President Barack Obama said Sunday night to mourners in Newtown, Connecticut, and to the nation, that something must be done about the gun violence plaguing America.
But what can a President and a nation do to turn the tide?
“We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end,” the President said. “And to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law — no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.”
The President spoke of change… but what should be changed or done differently in American society? Should the President and other leaders look to put limits on the second amendment, which allows Americans to bear arms? Should penalties for irresponsible gun owners be stiffened?
Or, should violence in movies in movies and video games, which dominate the lives of millions, be examined as causes of the tragedies?
Could it be that depressed or mentally ill persons should be watched more closely and “profiled” as potential mass murderers?
“Can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm?” the President asked.
America has many hard questions and realities to deal with. Perhaps after this latest tragedy, answers will be sought and solutions will be found.
If I had my way no one would have guns except law enforcement and the military. But I can’t have my way. I understand that. I do not remember reading anyones coment on this thread or even on the whole of NIT that wants to take away all guns.
So when you people are talking about gun bans that isn’t it at all. It is a specfic type of gun and magazine I want banned. Not your hunting guns and not you hand guns. Do we all understand that now? Any gun that can fire 100 shots per minute is not a sporting or seldefense weapon.
Guns that can fire 100 rounds a minute have been banned since 1938. The semi automatic like the AR-15 are used for hunting certian animals, coyotes and such.
maybe that is so not true. I’m not sure where you get your info, but the weapon that killed 20 kids in Newtown has that capability. I know you will quote some gun law that says you can’t have auto. weapons. Fact…you don’t need auto. weapons to do that. If you can pull the triger 100 times in a minute it can be done.
“They are not smart enough to understand that guns are BANNED in Chicago all together. “
In reading the current Municipal Code of the City of Chicago, ownership of guns are not banned within the city limits. There are requirements and permits needed, but they are not banned.
@LVS – You call the mayor and Mr. Tornquist names, then have the audicity to refer to people like happy guy as “flaming IDIOTS like you who deal in name calling and sniping at people who are much smarter than you are”. Does that mean that it is all right for you to call people names but no one else can? Maybe I have missed something here, I don’t know.
@A Citizen-I as I said before. I respect your opinion and will try to do better. I just tend to attack when pushed and then you just kind of get on a roll
LVS I have gone back through this thread carefully. I can find no statement of mine where I have called anyone a name. But to Quote LVS “flaming IDIOTS like you” or “I am done debating with dummy’s”. So who are the name callers. Again facts which you and yours choice to ignore. I do agree with your lasst quote. I too am done debating with you people who are very narrow minded and who possess very little intelligence. See I can make a comment similar to yours without name calling.
Are you so ignorant you can not understand what you wrote and read?
LVS please show me where I called anyone names on this thread. My guess is as always you won’t answer a question asked of you. Why is that? Could it be because you back up your claims with facts?
LVS…I looked again. The closest thing to name calling on my part was “I find it hard to debate with stupid”. That isn’t name calling that is stating a fact. If you took it as me calling you stupid I apologize. that wasn’t what I meant.
Read this article.
http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/one-shot-to-the-head/
how would everyone like to be arrested for protecting themself like george zimmerman is down in florida. if everyone has a gun they will use it. thats why you want one, to use it if you feel you need to. maybe hit an innocent person or child playing down the road. then what will we have. courts filling up with more accidental shootings, killings. accidents happen with guns also. a bullet flies way farther than a knife does. as one poster replied, if not guns then knives, axes, whatever.
“if everyone has a gun they will use it.” That’s your suppostion, having no basis in fact.
“thats why you want one, to use it if you feel you need to.” Precisely, if I feel like I need to. In most cities the response time of the police is 5 minutes. That’s a long time to wait, far longer than I care to.
“maybe hit an innocent person or child playing down the road. then what will we have. courts filling up with more accidental shootings, killings.”
And yet time and again we are subjected to the dire warnings of what will happen if some gun law is not passed (or heaven forbid; relaxed). It doesn’t happen. It has never happened.
The liberals won’t want to hear this and will probably have some snappy comeback but, here is the truth, there are already plenty of laws on the books that cover this type of crime. Does anyone for one second think that the shooter cared one bit about any law. He set out to kill kids and would have found a way, guns or no guns. The solution to the problem is to take care of mentally ill people. No sane person kills kids. He was probably a liberal fanatic like the ones spouting off about gun control.
