The US is unique in permitting this mass harm to occur regularly. Our political failure to implement obvious solutions that work worldwide despite overwhelming public support for such solutions indicates such violence is acceptable to many.
OK- maybe in your world that indicates “many” are fine with these horrific attacks, but that just simply isn’t correct. There are not “obvious” solutions and look at the suicide bombings, subway bombings, etc in other countries. I’m happy you have the solution to all this. Can you run for public office and fix this whole thing?
Our political leaders are well aware of how to fix, they choose not to do so. There is hope that with this action, corporate America will demonstrate the leadership and sanity required.
What is the fix? Let’s have a grassroots movement.
See post 23.
“Fine” might be the wrong word, but clearly mass shootings are acceptable tradeoffs to lawmakers who fear losing their jobs if they are shown to support gun reform. It’s not even political; an overwhelming number of voters in both parties support background checks and the like.
Clearly, Walmart has run the numbers and decided it’s in its best interest to quit selling ammo, etc. A private business can do what it wants. A gun owner can still get the ammo, just not there. It’s an inconvenience, not an infringement on anyone’s rights.
https://rockinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/3-28-19-Firearm-Laws-Homicide-Deaths-Brief.pdf describes the effect of various kinds of state laws on firearm homicide rates.
“Laws regulating WHO may purchase or possess a firearm” were associated with significant reductions in firearm homicide rates. But “Laws regulating WHAT types of firearms and ammunition are allowed and HOW MANY guns may be purchased”, “Laws regulating WHEN firearms may be used”, and “Laws regulating WHY firearms may be purchased” were not.
The first category that appears to be effective includes universal background checks*, “may issue”, and violent misdemeanor restrictions. The second category includes bans on “assault weapons” or large magazines, and limits on the number of guns per month. The third category refers to “stand your ground” type of laws. The fourth category refers to laws regarding purchase for sale.
*Which had 90% support, including 93% of gun owners, in a recent poll.
I completely agree with exhaustive background checks, and apparently so do most other legal gun owners. But I don’t think it solves the problem. Chicago has strict gun laws in place and had 41 people shot over Labor Day weekend alone. https://abc7chicago.com/41-shot-7-fatally-in-chicago-labor-day-weekend-violence/5510911/ Criminals will find a way around getting background checked.
The root causes need to be addressed. In the case of mass shootings it seems to stem from mental health and isolation. In the case of Chicago -societal breakdown and generations being raised without deep family roots or value for human life. How do we solve that?
The responses to this thread are eye opening. I have never entered any store or establishment in my life that I have seen someone openly carrying a weapon unless they are law enforcement. If I did see someone with a weapon My response would be they are crazy or someone with possible intent of doing harm. Nor do I know anyone in my circle of friends and family who would feel they needed to carry a weapon on a regular basis for safety. Obviously it’s a matter of the locations I have lived in.
I’m curious @HeartofDixie or others with similar views -would you not move to a city or state that didn’t allow ordinary citizens to carry arms? I know my bias is that I wouldn’t want to live in a community nor have my children settle in a community where we have people with weapons in line at the grocery store.
I’m not anti gun. I know family members and friends who use guns for hunting and recreational shooting. Also people who have guns in their homes. I do think that someone should have to undergo background checks regardless of where they buy a gun. It won’t stop all the killings but it will prevent some. It also makes it harder for depressed people to commit suicide.
I’m not a Walmart shopper not is there one in my community but I respect that for whatever reason they are at least doing something and I now would be more likely to walk into one. Similarly I had a lot of respect for CVS when they stopped selling tobacco.
Also there is no one root cause of gun violence or any sort of violence. I don’t think that means we do nothing.
Mom60- I don’t care where you have lived. I assure you there were people all around you who were carrying guns. You just didn’t see them.
I agree with @MomofWildChild . You would never in a million years look at me and think that I carry a pistol, yet here I am with a concealed carry permit and the right to have one on my person. Would I move someplace where my 2A rights are restricted? No, and I don’t vacation there either. It’s not actually my deciding factor but an indicator of the overall community that I wouldn’t feel comfortable in.
Neither stores nor their customers can take actions from things hidden from them, like concealed guns. I do know that if I see an open carry in a store now, I will scream and call the police. Maybe it’s a shooter, maybe it’s just some open carry activist-let the police sort that out while the rest of us customers escape to safety.
It is so astounding to hear the way Americans talk about this. I assume that all born and bred Americans are just over it by now. Really, I think most people really couldn’t care less. The country that handed over its freedom after only 3000 people were killed on one day years ago, won’t even discuss this as a country. And this is not just a political issue. This is cultural, ideological, intellectual. It really is incomprehensible.
"In 2017, the most recent year for which complete data is available, 39,773 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S., according to the CDC. "
Death is only the tip of the iceberg, how much do uninsured injured GSW victims cost the USA?
There are always going to be mentally unbalanced people. We need to make it tough for them to get a gun. I think a lot of mass shooters are just angry, evil people. You don’t have to be insane to be evil and angry.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. Kudos to Walmart!
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
@MomofWildChild When you don’t see them, they are called concealed. carry. @mom60 was quite specific is mentioning open carry. No need to derail the thread.
I would not move to a location with strict gun control laws and would be less likely to visit or pass through the location unless necessary. Of course, most places with those laws are also very liberal so not a place that I would choose to live anyway. I don’t hunt(though many around me do) but I am well aware of the evil in the world and choose not to be defenseless against it. Drugs, human trafficking, rape, murder, all abound and there is not always going to be a cop right there to help you if you encounter these situations.
@skieurope exactly
My state just went to open carry this year. Previously people who had concealed carry permits had a minimum amount of training. Our state basically just requires a pulse now for open carry. Even local gun stores (who had provided training) opposed the new legislation. More and more I feel like I just need to do grocery pick-up from Walmart and maybe even from Kroger. I saw people interviewed after the horrible weekend in El Paso & Dayton who said they had guns, but in no way could they have reacted and prevented the violence unleashed there. I am not convinced that guns keep good guys safer from bad guys. I’m not anti-gun, but anti automatic weapons and I support laws requiring owners to keep their guns secured. My exH had more than half a dozen guns for hunting and both of our kids and I hunted with him from time to time and now S & SIL still hunt with him when they are visiting.
I’m not a big fan of open carry. Some people think that it makes criminals less likely to act, possibly, but it might just make you more of a target for them to take out first thing.