have one?
All the hullabaloo is about this amendment from 1789:
"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."
It's clear to me, based on "when" what it clearly means. I don't really want to pick it apart now but it is what are current situation in the US is based upon.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

We have our fair share of atrocities but not on the same scale. Guns have a unique ability to make a bad situation worse and you guys have bought in whole-heartedly.

I think your constitution was developed in a different era and maybe doesn’t fit modern times. On the other hand who would have thought Russia would do what it has to Ukraine. Awful.

The gun lobby crowd have to share the blame for this, they perpetuate the opportunity for such atrocities. They will say it isn’t guns that kill people, it’s people. I would say “It’s people that kill people, with guns”. *******.

Sorry, got a bit heavy.

 

[sifty]

I'm in NZ and am a sporting shooter. We just had duckshooting opening morning and that's a big deal here (rugby games are rescheduled around it etc). Historically, people had links to the rural community so hunting and pest control were common, most people had a shotgun, deer rifle and .22 for rabbits/possums. Even with urban drift you're never far from land you can hunt on, so ownership is relatively high per population...

After a certain Aussie ******** went on a cowardly rampage in Christchurch there were sweeping firearms law changes, and a gun 'buyback' by the government to get some weapons out of circulation.

This sounds good, but the laws were rushed and pretty silly, all to look like something had been done. The stated aim was to remove military style semi autos, but it also included grandad's old tube magazine. 22. Many people took rattly old lever and pump action rifles in, and promptly bought brand new scoped semiautomatics (with far more firepower) with the proceeds...

My biggest gripe was that they only accepted hand-ins from licensed firearm owners, so the guns they wanted to remove are still there, and only law-abiding shooters were affected. Many legitimate target shooters, pest controllers and collectors were penalised.

I have no problem with strict laws, and cannot fathom how the US does not require background checks etc, but any laws have to make sense. (In fact the police did not follow the existing laws when granting a license to the Christchurch shooter. Had they done so he would not have been able to buy any weapons or ammo).

I can't imagine a country where school shootings are common, and children have drills in case this occurs. Something is broken and I don't know the answer. I strongly suspect blocking the shooter's names will go a long way to removing their desire to be noticed. I think they are all inadequate losers who want to be remembered for something.

So a tough one. Making it too hard to legally own guns will just make people ignore the laws. I don't know any shooter who begrudges strict licensing, storage requirements etc, but being made to feel like a criminal when buying a box of shot shells is not the answer...

Maybe the answer in the US is to state the amendment only applies to firearms available in 1789..?

 

[Dutto]

I’m have a Stalking Certificate from the British Deer Association and at one time owned a:

1. 243 rifle
2. 30-06 rifle
3. 22 rifle with silencer
4. 12 bore side-by-side shotgun
5. 12 bore over-under shotgun
6. 22 air-rifle
7. 22 CO2 pistol

I gave up everything but the CO2 pistol when I retired. By this time, owning any form of firearm in the UK was so wrapped up in legislation that honest people just gave up owning them.

Nowadays, gun ownership is more or less left to a few diehards, landowners, the Police and Criminals!

Since the 1960’s we’ve had a few “Amnesties” for guns and even knives; and three things stand out for me:

1. This was the man who asked the Police to pick up the 80mm anti-tank gun (complete with ammunition) that had been parked in front of his house for years. Captured during WW2 he had attempted to declare it when he arrived in the UK in 1945 but was told “We issued you with a four-pound gun, not an 80mm one so I can’t accept it.”
2. During a gun amnesty in 1966 a man handed in a beautiful cane walking stick. It was actually a .410 Damascus barrelled shotgun with the trigger folded into the silver ferrule on the handle. No amount of persuasion on my part would get him to donate it to a Museum and it was destroyed!
3. During a knife amnesty my Aunty handed in a set of three ceremonial Gurkha Kukri knives that had been presented to my Uncle during WW2. No-one will ever convince me that the knives were destroyed and they probably adorn someone’s wall right now!

NONE of the above weapons has ever been used in an illegal manner, so I have to wonder what good the various Laws and Amnesties have done. I often hear that “It removed them from the hands of criminals.” but, as the criminals never seem short of weapons, that doesn’t explain anything!
:hat:

 

[sifty]

Yep crying shame to see historical items destroyed rather than displayed somewhere.
In our situation all semi autos were deemed 'dangerous' so lovingly kept M1 Garands etc were destroyed...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Derrick Bird shot dead 12 people and injured 11 more in west Cumbria.

 

[MickDundee]

All the hullabaloo is about this amendment from 1789:
"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."
It's clear to me, based on "when" what it clearly means. I don't really want to pick it apart now but it is what are current situation in the US is based upon.

Americans love to shout about how you can’t change their constitution (especially the 2nd amendment) as if they don’t actually know what the word “amendment” means!

 

[Covrich]

What do all you folks think about owning guns? Are you fine without? Do you feel threatened that your government might go tyrannical on you since you don't have one?

To Answer your questions

I wouldn't want to own one at all, doesn't bother me at all. Honestly never thought about it and I guess culturally its not somethin most people think about having a weapon.

There are obviously sad extreme exceptions here too.

Whilst I do not want to digress into a political tories does this labour does this .. for all their faults I do not think they are about to go Tyrannical and

If they did I am not sure everyone running around weilding a firearm is going to help.!! Look what happened to the country when we thought we were going to be short of toilet roll and chopped tomatos!! add a gun in everyones pocket and a government out of control then it will be mayhem.

 

[Donegal john]

If a hormonal teenager in Ireland /uk gets angry he will huff and puff at everyone and maybe start a fight and get a bloody nose.
If a hormonal teenager gets angry in America he can shoot 21 people dead.
That’s so bloody wrong of America.

 

[MmmBeer]

I have only used a gun once, (a shotgun) used to shoot clay pigeons, and I was truly awful at it, I maybe hit two all day.
.
As someone mentioned earlier, kneejerk law changes in response to incidents like this tend to be ill thought out and lead to the situation like in the UK where there are now more firearms in the hands of criminals, than there are in the hands of genuine licenced owners.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

For anyone who hasn't seen the 2 part Jim Jefferies videos, they should be a compulsory part of the curriculum in American schools...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

be ill thought out and lead to the situation like in the UK where there are now more firearms in the hands of criminals, than there are in the hands of genuine licenced owners.

They may be I'll thought out but imagine how many guns would be in those hands if we didn't have any laws.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Just watched the videos absolutely brilliant.

 

[DavidDetroit]

Americans love to shout about how you can’t change their constitution (especially the 2nd amendment) as if they don’t actually know what the word “amendment” means!

The RW is loud. That is where, I believe, the source of that noise is. The 2A was reinterpreted to its current meaning by our Supreme Court. But anyone reading it without looking for an agenda would see it to be fairly harmless. We have a National Guard, by state, that takes care of it. That entity is controlled by the Governor.

 

[DavidDetroit]

or anyone who hasn't seen the 2 part Jim Jefferies videos, they should be a compulsory part of the curriculum in American schools...

Comedians have a knack for cutting through the confusion and be funny at the same time.
Jordan Klepper does a number of spots about guns. "Good Guy with a Gun" is entertaining and enlightening.