If you would bother checking thing out you will find that most mass murderers are right wingers like you. I am finding very hard to debate with stupid. You make it to easy.
I don’t know where you get your facts but if you are right all you have to do is look at yourself and you will have your answer.
@Happy Guy-this will be my last comment to you as I do not debate with flaming IDIOTS like you who deal in name calling and sniping at people who are much smarter than you are. Did you know there are over 300 million guns that they know of in the United States and that is only the legal ones. Short of confiscating all of them which is unconstitutional and banning the sale of new ones which is also unconstitutional you are not going to keep them out of the hands of criminals and crazy people like you. That doesn’t even count the ones that will be smuggled in to fill the void. Our prohibition on drugs worked real well didn’t it.
@Hapy Guy continued-Conneticut has some of the toughest gun laws in the country and it didn’t stop the shooter from killing the owner of the guns and getting his hands on the weapons. Norway has some of the toughest gun laws in the world but the shooter over there managed to kill 77 people with a gun. And the liberals over there gave him 21 years in prison and then will turn him loose to do it again. You need to wake up and grow up. Now go back to calling peole names which is what you do best. I am done debating with dummy’s.
I haven’t heard any Liberal here NOR Feinstein offer ONE word of condolences to the victims OR their families. Instead you they this horrible tragedy to fuel their anti-gun rhetoric. I for one would like to focus on the victims and their families first. My heart goes out to you all. God bless the victims and their families.
Now, the gun issue. You can take this opportunity to hammer the guns ban all you want. But never forget that the 2 largest mass murders in american history were done with box cutters and fertilizer. What are you going to really stop? A derranged person will stop at nothing to carry out their evil acts. No ban or law will EVER change that.
They (the Knee-Jerk Liberals), talk about wanting to have common sense discussions on gun control yet they are not capable of applying ANY sort of common sense to the subject. If they were, they’d realize by simple common sense and minimal intelligence that their bans and laws will do NOTHING. They are not smart enough to understand that guns are BANNED in Chicago all together. Not just assault weapons (which again they aren’t intelligent enough to understand that those are ALREADY banned…an assault weapon is a fully automatic firing weapon), ALL GUNS ARE BANNED THERE. Yet, Chicago has the worst gun violence in the country. So I’d like some Liberal….ANY Liberal tell me that a ban is the answer because it sure damn well isn’t working in Chicago.
I’m waiting……..
I’ll reply … AMEN BROTHER!
I second that!
My voice I’ll answer. It isn’t working in Chicago because you can step foot out of Chicago city limits and buy guns. Doesn’t take to much common sense to figure that one out and you didn’t figure it out. What does that tell you? That you lack common sense?
USA 3.7 gun deaths per 100,000 people, Switzerland .52, Canada .76, France .22, Australia .09, UK .04 per 100,000 people. Now argue that gun control doesn’t work. I know these are facts and you right wing gun lovers have a very hard time with facts. But take a minute and maybe they will sink in. I doubt it though.
You maybe right about stopping every evil person out there. But at least it will make it a lot harder to do. And you would stop most of them.
Yeah, fine ban our guns and when the guy who doesn’t give a hoot about the law, gets a gun illegally, I guess I’ll cower in the corner ask the criminal to be forgiving. “Please don’t shoot me and my son Mr. Criminal..” Cower, sob, whimper.. Piss myself…
AH >>> HECK NO!!
Thank god and our forefathers for the 2nd amendment!
Why do you think Japan didn’t invade the continental US during WWII? The Japanese military knew civilians were armed and prepared to fight back. I see that as a plausible argument and deterrent even today with the uncertain times we all face.
Now, the issue why this being brought up. A mom in CT let her retarded son have access to guns when she knew he had A LOT of mental instability while allowing him to have access to guns. Even went so far as to train him how to use them. Common sense would tell me to swap the lock out on the gun safe so the retard would not have access before you try to commit him. Problem would have been solved and a horrific event would have never took place. You wouldn’t have anything to cry about …
To the families CT, “you have my sympathy”
You help me make my point. They can step out of Chicago and get a gun. Ban them and they will still get them on the black market. The point is this. NO LAW WILL STOP THEM. IF THEY WANT THEM…THEY WILL GET THEM. CAN YOU HEAR ME??????
