How is it possible?
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From: Houston/Durango
That's on some of the blogger's sites, too, Val. The solidarity is moving and can make you cry. I thought some of the talks at the campus ceremony were very moving and appropriate, too.
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From: Marblehead
Interesting discussion. I'm all in favor of more effective gun "control." But, considering the early profile of this troubled individual, if more gun control or even gun confiscation is the only spinoff from this tragedy, then we're already doomed to relive this all over again soon. Gun confiscation would only make a minority of our citizens very happy; the rest of us would be left only with a false sense of security. Supposedly, there are more than 175 Million handguns alone in this country. How do you propose to get most let alone all of them? Are you prepared to turn millions of law abiding citizens, who are NOT going to voluntarily give them up, into everyday citizen criminals? I think not. Didn't they try that with gold coins 80+ years ago. Amazing how many of them survived and changed hands over the years. I'm all for society purchasing guns off the street, especially in urban areas. Most of it is trash but the less of them the better.
One anecdote. We lived in Baltimore in the late 70s, while attending Johns Hopkins University, and we never felt safe there for one single day. I pinned up a target on my front door of the town house that had been treated by a couple of clips of .45 caliber wad cutters. Trust me, never ever did anybody so much as ring our door bell the entire time we lived there.
I sure hope more comes out of this VT tragedy than going on a gun control hiatus. There is a cultural problem, and we have to dig much deeper than looking for a scapegoat issue.
One anecdote. We lived in Baltimore in the late 70s, while attending Johns Hopkins University, and we never felt safe there for one single day. I pinned up a target on my front door of the town house that had been treated by a couple of clips of .45 caliber wad cutters. Trust me, never ever did anybody so much as ring our door bell the entire time we lived there.
I sure hope more comes out of this VT tragedy than going on a gun control hiatus. There is a cultural problem, and we have to dig much deeper than looking for a scapegoat issue.
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From: Randolph, NJ
Originally Posted by Chris Stack,Apr 17 2007, 04:50 PM
After more thought: the risk that someone MIGHT someday do something is the cost of living in a free society. Denying someone a gun SOLELY (as in, not because of past criminal or mental illness history) because they may some day commit a murder is no more right than demanding we castrate you because you may some day commit a rape.
For better or worse (and I happen to believe the former), in this country you can only have your rights restricted for things you DID do, not for things you might someday do. And our founding fathers determined that the right to a gun IS a right, not a priviledge.
For better or worse (and I happen to believe the former), in this country you can only have your rights restricted for things you DID do, not for things you might someday do. And our founding fathers determined that the right to a gun IS a right, not a priviledge.
Do I want to eliminate all handguns? If thats what it takes to stop this senseless murder the answer is yes.
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From: Randolph, NJ
Originally Posted by S1997,Apr 17 2007, 07:02 PM
That's on some of the blogger's sites, too, Val. The solidarity is moving and can make you cry. I thought some of the talks at the campus ceremony were very moving and appropriate, too.
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From: Covington WA, USA
Originally Posted by ralper,Apr 17 2007, 05:46 PM
You are so wrong and so far off base that it isn't worth the argument. While you hypothesize about your constitutional rights people are dying from gunshot wounds.
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From: Arlington Heights, IL
Originally Posted by mikegarrison,Apr 17 2007, 07:52 PM
That's a cheap rhetorical trick. There are 300M people in this country, and most of us enjoy many more benefits from our Constitutional rights than we suffer costs from other people having those same rights.
Thread Starter
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From: St-Redempteur,Qc.
These kind of killing,seem to happen,only,(mostly..???)in North-America;you rarely hear of such things,anywhere else.Don't count the Kamikaze in Iraq,and Afganistan...)
Related to war,as some of you stated before???I don't think so;Canada has not been at war,with anybody,since 1945,and we've had our share of these kind of evenements
awson College last year,U.de M. Polytechnique,etc...
Gun controls???Canada voted a law for gun control,and spent millions $$$,to apply and enforce it,and it still happens;as somebody said,if there is a $$$ to be made,selling something,that somebody wants to buy,...
Curious,but as I also am a
,I do not remember such things,when I was a student,let's say in the '50's -'60's...
Related to war,as some of you stated before???I don't think so;Canada has not been at war,with anybody,since 1945,and we've had our share of these kind of evenements
awson College last year,U.de M. Polytechnique,etc...Gun controls???Canada voted a law for gun control,and spent millions $$$,to apply and enforce it,and it still happens;as somebody said,if there is a $$$ to be made,selling something,that somebody wants to buy,...
Curious,but as I also am a
,I do not remember such things,when I was a student,let's say in the '50's -'60's...