What would you do about Virginia Tech?

[Woolygimp]

[ QUOTE ]
In Britain we had the Dunblane massacre.

We banned all handguns, and highly restricted access to all other guns.

We have had no school shootings since.

Gun control works. Sure the bad guys can get guns if they *really* want to. Im sure i can get a handgun here in Manchester in only 4 degrees of seperation at most.

BUT it does limit these types of attacks, it stops husbands getting pissed off and killing their wives, its limits gun crime massively.

Again - banning guns is 100% a good and logical solution

This is NOT the wild west. And things dont happen like in the films you seem to enjoy.

Ban all guns, or accept school shootings as a normal part of life. That is litterally your choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

The UK is a much smaller country with far less people, and saying we haven't had a school shooting in X amount of times is probably a combination of variance and a smaller control.

How about:

Public shootings in the European Union vs public shootings in the United States.

That would be a more effective comparison.

[morphball]

[ QUOTE ]
In Britain we had the Dunblane massacre.

We banned all handguns, and highly restricted access to all other guns.

We have had no school shootings since.

Gun control works. Sure the bad guys can get guns if they *really* want to. Im sure i can get a handgun here in Manchester in only 4 degrees of seperation at most.

BUT it does limit these types of attacks, it stops husbands getting pissed off and killing their wives, its limits gun crime massively.

Again - banning guns is 100% a good and logical solution

This is NOT the wild west. And things dont happen like in the films you seem to enjoy.

Ban all guns, or accept school shootings as a normal part of life. That is litterally your choice.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your solution is merely stripping people from having the power to defend themselves, and mark my words, Britain will have a shooting spree sooner or later.

Also, under this logic...

[ QUOTE ]
In Britain we had the Dunblane massacre.

We banned all handguns, and highly restricted access to all other guns.

We have had no school shootings since.


[/ QUOTE ]

The USA's invasion of Iraq has worked because there has been no 9/11's since then

[BCPVP]

[ QUOTE ]
If all guns are banned, the shooter wouldnt have legally been able to buy the weapons to kill those 31 kids.

[/ QUOTE ]
We don't know that he legally bought the guns. In fact, if he is under 21, we know that he didn't buy them legally.

[ QUOTE ]
If he had illegally bought the guns then you need to work harder to stop people doing that.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm sure that's comforting to the person who is getting shot at; knowing their tax dollars are "working hard" to stop illegal guns from entering.

[ QUOTE ]
Again, here in Britain, zero school shootings like this since handguns outlawed. You could *try* and argue its a coincidence, but you wont get far.

[/ QUOTE ]
This may work in Britain, but would be unworkable in a country the size of the U.S.

[tehox]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes I know what happened at Breslan. I'm confused about how that is related to what I wrote.

[/ QUOTE ]

You made an incorrect assertion and I cited an example of the most horrific mass murder of kids at a school in EUROPE. Your assertion that gun control would prevent these attacks is also wrong, sadly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually Russia has worse gun control laws than the U.S., and "coincidently" 5 times as high of a homicide rate.

Moreover, the Beslan attack was a terrorist attack. I do not think that banning guns or limiting guns in the U.S. would necessarily stop such attacks. I think highly motivated groups with the money and means necessary will be able to circumvent any such laws. However, I think this has nothing to do with the content of this thread.

[Case Closed]

woogly,

The EU is a collection of rich affluent european countries for the most part. It would be unfair the cherry pick the richest european countries and compare them to the entire US.

[[Phill]]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes I know what happened at Breslan. I'm confused about how that is related to what I wrote.

[/ QUOTE ]

You made an incorrect assertion and I cited an example of the most horrific mass murder of kids at a school in EUROPE. Your assertion that gun control would prevent these attacks is also wrong, sadly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? Breslan? Europe and not Russia you say?

Obviously one lone gunman walking into a school and a group of pro-Chechen rebels (terrorists if you ask the right people) walking into a school is exactly the same.

Because, like, both involved schools?

I hear kids died in schools in Nagasaki and Hiroshima when a couple of nukes went off nearby. Obviously they are the same. Cos, it was a school. Right?

[tehox]

[ QUOTE ]
In Britain we had the Dunblane massacre.

We banned all handguns, and highly restricted access to all other guns.

We have had no school shootings since.


[/ QUOTE ]

The USA's invasion of Iraq has worked because there has been no 9/11's since then

[/ QUOTE ]

Not the best analogy IMO. These school shootings are much more common then terrorist attacks, and the fact that they happen here but not in Britain/Europe is pretty indicative that banning or highly regulating guns likely would stop them.

[BCPVP]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The police chief is right. The state should have not let some guy with a gun shop sell the weapon to the shooter.

No gun, no shooting.

[/ QUOTE ]
What makes you think he bought it at a gun shop?

[/ QUOTE ]

Until hearing otherwise, i think it is VERY safe to assume the gun was legally manufactured and sold legally to either the shooter or a member of the shooter's family.

[/ QUOTE ]
No, it is not safe to assume that he or a family member bought the gun legally. I remember a study of felons that mentioned that the majority of guns they used were obtained illegally.

[[Phill]]

[ QUOTE ]
woogly,

The EU is a collection of rich affluent european countries for the most part. It would be unfair the cherry pick the richest european countries and compare them to the entire US.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, yeah, it really is comparing apples and oranges.

Add in the fact that in most EU countries guns are legal, or at least not restricted to the same degree that they are here.

Also, thank you for those pointing out that Britain is smaller than the USA. Quite how that makes a difference i dunno, but yeah, thanks.

Ban guns, make having guns illegal, buy back guns from community as an amnesty = remove all legal guns. Then on in anyone with a gun is breaking the law. How is this harder in the US than Britain?

Oh right, corrupt politicians taking NRA campaign funds. Of course, i forgot that.

[MoreWineII]

Man all the people saying "banning guns wouldn't prevent mass killings" and not one of them citing anything to back that claim up...that never happens.

Leading into:

[ QUOTE ]
I dont understand why more Americans dont see how illogical the arguement is that to control violence you neeed to carry guns?!?

[/ QUOTE ]

Americans will tell you the Constitution blah blah but I think it really comes down to this bizarre Wild West mentality we seem to have. When you question an American's right to bear an arm, you are literally attacking his manhood. It sounds silly but it's true, just look through this thread for examples. I was born here and I've lived here for 29 years and I still don't get it. Sure I had a BB gun when I was little but at some point you grow up, well most of us. I guess for me, I've learned to accept that gun maniacs and random shootings will always be a part of life as long as I live here. You simply aren't going to get the gun crazies to give them up, ever, most of them are so delusional about their shooting prowess that you'd never be able to convince them otherwise. You just have to hope you and your loved ones can stay out of their way.