How much common sense does it take for a lib??? Really?!
Matt, I CAN HEAR YOU and YOU ARE FULL OF S**T.
How much common sense does it take for a cons.??? Really?!
“Anonamouse is right remove all black guys between 15 and 24 from society violence drops 50% off the bat yes. You can take the savage out of the jungle but you cant take the jungle out of the savage.”
My mind cannot fathom this. Here we are in 2012, and someone has the unmitigated gall to say something like this? Ideas like that are an obstacle, not a solution. They fracture communities, not help them.
How very sad.
“EVERYBODY carry a gun.”
What if I refuse? Give me one valid reason to walk around with a gun strapped to me? If you desire to carry one, fine, I’ll not stand in your way.
Now then, the question at hand. The best way to curb gun violence, or any violence for that matter is to really look what we have become as a society, as a community.
A lot has changed, mostly attitudes. I spout off a lot about them, both here in Mason City, as well as nationwide.
What has become acceptable behavior today, would not have been allowed a few decades ago. I am not talking puritanical views either. I refer to things that keep a community viable, united, and safe.
But our nation as a whole has become too divided. You see it most in politics, but that is not the real source. In all honesty, it is being used as a form of scapegoating.
There are many solutions, and not one of them have to do with limiting gun ownership that does not exist today. No, it has to do with rebuilding the kinds of communities we used to have. Economics, personal sacrifice, and a sense of respect for others.
Think about it. When was the last time you saw anyone walk down a street to pick up trash? When was the last time you saw a person hold the door for a lady? When was the last time you saw a person express regret for doing something wrong, without our police or judicial system having to be involved? When was the last time you did something, on your own, without any prompting, just to help someone out? (and expecting no return)
Think about it. Why do people think it is OK to operate loud vehicles with utter disrespect for others? Why do people think they can toss their trash where ever they wish without guilt or shame? Why do people think they can enter private property without permission or regard?
Just because they do it does not make it right. Just because they do not care about themselves, does not mean the rest of us must accept it. Yet, if one attempts to point something out, you are likely to be attacked, either verbally or physically. Even over some thing as incidental as littering.
Guns are just an indication, not the real cause. And if one focuses on them, you miss the real issues in our communities, and solve nothing.
Either the community stands firm, and rejects anti-social behaviors, or such behaviors shall continue, and get far worse.
Remember Lincoln’s words from Springfield, IL in 1858; “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Well?
I teach my kids many things but here are a few…
1. Respect your elders, your siblings, your neighbors, and peers
2. Respect other peoples property
3. The 1st time I ask I expect the truth only!
4. and the list goes on…
I find myself constantly have to correct my kids from the poor attitudes and lack of respect they bring home from a variety of sources.
Sometimes I wonder, What will todays’ kids teach their kids?
I would say that the best and ONLY way to curb gun violence is to keep ALL liberals barred from this “knee jerk” discussion on gun control. Liberals have no common sense what so ever no matter what the topic!
Anonamouse is right remove all black guys between 15 and 24 from society violence drops 50% off the bat yes. You can take the savage out of the jungle but you cant take the jungle out of the savage.
Principals, as a minimum should be armed. Think about how many children would be alive today if that principal had a gun. If one more student gets killed before mandating that we arm our prinpals then our decision makers need to go. You can pass all the gun laws you want and if you believe that will solve the problem then you are part of the problem.
more laws or stiffer laws wont work if they are not enforced. case in point kaydens law about passing a schoolbus has more fhigher fines etc, but the young girl who got stopped a couple weeks ago, only got comunity service. killers, rapests, drunk drivers, gang members, they dont care about any laws, cause they dont think they will get caught. yhe young man in the recent mass killing. had already broken 2-3 laws before he stepped onto the school grounds.1- killed his mom,2- stole 3 guns,3- drove through town with uncased and loaded weapons, 4- entered a gun free zone. 5-discharged a loaded firearm inside the city limits, and who knows how many more laws were broken. this kid clearly needed help, not more laws
the NRA and Charlton Heston have had things to say abut guns in the past. even before all the information was compiled. what do they have to say now???
charleton heston aint sayn much. he is dead and buried and probably in hell.
egg on my face. but I think everyone gets my point.
