Three bored teens killed Australian college student. Do recent incidents call fo

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   brakel2posted 10 years ago

   Three bored teens killed Australian college student. Do recent incidents call for better gun control
   
   The student was on a baseball scholarship in U. S.

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   TXSasquatchposted 10 years ago

   Well, the simple answer to your question is:  no.  Unfortunately the issue is a lot more complex than that, and complicated problems don't have simple solutions.  Also, whether we're talking about a Newtown-like incident or the one in Duncan, Oklahoma, we shouldn't feel compelled to respond immediately.  There's always this feeling that "we have to do SOMETHING," but that's actually a bit dangerous.  One or two or ten or a hundred incidents in a short period of time doesn't establish a "trend."  The statistical analysis of crime is only meaningful when looking at much larger blocks of time--three, five, or ten years.  A month or a quarter or even a whole year doesn't really tell us anything.  Bottom line:  The tragic murder in Duncan--as horrible as it was--is an isolated incident with no clear cause, and it doesn't require new law.
   
   That said, I will confess that I'm a gun owner who is willing to compromise and accept some reasonable, commonsense gun control policies.  I resigned my lifetime NRA membership a long time ago because of the organization's hard-headed unwillingness to compromise.  We must be willing to meet in the middle, and "gun control" and "gun ban" aren't synonymous.  Attempts to limit access to certain types of weapons, accessories, and/or ammunition seems quite reasonable to me.

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      brakel2posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for a thorough response to a difficult question in these times.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I applaud your level-headed approach and humility.
      
      The trouble with the "reasonable" limits is that the current corrupt government is interested in "creep." Remove bits of the Constitution, one at a time. Any ban or control is a nail in the coffin.

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      Express10posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The common thread running through incidents such as the Newtown Massacre and these "bored" teens is a lack of decent parenting. I'd like to see parents of these types going to be held liable in a civil manner and/or criminally whenever possible.

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   xanzacowposted 10 years ago

   No. I think they call for better parental control. I am sure this wasn't the first bad thing these youngsters ever did. They should have been taught better. Maybe they were, in which case, they are out of control and need to be incarcerated.

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   CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years ago

   I'm in CT, so Newtown hit home when it happened.  The one thing that stood out to be was it immediately became a media witch hunt about people suffering from mental illness.  Not to lesson the tragedy Newtown was, I'm just saying .... when things like this happen, it hurts everyone.
   
   I know people that suffer from mental illness and are successful hunters, carrying a gun legally.  Even though the Newtown tragedy was based on a gunman that allegedly had issues, I didn't think it was fair to classify all people with a disorder to be void of a constitutional right to bear arms.
   
   So having said that, I honestly don't know what better gun control would like look at this point.  What about guns entering countries illegally?  What about people buying guns illegally?  I think it would have to be a world-wide policy, not just a country policy. If that makes any sense.  But in the US, we have a constitutional right.  I don't know what the policies of other countries look like.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Good points. Law abiding citizens who carry guns can deter criminals. It happens dozens of times every day. But the 2nd Amendment is about protection from a tyrannical government. Like the kind that lies about WMDs.

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   johnsonrallenposted 10 years ago

   No, it won't. If all the previous incidents with school/workplace shootings did nothing to change existing laws, this most certainly won't. I think America is too attached to guns to ever change much.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If someone wants to kill, they have plenty of methods besides guns.
      
      And gun toting, law abiding citizens stop thousands of crimes each year.

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   Jeff Porterposted 10 years ago

   No.
       We do not have a gun control issue.
   
     We have a sin control issue.
   
     We used to carry our loaded guns to our high schools in a gun rack in the back window of our pickup trucks.   And no one was shot.
     We used to have shooting classes in our high school.   And no one was shot.
   
     I feel that our society has changed.    Our morals have changed.   The gun hasn't changed.   It is still the same inanimate object as it's always been.

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      duffsmomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Well said!

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      Express10posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Amen, Amen, Amen!

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Jeff, wow! Nicely said. I bet the CIA hates this kind of clarity. Shining such a light on the situation throws a monkey wrench in their False Flag operations meant to sway public opinion.
      
      Too many people today are swayed by labels. They don't think.

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   stclairjackposted 10 years ago

   we don’t need more gun control,... we need more teen control,.. period.
   
   i propose a permit in order to have kids,.. A parent permit,… so the rest of us might be more assured that child popping biology sexperiments wont raise children into egomaniacal self delusional heathens that have no respect for themselves or others.
   
