Why Do We Have All of These "Shooters"?

[Joe Fulton]

In the last couple of years the levels of senseless violence perpetrated by unstable teenagers and 20-somethings has rising to levels that are quite disturbing.

There has to be a cause and a cure for this type of thing.  No matter how you slice it, the whole thing is bad and wrong.

My deepest sympathies are with the families, teachers and friends of those who died in the shootings in Connecticut and to all of the other senseless acts of violence.

[John E. Mead]

Hi Bob!

I am unsure of the 75% not able to find the US; It is true that a vast majority did not know where Iraq was located several years after we had invaded the country.

(invaded for crimes they may commit against us in the future... !?)

The people who wanted to arm, and train, law-abiding people in dangerous neighborhoods (if they wanted to be armed) seemed to go well with Pratchett's satire I put up:

"Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil...prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon..."

[Bob Thorsen]

In Switzerland everyone owns a gun - no problem.  That country remains one of the least dangerous places to live. 

I find it difficult to believe that 75% of adult Americans cannot find the United States on the Globe of the Earth, surely this cannot be?  There are some really smart people in your country!

[William John Meegan]

Hari:

I think that the Republicans are trying to upset the liberal Democrats.  These political types are always acting like God gave them a right to be idiots.  Don't take it serious.  Some years ago there was a town, I forget the name, that actually had an ordinance that when you came of age you had to own a gun and if you didn't you would get arrested and go to jail for breaking the law.  The Republicans know that if the Democrats ignore them they can get anything passed so the Democrats have to act out their part in order to hold back the tide of ignorance.  And vice versa the Republicans have to respond to the stupidity of the Democrats.

Personally, I think the Republicans and Democrats deliberately act up the way they do to upset the nation as a whole.  Because if people pay attention to their antics they will not look at what is important.  In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the two party system realized that the people were too intelligent and took too much interest in what their politicians were doing.  Then they began to realize that if you give the people a good show, sports, TV and dumb down the school system and give them stupid political antics to follow and most of all put 10,000 voices on the radio into one voice (Murdock) and you have a placid nation.  Do you know that 75% of adult Americans cannot find the United States on the Globe of the Earth.  Do you really wonder why politicians are no longer afraid of the people?

Remember the Bill Clinton impeachment.  It was all a bunch of nonsense and everybody knew it but the Democrats had to go along with the process just to stop the Republicans.  After the impeachment was over people ask the Republicans why they did it knowing Clinton was innocent and you know what they said, "BECAUSE WE COULD".  

Politics in America has become an adolescence p****** contest.  Now, maybe people can understand why America is always at war with somebody.  Because they are tit for tat adolescence tantrums.

[Hari Menon]

Dear John ,

      Is this some Joke ? do you really mean Free Hand guns as in Free handouts ? Its crazy , to even contemplate handing out guns freely , one experiments with oneself not others - it is bound to be disastrous as the intellect of the Collective is suspect !! Or there must be a surfeit of very Self Controlled individuals .

[John E. Mead]

Free shotguns for AZ residents

here

and here

well, this will be interesting. A social science experiment. The stats will be an amazing reference in the future.

(NOTE: I am adding this note so people understand that "social science experiment" was meant as cynicism)

[John E. Mead]

Hi William!

I agree with you on that.

We seem to have gun-wackos and anti-gun wackos.

Quite a societal disaster......

[William John Meegan]

Some weeks ago a six year old boy got expelled from school and now has a criminal record because he bit his sandwich to look like a gun. Talk about absurd.  I guess the TEACHER'S UNION and its NATIONAL LOBBY TEACHERS ASSOCIATIONS have to insist that their members at least give the appearance of earning their salaries even if it traumatizes a six year old boy.  What that taught the children of that school is that they should never EVER trust those in authority: seeing they are this ridiculous.

[John E. Mead]

The NRA view is pretty extreme... agreed.

I am pretty sure we will get some new legislation regardless.

"What isn't absurd, and much more doable is to have a well-informed citizenry and good governance."

I would like to believe it is doable.

[Joe Fulton]

Interesting piece from IT World this morning: Would a 3-D Printed Gun Really be Legal?

One has to wonder.  I was looking on my Facebook page the other night and saw a discussion where a number of "gun rights" advocates ranted and raved about their right to own guns, just because they wanted.  In the 18th century owning a gun was the only way you could ensure survival.  In many places, law was non existent, and the in many circumstances man was not the local apex predator.

Am I afraid of our government, in some ways, yes, but on the other hand, to carry the concept of parity in arms to its logical conclusion I would have to have my own army, air force and intelligence gathering capabilities to keep step with the feds.  That idea is absurd.  What isn't absurd, and much more doable is to have a well-informed citizenry and good governance.  With both, the government both ensures the well-being of the people it represents and behaves in a way that is beneficial to all (theoretically).  I just don't see any rationality behind the current NRA-backed views.

[John E. Mead]

here is an article that was brought to my attention. I decided to pass it on.

Fatal Distraction: Manhood, Guns, and Violence