Thanks for catching my typo btincc before the North Iowa Today spelling police got me. Should be NRA for national rifle association.
Remove all 15-24 year old male African-Americans from society and our murder rate would drop 50%.
(Based on FBI statistics from 2009)
Funny – seems like all the mass-killings and bombings are the work of young to middle age white males….just sayin’
Overall gun violence is majority black on black.
He is statistically correct. The mass killings get the headlines but in number of shooting deaths he is correct.
it’s a very difficult and complicated problem. Another issue is the IRA has so much political clout no politician with any plans to stay in office will go against them. I am a hunter and will newer agree that there is any place for large clip type weapons in the public’s hands. Also my uncle is retired MC PD and he has always said how glad he is to be out now with all the high power guns on the street. The DNR and Ducks Unlimited are great recourse’s for young people looking to start hunting and be introduced to guns.
Is that the Irish Republican Army or my 401K?
The right to bare arms does not mean we should not have some common sense restrictions. I dont think there is anything wrong with having a discussion on this issue. There is nothing in the constitution that says we can’t have some restrictions on the type of weapons we are allowed to own. Tanks, missiles, bombs these are all arms that restictions on who can have them so why shouldn’t we have a open talk about semi auto’s.
All semi-autos? Including .22 rimfire and shotguns? Or just “assault weapons”?
You sound like some one who has some commen sense. Unlike others who post here. Thank you.
WHENEVER a gun is used in ANY criminal activity mandatory sentencing would apply, even for first time offenders, no exceptions. If the criminal fires the wepon, the mandatory sentence doubles. Then guns would be in the hands of responsible owners.
I think violent video games is not helping the situation. Young people and children play these games and with young children they are so impressionable. Kids need to be kids and not be exposed to violence.
Mental health issues in young people also need to be addressed.
And there should be NO semi-automatic weapons allowed at all. Make the punishment for owning these types of weapons severe! And the internet needs to be regulated. The gunman in Colorado purchased alot of his ammo and weaponry online. That should have never been allowed to happen.
Overthrow our Communist Government and elect people that believe in the value of human life!
This shxx didn’t happen 50 years ago. Only after John Kennedy was assassinated and the Democratic Party turned into the Socialist Party.
Liberal Supreme Court Judges installed by the Socialist/Communist/Democrats took prayer out of school and legalized the murder of babies and abortion.
It has been all downhill since then!
America needs to return to it’s roots.
“This shxx didn’t happen 50 years ago” I am afraid it did. If you had bothered to do a little research you would have found that school shootings and school violence has been with our country since 1764. Way before “prayer was removed from schools” way before the “violent” video games and lyrics showed up. And long before assault weapons.
He said this stuff didn’t happen till after kennedy was assassinated which was in 1963.
1764 is before 1963.
“He said this stuff didn’t happen till after kennedy was assassinated which was in 1963.”
I believe that 1764 is BEFORE 1963.
“This shxx didn’t happen 50 years ago. Only after John Kennedy was assassinated and the Democratic Party turned into the Socialist Party.”
my reply ““This shxx didn’t happen 50 years ago” I am afraid it did. If you had bothered to do a little research you would have found that school shootings and school violence has been with our country since 1764.”
Arm the teachers and the students. Then no one can mess with anyone.
I hope you are not serious about this.
There are schools in Texas that have armed its teachers. While not conclusive proof of the effectiveness of armed staff; those schools have not experienced gun violence.
Ban assalt weapons. No need to ban all guns. If you need to shoot a something more then 6 times you may have bigger issues. Make the penalty for commiting a crime with a banned weapon so severe that nobody would want to use one.
What penalty is more severe than the death penalty? However that does not deter people there is no blanket penalty to scare people who don’t care. These only deter poeple who care about the consequences.
excuse me zamman: I didnt know Iowa had a death penalty. cause they havnt since the mid 60s. many states also do not have the death penalty. If every state did (and used it) more than once every 10 years. maybe something would change. but untill that happens we are all just spinning our wheels talking about it.
Assault weapons are already banned, since the 1930’s. Plus there are laws that if a gun is used during a crime there is at least an extra 5 years in prison added, the problem is prison now days is like a vacation.
