Every Member of Congress Who Took Money From the NRA and Tweeted ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ to...

So because they took money from the NRA, they can't show compassion for victims? Pretty narrow minded. If you realize that there are more guns in the United States then there are people, you will realize that guns aren't the real problem here. Do I think that mentally ill people should have easy access to guns? Absolutely not, but last time I checked meth, heroin, cocaine, and other drugs were illegal, but people still get them.. In the Boston Marathon they didn't use guns and did great damage..

 

It only took one reply. Wow. New record

 

The Boston Marathon bomb was in a much more densely packed area and still killed way less people than just about every mass shooting. Not a good comparison for your argument. Also, to buy meth, heroin, and cocaine, you have to go to a place where people are selling meth, heroin, and cocaine, which is usually not a thing most people want to do. The perpetrator of this crime walked into a legally operated, licensed, and reputable business and purchased his weapon - much easier than buying drugs on the street. Also not a good comparison. If they want to show compassion to the victims they should do something to prevent there being more.

 

Yes, but if drugs were made legal and you could go to a Wal-Mart and buy them wouldn’t you think drug use would increase 200%?

If there was a significantly higher effort to prevent people from buying rifles, I would imagine eventually the amount of rifles on the street will decrease. Sure criminals will be criminals and you won’t stop this 100%, but I don’t think that’s a good enough excuse to pack it in and say fuck it?

 

And let's be real if drugs like that were legal there would absolutely be more restrictions on them than there are on guns

 

I'm sure you have the answer

 

I agree that it should be harder for these people to get guns. I put that in my original post. There is no easy solution. I'm just saying there are millions Americans that are gun owners that don't go out shooting people. Evil people will find a way regardless. Trust me, I'm crushed every time there is any sort of shooting. It's terrible! Yes there needs to be some action. But obviously there isn't an easy solution.

 

make guns harder to access. thats the answer.

 

if evil will find a way as you put it then why have any laws at all

 

I don't disagree with you at all. I'm not saying there shouldn't be more thorough and strict regulations for gun purchases. I bought a pistol in the state that I live in and there is nothing requiring me legally to register it or anything. Obviously that is a problem. But if someone is determined enough to cause harm they will..

 

holy shit no one thinks stricter gun laws will stop all violence ever, but it will greatly reduce the amount of gun violence in this country. thats a good thing. to throw your hands up and say well people will cause harm regardless is fucking beyond absurd.

 

Dude, you are getting belligerent over nothing. You are making arguments that I'm not even making. I AGREE that there should be stricter laws. I'm not saying that we shouldn't do anything and throw are hands up. I know a mother that is struggling with her 14 year old kid that is vaping and selling vap paraphernalia to other kids. How is he getting this stuff? She's not sure yet. I'm just saying that if someone really wants to do something they are going to find a way regardless.

 

but why are you saying that? its a derailment of the conversation at hand. theres no reason to say "people will do things regardless" other than to stop people from trying to make a change. you arent making any argument by bringing that up.

 

and im not getting belligerent over nothing. im getting belligerent over kids dying at school way too often and statements like yours contributing to the lack of sensible gun laws being passed

 

There are laws in place and people get around them one way or another. I truly wish that I had the answer. My response to this thread originally was just to say, just because these guys fund the NRA doesn't mean that they can't show compassion.

 

ok so if laws are in place and people get around them would it not make sense to tighten up those laws?

and the point is that these people dont even try to find a solution because the NRA is lining their pockets. no ones saying they cant show compassion. but their compassion is useless if they aren't trying to find solutions. and the NRA backed politicians dont even let the door for discussions about better gun control open.

 

Listen I hear your argument. Tighten up those laws by all means. I just don't personally believe that it is the end all be all. Nor do I think that you are suggesting that.

 

then you should understand that statements like yours about people getting around laws and finding ways to harm regardless get in the way of tightening those laws. whether you intend it to or not thats what it does. those are the excuses these NRA backed politicians use to vote against sensible gun legislation. you dont need to be parroting their arguments for them.

 

It means their compassion is fraudulent and not even worth the paper their donations from, what is at this point, a terrorist organization are printed on. I thought that was obvious.

 

I feel like there are more important aspects of these issues to focus on than guns. I'm not saying guns should be ignored completely or anything, but you're fooling yourself if think it holds a candle to the mental health aspect. I'm interested in stopping these atrocities, not just diminishing a few numbers.

I also think we could try and be a kinder society. As someone who left high school not so many years ago, I can tell you that youths these days have no compassion for the kids that are in these horrifying mental places. It's insults and ostracization for these troubled kids. It seems like they're just left to stew in their own misfortune and resentment towards being itself until something like this happens. Like, this was a kid who students used to joke about shooting up the place, ya know? Such a fucking tragedy :/

 

mental health needs attention and reform anyway, outside of the gun issue, so its absolutely worth talking about guns and what we can do about the machines that are literally designed to kill people winding up in the hands of people who shouldnt have them.

plus, theres these things to think about
-not everyone who carries out a shooting is mentally ill
-mentally ill people are way, way, way, WAY more likely to be on the receiving end of violence than to perpetrate it

the "we should be talking about mental health" deflection is just that, a deflection, because yes we should be talking about mental health anyway, but we should still talk about the huge, easily solvable issue of guns and how we should be making it harder to get guns because mental health reform is going to be a much longer overhaul than restricting access to guns

 

Mental health is an issue in other countries as well, yet the amount that die from mass shootings is extremely low. I do not believe stigmatizing mental health, as those with mental health problems are far more likely to be the victims of violent assault and not the perpetrators, is the answer. It’s an issue that we should be focusing as a country as well. But not as the answer to mass shootings.

 

We have mental health problems over here in England. We don't see mass murders in our schools on a regular basis. It's almost like easy access to guns is the main contributing factor after all...

 

It’s sad that children as young as kindergarten have to train for school shootings now a days.

I understand we can’t take every gun of the streets but we have a major problem. Calling this country broken sums it up perfectly.

America is not the only country with mental health issues, yet we don’t hear stories about mass shootings on a regular basis anywhere else. Yet the gun fanatics see no issue with that. Let’s keep blaming mental health, violent video games, music and movies.

I graduated high school in 2004, I loved he video game halo during my high school years which was a violent FPS, I even listened to Eminem. Yet I never had the desire to ever take someone’s life.