Now is the time to talk about gun control

random noter: I don’t know what to say other than thank you. I live in Milwaukee and we were heartbroken by what happened with the Sikh Temple shooting as well as a recent salon shooting that resulted due to a long history of domestic abuse. I can’t stand guns, period.

Unfortunately all the gun control in the world won’t keep these whackjobs from obtaining weapons. I am one of the people on Facebook that said today wasn’t the day to talk about it. It’s not that I am a gun advocate. I am not. I am just aware that criminals don’t follow laws to begin with, and today should be a day to spend with our loved ones, and tomorrow should be the day to be pushing for stronger laws regarding criminals. We have far too many imprisoned here in the US for stupid petty reasons while the mass murderers are walking free. We also need to open our state mental institutes back up. It’s a sad, sad day.

I’ve been responding to all the people who are trying to hold off gun control talk. Sticking your head in the sand is not the answer. There have been 31 major shootings since Columbine and eveyrtime people asked for time to ‘mourn’ but it’s been abused by gun groups so people will forget and move on without making the necessary changes. Unless you want more shootings like thisto occur and more children to die in the future, we need to petition for real gun control not tomorrow, but today!

ryn…agreed…however I think these lunatics are going to still get guns..illegally on the streets.

Good man. I hate the bull**** “these people will still find a way to get guns” argument. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make it as DIFFICULT as possible. You shouldn’t be able to buy guns and ammo at ****ing WalMart. Because if you make it harder, less people will have guns.

It’s a good day to talk about a lot of things, and one of them is gun control. People who say they don’t want this incident politicized are politicizing it themselves by bringing their anti-gun control politics into the conversation. If they truly don’t want to talk about gun control, they should shut the hell up about gun control. (It’s like the “don’t think of an elephant” game.) But it’s also a good day to have a conversation about a lot of other things, like mental illness, and what the hell has gone so horribly wrong with American culture that these things happen on a regular basis. There’s a lot of stuff at play here…easy access to guns being one. But unfortunately, there are a LOT of guns out there already, and I suspect that people who really wanted them would manage to get their hands on them even if stricter controls were implemented. But what about the issues that make people go crazy and shoot each other in the first place? Did you ever see Bowling for Columbine? I think he is onto something, as far as what makes this kind of thing so common in the US (a lack of a social safety net, basically, and the attendant stresses that go along with that).

I agree that there should be gun control. However, in this case, the guns belonged to the mother, not the shooter. But yes, even if ‘they’ll get to the guns anyway’ it’s worth it to make it hard. There is no time like the present to discuss it.

I just wanted to say that I agree with what you say about Gun Control.

I agree. While bad people will continue to do bad things, we shouldn’t make it as easy as possible for these people. How many more of these mass shootings have to occur before we finally realize we aren’t doing something right?

Most crimes that are committed by people use firearms that were bought on the street. In this case the mother had guns. The problem with this incident is that this person had a mental illness. Did anyone know if he had violent tendencies prior? If so that’s another thing that makes me fume.America has closed so many facilities for the mentally ill, stopped funding for them etc..I know this due tobeing mentally ill myself, and advocating for NAMI. It’s a sad day which is one of many.

I read another article today about a madman in China, where guns aren’t allowed, who injured 22 school children with a knife. Injured, not killed. I don’t want to take anything away from such a horrific tragedy by talking politics, but it’s hard not to start drawing comparisons.

http://www.newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org/ We can start helping by donating. The link is legitimate.

Couldnt agree with this more… so very tragic. & thats just it… something needs to be done NOW, or else its just going to happen again, and again, and again…

I have to agree with Rebel Soul. Today is not the day to talk about this. It doesn’t mean sticking our heads in the sand; it’s about giving the families of the victims some respect and time to grieve before getting into the ugly discussions. Furthermore the issue at hand is not gun control. Every one of those shooters had something in common: They were mentally unstable. With gun control laws

mentally unstable people would not be able to get a gun legally. However, with everything else that is illegal, it can still be attained and people with that kind of mentality will get what they need, illegal or not. Guns have been around for centuries and until recent it was normal for children to learn how to use them. Yet you didn’t see any massacres like this until recently. Today’s

generation is overly sheltered and as adults are unable to cope with the stress of everyday life/setbacks. It also doesn’t help that by going out “in a blaze of glory” thanks to the media, they become an overnight “celebrity” and are forever immortalized. After all the hype of the Columbine shootings you now have all these copycats with the same exact psychological profile.

There have been 31 major shootings since Columbine. When should we start talking about it? When the next school gets shot to pieces? We have been passing the buck for 20 years, and this kind of ‘let people greive, now is not the time’ bull is what has stalled any chance to push for real change. Now is the time to bring the issue up or there will be another school and more kids shot in the future. I said that the last time someone said that to me after the Colorado theatre shooting. Change needs to happen now!

ryn…i totally agree..i wish we did have better gun control this is just horrible

RYN: I never said to wait months or years. I said the same day of the shootings – before the bodies are even cold is not only tacky, but disrespectful. Trying to capitalize off these parents’ grief is disrespectful and God forbid that was my child, I wouldn’t want to hear any of this crap right now. Right now their minds are on trying to cope. As I said before, the issue is bigger than gun

control and until BOTH sides see that bigger picture, that issue will not go away and will only get worse. We are in a society that plays the blame game and think that’s the solution when it only makes things worse.

Trying to capitalize? Seriously? There have been over 30 major shootings since Columbine… and people keep asking for a day and then nothing happens. People who fight gun laws need to have their noses rubbed in the carnage and blood as soon as possible to realize what happens when too much access to guns happen. The talk needs to happen now, while we’re still angry. If not there will be another school and more kids killed. When that happens I’ll be sure to remind you of what you said today.

What gun control laws do you propose?

Pete, by not talking about MENTAL ILLNESS and how it contributes to these tragedies, you are only continuing the grand American tradition of passing the buck. So put your money where your mouth is and talk about the REAL issue… If you’re not too chicken****, that is. ~

Actually, we have no evidence of motive, but if this person was mentally ill… I will not hesitate to post dozens of entries, sign petitions to make sure action is taken in that direction as well. Not selling firearms to the mentally ill is a suggestion that I’ve already made in notes on other diaries today so that assertation is not true.