Gun control discussion

[Randi]

But I think my right to be safe from a person with a history of mental illness purchasing a gun trumps that person's right to privacy.

Well said and I agree, of course.

His mom, a responsible gun owner, had her guns stolen by a psycho...

A responsible gun owner?? If she had been, this would not have happened!


Many argue that having a gun is to protect themselves, but would you really shoot an intruder, or someone who breaks the law out in the street? The police are there for protecting people and I suspect they are highly trained in when and where to use a gun - well, even some policemen have misjudged a situation, so why do you think you can judge better?

[cassiesmom]

School security protocols- my mom told me that the school principal and psychologist tried to head off the shooter and he just shot them and kept going. I know at the schools where my family members teach, there is one entrance to the building that isn't locked after school begins. If anyone needs to get into school during the day you have to go through the front door and be checked in.

A question for those of you who understand this better than I do. What was the intent of the writers of the Bill of Rights when they included the Second Amendment? Was it to allow people to have guns in case they were needed for military service? Was it to allow an individual citizen, not necessarily a militia member, to have a gun? Now we have modern police forces and extremely efficient guns and rifles. They couldn't have seen either of those coming.

And another question. All the news reports have said this is an idyllic suburban community. Why, then, did the shooter's mother have guns in her possession?

I read a column by Mel Robbins in which she argues that taking a look at mental illness needs to be a part of ending these types of shootings. I think she's on to something.

[pomtzu]

If this guy's mother was the gun(s) owner, and was a "responsible" gun owner, I can't help but wonder if this responsible person had the guns under lock and key. If she did, she might still be alive - along with the 20 children and 6 adults that are dead because of her guns!

[Bonny]

School security protocols- my mom told me that the school principal and psychologist tried to head off the shooter and he just shot them and kept going. I know at the schools where my family members teach, there is one entrance to the building that isn't locked after school begins. If anyone needs to get into school during the day you have to go through the front door and be checked in.

A question for those of you who understand this better than I do. What was the intent of the writers of the Bill of Rights when they included the Second Amendment? Was it to allow people to have guns in case they were needed for military service? Was it to allow an individual citizen, not necessarily a militia member, to have a gun? Now we have modern police forces and extremely efficient guns and rifles. They couldn't have seen either of those coming.

And another question. All the news reports have said this is an idyllic suburban community. Why, then, did the shooter's mother have guns in her possession?

I read a column by Mel Robbins in which she argues that taking a look at mental illness needs to be a part of ending these types of shootings. I think she's on to something.

If the guns were owned by the mom then you wonder how mentally stable she was? Did she drive her son to do this horrific crime? You just don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

[Alysser]

I'm sorry, I misworded that. I should have added presumably in front of it to prove my point. They never said if the guns were locked up or not. He killed her at home, I think he would have stopped at nothing to get these guns, and I'm sure she could not have prevented that after he showed up at her house.

You honestly think if they were this wouldn't have happened? I am sure this would have happened either way, unfortunately.

[catlady1945]

A person in a small town in Connecticut has a Glock, a Sig-Sauer, and an AR-15 type rifle. This is heavy duty stuff. Jack Reacher would not have such an arsenal. But we still have the right to have them on our dressers, don't we? More likely to shoot a family member or companion animal in any case.

[RICHARD]

I once sat on a jury for a case involving a mentally unstable man and a gun.

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The parents of this kid called the cops when their son got the gun out of the car trunk and threatened them with it.

The story was that the father took the gun from the son, to keep it out of his hands, put it into the car and left the keys on a hook in the kitchen.

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So, if we convicted the son (the charge was minor one) he would get help for his short-circuit.t

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My problem was the fact that the parents didn't take the proper steps to assure their kid DIDN'T have access to the gun. Had they taken the steps to get the gun out of their household/easy reach, they would not have to have gone thru the incident.

Are we going to dog-pile on the mom for not securing the weapons? And if she did take the steps to secure them how did the shooter get past them?

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The mental illness issue is an important one.

People are willing to overlook the 'kooky uncle', 'different son', 'crazy brother' as someone who is a PITA and pretty harmless until they fall off their swing.

After that, you can go in front of the camera and say "he did seem to be a little odd....." or " I was waiting for him to snap....", "I USED TO KNOW HIM, HE SEEMED LIKE A REGULAR GUY."

Or the standard, "I am not surprised this guy snapped."

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I go nuts when the media begins to compare it, rate it?, on the Top Ten List of nutbags with guns.

"This is the second highest, third highest, Number One!!!!!!! body count on record!"