   We should then force all pre-adolescents to get a permit for teenage status,… and if it is deemed by an examiner that they just don’t cut the muster, we’ll just revoke their birthday until they get it right.
   
   Once they’ve passed the tests in order to become teenagers, then they again should be forced through another permit process so that they might be fully trained and registered adults,.. Once more, if they don’t make the grade we will again put their birthday on moratorium until they get it right.
   
   No one should be allowed to apply for a parent permit until then been permitted as an adult.
   
   How’s that?….. Think of all the government jobs and fee’s we could create!

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      We need more CIA control and government accountability. Government and Corporate crimes go unpunished. Those who report the crimes go to jail.
      
      Women's lib was part of their plan to destroy the family. See Aaron Russo YouTube on Rockefellers.

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   Express10posted 10 years ago

   Any incidents with criminal minded, immoral, or unruly kids call for better parental control and stern punishment from all applicable authorities for the kids and likely the parents as well. The Australian was running and minding his own business. Where the heck were the parents/guardians of these "kids?" What were they thinking by not teaching their children better and showing them from a young age that there are consequences for our actions?
   
   These kid's parents' are another stomach turning example of people that should never have children. In addition, I've met kids whose parents taught them how to shoot before they were 10, 11, 12, and even 13 years old and guns were in the home, vehicles, and/or garage. These kids had parents that led by a good example and instilled tolerance, consideration, and the understanding of rights, wrongs, and consequences. Those kids chose to kill a good young man working towards his dreams. The gun didn't choose to kill anyone, it is an object, so I must say that we don't need better gun control, humans need better self control...period.

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      Jeff Porterposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent answer.

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   wandayoungposted 10 years ago

   It is my opinion that we have always needed better gun control; note I said WE, not that our government should impose that control over us. To achieve better gun control, people must first learn to control themselves.  And to comment on the juveniles who commit these heinous acts, there's just something that is horrendously malfunctioning about them. I keep reading how people are blaming parents. PLEASE! Everything that is, or is not, within a child is necessarily there because a parent did, or did not, put it there. Having worked with juvenile offenders for years, I KNOW that JO's are 'borne' into society from all levels of life and society. Some of the 'worst' ones come from great parents and family life, some of the ones that are so promising of rehabilitation, and succeed, come from the worst parents and horrible lives. So, my point is this: please, let's not be so narrow minded to juvenile issues  to believe that  a parent is always responsible; if we allow our selves to be that narrow minded and to sterotype, WE will hinder the process for a solution. Juvenile issues are one of my 'bandwagons'. I understand from both sides of the coin. There are many, many factors that cause people, juvenile or adult, to become killers. ANYONE who sees bizarre, unusual, cruel, etc. behavior in a child, should do something about it. So what if someone says it's none of our business? I bet the person who says that would appreciate you getting involved if your involvement saved THEIR child's life! Do something, each of us, get involved. Be proactive. And, guns don't kill. People kill.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Beautiful! You are so right. People kill. We need less blame and more responsibility. Citizens with guns stop crimes thousands of times each year. They save lives.

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    LandmarkWealthposted 10 years ago

    This has nothing to do with Gun control.  They could have just as easily run him over with the car. If they didn't have a license or it was a stolen car, we wouldn't call for stricter access to automobiles. The vast majority of gun owners don't commit crimes.  And there are far more people victimized each year because they didn't have the means to defend themselves.  Criminals will get there hands on guns no matter what.  Only the law abiding citizens are affected by stricter rules.  The city of Chicago has proven that if any place has ever shown it.
    
    The problem is with society on various levels.  Kids being desensitized by violence on film and video games.  Lack of proper parenting.  Too many kids in broken homes.  And too many people in general that have blurred the line between what is right and wrong.  There is no accountability anymore.  Everything is always someone else's fault.  But stricter laws only impact those who follow the laws.  Since it was already illegal to kill this poor kid, and they ignored that law...why would they abide by another.

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       Jeff Porterposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Agreed.

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    Emily Mooreposted 10 years ago

    In my opinion, I believe that these recent incidents are a result of the promotion of violence in society and the lack of morals and values. Sure, you can take guns away from people but those with the intent to murder will still find the means to do so.

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       lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Beautifully put, Emily. I wish millions more Americans had this kind of clarity. The government might then not have been able to get away with 9/11 and false WMDs... and now CIA rebels in Syria.

