Guns don't kill people ....

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

There is far too much media fascination with the killer.

I'd like to see a lot more media focus on the teachers.

Many of them successfully hid their classes, misled the killer, and were murdered. Unarmed, untrained for this sort of thing, yet died saving the children in their charge. It doesn't get much more heroic than that.

Originally Posted by glatt

The school has around 670 students. 650 of them walked out of the building and were reunited with their families. That's due entirely to the teachers and the heroic office staff and all the times they had practiced lockdowns.

I've always thought the locked school doors and lockdown drills were overkill, but this incident shows I was probably wrong about that.

The teachers and administrators were true heroes. They bravely sacrificed themselves to protect those less able to protect themselves.

I wonder if republicans will reinstate teachers' pay and benefits in light of this. Naw.

[glatt]

Some interesting gun ownership facts in this NYTimes chart from exit polls 4 years ago.




Obviously there is a huge difference between Democrats and Republicans. But when you look at Republicans, the only places where you see significant different ownership rates are by race, and also by population density. Not many Republicans in the city own guns, and not many Asian Republicans own guns, but when you look at all the other breakdowns, Republicans have consistently high ownership rates.

Then you look at the Democrats, and they are all over the map in every category. A rural Democrat is gonna have a gun. An atheist Democrat won't have a gun. A high school educated Democrat might have a gun, but if they went to college, they probably won't. You can make these sweeping statements for each category. It's really interesting.

[henry quirk]

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/iscs11.pdf

[glatt]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

For the record, I am adamantly opposed to semi-automatic firearms, and I think gun ownership requirements in this country are looser than lax. A bolt action rifle with a four round clip is all one needs for hunting.

I've been thinking along those lines too. Legitimate reasons for owning a gun are self defense and hunting. You don't need automatic or semi-automatic guns for either of those. A revolver holds 6 shots and may require a little more strength to pull the trigger, but they were in common use for a century or more and are perfectly effective for personal protection. A pump action shotgun makes a great home defense weapon, and bolt action rifles are great for hunting and shooting varmints around the farm. I'm a little more lax than you. I think 6 shots is reasonable.

I understand gun enthusiasts may like semi-automatic weapons because they are easier to use, just like power steering in a car is easier to use, but I think the line must be drawn somewhere, and it's in the wrong place now.

[henry quirk]

"…the line must be drawn somewhere, and it's in the wrong place now..."

…the obvious opinion of 'some', but not 'others'.


Tomorrow, when the 'law' tightens and the line is where you like, others will kvetch that things are 'too restricted'.

And that's the way it goes: on and on and on.

Power moves from one set of hands to another and what's permissible shifts with it.


Those who want tighter control: no doubt, you'll get your wish.

Those who loath tighter control: don't sweat it...the pendulum ALWAYS swings.

#

Full disclosure: I own one gun (12 gauge coach gun...a man-killer, which is what I mean it to be, though -- in a pinch -- it works for hunting as well). I've no interest in any other firearm, and no interest in giving up what I have.