Mega-Thread: Gun Control Thread

[lockedout]

Hell, I'm 20 and we had a police officer in my high school.

I think the point here is the older people don't remember any police in schools.
I graduated in the mid 90's and we had no police officers in my school in NJ.
Nowadays it's pretty common.

[Svifnymr]

I think the point here is the older people don't remember any police in schools.
I graduated in the mid 90's and we had no police officers in my school in NJ.
Nowadays it's pretty common.

Wiki says the first ones were in 53 in Michigan, but no idea when/where they became popular. It's not like it's been a dedicated federal program or anything, just one of those ideas that spread. There's probably also a benefit to getting young people to socialize/ familiarize with a nice officer so they don't watch the news and think all police are jack booted thugs bent on oppressing them.

[Jaynith]

I graduated in the mid 90's in south Louisiana (swamp country) and we had a deputy patrol the halls of the high/junior high school.

[Eroginous]

Anecdotal evidence aside, I would like to know why it's so taboo to protect our children with armed guards/police, much like we protect our government buildings, banks, and night clubs.

[PhaelixWW]

As I said, I'm 40, but folks of the previous generation to mine, back before South Florida was all developed, would bring guns to school so they could go plinking at cans afterwards. It was between the Prohibition Wars and the Drug Wars, and no one was worried.

Between prohibition and the war on drugs, huh?

What I think is great is that the lowest point in the valley in the graph below, representing the period between prohibition and the war on drugs, is that it isn't even as low as what we're experiencing now. And yet we're far more worried now than we were then.



Granted, murder aside, all other crime rates are much higher than they were in the 50s.

[belfpala]

And yet we're far more worried now than we were then.

24 hour news cycle, better coverage Most people overestimate the amount of crime out there (yes, you, and everyone reading this).

I posted probably 500 pages back in this thread that I try to get my head inside of arguments I don't understand, try to understand them. Basically... if you don't understand why I think the "wild west" would have been a more decent place without guns, then you'll experience what I'm experiencing: utter failure of the empathy part of our brains.

[Maleficus]

Ahh, another glorious weekend in Chicagotopia.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/05/...kend-violence/

Anyone keeping a running total of dear leader's hometown? One would think he would be there every Monday morning for a press conference... "If i had a son, he would have looked like ____________." (fill in blank with either shooter or victim name)

[GreatOak]

Ahh, another glorious weekend in Chicagotopia.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/05/...kend-violence/

Anyone keeping a running total of dear leader's hometown? One would think he would be there every Monday morning for a press conference... "If i had a son, he would have looked like ____________." (fill in blank with either shooter or victim name)

Out of sight, out of mind

[Grizzly Willy]

Anyone keeping a running total of dear leader's hometown?

"Dear leader"?

[Tinykong]

Out of sight, out of mind

What I find most interesting, is that the people most impacted by gun violence are saying that the solution is to stop the people from wanting (or needing) to pick up a gun and use it for crime.

[Maleficus]

"Dear leader"?

barry, the panderer in chief.

[Vyxn]

Interesting to me about this poll is how many folks would want to ban semi-auto weapons. That is pretty much every non hunting weapon in existence. And how is the support for banning semi auto weapons higher than banning assault weapons, wich according to media nomeclature is only a subset of semi-autos? My guess, people don't really even know what semi auto means.

you have the misinfomation spread by the media to thank for that.

[Grizzly Willy]

barry, the panderer in chief.

Just seems a bit excessive, comparing him to Kim Jong Il or Un. Kinda like constantly referring to republicans as fascists.

[Naxere]

Guy saves a boy's life from a pitbull attack with an unregistered gun, gets a $1000 fine for his troubles.

[Deleted]

Guy saves a boy's life from a pitbull attack with an unregistered gun, gets a $1000 fine for his troubles.

Well, at least the anti-guns are sticking to their guns (worst pun 2013).

[rhandric]

Guy saves a boy's life from a pitbull attack with an unregistered gun, gets a $1000 fine for his troubles.

Gun owner saves boy's life, fined $1000.
Well-known journalist deliberately breaks the law, on television, not charged
Gotta love hypocrisy

[Cthulhu 2020]

Just seems a bit excessive, comparing him to Kim Jong Il or Un. Kinda like constantly referring to republicans as fascists.

Fascism is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism that came to prominence in mid-20th century Europe. Fascists seek to unify their nation through a totalitarian state that promotes the mass mobilization of the national community, relying on a vanguard party to initiate a revolution to organize the nation on fascist principles. Hostile to liberal democracy, socialism, and communism, fascist movements share certain common features, including the veneration of the state, a devotion to a strong leader, and an emphasis on ultranationalism, ethnocentrism, and militarism. Fascism views political violence, war, and imperialism as a means to achieve national rejuvenation and asserts that nations and races deemed superior should attain living space by displacing ones deemed weak or inferior.

Doesn't really seem to apply to moderates, but is pretty spot on for the far right. Their proclamation of "small government" is a hollow claim when you look at their policy. The massive military hegemony in addition to the refusal to reduce it at all is one of the stronger indications. The only thing it's missing is a devotion to a strong leader.

[GreatOak]

Doesn't really seem to apply to moderates, but is pretty spot on for the far right. Their proclamation of "small government" is a hollow claim when you look at their policy. The massive military hegemony in addition to the refusal to reduce it at all is one of the stronger indications. The only thing it's missing is a devotion to a strong leader.

While they don't truly believe in small and efficient government, to pretend that progressives also don't have a huge history with massive war financing and maintaining the empire would be disingenuous.

[Cthulhu 2020]

While they don't truly believe in small and efficient government, to pretend that progressives also don't have a huge history with massive war financing and maintaining the empire would be disingenuous.

Never said they didn't. Fueling the American hegemony comes from both sides. The differences come in social and economic policy mostly. Even then, the differences are minimal at best. Modern Republicans are frighteningly proto-fascist. Libertarians are the only true small government.

[tombstoner139]

Never said they didn't. Fueling the American hegemony comes from both sides. The differences come in social and economic policy mostly. Even then, the differences are minimal at best. Modern Republicans are frighteningly proto-fascist. Libertarians are the only true small government.

That's only because the modern media game needs you to pander to your groups extremists elements in order to motivate them to vote. one cant be bothered to vote extremist is worth 1 vote for the opposition, convert them and you can win. political sides all over do this. The second bush motivated the conservative evangelicals.
if things are becoming proto-fascist its moving to a highly polarized religious state.

The general apathy of all people in all nations is letting governments pander to special interests and we love it. News media is the wort panderer of them all.
You can no longer make a living (that they have come to expect) doing investigative journalism. it's all about feeding the story of the day. great example was the news media coverage during the manhunt for the Boston bombing suspect. It was a cluster F of journalism.... got a fill 24 hours of news.... how about something else. its all the same for every tragedy and then the story drop off the air and something else replaces it. its all tabloid BS grubbing for money. not providing society with the information it needs.