tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post3259031282159606880..comments2024-03-26T17:55:50.539-04:00Comments on Cranky old man: Triggersjoehhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520161706680568508noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-5794160443910353622013-03-12T13:20:31.348-04:002013-03-12T13:20:31.348-04:00The bulk of the crimes you're talking about oc...The bulk of the crimes you're talking about occur in places with the most stringent personal-disarmament laws; Chicago, for instance. DC, and others. The excuse for that is "Well, OTHER places don't have our laws, that's why it doesn't work here!" Does that also hold for Britain? Island, handguns banned, rifles & shotguns highly restricted, and they can't keep the bad guys from getting guns. And grenades.<br /><br />Up till 1968, you could mail-order guns, no federal paperwork; MUCH easier access than now, and the crime rates were lower. 'Easy access' isn't the real problem, especially since you're mostly talking about people who can't legally have a gun anyway(juveniles, convicted criminals).<br /><br />The big problem is attitude: you've got a lot of people who grew up with a grievance culture that says "If somebody disses you, you can hurt him. His life is worth less than your feelings." There's your big one. How many dead from beatings, from stabbings and other methods? Those don't make the news like shootings(except locally), but the victims are just as dead.<br />And, as CLR pointed out, the mess described as 'homes' that a lot of kids grow up in is a big part of this.<br /><br />By the way, Lo, we <i>had</i> a world without guns: the strongest ruled. Not big enough/strong enough to fight off the robber/rapist/murderer? Too bad. I don't want to go back to that.<br /><br />Firehandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04562365951182027709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-20079566415766796962013-03-07T16:45:25.403-05:002013-03-07T16:45:25.403-05:00Well said, and thanks for the explanation of the b...Well said, and thanks for the explanation of the baseball trigger.<br /><br />Leah J. Utashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08497599109798015888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-81350552077118051062013-03-07T14:16:11.188-05:002013-03-07T14:16:11.188-05:00I'm glad Hilary chose this post as a POTW. I h...I'm glad Hilary chose this post as a POTW. I hope your readers will include people who need to think about the effect of those "triggers."Anitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08180243708565855383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-21153451974126024362013-03-06T08:42:32.757-05:002013-03-06T08:42:32.757-05:00 congrats on a POTW congrats on a POTWDarylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08241795455748298624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-7541650981746935032013-03-06T00:17:14.764-05:002013-03-06T00:17:14.764-05:00I will firstly apologise for not reading your blog...I will firstly apologise for not reading your blog regularly. I have wandered in here before but haven’t really been around much. <br /><br />I am an gun owning Australian who is living under relatively strict “gun control” and I can tell you that it is not all it’s cracked up to be.<br /><br />For me to licence a firearm of any sort I need to jump through multiple flaming hoops. I need to have passed a written and practical safety test. I need to prove “genuine need” and fork out the money for the gun around 3 months before I can actually have it. Then when I finally get it, I need to store it in a safe, with the magazine separately and ammo separately again. Pretty much, from what I see, the type of “gun control” you’re proposing.<br /><br />Now, if I ever needed my gun in the case of someone intruding into my house, I need to unlock at least two safes and then put all the bits back together – given whomever it is amply time to dissuade me. Who is this helping?<br /><br />And, in spite of the “buy back”, in spite of these regulations there are many shootings per week by non-licensed firearms owners who don’t jump through these hoops. The guns are generally imported illegally (like drugs) and make their way onto the streets. This is the main source of violence with firearms – always has been an always will be. Criminals who have no respect of the law will not jump through the hoops that law-abiding people do.<br /><br />So then, where do you go from here? You can not make something more illegal. The only people you can ‘control’ are those who obey the law in the first place.<br /><br />Even if you did succeed in taking every single gun off the street there are multiple ways that someone who is determined to kill can. <br /><br />Sorry, didn’t mean to make this a blog post in itself. But I can not see what benefits are derived from any time type “gun-control” – other than to really make life much more difficult for those who are willing to follow the law.<br />Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506274310934059070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-69035161159540465362013-03-03T06:04:32.197-05:002013-03-03T06:04:32.197-05:00Great post Joe - living in the UK guns are just no...Great post Joe - living in the UK guns are just not a part of daily life and I'm very thankful for that.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04402703967636964187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-7187142907233675612013-03-02T22:16:29.146-05:002013-03-02T22:16:29.146-05:00You took on a hot button topic with poise so good ...You took on a hot button topic with poise so good job there. Rather than focus on the gun control issue, in terms of young people and their extreme response to frustration/high testosterone-adrenaline, etc. I firmly believe (and studies are supporting this) that the continued breakdown of the family is key in creating vulnerable situations with kids now. I have taught school for years, and have witnessed the increase in single parent homes, and the lack of parental authority/supervision/attention and care that is needed to guide young people morally and all other ways they need support. I now supervise student teachers, and the stories I am hearing first hand ALARM me greatly - first and second graders speaking of harming themselves and/or others. Wishing to die...or to kill someone...as young as 7. These kids are in incredibly unstable home situations, and the ones that get ignored, and get no help to sort out and cope with their crumbling world are the children. These are the ones that grow up and find destructive outlets for their growing frustrations. When we take a more intentional look at this reality, we will start to be able to sort out how to keep those tragedies from happening.CLRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01207164054349835246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-42018904517056036842013-03-02T22:06:08.456-05:002013-03-02T22:06:08.456-05:00The problem, Joe, is in determining who is too uns...The problem, Joe, is in determining who is too unstable to own a gun and in who makes that determination.<br /><br />Sure, we will all pretty much agree that someone foaming at the mouth and saying "Kill!Kill!" should not have access to a killing machine. But, when you put the determination into the hands of those who can amass more power via making certain judgments against ownership (read: politicians) you open the way to someone perhaps making the decision that YOU are not stable enough (read: compliant) to own one.<br /><br />It's not a simple problem (nor have you said it is, so I don't mean to imply that you have.) Until such time as I can be assured that nobody will take guns away in an effort to eliminate strength of political opposition, I'd rather live with the occasional nut having a gun. Neither is desirable, but one is more irrevocable than the other.Suldoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07778845367184916684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-4405916497771817882013-03-02T20:28:11.927-05:002013-03-02T20:28:11.927-05:00I'm an Aussie so I just don't get the whol...I'm an Aussie so I just don't get the whole obsession with gun ownership. I'd be terrified to even hold a gun, let alone own one.Kellie @ Delightfully Ludicroushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18226603919012169939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-21907866491326888842013-03-02T19:20:50.246-05:002013-03-02T19:20:50.246-05:00Which guns? Which Constitution? Which law?
