Batman shooting in Colorado

[Farmer Ted]

Originally Posted by flave1969

I tend to think that if the guys who wrote the constitution knew what kind of weapons were to come, they may have put more definite language in there.

You'd think that it would be possible to re-evaluate things every hundred years or so; half those guys owned slaves, so you have to wonder why their thoughts are considered to be divine 200+ years later.

[BIGREDSKINSFAN1963]

this kid was smart studying neuroscience,and he just suddenly decided to be a mass murderer? i'd like to know what the hell happened to make this kid with a bright future just decide to piss it all away and kill people for no good reason!

[BIGREDSKINSFAN1963]

Originally Posted by Farmer Ted

You'd think that it would be possible to re-evaluate things every hundred years or so; half those guys owned slaves, so you have to wonder why their thoughts are considered to be divine 200+ years later.

there is only 1 country on planet earth that has the right to bear arms in it's constitution,and we are living in it.most of the guys with the exception of a very few,including both john adams,were also racists,and they did'nt respect anybody that was not white.if jefferson did today what he did back then to sally hemmings,he be in jail for life for child molesting.

[flave1969]

Originally Posted by SkinsKY

Perhaps, but my point is more that if guns weren't available, he could have turned to other means. His apartment was rigged for explosives. He could have planted a bomb to go off in the theater instead. Once someone is crazy, like this guy is, what's legal to do doesn't really matter at that point. I think he would have found a way to pull off something devastating regardless of the law. Taking away guns doesn't fix crazy or someone hellbent on killing people.

My stance on guns, and you can tell a number of us differ, is based more on wanting to keep the government out of my life as much as possible. There could very well be utility in limiting guns, but I'm not sure and I don't want to invite Uncle Sam to limit my freedom because someone else is a moron.

As for the founding fathers, I have no idea what they would have said. There was no way they could have possibly known what kind of weapons we would have, but I don't believe it would have been much different. But all we can do is guess.

As I said very hard for me to understand any of your points simply because I have never had to live in an environment where guns play anything other than an extremely limited part in our society.

As you say crazy is crazy so who knows what he might have done instead, but allowing crazy to be well armed however that person may appear in a public domain is green lighting this kind of thing as far as I can tell.

*EDIT*

"In the last 60 days he purchased four guns at local metro gun shops, and through the Internet he purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition," Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates said Friday night.

Is it really unreasonable to at least check up on such behaviour, a simple database of all weapons sales would at least raise red flags that could be followed up.

[BigCountry]

Originally Posted by flave1969

As I said very hard for me to understand any of your points simply because I have never had to live in an environment where guns play anything other than an extremely limited part in our society.

As you say crazy is crazy so who knows what he might have done instead, but allowing crazy to be well armed however that person may appear in a public domain is green lighting this kind of thing as far as I can tell.

*EDIT*

Is it really unreasonable to at least check up on such behaviour, a simple database of all weapons sales would at least raise red flags that could be followed up.

I'm going to get blasted for this but I'll go ahead and say it anyway. You are absolutely right but he's a white guy, so I think they just assumed he collects machine guns because they're pretty. Yes it's a generalization and a bit unfair, but it's not that far fetched in this country.

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

I'm going to get blasted for this but I'll go ahead and say it anyway. You are absolutely right but he's a white guy, so I think they just assumed he collects machine guns because they're pretty. Yes it's a generalization and a bit unfair, but it's not that far fetched in this country.

White as opposed to what? Is there are segment of society who can't buy a weapon because of his race? Statistically it would seem white guys are more inclined to go on a shooting spree anyways.

I wouldn't have a problem with more controls on who and how certain guns are bought. I don't think there is a way to judge their mental capacity though. That would lie with their family and friends.

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by flave1969

As I said very hard for me to understand any of your points simply because I have never had to live in an environment where guns play anything other than an extremely limited part in our society.

As you say crazy is crazy so who knows what he might have done instead, but allowing crazy to be well armed however that person may appear in a public domain is green lighting this kind of thing as far as I can tell.

