Do Americans Need to Stop Denying Their Gun Control Issue?

Question

I don't know how many school shootings it takes for Americans to realize their gun laws are too lenient. More than half of school shootings take place in the US. And Virginia and Colorado, where major school shootings have taken place, have some of the lousiest gun restrictions ever. Somehow, a mentally unstable college student got hold of a firearm. I heard in Texas you can purchases guns in gas stations and banks.

I get the fact criminals get a hold of guns either way. But a gun is not a protective device, it's designed to kill. Most criminals shoot each other either way. It's not as if the streets are plagued with gun slinging criminals. I think the idea that you need a gun to protect yourself from other gun wielders is the silliest logic I've ever heard. Americans don't understand that life isn't like it is in the movies. They've been seeing too many bank hold-ups and car chases and think they can be an action hero like the ones on TV.

I heard Illinois, California and New York have gun restrictions. I would never move to any other states. I live in Toronto.

Answer 1

"here's your sign"

Answer 2

When I was 17, (1995) I planned to do a school shooting.  I was never caught and I never told anyone before now.  Truth is the firearms I had access to weren't mine and they weren't in my house.  They belonged to a neighbor.  This isnt about gun control.  This is about bullying in schools.  When a student goes to their administration and complains of bullying they get blamed as if they brought it on themself.  Well, NOTHING FROM NOTHING LEAVES NOTHING.  I know you've heard that one before, so go choke on it.  

Answer 3

To answer your question . . . NO!

Lets take a little peek a just a few of the crime statistics I found for Toronto in 2004 . . . .

There were 50 first degree murders reported

There were 15 second degree murders reported

There were 101 attempted murders reported

There were 1917 sexual assault cases (these did not include sexual offense/less assault

There were 25379 unspecified cases of assault reported

There were 5228 robbery cases reported

There were 15604 cases of robbery reported

There were 14015 motor vehicle thefts reported

There were 3189 thefts with a value over $5000 reported

There were 52811 thefts with a value less than $5000 reported

There were 11662 cases of fraud reported

There were 5149 cases of offensive weapons offenses reported

There were 63303 criminal cases reported that fell under other offense codes

http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/publicati...

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Canada's national crime rate, based on incidents reported to police, fell 5% last year — despite increases in serious crimes such as homicide, attempted murder, serious assaults and robbery. Declines in non-violent offences such as counterfeiting, break-ins and auto thefts accounted for most of the decline in the crime rate, which fell in every province and territory.

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/0607...

As we can see, old Toronto is really living in Egypt, on De Nile. I think maybe we ought to cut off the peckers of all men who live in Toronto; because I dully believe it will solve their problems with sexual offenses. Do us Americans a favor and remain in Canada . . . we don’t need your perverted people down here . . . once more, it looks like you might have some sticky finger problems too . . . and don’t you consider 150 murders a bit much for a city that has a population of 2.5 million in one year? I’d bet if more people had guns in Toronto, why your crime rate could equal that of an American city of the same size. Keep in mind, we know how you people in Toronto like to commit fraud, so you cannot compare Toronto’s crime statistics to a U.S. metropolitan area 10X as large.  I think the whole problem is that, Canadians are a little shy about hanging out their laundry in public which is why we don’t really hear about their high profile cases. Given that, I’d just like to say I now understand why you have such high opinions of yourselves. And similarly, just like your opinions on gun control, is your sense of worth . . . they are both over inflated.  

Shake my head? Do you think those figure were derived from a web site I created just for you? Do you not find it a tad bit ironic that the poster, who posted after me, is a Manitoba Policeman who readily admits, that Manitoba is the murder capitol of all of North America? Do you not feel slightly delusioned at the idea that you believe guns can be bought at a bank? How illogical is that? I must suggest that you are truly delirious and completely misinformed .. .you base your conclusions on misconceptions; for reasons known only to you, perhaps it is true that you have a highly inflated view of yourself, and your piousness is duly served by peering down your snout upon others. At that, I'd like for you to know that every state has gun laws, and some laws are governed by federal law. Spend some time purusing the first sight and acquaint your mind with the truth; as the truth will set you free.

Well after a brief review of old "coolforever's" other questions I have gained some insight . . . it seems that the young highschooler, coolforever, is a little light in the loafers . . . which explains why he's so femine where guns are concerned. I'd thoroughly suggest that when you do get to "university" you learn the basic tenants outlined in the "Bedford Handbook for Writers" concerning documentation of your claims and sources of information when one is jamming their opinion down another's throat. I hope that kind of talk from a christian, doesn''t offend your social preferences. I took notice that you do spend a great deal of time answering and asking questions that pertain to those nontraditional type relationships. Maybe if your father would have taken you hunting or spent more time doing manly things with you, you might feel different about the subject.

Answer 4

Once again, the right to bear arms is to keep the government in check. Not to hunt, not for home protection. It is the insurance of liberty.

Personally, I like knives.

Answer 5

Whatever you do, don't buy a swimming pool--they are more dangerous.  

