How Do You Help Guide This Tough Conversation?

It’s a sad thing that happen with the mass shootings but one thing is for certain is the laws they have in place did not and will not stop the evildoers out here they will find other ways to to acts of evil and too bad that a good person with a gun was not in the place to have stopped it but I guess then the media would have demonized that good person for stopping what would have taken place. They always do in most cases. Just sharing my thoughts. May everyone be safe and carry always!!

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Have you never looked at what happens in socialist countries where the guns have been taken from it’s citizens like Nazi Germany under Hitler, Yemen in constant civil war with millions homeless and starving to death, like Venezuela with millions starving to death, thousands being imprisoned for speaking out against the government, losing there jobs because the government owns all the businesses. The left loves to destroy history so no one will know what is happening to them. They have filled the schools with socialists to re-educate the generations as they are now doing in China with hundreds of re-education camps. This why our fore fathers passed the second amendment. The citizens need the weaponry to keep up with times. If we gave up our right to bear arms with semiautomatic weapons we wouldn’t stand a chance against a tyranical government in this day and age and that’s exactly what the left wants. More people are killed every year by knives or bludgeoned to death with clubs or hammers or other instruments. So we should ban all these things and have every household that owns knives register them. Sorry folks we’re going to defend ourselves even if you are not.

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Any Red Flag law needs to confiscate the potential killer and help him until he can be trusted not to kill.
Guns have nothing to do with it.

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Chris, I can understand your position. However, unless every citizen in the country owns and knows how to use an assault rifle, you’ll never stave off an internal tyrannical government, it won’t matter. There simply aren’t enough people in the NRA to muster a militia capable of resisting. The reality is we’re in danger of foreign enemies, not domestic. We don’t live in some third world shithole country where our own government has ever been a threat to its citizens. And let’s drop the personal protection argument. NOBODY has a legitimate need for an assault weapon to protect themself. There are plenty of handguns, shotguns, and rifles that will do just fine.

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First, before any commentary, my thoughts go out to the people of these three atrocities! They are becoming all too frequent and devastating.

I have many thoughts on the topic as follows;

  1. All these actions are carried out by people who have mental illness of some sort and have slipped through the mental health system. As a society, we have failed miserably at identifying these people and treating them before they snap and act out.

  2. I wish more citizens in each location / instance were legally armed and trained to react and possibly thwart the actions of the shooter(s). Time and time again, a legally armed person has made an impact and either saved lives or been part of the overall resolution to negating the threat. (As by now you have heard, a man in the past few hours, entered a Walmart in camo and gear, armed with an AR and pistol(s), and walked through the store. He apparently was not looking to create another shooting. The store was evacuated, the armed man held at gunpoint by an off-duty Fire Fighter until authorities arrived and arrested him). I have heard he was videoing himself as he paraded through Walmart.

  3. More gun control, in the form of more and better and more thorough background checks is part of the answer, only a part.

  4. Gun confiscation or sales bans of “Assault Weapons”, will not negate the occurrence of these horrific events. Most people can’t tell you what an “Assault Weapon” is or is not. Most people can’t properly identify a magazine and refer to it incorrectly as a “clip”. Most people don’t know that an AR-15 “Sporting” rifle is semi-automatic, firing one round per trigger squeeze. Most people don’t realize that semi-automatic handguns with extended capacity magazines potentially could wreak more havoc than the rifles so often brandished, and be far more concealable by the shooters as they make their way to their destinations.

  5. What does the use of the rifles branded by the media as “assault rifles” show us? It shows us simply a type of weapon most likely chosen, by the shooter, is the choice of the mentally ill individual, acting as the others he has seen identified, over and over, by the media, and he/she is hoping to copy their horrible efforts, gain his/her moment of fame, and ultimately be killed by authorities. The shooter obviously has no regard for human life, again, mentally ill.

  6. Reporting of these horrific events should not mention the shooters name. It should, in no way, give the shooter and potential others waiting to act, what they see as fame. The publication of the shooter’s name motivates others to act.

  7. Any media or political actors, assessing or attributing blame, or using their rhetoric about the events to add frenzy, politicize, and whip up the citizenry against any other politician
    or holder of public office strictly for their or their candidates political gain is abysmal. Candidates for office being manipulated by their handlers and political consultants and trying to turn tragedy into personal gain is, in my humble opinion, as tragic as the shooter’s own motivation.

  8. The sad truth is that sick people will continues to do sick things. Our prisons are full of them. If not the tool of current popularity among mass murderers, the “AR” or “AK” style rifle, it will be a hand gun. If not a hand gun you can make bet on the perpetrator finding other equally sensational methods and implement to carry out their rage, their anger, or their sick desires to hurt others.

