Legislator will introduce gun bill in Congress

[nebula]

How on earth do you propose to decide who should carry a gun and who should not?

How do you know who the next mass shooter will be?

If you can answer those questions reasonably, I'm willing to reconsider my stance.

The problem here is that this young man, Adam, stole the guns he used.

Likewise, the two teens who murdered 13 teens and a teacher at Columbine High managed to obtain their guns illegally.

Really, you can't keep blaming the guns for this horror any more than you can blame the cars for the thousands of drunk-driving-caused deaths per year.

[OneLight]

How on earth do you propose to decide who should carry a gun and who should not?

How do you know who the next mass shooter will be?

If you can answer those questions reasonably, I'm willing to reconsider my stance.

Here is death by automobile accidents for just the US:

2010 - 32,885

2009 - 30, 797

2008 - 37,172

2007 - 37,435

2006 - 38,648

2005 - 39,252

Here is the stats for death by firearms:

Showing latest available data.

Rank Countries Amount

# 1 South Africa: 31,918

# 2 Colombia: 21,898

# 3 Thailand: 20,032

# 4 United States: 9,369

# 5 Philippines: 7,708

# 6 Mexico: 2,606

Which is more dangerous? Should we first take away the ability to drive, since it causes more death?

[JustinM]

Mexico has got to be lying about those numbers. With the drug war that is going on, it's way more than that.

http://www.gunpolicy...s/region/mexico and the chart:

http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compareyears/113/number_of_gun_homicides

[The_Patriot21]

your bring out a good point here nebula, in this case, it wasnt a legal gun owner, it was a stolen gun-existing gun control laws worked in that he couldnt get a gun legally. And taking the guns from those of us who can legally buy them-wont change anything, they will still find some way to illegally obtain them. And even if they dont, they will just find an alternate way to kill people.

You know, I was just seeing this on the O-reilly show (wasnt actually watching it just got about a 30 second glimpse) and I heard someone saying that in the past 20 years, handgun sales have gone up drastically, and violent crimes using handguns have gone down. Please dont misquote me, I didnt say violent crime has gone down-just that the number of crimes using handguns have gone down. I dont know how accurate the study is, nor all the other factors involved, but its something to think about.

The fact is, when a lion, tiger, cougar, or other predator, goes after its prey, it rarely, if ever, goes after the big bull at the head of the herd. Why? because its big strong, and can fight back, and the chances of taking it down without getting the pulp beaten out of them are to great. No, they go for the young, the weak, and the infirm. In that sense, humans are the same way-notice, all these shootings lately? where do they take place? in dark movie theatres, where no one can shoot back. in schools, where its garenteed no one can shoot back. almost all the mass shootings that have taken place in the last few decades-if not all-have taken place in gun free zones. Why? no one to shoot back. What the media ISNT telling you about the CT shooting-is that the shooter, did not stop, until the police arrived. Once someone showed up that could shoot back, he ended it. There was a church shooting in colorado a few years back, guy came in, and started shooting, thinking it would be easy-and a security gaurd, hired by the church, returned fire, wounding the man. The man, realizing that his prey was shooting back, commited suicide. These people who would mass kill-they think like predators, they would just as soon attack those that arnt innocent.

Now notice Im not counting any gangland shootings when I say mass shootings. Gangland shootings, first off, are rarely mass murders-they dont walk into schools and mow everyone down-and 2, they are usually two sided affairs.

[OneLight]

How on earth do you propose to decide who should carry a gun and who should not?

How do you know who the next mass shooter will be?

If you can answer those questions reasonably, I'm willing to reconsider my stance.

The problem here is that this young man, Adam, stole the guns he used.

Likewise, the two teens who murdered 13 teens and a teacher at Columbine High managed to obtain their guns illegally.

Really, you can't keep blaming the guns for this horror any more than you can blame the cars for the thousands of drunk-driving-caused deaths per year.

Exactly! It is sin that is the issue, not the instrument a sinner uses. If someone wanted to kill someone, they have so many ways to do so. If guns were removed, they would use something else. A bomb perhaps. Should we then outlaw every chemical that can be used to make a bomb?

[OneLight]

Mexico has got to be lying about those numbers. With the drug war that is going on, it's way more than that.

http://www.gunpolicy...s/region/mexico and the chart:

http://www.gunpolicy...f_gun_homicides

No doubt. I do believe these are from 2002? 10 years ago.

Here are the most recent stats from the site you provided for the US.

2009: 9,146

2008: 9,484

2007: 10,129

2006: 10,225

2005: 10,158

2004: 9,385

2003: 9,659

[Barabbas]

Im going to add this, australia, right now, is a free country. That is a true statement. Australia, doesnt allow guns. True statement. All power but Gods corrupts. Also a true statement. So right now, Australias a free country, thats not to say it always will. With all due respect-I get tired of hearing australians saying "we dont guns and look how good we are" I got news for you, just because your governments good now and you have a voice now, doesnt mean you always will, sooner or later, your government-just like the USes, will turn, and then there will be nothing you can do about it. Im not saying that to be mean-Im saying that because its a fact-every single democracy or republic in the history of mankind-has turned corrupt, and ended in a dictatorship, and then conquest by another country. Its an endless cycle. I know your happy with where you live-but its not perfect. Neither is America, Americas far from perfect, so dont think Im grand standing here-just pointing out a few observations.

Well there we go. It's pretty easy sitting in a western, liberal democracy feeling smug about your freedom. Your bikie gangs are delighted with your strict gun control laws aren't they?

Maybe you could give a stern talking to about freedom to not being armed to those in North Korea, China, etc. The people there would of course see the value in being unarmed, against a totalitarian government....Right?

[JustinM]

Brazil: http://www.gunpolicy...s/region/brazil

2008: 34,678¹⁵

2007: 34,147

2006: 34,921

2005: 33,419

2004: 34,187

2002: 34,085¹⁸

2000: 30,855

http://en.wikipedia....itics_in_Brazil

It is shocking that the UN missed this fact. Why wasn't Brazil on the top of that list in the link you provided. I think that site has discredited itself.

[JustinM]

http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/compare/183/number_of_gun_homicides/26,41,113,166,194

[Guest shiloh357]

Laws don't stop criminals who have no regard for them. You can pass all of the gun control laws you want, but it won't do any good in our culture. And the minute they begin introducing gun control laws, gun shops will be flooded with people buying up fire arms before the bill passes into law. Far from controlling guns, these gun control laws will create a spike in gun and ammo sales all over the country.