Dear Connecticut...

[Pilgrim]

I read the article from The Economist and I'm not moved.

I understand why the author feels as he does, and from his point of view it probably makes sense.  But he doesn't know the US.

Friends, there are millions and millions of firearms held privately in the US.  There is NO WAY to disarm the US public.  The culture here is different from other countries, and a big percentage of the US population is not going to give up firearms no matter what the law is.  It can't be done.  An attempt would indeed create armed resistance from numerous groups, and many more people would simply stash their firearms away along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition.  They might otherwise be "law abiding" people, but the culture of gun ownership is too deeply ingrained.  I'm inclined that way myself.

Moreover, even making an attempt at complete disarmament would require repealing the Second Amendment, which I honestly think is impossible.

Gun laws can be modified, and I suspect they will be.  But disarming the US public is not going to happen.  That's not an emotional argument, it's a simple one based on an understanding of how pervasive and culturally imbedded firearms ownership is.

[Aussie Mark]

Gun laws can be modified, and I suspect they will be.

Let's hope common sense prevails, and it doesn't take another 31 school shootings (the number since Columbine) before action is taken.

[Pilgrim]

Let's hope common sense prevails, and it doesn't take another 31 school shootings (the number since Columbine) before action is taken.

Absolutely!  Even a number of staunch conservatives and the NRA are saying they're ready to talk about appropriate actions.  They have never said such things before.

[westen44]

Why is it the south that is always violent, racist, F'd up?  Is East L.A. less violent than the south?  What about Washington DC?  They have a gun ban and the  body count due to guns is tremendous.  What about Chicago?  Multiple generations of enlightened leadership and their murder rate is one of the worst in nation.  Remember, this deranged monster that killed these innocent kids was most certainly from the north.

One thing I heard, on NPR of all places, is that this type of violence has steadily declined and that it was apparent that the assault gun ban did nothing to reduce the incidence of this type of violence in society.

I repeat, I'm a Southerner.  I didn't say anything about anything else concerning the South except its history of violence.  I didn't say other parts of the country weren't also violent.  However, the South does have a unique background which can't be ignored.  I haven't read the full version of "Southern Honor," but I have read the abridged version of Bertram-Wyatt Brown's book called "Honor and Violence in the Old South."  This is quite a good book and provides a lot of insight into violence and the South.  This only tells part of the story of course, and delves deep into the past.  But the only way to understand the New South is to first understand the Old South.


http://books.google.com/books/about/Honor_and_Violence_in_the_Old_South.html?id=PSU1xWLfk7wC

[Denis]

Most of the mass shootings which have occurred in the US were carried out with semi-automatic handguns, not assault-type rifles. Limiting the sales of assault rifles will probably help but there are far more semi-auto pistols in the US.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mass-shootings-map

[Denis]

See here, one step from catastrophe.

http://news.yahoo.com/utah-boy-charged-bringing-gun-school-cites-fears-023430546.html

[the mojo hobo]

After a quick search for FBI survaillence van, this was a top result.

http://gawker.com/5832665/do-not-name-your-wifi-network-fbi-surveillance-van

A 17 year old was arrested for attempting to blow up his high school. This was "a guy who was at that moment scheming about how to one-up the Columbine massacre."

The real problem is not guns.

[Denis]

The real problem is not guns.

I agree with you. Guns, like anything else, are tools used to accomplish a goal. Brutal yes, but tools. The real problem is the underlying cause and a secondary one is to keep those tools out of certain hands.

It's entirely possible that if Lanza had not used a gun he might of ended up using a bomb.

[drbassman]

It's everything.  Guns, culture and society.  The great American experiment is decaying from within and we want simple-minded explanations and solutions to the mess we've created.

Comparing Austrailia to the US is like comparing citizens from New York City to Texans.  Apples to oranges.

[the mojo hobo]

It's everything.  ... we want simple-minded explanations and solutions to the mess we've created.

Yea, that's a problem. Complex problems seldom require simple solutions.

I think one of our big problems is that John Q. Public are more interested in what their favorite sports team is doing than in what their senators and congressmen are doing. Until beset with a tragedy anyway.

[dadagoboi]

It's everything.  Guns, culture and society.  The great American experiment is decaying from within and we want simple-minded explanations and solutions to the mess we've created.

Comparing Austrailia to the US is like comparing citizens from New York City to Texans.  Apples to oranges.

I agree, we're on the downside with no simple solutions.

...Hey, I've been to Sydney and I've been to Woolongong, they're 50 miles apart.  Sydney is like Los Angeles,  Woolongong reminded me of Alexandria, Louisiana.  Basically, lots of rednecks without the churches.

[Denis]

A perfect example of how f***ed up the American mentality is how we approach sex and nudity.

A huge portion of American citizens are aghast when there's nudity on TV (like when Janet Jackson suffered a "wardrobe malfunction" during the Superbowl. There were apologies, fines, etc over it. This was an issue lasting MONTHS!

Yet, a few days ago, a photographer takes a photo of a man 2 seconds away from getting run over by a subway and it makes the cover of a magazine. Rather than help, he took a photo. It's hardly discussed anymore.

Boobs are not allowed on tv but you sit there and watch murder after murder after murder, rape after rape after rape, abuse after abuse after abuse.

This is a serious "WTF?" issue for me.

[rahock]

Yea, that's a problem. Complex problems seldom require simple solutions.

I think one of our big problems is that John Q. Public are more interested in what their favorite sports team is doing than in what their senators and congressmen are doing. Until beset with a tragedy anyway.

In my carreer I dealt with numerous foriegn nationals from just about every country that you can think of, and they were always amazed how Americans would pick up a newspaper and go straight to the sports page , totally disregarding whatever was on the front page.
Rick

[Dave W]

It was a given that certain politicians would immediately start grandstanding the gun control issue. The response is predictable: carry permit applications here in the metro area have doubled to tripled in the past few days, depending on which county; and Minnesota is a "shall issue" state, the county must issue the permit if the requirements are met.

That alone should tell anybody looking in from overseas how deep rooted the feelings are on both sides of this issue. No one is seriously suggesting banning the sale of handguns, the US Supreme Court has already ruled handgun bans unconstitutional, yet handgun and ammo sales are going through the roof.... again.

[Dave W]

Anyway, back to the mental health issue: we can make counseling more easily available and accessible, but there's no practical way to force a person who has no criminal record and no documented history of behavioral problems into counseling. And if seeking help for emotional problems will enable authorities to keep someone from owning a weapon, you can bet that the person will avoid getting help.

From Anders Breivik in Norway to the Accent Signage shooter in Minneapolis, most of these killers had a clean, stable background which allowed them to own weapons legally. They carefully planned their killings. Nothing they did would have allowed anyone to lock them up in advance. I don't see any way around this.