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I wonder if they were saying that same thing around July 3rd, 1776? lol The point being, you never know when you will possibly need it. The 2nd amendment is not just for third world countries. The right of the people to keep and bear arms is essential to keeping governments honest. Look at all the other counties after they lost their firearms. Nothing stops the government then. And…when someone comes at me with a “assault weapon” (although I am not sure what that is) the 2nd amendment gives me the right to have a gun of equal capacity. Let’s face it, bad guys will always find a way.

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These people do not think logically. They speak emotionally. Man has been killing man since the beginning of time. Weather its with a rock, spear, arrow, club, cross bow or bear hands. Millions have been murdered before the invention of gun powder. None of these including modern guns kill anyone by them selves. People kill people plain and simple. So if you use their logic, just get rid of people and you will stop the killings. That makes about as much sense as banning guns or new laws

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With all due respect Bill, Military “Assault Weapons” by and large are not “single shot per trigger pull” weapons, actually harder to manipulate than a handgun. Military weapons (rifles) typically fire “bursts” of multiple rounds, point and spread, not point and squeeze off a single round. Maybe the Founding Fathers never anticipated today’s weaponry advances, they too never anticipated the mental health epidemic, the proliferation of much larger and more deadly weapons, nor did they anticipate those who would impinge on the rights of others. We need to be more mindful of taking the path away from the Constitutional Republic the Founding Fathers envisioned and crossing the line to Socialism. Gun control by proxy is not the answer.

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I think we need to look at the background of the individuals committing these atrocities. I would wager that they are people that are loners that have never done anything. They probably didn’t have a strong father figure that taught them how to become a man. They resorted to video games for entertainment instead of friends. The violent video games were originally designed for the military to desensitize soldiers to killing. just imagine what it does to a young introvert that has been picked on. So who is to blame. Parents or lack there of, TV, bullies and video games. It isn’t guns.

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I recently responded to an Opinion piece & cartoon in my local paper which claimed that there have been more people killed in mass shootings in 2019 then there has been days in the year. I wrote a letter to the editor in response. I pointed out that according to Wikipedia which shows 248 incidents as of 5 Aug. There were 246 killed & 979 wounded. However as I pointed out in my letter when you look at the incidents, anything in which 4+ people are shot is counted as a mass shooting. There is not even a broadly accepted definition of what a mass shooting is. I pointed out that 4 cops being wounded & 2 suspects being killed while serving a warrant is counted as a mass shooting. I pointed out that things such as home invasions, gang to gang, family killing family ect. are not what most people think of as mass shooting. I thought that most people think of mass shootings as the type of thing that happened in Vegas & El Paso. Where someone walks into a public place & shoots people at random. In response to my letter someone else wrote in & stated my letter was offensive & an attempt to justify mass killing because the numbers were not “high enough” to count in my opinion to count. I think this person totally missed my point that the anti-gunners include many of these incidents to inflate the numbers & scare people that know little or nothing about guns.

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I can understand the frustration and sadness of all of us and except and understand pointing fingers although it will not help anyone to do these things what so ever. I don’t mean to make it sound cold and or even callous it is just as the drunk drivers kill people every day and walk away from it and a rapist walks away from their crime our laws are in place but they do nothing to uphold them. Then then men in blue are to uphold the law to it highest and they break it and get away with it. No not all of them do it but just the same some do a d it make it bad for the rest. You have doctors going to school for 8 to 12 years to hold your life in their hands and and lawyers the same and policeman go what maybe 18 months something don’t make sence with this picture here. Then you are putting guns in the hands of people that we really don’t check their mental background to the point they need to check. Not that they can’t some how get a gun if they want. It really isn’t that hard. If there is a want there is a way and if there is a will there is a way. Everyone is crying out loud about the mass murders I am crying out about all the murders. Have you really taken notice to all these shows that you can watch that are about people that have been murdered? It is a shame, true shame. It is no ones fault but your own that you are in the situation you are in. There is always a choice. You can choose to change your path because it is yours to do so. You are an adult isn’t that what you have been crying all this time. Killing someone is not going to change your path for the better it will make it worse and end it for those who could have helped you make it better. Love goes along way to heal. The gun, the knife , the weapon did you no wrong you did you wrong but not asking for help and conversation of help.

