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| School shootings... what changed? (Page 2/33) |
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williegoat
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MAY 25, 05:12 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
Why are these school massacres only occurring in the US?
Other countries have all dealt with COVID.
Other counties are facing economic uncertainty.
Other countries have politicians that segments of the population detest.
Other countries have "spoiled" youth who've never had to face corporal punishment.
Other countries have had a whole generation exposed to first-person shooter games.
Other countries have mentally sick individuals living on the streets.
Other countries have rampant drug use, both legal and otherwise.
Other countries have legalized abortion. (Only mention that bizarre point as it was brought up Here.)
So I repeat... Why are these school massacres only occurring in the US?
It's well past time to be addressing the elephant in the room... far too easy access to firearms in the US.
No, I'm not suggesting that your gun(s) be taken away... but damn, at least have the rules and regulations tightened up in regards to who can legally purchase them.
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https://worldpopulationrevi...rder-rate-by-country
https://www.nationmaster.co...nt-crime/Murder-rate
https://www.indexmundi.com/...IHR.PSRC.P5/rankings
etc, etc....
Try to keep up.
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williegoat
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MAY 25, 05:23 PM
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Patrick
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MAY 25, 05:34 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by williegoat:
Try to keep up.
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| quote | Originally posted by williegoat:
Why does Canada have so many criminals?
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Seriously, Willie?
I'm sorry, but you can't (or don't want to) see the forest for the trees.
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rinselberg
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MAY 25, 05:36 PM
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U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduces the Age21 Act.
Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced the Age 21 Act, a bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines from 18 to 21.
Introduction of the bill follows a mass shooting in Buffalo that killed 10 people. The shooter was an 18-year-old who was legally allowed to purchase an assault rifle, even though it remains illegal for anyone under 21 to buy a handgun.
The Buffalo shooting follows similar shootings where a gunman under the age of 21 was able to legally purchase an assault weapon. This includes the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where the gunman killed 17 and injured 17 people and a 2019 shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, Calif., where the gunman killed one person and injured three people using legally purchased assault weapons.
The bill is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
“The recent shooting in Buffalo showed us yet again the tragic consequences when young people can so easily obtain a deadly assault weapon,” said Senator Feinstein. “This bill won’t prevent all mass shootings, but it’s a small step that I hope will start to bring some sense of sanity back to our nation concerning firearms. It makes no sense that it’s illegal for someone under 21 to buy a handgun or even a beer, yet can legally buy an assault weapon.
“In the wake of this latest tragedy, I hope my Republican colleagues can at least support this small commonsense measure that would establish parity with regard to gun purchasing age.”
Background:- Under current federal law, an individual is required to be at least 21 years old to legally purchase a handgun but only 18 years of age to legally purchase an assault rifle like the AR-15 used by an 18-year-old shooter in Buffalo who killed 10 people.
- The legislation would create parity in federal firearms law by prohibiting the sale of assault weapons to individuals under 21.
That's Copy and Paste (bet you didn't see that coming!) from Dianne Feinstein's official U.S. Senator's government website.
This is the actual text of the Age21 Act. I think it could be of interest to the "gunners" among us, as it breakdowns the definition of an "assault rifle" into a list of discrete, defining characteristics. The canonical definition of the category identifier "Assault Rifle", to get geeky about it.
https://www.feinstein.senat...05.19-age-21-act.pdf
The entry on Senator Feinstein's web page is dated May 19, 2022. So, after the Buffalo supermarket murders, but before these Texas elementary school murders.
I think it's a good idea. I wouldn't give it a "rat's ass" of being passed by the Senate. But I think it's a good idea. The minimum age for representing a U.S. Congressional District in the "House" is 25.
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williegoat
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MAY 25, 05:40 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
Seriously, Willie?
I'm sorry, but you can't (or don't want to) see the forest for the trees. |
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Seriously. Stick to the facts.
We get it. You hate America. Give up your American car and stay home.
edit: I consider an attack on my country a personal attack.[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 05-25-2022).]
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Patrick
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MAY 25, 05:54 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by williegoat:
Seriously. Stick to the facts.
We get it. You hate America. Give up your American car and stay home.
edit: I consider an attack on my country a personal attack.
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Have you lost your mind? 
Your post is way over the top.
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randye
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MAY 25, 06:02 PM
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82-T/A [At Work]
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MAY 25, 06:27 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by RWDPLZ:
Look closely at all the mass shooters. What do they have in common? Almost all had mental health problems, and most were already known to their communities and/or law enforcement.
It's a mental health crisis. Why can't we solve mental health issues? Mental health isn't an exact science.
Why wasn't it an issue before?
1. We used to lock up psychos in mental health facilities. These facilities have been closing and going away all over the country, and you have now a record number of crazies just walking the streets, as these facilities are not profitable, because these problems are not currently cure-able.
