Meanwhile, the hard rain Dylan sang about is already falling.
If it was senators being shot you’d see them leap into inaction for sure. Maybe someone could sponsor a bill mandating “duck and cower” sessions for lawmakers. But they’re already great at that.
The security at the senate office building is impressive. Even back in 1995 it was impressive. They are completely insulated in their world so they don’t have to see what is going on.
Ridanasays
If it was senators being shot you’d see them leap into inaction for sure.
Not sure if typo or dry witticism, but nothing will move them. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in the head, but she’s a Democrat and they did nothing. House Minority (Majority at the time) Whip Steve Scalise was shot at a Republican softball game, and they did nothing. Even when the gun is aimed right at them, it’s less terrifying to them than losing the support of the NRA.
There are plenty of laws being broken during ‘active shooter’ events, not least of which are the laws prohibiting murder or manslaughter. There are civil rights laws, hate crime laws, carrying or discharging a firearm where prohibited, and so on. It is not enough to change laws, unless by changing those laws the types of weapons able to create multiple murder are removed from society. In general, the public is most afraid of weapons resembling battle rifles – AK-47. AR-15, foreign models, and all the various clones of these. Semi-auto handguns, especially those with large capacity magazines, can kill many people quickly, but currently it is the AR and AK style rifles that have the onus of being very dangerous to people.
In the US the 2cd Amendment prevents confiscation of guns as was done in Britain and Australia. Until the 2cd is repealed and perhaps revised, many restrictive gun laws get filtered through the US Supreme Court, which currently says that owning guns is an individual right for all Americans, with slight restrictions concerning convicted felons or people diagnosed with mental illness. Since guns are of durable construction, the existing quantity of guns will be around here in the US for one or two hundred years or more, unless something changes, in particular the 2cd Amendment. There could be a voluntary removal of guns resembling battle rifles, but that is not likely, unless the owner can turn a nifty profit from the transaction.
In the US I believe we will have active shooter events in greater frequency until a solid attempt is made to remove the most dangerous firearms from general circulation. That means tighter restrictions on ownership, including closing the “gun show” loophole and requiring all gun buyers and sellers to coordinate through the national background check system, limiting gifts of firearms to non-firing curios and replicas, and perhaps limiting the manufacture, import, or possession of bump stocks and hi-capacity magazines.
lumipunasays
Since guns are of durable construction, the existing quantity of guns will be around here in the US for one or two hundred years or more, unless something changes, in particular the 2cd Amendment. There could be a voluntary removal of guns resembling battle rifles, but that is not likely, unless the owner can turn a nifty profit from the transaction.
I don’t think civilian guns generally last for over a century -- more like decades? After firearm regulation is improved, collecting existing guns would be difficult, and maybe not very necessary anyway. It hardly matters in the long term.
Too many, already.
The unfortunate answer is that, for the gun-fetishists, no amount of deaths could convince them that guns do not solve problems.
One is too many, but in the U.S. I fear there will never be enough.
Meanwhile, the hard rain Dylan sang about is already falling.
If it was senators being shot you’d see them leap into inaction for sure. Maybe someone could sponsor a bill mandating “duck and cower” sessions for lawmakers. But they’re already great at that.
The security at the senate office building is impressive. Even back in 1995 it was impressive. They are completely insulated in their world so they don’t have to see what is going on.
Not sure if typo or dry witticism, but nothing will move them. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot in the head, but she’s a Democrat and they did nothing. House Minority (Majority at the time) Whip Steve Scalise was shot at a Republican softball game, and they did nothing. Even when the gun is aimed right at them, it’s less terrifying to them than losing the support of the NRA.
There are plenty of laws being broken during ‘active shooter’ events, not least of which are the laws prohibiting murder or manslaughter. There are civil rights laws, hate crime laws, carrying or discharging a firearm where prohibited, and so on. It is not enough to change laws, unless by changing those laws the types of weapons able to create multiple murder are removed from society. In general, the public is most afraid of weapons resembling battle rifles – AK-47. AR-15, foreign models, and all the various clones of these. Semi-auto handguns, especially those with large capacity magazines, can kill many people quickly, but currently it is the AR and AK style rifles that have the onus of being very dangerous to people.
In the US the 2cd Amendment prevents confiscation of guns as was done in Britain and Australia. Until the 2cd is repealed and perhaps revised, many restrictive gun laws get filtered through the US Supreme Court, which currently says that owning guns is an individual right for all Americans, with slight restrictions concerning convicted felons or people diagnosed with mental illness. Since guns are of durable construction, the existing quantity of guns will be around here in the US for one or two hundred years or more, unless something changes, in particular the 2cd Amendment. There could be a voluntary removal of guns resembling battle rifles, but that is not likely, unless the owner can turn a nifty profit from the transaction.
In the US I believe we will have active shooter events in greater frequency until a solid attempt is made to remove the most dangerous firearms from general circulation. That means tighter restrictions on ownership, including closing the “gun show” loophole and requiring all gun buyers and sellers to coordinate through the national background check system, limiting gifts of firearms to non-firing curios and replicas, and perhaps limiting the manufacture, import, or possession of bump stocks and hi-capacity magazines.
I don’t think civilian guns generally last for over a century -- more like decades? After firearm regulation is improved, collecting existing guns would be difficult, and maybe not very necessary anyway. It hardly matters in the long term.