Land of the free.

[purpleronnie]

Ronnie you of all people being racist ! mind you they did burn down my second home so you may have a point.

Is that true?

[Jon the Hat]

You're forgetting the welsh.

Not really high profile enough the Welsh. Most people outside the UK think it is a county.

[I am Rod Hull]

Totally agree, trouble is they are hell bent on imposing their way of life on the rest of the world and actually see themselves as a beacon of how the rest should live. Thay have to be the most hated nation on the earth.

[BunkMoreland]

Horrible event but banning guns as a reaction would be like banning aeroplanes in reaction to 9-11. What you have here is copycat behaviour, ****ed up kids copying the actions of other ****ed up kids, trying to 'outdo' each other, like it's some kind of badge of honour. It's such an obscure and untraceable culture that banning guns won't have any effect. The next time some ****ed up kid wants to go out in a blaze of destruction he'll just find some other way to do the killing.

[Carl the Llama]

Horrible event but banning guns as a reaction would be like banning aeroplanes in reaction to 9-11. What you have here is copycat behaviour, ****ed up kids copying the actions of other ****ed up kids, trying to 'outdo' each other, like it's some kind of badge of honour. It's such an obscure and untraceable culture that banning guns won't have any effect. The next time some ****ed up kid wants to go out in a blaze of destruction he'll just find some other way to do the killing.

But without a gun it would be much harder for them to rack up as many casualties and to then top themselves avoiding the consequences of their actions. It's the guns that make such behaviour 'attractive' by making it so easy and painless on their side.

[Rincewind]

Call me daft but I see an automatic weapon that fires a hundred rounds off in as many seconds as more of an attacking weapon than a defensive one that one would have in a bedside table drawer at night to ward off burglars. So why is the right to own one of these weapons being defended when it is the bad guys most likely to use one?

[Trav Le Bleu]

Said it before, they are the new us.

By the logic of our American friends' "right to bear arms", all countries in the world should have nuclear weapons.

Yes, the culture needs addressing, as does media reporting (wanna be famous - kill a load of kids and your face will be everywhere for weeks! - Score the winning TD in the Superbowl and you'll make the backpage for a day.) Maybe mental health (in a country where you have to pay - YES pay, I know! - for simple health care) protections need addressing.

What is certain though, is that a nutjob with a knife or a pistol is a HELL OF A LOT less dangerous than one with an assault rifle. Suggestions have been made especially after the shooting at the Batman film in Denver, that maybe if everyone had a gun... really? I mean, REALLY? Untrained people in the dark, reacting to gunfire (and who then might react to the reaction of the gunfire, who might then react to the reaction of the reaction of the gun fire, etc.) with deadly force.

I know that they wrote it into the constitution over 200 years ago, but these same people thought that keeping slaves was fine and that was black people could not be citizens of the USA (these amendments came later). Also when the 2nd amendment was ratified, these people would not be able to concieve of guns that could kill so many so rapidly. In 1791 guns were fairly basic muzzle-loaders, and the revolver was a thing of the future, you would probably be more scared of a man with a bladed weapon.

[Jon the Hat]

Horrible event but banning guns as a reaction would be like banning aeroplanes in reaction to 9-11. What you have here is copycat behaviour, ****ed up kids copying the actions of other ****ed up kids, trying to 'outdo' each other, like it's some kind of badge of honour. It's such an obscure and untraceable culture that banning guns won't have any effect. The next time some ****ed up kid wants to go out in a blaze of destruction he'll just find some other way to do the killing.

No, no it wouldn't. Banning something whose sole purpose is to kill is not the same as banning something which has a useful mainstream everyday purpose. You dont need assualt weapons to hunt, they are not for target practise, they serve no useful purpose.

They also kill very few people in terms of the US death toll from guns, handguns and shotguns are the vast majority. It is however much easier to do something like this atrocity with a semi-automatic assault rifle. There were a few twitter comments along the lines of "Crazy man attacked a pre-school in Japan with a knife - are we going to ban knives now???" to which the answer clearly is no, and none of those kids are dead. The combination of assualt rifle and nut job is clearly a diaster waiting to happen. There is no need for th weapons, and they should be banned. Simple as that.

[pSinatra]

Call me daft but I see an automatic weapon that fires a hundred rounds off in as many seconds as more of an attacking weapon than a defensive one that one would have in a bedside table drawer at night to ward off burglars. So why is the right to own one of these weapons being defended when it is the bad guys most likely to use one?

His dead mother was a 'Prepper'. Paranoid that the country was at any moment going to go tits up. She had a stash of Fray Bentos & tinned pineapple in the cellar & an even bigger stash of weapons, so that she could protect her family & wealth from the imminent threat of civil unrest. Something like a scene from Dawn of the Dead.......taking pop-shots from the bedroom window.

http://www.independe...ts-8422298.html

The Preppers is a movement in the US around 3 million strong. There is also a Preppers movement in the UK.

