Discussion for article #223159
Mr Martinez is understandably distraught and angry. Until our elected officials grow a pair, refuse campaign contributions from arms manufactures and the NRA, and start passing enforceable legislation with real teeth we can look forward to more of this senseless BS.
Sure, legislation that will focus on mental health will be nice but how about also passing legislation that is at least as tough as the requirements for owning and operating a car.
Register the guns now. While it might take twenty years to get the unregulated guns out of circulation we can choose to start the process now or keep forestalling it. It will still take at least twenty years regardless of when we start.
Require that gun-owners have insurance for their guns. Make them responsible for how, when and why their guns are used along with by whom they are used. Perhaps we would see fewer reports of stuff like this crap.
Insurance companies might provide lower premiums if they are allowed to inspect the owners means of storing and securing their ammunition and their guns.
What is the bad from mandating more documentation and a longer wait period for the purchase of semi-automatic weapons? And applying this to ALL gun sales nationally.
And no one needs a military style weapon. No one.
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There is ample truth in his pain.
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This video needs to be sent to every single Republican in office that supports the NRA.
His last name needs to be publicize, MARTINEZ! And get this guy on Spanish language news. Force Republicans to back up their so called “latino outreach” with actual policies not just talk.
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I will not comment on a justifiable outburst of an angry father who just lost his son. Something has however been done in the State of California since Sandy Hook, unfortunately in the wrong direction.
Why bother? They don’t care. They really don’t care.
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Martinez’s son, Christopher, was the last of six victims allegedly killed by Elliot Rodger before the suspected shooter took his own life.
Allegedly"? Rodger isn’t gonna be tried for this because he’s “allegedly” dead. Ms Thompson (author of this piece), in this case it’s OK to call the killer guilty. He was at the scene, he had fired the guns and stabbed the people. He killed them. There is no “allegedly” needed.
Mr Martinez is spot on. He is right in placing blame where he does.
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Looks like a move in the proper direction to me! Hopefully in the future California will require registration of ALL firearms, but that is implicit as owners die and their guns are passed along or sold.
Now…they should also require gun-owners to be insured and stiffen penalties for use of the weapon by unauthorized individuals and use in a crime even if they are stolen.
Then down the road a bit they can start outlawing various categories of unneeded and unnecessary weapons.
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I see nothing wrong with the changes to the law in California provided in your link. I think they could have added a background check for guns shows assuming those are still legal in California as they are here in Arizona. And I should add for your benefit that I am a gun owner. I see no problem registering guns or restricting the sale of large capacity magazines. I’ve had to deal with a home invasion and I’ve seen combat and the result of that sort of carnage. And I can tell you that the NRA and especially Wayne LaPierre has lost it. They should wise up and get on the side of gun safety and some sanity in handling these weapons as they used to when I was a kid.
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What Sooner said!!! X2!!
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It is long past time to ban handguns. Period. And AR’s.
Only hunting rifles and shotguns should be legal.
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That might be a bit far. Had I not had a pistol I might not have been able to be here for this discussion as I was the victim of a home break in that ended with a face to face gun fight in which a long gun would not have been useful given the stairway (and restricted space) on which it took place. What we don’t need are large capacity magazines for pistols. Six shots are plenty.
What we also don’t need is the fear of the NRA among politicians which prevents politicians from doing the right thing.
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That poor man.
When are we going to do something about the assholes is Congress who suck up to and take millions from the NRA and their mouth breathing, phallically challenged followers?
I would like to believe that there is more connecting of (Republicans in) Congress with many of our ills.
Mr. Martinez’ words may point to that.
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We could institute a buyback program nationwide, offering up to as much as 50% above the cost of any gun turned in. I believe it might result in a lot of people looking out for their selfish interest above and beyond any sick psychological need for a substitute penis.
If they’ll lose their job, they care.
Right now, the only reason Republicans lose their job in safe Republican seats is for not being crazy enough. You’re right: they won’t care.
If NRA-puppets in competitive seats start losing elections because of it, they’ll care. But so far public outrage seems episodic, tepid, and unfocused – the exact opposite of the much smaller number of gun nuts.
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That’s a good idea. I agree with you. And the money collected could be put to use in helping the victims of gun related crime or for mental health programs or any number of worthy reason that would lessen gun violence.
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The majority of our elected officials are either indebted to the NRA through campaign contributions, or do not wish to become a target of NRA campaign efforts should they vote against NRA wishes. This is legalized corruption at work.
Richard Martinez, the only way this will turn around without a prolonged and increased amount of these insane rampages is to either remove these neutered Congress-critters through voting (which is highly unlikely given the current corrupt rule-set), or remove them using the very culling methods that they tacitly support. This is very sad to write; it represents a form of anarchy given that those who write the laws are tacitly supporting lawlessness. How else are we going to reverse this? This is not the America that I grew up in.
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It’s not the America I grew up in either.
The NRA are their foaming mouth piece Wayne LaPierre have become the essence of crazy in my opinion.
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The only hing that would be sadder than this screed is if it were not true! The feckless,self serving nature of our elected congress is breathtakingly awful in it’s transparency.
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