2. We're now attempting to treat mental health conditions almost solely with medications, while letting them just run around un or under-supervised. What happens when they go off their meds (voluntarily, or involuntarily by losing health care coverage)? They revert to psychotic states. Pharmaceutical and healthcare companies want them all medicated or over-medicated, primarily because it's profitable. "Follow the money"
What's the solution? |
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I think this is a really good point. From the 1930s (initiated by the New Deal) and up until some point in the 1980s, people who were diagnosed as troubled or insane were locked into mental institutions. At first, these facilities were actually really good places... and really helped individuals live more fulfilling lives. But through the 1950s and 1960s... there were funding shortages, and they just got worse and worse. At that point, President Reagan can actually be attributed for shutting these down. I don't remember what bill or executive order he passed, but it was widely supported at the time because there was a lot of abuse that was going on at these facilities. They were filthy, understaffed, and working beyond capacity. There are still facilities for disabled people (like those who have extreme autism, or mentally disturbed), but beyond that there are generally no facilities for those who are insane unless they are an active threat to themselves or others (which is temporary).
What I want to know is... has there been a rapid increase in people who are insane? I always hear the argument of people being diagnosed more because we recognized it more easily... maybe that's true, but I have a hard time believing that's the case. Aside from mental illness, it seems like other psychological disorders are on the rise, as well as other conditions that are on the autism spectrum. Was this always a thing, and are we truly just recognizing it more?
| quote | Originally posted by Patrick:
Why are these school massacres only occurring in the US?
No, I'm not suggesting that your gun(s) be taken away... but damn, at least have the rules and regulations tightened up in regards to who can legally purchase them.
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So, that's not true Patrick. There have plenty of mass shootings around the world, including in Canada. I seem to recall just a year ago there was one in Nova Scotia where some insane woman killed like 13 people and set a bunch of fires. I also remember that when I was younger, the Canadian government was always blocking stuff from the news (at least that's what we were being told). Like I remember some guy who was a mass-murderer that had dozens and dozens of people buried in his back yard, and the government did a media blackout... (I think it was in the 90s). How about the machete attacks by members of certain native American tribes throughout Canada? Our government issued a warning not to visit because of those. There's plenty of crime. If it's not guns, then it's something else. Mass casualties happen one way or another if an insane person is determined enough.
I know you don't like guns... but our Constitution protects this right on purpose. The right to bear arms has nothing to do with hunting or personal defense. It's entirely for the purpose of ensuring the public can eliminate the Government if the citizenry feel that the government is exceeding their authority. I know that may sound scary and awful to you... but that is the sole purpose of the second amendment. The second amendment protects the first. This is not going to change in America...
| quote | Originally posted by rinselberg:
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduces the Age21 Act.
Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced the Age 21 Act, a bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines from 18 to 21.
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I'm not totally against this... it's not a horrible idea. But I think it says more about who we've become. Kids today seem far less able to stand on their own. I know I don't serve as an exampled, but I know when I was growing up... almost all my friends, our parents basically kicked us out at 18 (in a nice way). It seems as time goes on, more and more kids are staying at home with their parents for much longer... sometimes even into their 30s, which is not just pathetic, but actually quite horrible. It seems like as time goes on, people are maturing at a slower and slower rate.
But the question goes... if you're old enough to fight... why can't you be old enough to buy guns and liquor?
I wonder if it would make a difference though.
| quote | Originally posted by williegoat:
Obviously one has to be mentally ill to commit such an evil act, but here is something else to think about:
The Buffalo and Uvalde murderers were both 18 years old. From the age of 12 to 16 (think about the influences on your life during those years) America was full of hope and promise. There was world peace and a booming economy. When they were just about ready to enter adulthood, the door was slammed in their face; Covid, war, a devastated economy. |
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This is very true... I think there's a lot to that. I think the world has kind of gone mad, and I recognize that news and television has really gone insane in doing whatever they can to get advertising dollars.
It used to be back in the day, on the local news, they would say... "This report could save your life..." and they would keep talking about it just before every commercial break, and then they would literally make it the very last report during the investigative news hour for the local television show. They finally get to it, and it was something stupid like eat broccoli. The media has taken this overdrive, and they feed off insanity. The more manic and crazy they can make everyone, the better the ratings and the more likely they are to watch more.
This kid... the one that did the shooting today (forget his name), he apparently was upset that he didn't graduate. His grandmother was screaming at him, and he shot her before he went off to shoot up an elementary school. I know that insanity doesn't make sense, but I would have liked to know what his reasoning was... or what HE thought his reasoning was. What was it that he hoped to get out of shooting up an elementary school. Was it simply that he was in pain mentally, and was lashing out and wanted others to feel the same pain he was feeling? This seems to be what drives most people to do bad things to others.
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Patrick
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MAY 25, 07:07 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
So, that's not true Patrick. There have plenty of mass shootings around the world, including in Canada.
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"Plenty"? No, just no. I'm afraid the US is in a league all of its own.
| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
I also remember that when I was younger, the Canadian government was always blocking stuff from the news (at least that's what we were being told).
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Your imagination is running wild!
| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
I know you don't like guns...
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No Todd, you don't "know" that. I spent every summer for about 20 years up the coast in the middle of nowhere. I often wished I had a firearm of some sort for protection against predators, of any sort. It turned out I never had the need to use one. I was perhaps fortunate.[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 05-25-2022).]
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olejoedad
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MAY 25, 07:21 PM
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Why didn't you have a firearm if you wanted one?
Not a loaded question, just curious.
Was it due to regulations, personal preference, area restrictions, procurement hassles?
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