[Babylon]

Horrible event but banning guns as a reaction would be like banning aeroplanes in reaction to 9-11.

It's nothing like that. The primary use of planes is now for travel, the primary use of guns is to kill shit.

It's such an obscure and untraceable culture that banning guns won't have any effect.

There will still be mass murders as there is no way they can actually ban guns completely, there are too many in circulation. But with tighter restrictions it might make it harder for the odd nut job to get their hands on one. If it saves one life then it will have been worth the controls. The problem is, you won't see the lives saved you will see the people who still get killed by guns... and those opposing tighter restrictions will use that to say the controls were a failure... something they can't prove.

The next time some ****ed up kid wants to go out in a blaze of destruction he'll just find some other way to do the killing.

Some nutter in China tried that with a knife... they all survived though. Guns believe it or not are rather efficient killing machines.

[FoxyPV]

If you want to see how devestating semi automatic / automatic weapons can be, look at people shooting them on youtube, then think on them being fired at people.

It's ****ing ridiculous that the 1994 ban was not continued.

[ADK]

Well they had to have a civil war to stop slavery.

[sphericalfox]

Well they had to have a civil war to stop slavery.

Do you think that was the sole reason?

[Finnegan]

An Englishman implying the Welsh are globally unpopular! I've heard it all now!

I'm off to go find an Aussie, a Frenchman, a Scot and some Paddies to have a giggle with.

[ADK]

Do you think that was the sole reason?

I thought it was a big part of it.

[z-layrex]

An Englishman implying the Welsh are globally unpopular! I've heard it all now!

I'm off to go find an Aussie, a Frenchman, a Scot and some Paddies to have a giggle with.

It'll be like a dinner for the world's most annoying nationalities!

[purpleronnie]

An Englishman implying the Welsh are globally unpopular! I've heard it all now!

I'm off to go find an Aussie, a Frenchman, a Scot and some Paddies to have a giggle with.

I was only joking.

soz.

[Finnegan]

It'll be like a dinner for the world's most annoying nationalities!

See that's why no ****er likes you!

[sphericalfox]

<steps back>

[Jordan]

<steps back>

I'm sure that is false. And what the hell is "Central (Fed) Bank?" Surely that hoax meme creator means either the Federal Reserve, or "The Fed" for short.

[The People's Hero]

I have to say, I can almost see an argument for everyone owning a handgun of some sort, although I believe they should have to use non-lethal ammunition.

What I cannot see is why any reasonably well adjusted adult, living in a supposedly civilised nation where law and order are held up as beacons of freedom and capitalism, should feel the need to own an assault rife.

[AdamN]

I have to say, I can almost see an argument for everyone owning a handgun of some sort, although I believe they should have to use non-lethal ammunition.

What I cannot see is why any reasonably well adjusted adult, living in a supposedly civilised nation where law and order are held up as beacons of freedom and capitalism, should feel the need to own an assault rife.

There's your problem.

I can understand the attraction to guns, as whatever you might think of them, they are fun to play with. I fired live weapons in the RAF, and if it wasn't for the corporals barking in our ear the entire time, I'm sure I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. However, that's still no reason for me to think I should be able to own an assault rifle, even in the name of self defence. Unless 30 armed robbers break into my house, I can't think of a situation where I'd ever need to use it. If I simply enjoy shooting stuff, then I'll join a gun club.

[ithuriel]

I can understand the attraction to guns, as whatever you might think of them, they are fun to play with. I fired live weapons in the RAF, and if it wasn't for the corporals barking in our ear the entire time, I'm sure I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. However, that's still no reason for me to think I should be able to own an assault rifle, even in the name of self defence. Unless 30 armed robbers break into my house, I can't think of a situation where I'd ever need to use it. If I simply enjoy shooting stuff, then I'll join a gun club.

Agree, used an SA80 way back during firing range practice at HMS Raleigh, i'd be wary of anyone who owned assault rifles and had them in their house.

[Zingari]

I'm sure that is false. And what the hell is "Central (Fed) Bank?" Surely that hoax meme creator means either the Federal Reserve, or "The Fed" for short.

not sure if this is reliable source but it's being discussed here

http://teapartyorg.ning.com/forum/topics/the-father-of-connecticut-school-shooter-adam-lanza-peter-lanza?xg_source=activity

this is some sort of amazing "coincidence" if it's true

[Jon the Hat]

not sure if this is reliable source but it's being discussed here

http://teapartyorg.ning.com/forum/topics/the-father-of-connecticut-school-shooter-adam-lanza-peter-lanza?xg_source=activity

this is some sort of amazing "coincidence" if it's true

To be honest it isn't any more remarkable than if they both were doctors say. It might tell us something about the child rearing challenges of pursuing a high level career though.