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    Dan Barfieldposted 10 years ago

    I think issues of 'control' are irrelevant. The problem is social and cultural. Why is it that the perpetrators could feel detached from this other individual to the extent that they killed him out of boredom? That they lacked compassion to this extent speaks of a local culture with no sense of community, of alienation, isolation and anger. How were they educated? This is a situation that could only come about through seriously dysfunctional society.

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       lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Outstanding, Dan. Well said. But we also have CIA false flag ops, like arming rebels with poison gas and blaming it on Syrian government. Murder for political gain. Dysfunctional government obeying greedy Corporate Party.

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    lone77starposted 10 years ago

    Never!
    
    Gun bans mean only criminals will have guns. Gun "controls" is just the first step toward all-out bans. Creeping tyranny, just like the recent losses in the 4th and 1st Amendments.
    
    There are hundreds of thousands of instances of gun-toting law-abiding people stopping criminals just by showing their guns. No one was hurt, especially the potential victim!
    
    How many "rifle" deaths have their been? In one recent year, about 380 (slightly less than 400). But more than 50,000 deaths by automobile. Outlaw cars?
    
    Criminals don't want a people who are armed. They shy away from a household that has guns.
    
    And I wouldn't put it past the government (which wants 2nd Amendment to go away) to create False Flag operations, just like they're doing in Syria, to stir up public sentiment against guns.
    
    They're playing our egos like a symphony.
    
    This is brought to you by the same people who gave us 9/11 and immediately had the Patriot Bill ready for legislators to sign, and had plans to invade Iraq, even before WMDs were lied about.
    
    If you believe the Corporate Party media, then you're listening to the people who own Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. War means money and power. Psychopaths thrive on it. And they don't care who they murder to get it.
    
    How many of the "lone gunmen" were CIA patsies?
    
    When we now know that the CIA admits to overthrowing a democratically-elected government in Iran back in 1953, and we know that E. Howard Hunt confessed on his death bed to participating in the murder of JFK, you know that such things are possible.
    
    STOP RE-ACTING to government and corporate media stimuli. You're not a guinea pig. Stop acting like it.

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       TXSasquatchposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Who's talking about a "gun ban"???

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       Dan Barfieldposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well said that man!!

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    Chris in VAposted 10 years ago

    Gun control would not have prevented this from happening.
    
    Those three teens were intent on hurting/inflicting violence/killing someone that day. The only thing a gun was allow them to literally not get their hands bloody.
    
    The whole gun control argument is false. Chicago has the strictest gun control laws in the country and the highest murder rate at the same time. The Newtown massacre happened in a state with strict gun control laws that would have prevented the shooter -- who was mentally unstable -- from ever purchasing a gun, but did not stop the incident. FYI -- On the same day as Newtown, a Chinese man kills 22 with a knife -- because China has strict gun control laws (http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/cr … e-coverage).   
    
    It is not the guns, knives, or axes, but the people wielding them who have issues.

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    jenniferlynn78posted 10 years ago

    It is in my opinion that it has nothing to do with guns, but it lies within the gun holders hands!  It is not about better control laws!  Guns are for protection and that's why law enforcement carries them and uses them.  If there were no guns for protection, then what?  It's not about guns, guns may kill people but because they are needed because people kill people!  People need not worry about law and control as people that have permission to use a gun are supposed to follow gun rules such as locking the gun up!  In today's society we need guns to protect ourselves and the issue is, keeping guns safe from the maniacs but maniacs is why people have guns!

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    dutchman1951posted 10 years ago

    No, what it calls for is better parents- to stop  ignoring kids needs and enabeling there  behaviors and letting them alone to raise themselves with no sense of right or wrong, because they as so called parents, are all wraped up in themselves.  The me first generation.
    
    start raising kids that have morals, concience and humility and beloging and a sense of right and wrong, just not expect some one else to do it for them. And when things go wrong just say, well my child is an Angel he or she would not do that!   yea right!

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    Kenneth Fosterposted 10 years ago

    If we will always look at the violence caused by guns, how in the world will we ever see the advantage of having them? If those three bored teens didn't kill the student using gun, they could have just used other weapons available for the crime. This is not an issue that guns kill but an issue on lack of guidance for the youth.
    
    http://www.dougsgunstore.com/classes/gu … ientation/

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       Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Most Americans and nearly all people in many other countries believe the disadvantages greatly outweigh the advantages of uncontrolled gun ownership they include--criminal use of guns, suicides, accidents and assassinations.

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