I just ...Which guns? Which Constitution? Which law?<br />I just saw a story where three school kids in FL were suspended for taking a loaded gun away from another student on a bus who had the gun pointed at a kid's head.<br />What about enforcing our laws?Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05715337821985446358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-52308123075885112322013-03-02T16:59:58.777-05:002013-03-02T16:59:58.777-05:00Applause, applause! My palms are hurting.
Great...Applause, applause! My palms are hurting. <br />Great case, beautifully stated.<br /><br />However, I am with Joanne......the only good gun is no gun at all. After all.....what if all guns suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth.....we'd still have knives, and swords, and spears and poleaxes and rocks and fists and nuclear bombs. I could live in that world. My next idea would be to make the nukes all disappear, but no guns would be a step in the right direction.<br /><br /> Really.....what do we need them for? (I am serious)<br /><br />You present compelling arguments so beautifully. Yay for you.Lohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398370059689865989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-32251545101518153272013-03-02T15:33:23.453-05:002013-03-02T15:33:23.453-05:00There is no solution except to become better peopl...There is no solution except to become better people, and I'm not expecting that any time soon. Personally I believe there should be no guns (in the universe!), but that will never happen. I believe being licensed to use/own a gun is reasonable. From my lips to god's ear.Joanne Noragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834682329952369721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-4486483730623281742013-03-02T15:28:53.694-05:002013-03-02T15:28:53.694-05:00There's much merit in what you say. Too bad yo...There's much merit in what you say. Too bad your brand of common sense isn't coming into play when it comes to this issue.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-17906950995947365182013-03-02T14:45:33.632-05:002013-03-02T14:45:33.632-05:00Amen. Amen. Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17223278142557533175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-42166295943026926252013-03-02T14:13:19.460-05:002013-03-02T14:13:19.460-05:00You're awfully rational for a cranky old man. ...You're awfully rational for a cranky old man. Well said.Hilaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12787493532006658679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-30710421440410824022013-03-02T14:00:52.384-05:002013-03-02T14:00:52.384-05:00I do believe that the 2nd amendment was designed t...I do believe that the 2nd amendment was designed to protect the citizens enabling them to make a militia and take over the government if required. It was not designed to enable man to have a gun just for the purpose of shooting his fellow man because he got upset and frustrated, or cos someone tagged him too hard..per se<br /><br />Today I have shot a shotgun for the first time. Steven said it was important that I knew how to in case I need to shoot a rattlesnake in the back yard. Steven keeps his guns in lock cases in a locked up cupboard that only he and I have keys to. I have no desire to shoot anything with a gun - even a snake!<br /><br />Perhaps and amendment to the 2nd amendment to make it more current is what is called for. As you say - guns don't kill people, people kill people and often use guns to do so. I am very proud of the lessons being taught to both my sons regarding guns, and the respect they have of them as a result.<br /><br />Personally, I prefer my big billy club as a line of self-defence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-40148560691538392632013-03-02T13:49:06.364-05:002013-03-02T13:49:06.364-05:00Well said, and we're... you and I... on the sa...Well said, and we're... you and I... on the same page here.Buckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05319116022465066060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-77507511042056241262013-03-02T10:08:02.077-05:002013-03-02T10:08:02.077-05:00I agree with Lowandslow. By the time today's ...I agree with Lowandslow. By the time today's kids are teens, they have seen hundreds, if not thousands of people die in movies & video games. The only difference between that & real life is those people aren't really dead. A friend of mine was watering his lawn & was shot & killed at random by someone who had to kill a stranger as his initiation into a gang.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-968059214758329257.post-71937932569613533712013-03-02T09:43:45.987-05:002013-03-02T09:43:45.987-05:00You make very good sense here, Joe. Also, IMO, th...You make very good sense here, Joe. Also, IMO, the violence in games and in movies has desensitized people, particuclarly kids, to believe a quick trigger is OK. That needs to change, too.<br /><br />SLowandslowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08608734222483888884noreply@blogger.com