Answer 6

It's not fair to punish law-abiding citizens for the actions of criminals. Criminals would not have a hard time at all getting guns even if they were banned, just like the ridiculous "war on drugs" isn't going to stop people from smoking weed. There are countries with gun control laws as lenient as America's that don't have anywhere near as much violent crime as America does. Guns don't kill people, people do. The social issues that make people kill others are what we really need to get under control. I don't think violence in the media is the problem, because they have that in a lot of other countries. I can't say for sure exactly what the problem is, but it probably has something to do with our failing education system, and poverty that the government doesn't seem to do anything about. I know the unemployment rate in America is extremely low compared to other countries, but it's how the poor are treated, as opposed to how many poor people there are, that makes the difference. A lot of poor people resort to joining gangs because they think the other gang members are the only people who care about them. Gang recruiters prey on these feelings. It's easy to understand why poor people often think they have no way of escaping poverty - just look at how bad the schools in poor areas are, and how expensive it is to go to college, when the single mom has a hard time just affording food for her kids. So they resort to gangs. And that is what America needs to take care of. There are probably several other reasons for violent crime, but I don't really think lenient gun control laws would be on that list.

Answer 7

Good riddens, your lack of insight in American Society and the issue at large shows a serious lack analytical skills. Stay in Canada.

Answer 8

Yeah, so what's the problem?  Illinois, California, and New York are all sewers run by socialists.  (No offense.) Why are you concerned over gun control policy in the United States?  You don't live here.    Gun control doesn't even work, there was just a shooting in London.  The UK has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world, and they don't work for them.  

"Getting hold of gun round here is as easy as going into a McDonald's and getting a McChicken sandwich," a 16-year-old on the estate told the Guardian yesterday."  This is according to a resident of the UK!

http://www.24dash.com/news/communities/2...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/feb/17...

Answer 9

Those who object total gun bun are all in state of denial. The law was made like 100 years ago and it is obsolete. There's no more civil war to justify the need to have a gun to protect yourself.

Answer 10

I don't own guns, but I think restricting gun ownership any further than we already have is just a band aid.  the bad guys will get them.

What's more important for us is to ask *why* in our culture, do so many people, including kids, want to go postal and kill lots of people?  Maybe gratuitous violence in movies, TV, video games, etc. plays into it.  Maybe it's broken families or bullying in school or poor self esteem or whatever.  But it seems that we need to identify the root cause and address that, rather than just try to put more gun laws on the books.

If you owned a business and you were turning out a high number of defective products, you'd investigate and find what is causing the defects and you'd fix that.  Our society is the business that we collectively own, and people are one of the products that we produce.    We need to figure out why we're churning out defective people and put an end to that.

Answer 11

do you really think you have the right to judge us or that we even care what you think if so you are sadly mistaken just like in this statement

"I heard in Texas you can purchases guns in gas stations and banks."

Answer 12

If someone breaks into your home, and they have a gun and you don't, aren't you failing your family for at least attempting to protect them?

Answer 13

Our gun laws aren't too lenient. Funny thing is in a couple of small towns where gun ownership was mandated (just not enforced)  violent crime went way down.  

Answer 14

you are so whacked i feel your pain. all that brain washing from the antis must have really took a lot, make that most of your brain cells away.i live in WINNIPEG MANITOBA CANADA MURDER CAPITAL OF NORTH AMERICA, we got the toughest gun laws on the continent and the most murders per capita!!! i personally have a gun and license to carry, due to my employment in law enforcement, and complying befoer the law was passed. 3/4 of the murders this year were by knife, 1/4 the new weapon of choice, a sharpenedd screwdriver. (rough figures, i know thiss adds up to over 100%) there was another with a broken bottle a couple with bare hands and 1 with hockey sticks. only 1 was by gun, and it was stolen. outlaw guns, and only outlaws have guns!i can buy a sawed off guage from the crack dealer for $50.00, and be back with it in less than 10 minutes.current waiting time for a permit is 13 months, and just to apply for a permit costs $60.00. if any of the staff, students or visitors at the schoolsyou mentioned were armed rather than in a weapons free zone, some one would have wasted the loser before he fired a shot!

Answer 15

Of course Toronto residents are looking to have a bit of gun control to stop a rash of Toronto shootings.

We do not know that gun control laws would work in Toronto  for this rash of shootings unless police had the unlimited right to stop and search anyone on the streets, and also that they actually do it.

The reason control laws alone will not work is that those laws give no protection to a drug dealer under attack by another drug gang. To get any protection the dealer under attack has to have a much closer and more effective weapon.

Now you and i know that having and needing guns to defend our person is very much wild west and very dangerous. But if you really do have someone packing heat and prepared to do you in, forget about waiting for the local constabulary after that rod is pointed at you.

Removing gun control will not work either. But perhaps taking the profit out of drug dealing might.  Prohibition of drugs like prohibition of guns appears to produce big profits for illegal activity.

If laws make it legal for anyone to grow their own pot, in their own home, we remove all profit potential in that trade. Provide opiates on prescription, and we undercut the profit base of opiates.

We can expect that Toronto may heal from its drug trade induced rash of gun violence. But very simply we have enough laws to do that if dealers were more afraid of police than of each other.  

Answer 16

Simple test.

Check the crime statistics in the states that allow households to have guns and allow concealed weapons.

Been done, proven.

Sorry, England and other countries that restrict guns are having SERIOUS problems with the issue.

We have no interest in joining them.

Answer 17

"But a gun is not a protective device, it's designed to kill. Most criminals shoot each other either way. It's not as if the streets are plagued with gun slinging criminals. I think the idea that you need a gun to protect yourself from other gun wielders is the silliest logic I've ever heard. Americans don't understand that life isn't like it is in the movies. They've been seeing too many bank hold-ups and car chases and think they can be an action hero like the ones on TV."

I can't even believe you are serious. That has got to be one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever read. Seriously.

Stay in Canada please.