My other peeve is with the 'reporting' - it's a bunch of AHs reading tweets and regurgitating it as truth. In El Lay you are more likely to see a reporter with a mike in one hand and reading off a cellphone they have in the other hand.

The media, in their haste to bring you the 'inside scoop', will broadcast any tidbit, then correct it as time goes on.

The horror is two people getting shot in a school, the unreal nightmare is the changing numbers as the facts come out.

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I just saw a murder suicide story that happened at the Excalibur Hotel/Casino.

We can't go shopping, to school or gambling w/o being subjected to possibly being killed?

I am going to stay at home, with my guns.

I feel much safer there.

[Alysser]

RICHARD, I think the mental illness factor is always overlooked and is very important too.

I also have a problem with the way media does things when these tragedies occur. I never understood the "rating" system. It's like giving them glory or something. They freak people out for a few days, and what if in the mean time, someone else starts planning something with all the ideas they get from this one? Who is to say this kid wasn't watching the news when the Aurora CO shooting happened? Who is to say he didn't get any ideas from the media.

[chocolatepuppy]

Many argue that having a gun is to protect themselves, but would you really shoot an intruder, or someone who breaks the law out in the street? The police are there for protecting people and I suspect they are highly trained in when and where to use a gun - well, even some policemen have misjudged a situation, so why do you think you can judge better?

Again, I say, in my situation, what police? I shudder at the response time to my house if someone is coming in my back door in the middle of the night.
Five minutes *if* the city cops will come out here? The Sheriff, is he 10 or 20 minutes away at this time?

[RICHARD]

RICHARD, I think the mental illness factor is always overlooked and is very important too.

I also have a problem with the way media does things when these tragedies occur. I never understood the "rating" system. It's like giving them glory or something. They freak people out for a few days, and what if in the mean time, someone else starts planning something with all the ideas they get from this one? Who is to say this kid wasn't watching the news when the Aurora CO shooting happened? Who is to say he didn't get any ideas from the media.

Yes, I firmly believe that there is some idiot out there with the idea they have a 'better plan'.

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Back in the day, I wanted to write for a newspaper. We toured the El Lay Times building and came across the 'morgue'

It was a collection of obituaries of famous people who hadn't died yet. They updated the stories and just had to fine tune the facts so that they could put it into the paper ASAP.

When I see the bumpers to the news programs and the ominous/sad/sinister music, I laugh.

Not at the story, but at the people who think up the catchy phrasing and pick the music.


What do you do for a living?

I write the tunes for FOX/MSNBC/CNN, when something bad happens.....

[RICHARD]

Again, I say, in my situation, what police? I shudder at the response time to my house if someone is coming in my back door in the middle of the night.
Five minutes *if* the city cops will come out here? The Sheriff, is he 10 or 20 minutes away at this time?

I lived 8 blocks from the LAPD station and if I needed a cop, I had to wait 40-60 minutes?

Um......No.

I may not have that much time.

[chocolatepuppy]

I lived 8 blocks from the LAPD station and if I needed a cop, I had to wait 40-60 minutes?

Um......No.

I may not have that much time.

Exactly. You may have seconds to react if someone's on their way in, should I waste that dialing 911?

I might shoot myself? My dogs? Cats? I'll take my chances.

[RICHARD]

Exactly. You may have seconds to react if someone's on their way in, should I waste that dialing 911?

I might shoot myself? My dogs? Cats? I'll take my chances.

I once was listening to a guy talk about a shotgun for home protection.

I had this vision of shooting one inside of a house and just how much damage it would do.

That's not really protecting your home?

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Just flipped the channel to MSNBC and heard a woman talk about her daughter and signing a press release at the beginning of the semester, so, if the child was approached by the media after any event, she would be allowed to talk to the press.

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I hate cars because people get drunk and kill with them
I hate money, because it causes gambling.
I hate cameras because they can be used to record porn.
I hate porn because it makes people go to strip bars and throw money at women.
I hate cars because the are used to drive to the strip bars.
I hate money because that buys the gas, to get to the strip bars.

[Randi]

I know they can get a gun somehow, but the less of them there are, the more difficult it would be. I also know that if these morons didn't have a gun, they'd probably use a knife, but how many people can you kill with a knife before someone stops you?

I hope for everyone's sake that the weapon laws will be tightened.

[phesina]

A person in a small town in Connecticut has a Glock, a Sig-Sauer, and an AR-15 type rifle. This is heavy duty stuff. Jack Reacher would not have such an arsenal. But we still have the right to have them on our dressers, don't we? More likely to shoot a family member or companion animal in any case.

A kindergarten teacher in an idyllic small New England town.. Instead, the family member shot her.