What would you do about Virginia Tech?

[ShakeZula06]

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Five frat kids sit around a keg. They are drunk. One insults the other. The other shoots the first. Everyone else kills the origional killer, then kill each other.

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Jesus, think through your arguments slightly.


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I went to extremes. Tone it back a bit and realise how ridiculous it is to think giving kids guns is gonna make said kids safer.

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Who's talking about giving kids guns??

[Dan.]

Pretty horrible.

Arming everyone is definitely not the answer. I'd hypothesize that arming everyone results in many, many more few death shootings, as compared to a few many, many death shootings.

[img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I can't get over how horrible this is...

[Woolygimp]

I've got a lot of experience as far as 'illegal' firearms. People steal them all the time, and re-sell them and the majority of shootings are used by these stolen guns.

I've had a lot of friends who would steal them, and get about $800 selling them to members of gangs and what not.

[Case Closed]

phil,

Do you not see why size matters? With a larger population the US has a greater chance of this happening over an extended period of time. You made a time line comparison of US vs Britain as it pertains to shootings. Britain will always win that scenario even if they have the same law legislation throughout both countries.

[[Phill]]

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Five frat kids sit around a keg. They are drunk. One insults the other. The other shoots the first. Everyone else kills the origional killer, then kill each other.

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Jesus, think through your arguments slightly.


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I went to extremes. Tone it back a bit and realise how ridiculous it is to think giving kids guns is gonna make said kids safer.

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Who's talking about giving kids guns??

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Everyone in here who is pro gun (there was one dude who specifically said it, cant remember his name and im mid reply).

If not, how will they defend themselves with a gun?

If guns are able to help you defend yourself, you should have the gun at all times. If these kids were to have a wild west shootout reminiscent of the OK Carral, then surely they need to have their barking iron by their side at all times.

Right?

Oh, and if you mean kids as in children, i define late teens early 20s as kids. Im 23 and i consider myself a kid. I remarked in the car to my dad today its rare for shootings to happen at colleges, and normally happen at high schools. Arm high school kids too?

[ShakeZula06]

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Who's talking about giving kids guns??

[/ QUOTE ] Everyone in here who is pro gun (there was one dude who specifically said it, cant remember his name and im mid reply).


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No, everyone pro-gun ISN'T saying we should give guns to kids.
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If guns are able to help you defend yourself, you should have the gun at all times. If these kids were to have a wild west shootout reminiscent of the OK Carral, then surely they need to have their barking iron by their side at all times.

Right?


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I'm not sure if you realize this but there are more people then just kids (even under your dumb definition) in a school.

[[Phill]]

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phil,

Do you not see why size matters? With a larger population the US has a greater chance of this happening over an extended period of time. You made a time line comparison of US vs Britain as it pertains to shootings. Britain will always win that scenario even if they have the same law legislation throughout both countries.

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Urgh, you are saying size makes it more likely for shootings like this to happen.

Im saying size is irrelivent for banning guns across the nation.

Yes, obviously shootings will happen more often in a country of 300 million people, of which at least half can walk into a shop and after filling out a simple form legally purchase a gun.

How many shootings has the US had since 13th March 1996 (fwiw, 16 kids and one adult died that day and that was a small primary school in scotland). How many since guns were outlawed in 1997 here?

Then take a population figure, so roughly 60 million UK and 300 million US and you get a general figure of how many massacres would be expected. Obviously really innactrate, but its a good ball park figure.

Then take this figure, and multiply it by how many children die in school shootings. That is how many children banning hand guns has saved in the UK.

If the figure is 1 or higher, its obviously been a positive move. PLUS that isnt even taking into account random accidents and general murder using guns (though that figure will be almost as high seeing how effective knives and big sticks are anyway)

[adios]

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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.

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What makes you think he bought it at a gun shop?

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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.

IIRC, one of the shooters in Columbine was encouraged to get a gun by his psychologist wasnt he? Or was that another school massacre.

There are soooo many its hard to keep track.

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The Columbine shooters obtained their guns illegally. The person who sold them their guns was successfully prosecuted and did a prison stretch. The Columbine shooters tried to purchase guns directly at a gun show and were denied in their efforts. There was no recommendation by any psychologist to the shooters at Columbine that they obtain a gun that I'm aware of.

[John Kilduff]

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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.

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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.

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Making drugs illegal hasn't eliminated drugs, and making alcohol illegal didn't eliminate alcohol...why would you suppose that making guns illegal will get rid of guns?

[adios]

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I think that it is obvious that these types of shootings could be limited if guns were banned or more tightly controlled in the U.S. This kind of stuff doesn't happen in England or Europe, and I'm sure there are plenty of crazy people there.

And yes obviously people can still build truck bombs, or fly airplanes into buildings, personally though I would say I would feel safer if guns were outlawed or restricted more.

However, this is not going to happen. These school or workplace shootings happen pretty rarely, so to be honest I don't spend much time thinking about them. I think gun use in normal run of the mill crime use is more distressing.

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What do we know about the shooter in this particular tragedy?