50 miles first no one said Iowa had the death penalty,however Teaxas has it and has used it 293 times since the turn of the century and as we can see texas is not shangrila. Now before you accuse me of being a liberal you should know I’m in support of the death penalty. The problem being with criminals they are not detered.
There was a mall shooting in OR last weekend that was stopped after only 2 people were shot because a young man with a gun took aim on the shooter, the shooter saw him, so the shooter killed himself. He knew he was done for. The man who took aim at the shooter could not shoot at him because there was someone behind the shooter and it wasn’t safe to pull the trigger. He was moving to get a better shot when the shooter killed himself. Just think of how many more people might have been killed had that man not had a gun and taken aim on that shooter. The young hero was very shaken by the whole situation. He said he was glad it went down the way it did and that he didn’t have to shoot the man. There may have been another huge tragedy if it had not been for him.
Only 2 people were shot! Is that what were are turning into? A society where it is ok if only 2 people were shot. You have to be kidding me!!!
It’s pretty hard to stop someone before he starts shooting unless you see him pull the gun out. I never said it was OK to kill 2. Are you so sick that you twist someone’s words? You almost make it sound as if you wish he had murdered 50 people to help bolster your anti-gun stance. There. How does it feel to have words put into your mouth?
If enough people are thwarted in their attempts to mass murder people in public places by SANE people who carry and shoot the mass murderers, I bet there would be a drastic drop in number of people who attempt this. They are looking for a record number of dead, creating notoriety after death. If they have a lousy chance of achieving that because too many good guys are armed and will take them out, they will quit trying to mass murder for notoriety. The media also have to QUIT talking about these tragic events for days on end. I really liked the NCIS episode where the murderer told Gibbs he did it for the fame. The TV news anchor that night announced that the name of the perpetrator would probably never be made known to the public.
Katie…I didn’t put any words in your mouth. Here is your quote “There was a mall shooting in OR last weekend that was stopped after only 2 people were shot”. What words did I put in your mouth? I don’t feel anything about you attempting to put words in my mouth because any of what you said makes no sense.
Your idea that more guns will stop gun violence is just plain absurd. I doubt you can find very many in law enforcement that would buy into that theory.
I know a cop who started carrying off duty after all these mass shootings started happening. He has no problem with people carrying who would stop mass murderers in those types of situations. I’m sure he’s not the only one.
I really dont want to agree with happy guy but I feel the answer would be to try to eliminate these assault weapons or anything with a clip larger than 10 or so. Katie: your comment “If enough people are thwarted in their attempts to mass murder people in public places by SANE people who carry and shoot the mass murderers, I bet there would be a drastic drop in number of people who attempt this.” you are wrong in your thinking. look at the gang members with weapons. they all have weapons and fire them at each other regularly. it hasnt thwarted them in the least. getting the guns out of service is a better answer to me. “OH but then the only people with guns will be the criminals, dummy”. that may be true, but it will be easier to figure out who the guilty party is then …..wont it
Katie you know a cop that favors this. So what. I’m sure you could find one person to agree with most everything you say. But 1 policeman does not a consensus make. Most don’t like the idea of everyone walking around armed.
50 miles…see I’m really a good guy and I do have some good ideas
@Happyguy and 50 Miles South. Thanks for sharing your group hug. Guns are not the problem and I agree with Katie, if more legal conceal and carry people were out there, fewer crimes would be done.
I also agree with her on the statement she made on the cops, they would prefer more legal carriers were out there to protect the public.
About the gang members, they are going to kill each other anyway they can, I say let them go, if they want to kill each other off, the better we are. If there were no guns, they would do it with knifes, if there were no knifes, they would do it with gas or biological chemicals. If there were non of them they would do it with axes, if there were no axes they would do it with tire irons and on and on.
John you are so wrong on so many different levels. Law officers DO NOT want more guns, legal or otherwise, on the streets.
Did you hear that on Friday in China a man entered a school and assaulted 20 some kids with a knife. Difference between the attack in China and the attack in Newtown. Newtown 26 dead…in China no one died.
Assault weapons make killing so easy. Using a knife, gas, or whatever else your warped mind comes up with take much more time and planning.
EVERYBODY carry a gun.