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Sunday, February 25, 2018

Gun control is a fantasy. Start a realistic conversation about preventing school massacres

The shooter who perpetrated the recent massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., succeeded in killing 17 people. He also got Americans talking about gun control again.

Once again, too, there were those whose contribution to debate was to sneer at people who offered prayers for the victims and their families, instead of advocating or promising gun control. Even if you set aside the sneers, there is a problem with their attitude, no matter how good their intentions are otherwise. Prayer might actually help. Gun control, on the other hand, doesn't work and can't work in the U.S. and is a fantasy now just as it ever was.

By "fantasy," we mean to express several important facts that are ignored in this debate. It is fantasy as policy because stricter gun control, within the limits of what is considered reasonable today (i.e., anything short of a total ban on sales or even gun confiscation), does not guarantee or even statistically correlate with lower gun homicide rates in any given state. This fact merits your time for some research, but to give just one prominent example from the FBI data, Texas and California have comparable gun homicide rates each year (they were actually tied in 2015). If gun control were effective, that is not what you'd expect in the nation's two most populous states with two of the most different gun policies. And that is by no means the only observation of its kind that you'll take away from the FBI's annual numbers.

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28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wouldn’t be a fantasy if you started outright banning assault rifles.

Anonymous said...

or we just banned mentally ill people

Anonymous said...

9:51 whas is your definition of an assault rifle?

Anonymous said...

9:51 You are a special kind of stupid aren't you????

As if we can't use knives or cars or planes or anything else that is an inanimate object to hurt someone... Oh wait, they banned knives from air planes, opps they now let knives on airplanes, so yep that work really well huh??? We still have planes which were used to kill people oh and bring down some towers, hmmm must not be important enough to saves lives by banning airplanes... Cars kill people, yet we still have cars!!!! people use their fist to fight and hurt and kill people, yep we all still have are arms and fists... Why isn't that banned or asking to be banned??? After all it is to save lives right???

Also, my spoon makes me fat, my pencil make's me misspell words...

Yeah lets talk about banning guns, when in reality, where I live, the FBI and oopps the police let the guy shoot kids in a school, but no, no lets not talk about that, lets not talk about how they HAD EVIDENCE this guy might be harmful... So there my friends is how you know this is all about gun control and not fixing the actual problem...

What about that clown police chief or sheriff, who now wants the power to be able to lock someone up or put them in a mental institute, against their will with force if necessary, if someone, anyone post a plain Jane picture of a gun, blood, crime scene, or anything less gruesome or gun related... So what if you reply to a post or share a post by someone else that had said kinds of pictures, both of you will go to jail or the mental ward all for a picture...

Anonymous said...

19 year olds shouldnt have them. there is no reason, i, a 37 educated professional cannot have one for personal defense - when the mILLIONS that are in circulation can easily be acquired by criminals.

Anonymous said...

Cruz should never have been able to purchase a gun and he wouldn't have been able to if not for the obama dept of education era school policies. Yep that's right the fault lies with obama and his failed policies and directives.
The school records that have been released show Cruz was transferred from Stonemen Douglas to an "off campus learning center" due to fighting, profanity AND an ASSAULT.
Broward County along with many in the country embraced the obama era directive keeping students accused of crimes out of the criminal justice system. They were basically told stop arresting students or face losing grant money. The method is to hide criminal behavior behind school discipline. Had the police been called for many of Cruz's criminal actions within the school he very would have had a record which would have prevented him from purchasing the AR-15.
For obama and the democrats they could then say under their watch the schools have improved BECAUSE less students are being charged with crimes and their supporters being dumbed down fools fall for it. It was and is all an illusions and nothing but more of the lies the democrats constantly tell.

Anonymous said...

Better question:

Aside from our military and providing jobs for those in the ammunition industry - What is the true "need" for assault rifles?

Anonymous said...

The argument between cars and guns is futile. Cars must be registered, you must get insurance, you have to pass a test and pay fees and they weren't designed to kill. So lets get you two nutjobs 9:51 and 11:20 who are so far to the left and right that you'll never be able to come up with a logical solution in today's world. 11:30 these shootings were not carried out by thugs in gangs they were carried out by sick people with legal guns. There's the two problems we need to take care of. Gun control is not a myth, it has been successfully shown in many other countries where people are reasonable enough to not jump right to "THEY WANT TO TAKE ARE GUNSSSSSS".

What if I told you that you could blame the FBI's inability to act AND the lack of adequate care for those struggling with mental health issues. There needs to be a database and protocol needs to be followed. Your right to a weapon the founding fathers never dreamed of does not Trump the safety of others. Don't like it, go home and cry into the rifle you can't even manage to get a good grouping with on the range you wannabe soldiers.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what the conversation and outrage would be if he had driven his car at a high speed through a crowd of those students?
And then had law enforcement shoot him dead before he could back-up and ram again.
I think LE would be held in high esteem as absolute heroes.

