Problem is those instances you cite are outliers. Whereas gun violence in this country is not just common, it’s epidemic. Add to that the horrendous toll taken by gun “accidents” and you have a situation that no other industrialized nation is willing to tolerate.
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Looking around the Web to see what might have influenced Breivik, I found a connection to Pam Gellar as described by slate.com. Her blog and her friends’ sites pervaded his world, but how to came to kill 69 Norwegian children and eight government officials (but no Muslims) was part of a long twisted journey
He hated Muslims. And he admired Geller.
In a manifesto posted online, the admitted killer, Anders Behring Breivik, praised Geller. He cited her blog, Atlas Shrugs, and the writings of her friends, allies, and collaborators—Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch, Islam Watch, and Front Page magazine—more than 250 times. And he echoed their tactics, tarring peaceful Muslims with the crimes of violent Muslims. He wrote that all Muslims sought to impose “sharia laws.”
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Arizona is also where Gabby Giffords represented and was shot. Having very loose gun laws did nothing to stop the shooter from shooting 19 people, killing 6. I’d love to hear the NRA explain one damn thing they’ve done which might prevent something like that. Is there any gun control law in place in Arizona which could have been removed to prevent such a situation? Their stock answers are
- let’s not politicize this terrible tragedy
- the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun
- such and such law couldn’t have necessarily prevented this
The first excuse is ripe, because the NRA and many gun owners make hay whenever a gun is used to shoot a bad person. The second excuse is just wrong; there are many preventative measures, many which they block. The third one is a non-sequiter; nobody claims gun control laws will prevent 100% of gun crimes; they will reduce it, which is progress.
Revisiting #2, I love this take down of the good guy with a gun claim:
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What Mr Martinez doesn’t seem to understand is that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT 2ND AMENDMENT TERRORISM. Just accept it and move on.
Thank you,
Wayne LaPierre
NRA High Priest
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Then Rep. Barney Frank put it perfectly when he said that for Republicans the right to live begins at conception and ends at birth.
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frustrum, I took Gabby’s wounding personally. She was my Congress critter here in Tucson, and I worked at the hospital where she was initially taken. One of the people who did not survive that shooting spree was an acquaintance of mine and lived on my street. So like I said it hit very close to home that an unbalanced young man like Mr Loughner could so easily get hold of a pistol like he did. And like I posted I want stronger gun laws here in Arizona. Right now today I could (if I had the money) go and buy a semi-auto AK assault rifle and a 30 round clip. Counting the time it’d take to drive to the gun shop, pick out the rifle and ammo, do the cursory background check and pay for the items, I’d be in possession, within 45 minutes, of the capability of doing some serious damage. Then I could carry that rifle most anywhere openly. Even a bar.
I don’t think carnage should be that easy to accomplish.
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“…allow police to go to court to seize guns of people they or family members believe are dangerous.”
Nice!
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It is just that Gun Nut idiots believe that their rights trump everyone else’s right to Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.
I have one as a neighbor, he wants to provide for his safety by carrying a rifle, pistol and shotgun the 100 feet to his mailbox everyday. He also usually will drop one or two trying to open said box. Then he believes he can set his “target range” facing my home as long it is on his property. One side of my home now has been decorated by more than one bullet hole. Local Leos and DA don’t see a problem either and that is despite state laws saying weapons may not be fired within specific distances of a domicile. One of his target rounds hit my dog last Fall, he received a $25 ticket.
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It’s as though it the Constitution had licensed tricycles for tots, it would be okay to have them drive Lamborghinis.
The only way the country will get serious about gun control is if some Senators and Congressmen get their heads blown off.
It should be noted that the Giffords shooter was foiled by an unarmed individual who seized the opportunity as the assailant was taking time to reload.
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