<p>Sad… can’t even describe the horror in words. I think that the “gun” culture is not really to blame here. Just last week, I’ve encountered this controversial debate on eQuibbly on whether students & faculty should be allowed to carry guns on campus. When you’re a split second to seeing the after life, I guess you have every right to defend yourself before help comes your way. It’s a matter of life and death. The issue here is NOT whether law-abiding citizens should be allowed to carry guns or not; but to impose stricter laws where purchase of guns is concerned and make sure that people are mentally-fit in the first place. My prayers to those who were affected by this horrible tragedy…</p>
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<p>if this person ends up not involved at all, he should get rich. From every single station that dragged his name into this.</p>
<p>Again the current law can do nothing about that but we are talking about current law and status quo being a problem. There are for sure many families here in the US that would fit the description you describe as the family in Switzerland, that still does not change the fact that the availability and shear pervasiveness of guns here in the US is several times that of any country in the world.</p>
<p>I have nothing against strict gun laws. I just don’t think they work. Chicago has very strict gun laws and its the murder capital of the country.</p>
<p>This community where this tragedy happened IS a small, close-knit community. Several of these mass slayings have similarly been in small, close-knit communities. Such communities are really no insurance against such horrific violence. I don’t have answers–just numbness and more questions. Incredibly saddened by the violence and communities horribly injured by the violence–Aurora, Klackamas, and now this, all in a pretty close period of time, as well as the other communities that have experienced similar violence.</p>
<p>As I understand it, every able-bodied and presumably able-minded male in Switzerland has military weapons at home.</p>
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<p>Just to clear this up, the granddaughter did not die. But he did shoot her, thinking she was an intruder outside the house she lived in with the grandfather and his wife.</p>
<p>I see the NRA has their minions out in force… creating new ids here to start the drumbeat on why nothing can be done again.</p>
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<p>Alwaysamom, the petition I was referring to is on the “We the People” portion of the offical White House website. So I think we mean the same one. 54,000 signatures now.</p>
<p>Chicago has strict gun law but if you drive a small distance away from the city, you can buy all kinds of guns you want. That again I think is a very deceptive argument.</p>
<p>Not sure about the machine guns slung on the back of chairs, but I do think that it is not gun laws alone. However, it’s a fine place to start! Less LEGAL guns absolutely would eventually answer the problem of illegal guns (as I am sure a lot of Chicago’s problem isn’t with those legally owned).</p>
<p>And I apologize for misstating the facts of the grandparent shooting of his grandchild. I am glad the child survived and appreciate the fact-checking.</p>
<p>"As I understand it, every able-bodied and presumably able-minded male in Switzerland has military weapons at home. "</p>
<p>Yet gun ownership in the US is a lot higher than in Switzerland.</p>
<p>I don’t know how that could be. Percentage wise that is. I’ll grant you that we have more guns, but Switzerland has only 7 million people. About 50% of US households own guns. If Swiss men are required to have them, I would think the percentage would be higher. Maybe it’s the definition of ‘owned’. Maybe in Switzerland the guns are owned by the government but just stored in the private homes.</p>
<p>The statistics I saw was there are about 90 guns per 100 in population in the US while about 45 guns per 100 in Switzerland.</p>
<p>Yes… but as I said before, some of those numbers are really skewed. As of five years ago, my ex-H owned 44 guns. And I bet he owns more now. So you really can’t tell much from the “per 100” population.</p>
<p>Not sure what you mean, what you can’t tell? It seems Switzerland, all males own a gun because they had to serve in the army, but in the US, a lot people own gun because it is so easily accessible. If the male population in Switzerland did not have to join the army and get their mandatory gun, there will probably be a lot less guns. And Switzerland ownership rate is a lot higher than most of the European countries by far.</p>
<p>I heard there were 300 million guns in the US, which is why unless we have a police state and the police search every house, car, cave, or other hiding place and confiscate all the guns, there will always be guns in this country. </p>
<p>Better for all of us to be vigilant as to anyone who may be the next mass shooter. I remember being horrified that the Columbine parents had no idea what their sons were up to. And that the psychologists who saw James Holmes in Colorado just wanted him off campus but did nothing more. IIRC, his mother or father when presented with the news was not surprised either. Nor were the parents of Jared Loughner. They knew their son had major problems and could do something like this. There has to be some sort of involuntary mental health commitment for people like that.</p>
<p>I am all for any positive sensible things that we could do to lessen these shooting incidents.</p>
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<p>Drum72, no one has walked in and slaughtered a classroom full of 5 year olds in one day in any community the US in my memory. That is not to belittle the issue of gun violence in our cities, though. I have been a proponent of more gun restrictions for years. I think the majority of people who live in large cities area. But this may be an event that triggers some political will and action on the topic – and I personally will take that any way I can get it.</p>
<p>TatinG, there is NOT any kind of involuntary mental health commitment for people like that. Please educate yourself on how the law works on this topic… if someone is over 18, there is NO WAY to get them to even see a mental health professional, let alone get a 72 hour hold or a longer term stay. Unless they have made a serious threat to harm others or themselves, nothing can be done within the current boundaries of the law. I personally pleaded with a police officer a few years ago asking to have one of my siblings taken in for an evaluation when he was clearly delusional. Absent that threatening evidence, the police could or would not take action. A week later he was dead – suicide with a handgun.</p>
<p>So… in addition to stricter gun regulations, we certainly need to consider changes to this. As I pointed out earlier, having mentally ill people decide if they need treatment or commitment for their mental illnesses isn’t going so well for us as a society.</p>
<p>But we need to take it all on… gun regulations, mental health treatment, and also the glorification of violence in our culture.</p>
<p>IMO, “gun control” has become a loaded (heh) term. To some people, you say “gun control” and what pops into their head is “ban all guns for everyone.” I don’t think that is what we want. That said, there should be limits on what you can purchase, and there should be background check requirements.</p>
<p>also, I don’t know if we are allowed to debate gun control merits on CC since they took away the Politics board.</p>
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<p>You’d think. (aka I agree) But instead it seems that people have to actually DO something in order to be even evaluated, let alone taken off the streets. We can barely prevent stalking in this country… and that’s repeated behavior! We can barely get this country to agree that preventative healthcare is of national concern, let alone preventative mental health.</p>
<p>roughly 40% of americans own guns</p>