Anonymous said...

So focused on schools, what's the solution for mass shootings in churches or concerts? Give everyone a gun? Hardly solves the problem

Anonymous said...

Just for the record the assault Cruz committed was with a knife on the current boyfriend of his ex girlfriend. During the attack he said he was going to kill the boy. The police should have been called and he should have been arrested which would have prevented him from obtaining the gun. Obama and his policies and the democrats who embraced them are to be thanked for this massacre. The horror is the US public "education" system is full of proven violent students and again thank the democrats.

Anonymous said...

Conservatives think they will have to fight the US army at some point. They also think that they'll be able to defeat the US army when most of them can't walk a mile without needing a rest.

Anonymous said...

Why use a car if a weapon such as the one used is so easily accessible and capable of more damage? See the problem yet?

Anonymous said...

Democrats made every gun free zone a target, and they done so knowing what would result. If the 2A dosent apply to todays technology then neither does the 1st...exercise your 1stA right with parchment and quill from here out! Get of that computer!! Turn in your phones immediately!! 30 days to comply or your a criminal!! I know where you live and im watching!! Planes trains and abortion kill far more every day but you dont call for bans on cars that go over 55. Your a brainwashed bunch of idiots! Strongest and the most gun laws in Baltimore and you cant walk the streets because crime is so rampant!! Bunch of brainwashed zombies....

Anonymous said...

I got it!! Make murder against the LAW!!!! Double the punishment if its in a school zone...that will make it stop for sure!

Anonymous said...

I think everyone that wants to infringe on others rights of protection should post their address in public and notice that their unarmed.

Anonymous said...

This whole false flag comes just like the others...mere weeks before federal and states sessions. Overlooked by the deep state {fbi} Cheered and led by cnn thats been promoting nothing but flat out lies for years now, authored by a democrat sheriff thats running for higher office {pix with every democrat fro obummur to hilary}funded by none other than Soros....yeah...disarm the law abiding...great idea...please stop drinking the coolaid people!

Anonymous said...

school shooting always happen just weeks before law making sessions almost every year...like clock work...strange dontcha think??

Anonymous said...

The more guns , the harder it will be for the cops to determine who the good guys are and who the bad guys are

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...

Conservatives think they will have to fight the US army at some point. They also think that they'll be able to defeat the US army when most of them can't walk a mile without needing a rest.

February 22, 2018 at 2:02 PM"


You products of the dumbed down US "education" system are so funny. Funny in that your ignorance astounds us who are actually intelligent and not just losers who opened mouths willingly while the BS was rammed down it. Now let me educate you. No one thinks they can defeat the US army. Only an imbecile like yourself would say such nonsense. If things ever did go that way most of the US military would be on the side of the citizens against the leaders as we have seen with other countries. It would be similar to what we saw at the Bundy standoff with the BLM. They were told to get the situation under control at any costs and the BLM against orders turned and walked away when they saw the only option was a potential shoot out with their fellow Americans.
So keep on talking the nonsense to your equally dumbed down loser friends but don't you dare ever think if you try it here you won't be called out on your nonsense and set straight.

Anonymous said...

The fact is democrats want school shootings to happen and if they say they don't they are lying. The first 2 years of obama's presidency they could have passed gun laws after gun laws but they did NOTHING.
This because they need school shooting to happen so they can win elections and anyone who doesn't think so is a fool. democrats have nothing positive to offer the country (never did and never will) so the only thing they can run on is to demonize Republicans.

Anonymous said...

No it wont...cause when the cops arrive and say put down your weapon...The good guy will comply snd the bad guy will shoot.

Anonymous said...

I see your point, (I think you missed mine, though) but here's the problem with your thought:
A car is MUCH more accessible to everybody than an AR15.
If someone is nuts enough to go out and kill people, they'll find a way.

Anonymous said...

I thought the same but never mentioned it because too many people would say I was crazy. Thank you for telling everyone that it is possible.... ??

Anonymous said...

Now who is showing her ignorance. Really you missed the point and are way too sensitive. Laugh a little it will help. Besides you died and promoted you to judge people.

jh said...

I don't know about AR-15s they aren't my choice I perfer a hand gun...but I had to pass a test before I could buy one and it's registered....as far as the gun/car relation...Timothy McVeigh one of the biggest tragedies on our soil.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand demoncraps. They don't want guns because they kill people. Mostly adults. But they can force a baby out that's not ready to be born yet and allow a doctor to suck its brains out with a syringe, just because they were irresponsible and didn't use birt control. A Baby! They seriously are some double standard, immoral effs!

Anonymous said...

3:16 I'm a very conservative Republican but I have to disagree with you when you say Democrats have never done anything positive for the country.Medicare and social security were both Democrat programs wihch is good but then it's mostly Democrats who also screwing those programs up.