I don’t hear anyone saying anything about the nut job in California that killed at least 4 people and cut up about 6 more yesterday.
That is a mass killing spree and I don’t hear any cries politically demanding knife control and knife registrations or background checks!
What about bats, Spears, axes, anything with a blade, a pen, hammer, etc. Thanks for letting me vent! I think we all know that it is the troubled people that’s are the problem. They need help and they need it now…

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I agree, the root cause is the erosion of the American family over many years where values, morals, & respect for others were once taught by demonstration. The mass shootings are symptoms of the root cause…lack of good parenting ! How can they teach solid societal principles if they were never taught ! Of course, this lack of good parenting does not apply to all, many of you are doing a great job with your kids. It is time for discussion and promotion of how we support good parenting in our Nation. New laws will not stop the shootings…Restore the family! The cause is spiritual & mental illness, we need to address both

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Michael133, I would correct your statement to Governor Hutchison to read that “…the Second Amendment and individual rights PROTECTED under the U.S. Constitution…”
Always remember, rights are self-evident and God-given, not “granted” by government. And it is the government’s JOB to PROTECT those rights. Never forget that…

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I think this problem with these mass shootings is being looked at the wrong way! This is not a gun problem but a mental health problem. There were many red flags with this sick people that caused this carnage. Unfortunately these red flags were not acted upon. Restricting gun ownership will not fix the problem. We tried that once before with gun bans during Bill Clinton’s administration. The Clinton people determined that the gun ban had no affect on gun violence.
Here is something else to consider: In Utah where I live we have never had a school mass shooting. Now one possible reason for this may be because state law allows school teachers and staff to carry concealed on school grounds if they have a permit. The bad guys seem to stay away because they do not know how many staff members might be armed. Of course that is not proven but the facts are certainly interesting. Does this show that having a concealed armed force deter evil doers?

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Alexander Kalishnikov never intended for his firearm to be available to private citizens BECAUSE THAT WOULD HAVE SPELLED THE END OF STALINISM, SOCIALISM, AND COMMUNISM in Mother Russia. Why do you think WE have a Second Amendment in this country? Duh…

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Eugene Stoner didn’t design his rifle for military use, yet 10 years late, the army had a full auto version that take the same barrels, accessories, magazines and ammo. Kalishnakov designed a gun for the Russian military. When the founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights, all rifles were military style. And they had multi fire guns, the Puckle Gun. You mentioned shotguns. I have a Mossberg 535. The US military issue shotgun is the Mossberg 590. They are almost the same gun. The 590, is also readily available for civilian purchase. Also, smaller stature people benefit from the compact nature, and low recoil of the AR rifles. Assault is an action, not a rifle.

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Since most of us that carry concealed have gone through training, fingerprinting and background checks, it makes no difference to me to have to go through another check. The only problem I have is with a permanent gun registry which the government maintains. That is what is necessary to make gun confiscation a reality.

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The First Amendment protects religion and free speech. At the time it was written I am positive that our founding fathers did not foresee the ability to communicate across the world in fractions of a second. Should we go back to a quill pen and an inkwell?
Others have said it and I will repeat it. The Second Amendment was written for the EXPRESS purpose of protecting the freedom of the people against a repressive government. We have a RIGHT to our protection against a tyrannical government and nowhere in the right is ANYTHING said about what a free man may use to protect himself from the oppression of the government.
I really think the police and the military would feel very un-armed if they had to use the weapons you want to keep out of the hands of “just citizens”. Fully automatic weapons are the weapon of choice for the police and the military, not everyday slow semi-automatic weapons.
Your pronouncement that the risk to the public is too great is laughable. You and I are the public. Because you don’t care to take an active role in your own self protection does not make incumbent on me to become defenseless. No one if asking you or forcing you to protect yourself and you should realize that I don’t want you to dictate to me what or how I can protect myself.
I will not quote all the statistics to you about the number of deaths attributable to rifles vs. hands vs. knives etc. You have access to all that information if you would only take the time to look. I don’t think you care enough to do so.
Know this: We as the public have a duty under the constitution to protect the constitution and whatever it takes to protect the constitution is what we shall do. You don’t care to protect the constitution and that is in your right. DON"T tell me how I should choose to protect the constitution and more importantly, how I choose to protect my family.

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We need to be very careful when discussing things like background checks, red flag laws, etc., to be sure that the rights of law abiding citizens do not get trampled. However, I believe we NEED to have this discussion. No law will prevent every mass murder, but we can’t use that as an excuse not to do our reasonable best to try to prevent this type of thing. Do stop signs make everyone stop? No. So should we just pull out all the stop signs? I have no problem with universal background checks. As a law abiding citizen, these will not keep me from buying a gun. It makes no sense to me that I have to show my ID to exercise one Constitutional right, voting, to prove who I am and that I have said right, but yet I can walk into a gun show and buy an AR with a 30 round clip without even being asked if I just got out of jail! After 9/11, we all were saddled with extra inconveniences in order to fly, in the name of security. Are these things a pain? Yes. Do they prevent you from flying? No. Something bad happened, and we DID something about it, inconveniencing everyone to a point, but not keeping anyone from flying. We need to consider the same with guns. The red flag law thing is a sticky subject, but rather than railing against them bar none, we need to join the discussion and think of what we CAN do about someone who hasn’t committed a crime yet, but is acting in such a way or making comments to suggest they are depressed or dangerous. It seems these types tend to be the mass shooters…not career criminals. I’d love to see a ton of posts on here suggesting what we might do about these people.

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