And he is currently facing the results of that choice.Mawkish1983 wrote:HE MADE A CHOICE, HE KILLED TWENTY INNOCENT CHILDREN.
Your anger is understandable, but what good does it do? Hate and rage won't bring anyone back.
And he is currently facing the results of that choice.Mawkish1983 wrote:HE MADE A CHOICE, HE KILLED TWENTY INNOCENT CHILDREN.
No, that was directed more at society in general.Mawkish1983 wrote:I sincerely hope this statement is not directed at me.
It's certainly not an ideal place to reflect on such a difficult issue. The sort of vigil that ancientbuddhism describes would be a much better, less contention-generating, space.Mawkish1983 wrote:I need to be off the internet for a while.
True.David N. Snyder wrote:but unfortunately it probably wouldn't have mattered in this case since he acquired the guns illegally.
Because civilians rose up and used their guns to shoot the British. And my nation's founders thought it would be a good idea to keep the populace armed to guard against invasion. Historically it worked well to dissuade our enemies.Ben wrote:True.David N. Snyder wrote:but unfortunately it probably wouldn't have mattered in this case since he acquired the guns illegally.
But why is there so many guns in the US?
And why are they so easily obtainable (legally or illegally?)
kind regards,
Ben
It seems to be ingrained into the American culture, from the early Wild West days of U.S. history, glamorizing quick-draw cowboys and Marshalls. Hunting is popular in most rural parts of the U.S. and in urban areas many like it for self-defense.Ben wrote: But why is there so many guns in the US?
There are too many guns around. It is to the point where I think it could be impossible to round up all the guns even if a president and Congress wanted to do so. The leaders should put more restrictions on purchasing; for example, rifles, shotguns, and in some states even assault weapons can easily be purchased by anyone over 18. Pistols have more regulations, but in most cases only a one page application, age of 21 or higher, and a background check. In most states, a gun safety course is not even required!Ben wrote: And why are they so easily obtainable (legally or illegally?)
With great respect to your founding fathers, I believe the retention of the 'right to bear arms' clause in this day and age is an anachronism and its presence now is only harming you.poto wrote:Because civilians rose up and used their guns to shoot the British. And my nation's founders thought it would be a good idea to keep the populace armed to guard against invasion.Ben wrote:True.David N. Snyder wrote:but unfortunately it probably wouldn't have mattered in this case since he acquired the guns illegally.
But why is there so many guns in the US?
And why are they so easily obtainable (legally or illegally?)
kind regards,
Ben
I'll take your word for it.Historically it worked well to dissuade our enemies.
Paul McGeough, who is a respected journalist in this country, wrote an opinion piece published today that there is an estimated 300 million weapons in circulation in the US and another four million entering the market each year. Unfortunately he doesn't cite where he got those figures from.David N. Snyder wrote:There are too many guns around.
I would respectfully disagree. If you watch the very first video I posted in this thread, statistically violence has been on a declining trend for centuries. The presence of more guns hasn't made our society as a whole more violent. In fact, here in the US violent crime has been on a decline since the mid-90's. I largely attribute the uptick in the 70's and 80's to the war on drugs and especially crack cocaine use which has waned in recent years. Although, meth seems to be a growing concern these days.Ben wrote: With great respect to your founding fathers, I believe the retention of the 'right to bear arms' clause in this day and age is an anachronism and its presence now is only harming you.
The figure quoted today in the Washington Post is roughly 270 million privately owned guns (estimate - counting method varies by state). This amounts to 88 guns for every 100 people. This figure does not include illegal guns.Ben wrote:Paul McGeough, who is a respected journalist in this country, wrote an opinion piece published today that there is an estimated 300 million weapons in circulation in the US and another four million entering the market each year. Unfortunately he doesn't cite where he got those figures from.David N. Snyder wrote:There are too many guns around.
After the 1996 Port Arthur massacre where Martin Bryant killed 35 people in Tasmania, our federal govt organized a national compulsory gun buy back scheme. Apart from a number of professional groups and sporting clubs who were exempt from the buy back, the scheme netted millions of weapons which were destroyed. The sky didn't fall in. While we still have some gun-related crime - there's a lot less of it.
kind regards,
Ben