*EDIT*

Is it really unreasonable to at least check up on such behaviour, a simple database of all weapons sales would at least raise red flags that could be followed up.

That is something that should throw up a red flag. If he was buying steel barrels and tons of fertilizer it would. Buying that much ammo should at least result in a Q&A with law enforcement.

[BigCountry]

Originally Posted by RedskinsDave

White as opposed to what? Is there are segment of society who can't buy a weapon because of his race? Statistically it would seem white guys are more inclined to go on a shooting spree anyways.

I wouldn't have a problem with more controls on who and how certain guns are bought. I don't think there is a way to judge their mental capacity though. That would lie with their family and friends.

Anyone with such a clean record would haven been able to buy those guns no matter the race, but if he was black, latino or middle eastern perhaps someone takes an interest of some sort

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

Anyone with such a clean record would haven been able to buy those guns no matter the race, but if he was black, latino or middle eastern perhaps someone takes an interest of some sort

Doubtful.

[SkinsKY]

Originally Posted by flave1969

As I said very hard for me to understand any of your points simply because I have never had to live in an environment where guns play anything other than an extremely limited part in our society.

As you say crazy is crazy so who knows what he might have done instead, but allowing crazy to be well armed however that person may appear in a public domain is green lighting this kind of thing as far as I can tell.

*EDIT*

Is it really unreasonable to at least check up on such behaviour, a simple database of all weapons sales would at least raise red flags that could be followed up.

Yes, a database or something might be helpful. That's not unreasonable. my worry is that the government wouldn't stop there and meddle in other places. While it does give an avenue to destruction, I don't think it green lights anything. Instead of Crazy McShooter, it was me going to buy guns. If I have nothing but a couple speeding tickets, why shouldn't I be allowed to buy the guns I want? Sure my purchase patterns might be investigated, but how do you apply a concrete law to something like suspicious activity? At what point do I, a law abiding citizen, become worth a police follow up?

That said, I don't get up in arms (a gun joke!) over it. Reasonable people disagree all the time, like Dave and Cal (ducks), but for me it's more a government power issue than the right or wrong of owning this gun or that gun.

[BIGREDSKINSFAN1963]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

Anyone with such a clean record would haven been able to buy those guns no matter the race, but if he was black, latino or middle eastern perhaps someone takes an interest of some sort

Especially if it happened in the south.i know a lot of southern cops,and the ones i know will pull over any type of non white person because of their own beliefs.in most of this south,the good ole boys network is still alive and well.

[cal_junior]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

Anyone with such a clean record would haven been able to buy those guns no matter the race, but if he was black, latino or middle eastern perhaps someone takes an interest of some sort

Absolutely. Anybody's whose flown on an airplane the past ten years know this is true. Not sure I've ever seen a white person pulled out of line by TSA for a "random inspection."

[RedskinsDave]

Originally Posted by cal_junior

Absolutely. Anybody's whose flown on an airplane the past ten years know this is true. Not sure I've ever seen a white person pulled out of line by TSA for a "random inspection."

Dumbest. Comment. Ever. I've been pulled aside a few times, once with my three year old niece. I've actually never seen a Muslim person getting the once over.

[RedskinsDave]

It's weird that places like Norway and Canada who have stricter guns laws somehow still had massacres. I think we need to have tighter controls on going to the movies, summer camps and food courts. That's clearly the problem.

[Ibleedburgundy]

Originally Posted by RedskinsDave

It's weird that places like Norway and Canada who have stricter guns laws somehow still had massacres. I think we need to have tighter controls on going to the movies, summer camps and food courts. That's clearly the problem.

The huge difference is these types of massacres happen with regularity in the USA and are incredibly rare or never happen in countries with intelligent gun laws.

I hope you feel grateful to these victims who made the ultimate sacrifice for your right to have an assault rifle. One of them was a 6 year old girl. Another had a 4 year old daughter. She'll never know her Dad now, but clearly this all pales in comparison to Republicans' desire to be able to play with an extremely deadly toy.