Another mass school shooting in the Good ole USA.

[cashman]

Another tragedy in america the 45th school shooting this year it said, This sort of thing will NEVER stop oer yon. A principal from the school said this morning "If the students were armed,then they could have defended themselves, what chance of commonsense when dickheads like him are teaching kids?

[Margaret Pilkington]

Cashy.....you always tell me that you cannot put sense where there is none.
That maxim applies in this case.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by cashman

Another tragedy in america the 45th school shooting this year it said, This sort of thing will NEVER stop oer yon. A principal from the school said this morning "If the students were armed,then they could have defended themselves, what chance of commonsense when dickheads like him are teaching kids?

There's been no official response from the NRA so far; but it will probably be something like this:

Charleston shooting: NRA board member blames pastor for deaths in church - POLITICO

Problem seems to be with the Second Amendment: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Most Americans seem to be aware of only the last part. This amendment was probably designed with the British in mind. And in the late eighteenth century, with no standing army, it does make some sense. A good idea which has outlived its usefulness. What complicates things in the US is that there are fifty state governments which also have their own constitutions; and there are also the complications which crop up because of the Ninth Amendment.

It makes sense to most of us that there should exist background checks, and limits to the type of firearms that one can purchase, there should be no CCWs ... all common sense stuff. But in the US, particularly in certain states ... Way to go Texas ... any limits are seen as an "infringement" of Second Amendment rights, not to mention State and local rights.

All this seems to make sense in America.

By the way, am I the only gun owner who posts on here?

[Margaret Pilkington]

I have a gun............





a glue gun!

[Eric]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I have a gun............





a glue gun!

Those things can be dangerous in the wrong hands. For example, the Lepage Gun.

[Margaret Pilkington]

No, mine is nothing like that.
It is only dangerous if you drip hot glue. On your tender skin.

[accyman]

only repeating what iv read on this and reports are that the gunman was asking if peopel were christian and if they said yes he shot them in the head and if they said no he shot them in the legs..

now im not poking fun here but if this is the case i cant help but wonder why after the first person who said yes got shot in the head the rest didnt say no

a sherif gave a public statement saying he wont give the gunman the attention he sought and would never utter his name although i assume some media outlet will or has

this could be a bit more than 1 individual going bonkers it could well be planned terror attack we will just have to wait and see

[Eric]

Just been watching the news. One report showed a sign which read "Pray for Roseburg." There. That should solve everything This god stuff is something else that's hard to understand our neighbours. (Robin Williams once said of Canada that it's a nice apartment built over a meth lab.) Trust in God and keep your powder dry.

[Guinness]

I'm probably making light of a serious issue but this is the perfect example of the US psyche...

New York Jets NFL team ship 350 toilet rolls to London - BBC News

Make note of the point the intern makes 'the toilet paper is thin because the plumbing isn't good'....thats typical US logic...kinda like Cashys OP when he said that arming students would help defend against gun crime.

I'm not supporting the NRA or the nutjob 'right to bear arms under the constitution' mob...but...

Most of us live in a country where we can't get more than 10-15 miles away from a town or city. We have no animals that prey on us, worst we have to put up with when we pitch a tent are ants, spiders, wind and rain.

Dunno if any of you have watched various stuff about Alaska on the National Geographic channel...but, having a gun out there is an absolute necessity, and I'd imagine the same for some areas of other states in the US.

Its really easy for us to look at the USA and say why don't they just ban guns..but as Eric says their central government doesn't work like ours and each state has different needs and in some places you need a gun.

Was talking to a guy online a couple of weeks ago during his 72 hour trip on a bus from California to Minnesota, also talked to a guy who had never seen the sea....it's hard for us insular Brits to comprehend the distances involved between help arriving and the need to protect ourselves until they do

[cashman]

Guns to my knowledge aint banned anywhere? but stricter rules of ownership are a must, also yeh dont really need a machine gun or the like to keep wolves n such at bay.

[Guinness]

Did this guy use a machine gun or any type of assault weapon?

What exactly is 'strict use of ownership'....this is the issue that I'm trying to point out.....'is it ok to have a gun to protect youself if you live 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles from your local law enforcement officer.. are you likely to be attacked by cougars. wolves, bears etc..etc..etc...

It's a minefield to legislate..

you cannot just say...'why dont they ban guns!'

And if you live in Blackpool..you hear someone breaking in and your nearest police station is in Accrington.....do you want an AK47 or a peashooter to protect yourself?

[accyman]

a pal of mine has a tropical fish farm which dosnt sound dangerous but not only does he risk having gators in his breeding ponds but he has had them be at his door in the morning as he opens it and even in his swimming pool which sounds like a scene from the alligator horror movies

one story out of many i can recall is an out of towner walking her dog and deciding to let it go for a swim in the lake.The dog was gripped by an alligator and the woman ran around frantically asking for help.My pal took aim and shot the dog.Not because he is nasty or didnt like dogs but because he knew a quick death for the dog was better than what was in store for it..

many families have been saved by them having a gun in the house where they have shot a would be rapist , robber or murderer and saved their childrens lives

these sort of stories dont make headlines so it is easy to scream ban guns but as one of my pals jokingly said to me America didnt use a pen and paper to beat the british they shot us and if their government ever gets out of hand every citizen has the right to bare arms and wont be so easy to push over

japan didnt want to invade America their leader at the time said it was because behind every blade of grass is a gun and many Americans see their right to guns as protection in case government fails to

not promoting guns although it may sound like it but America has their ways and not all of ours will work for them

we banned guns yet criminals still have them.We may not see them in hyndburn but they are here and in dangerous peoples hands.Government only got the guns off responsible legal gun owners they didn't get them off the criminals .It was only a few years ago a little boy was hit by a stray bullet from a criminal with a gun and killed in the street as he played .Cant scream ban guns they already are banned so whats the answer to stopping criminals with guns ?

im afraid guns are as embedded into American culture as Christianity is and if you try taking away either they dont like it which is their prerogative

[RainbowSix]

I have a complete armery, both left & right ones

It's a pointless debate, getting rid of guns as it's so embroiled into their culture & constitutions.
First they would have to change the constitution and that would mean instant removal of any politician in office should that be bought up.
Shucks, t'aint gonna happen.

[cashman]

To be honest i aint noticed anyone calling for a ban on guns? Its a matter of common sense on the issue of them, The yanks aint got any at all, Its not foolproof nowt is, but its sure as hell better than any silly sod can have a gun.