Thread on #GunControl, mentions #SchoolShooting statistics:
A certain US Senator discussed how the US is the "safest country in the world".
So let's compare, shall we?
One might consider an "unsafe" country to be Nigeria. A country that has been undergoing a bloody insurgency/civil war against Boko Haram (a Taliban-like organization.)
Boko Haram is known for invading schools and kidnapping/murdering students. Since 2013, Boko Haram has killed 145 people at schools - 44 elementary/secondary, the rest college. (Prior to 2013, zero.)
Since 2013, 183 people have been killed in the US in school shootings.
In 2014 in Pakistan, Taliban insurgents killed 145 people in an attack on a Pakistani military-run boarding school.
In Russia and Russian-controlled Crimea, 40 have been murdered in schools since 2013.
US: 183. Since 2013. Which EXCLUDES Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech.
Yes, other countries have had higher-casualty single incidents; those were all carried out by *GROUPS* of paramilitary insurgents. Not single individuals.
Just the "10 deadliest" in the US since 2000 are higher than any other country's TOTAL in the same period.
The Wikipedia article on "school shootings" lists *EVERY OTHER COUNTRY'S* complete list of shootings since 1884 except the US - because the US alone is a longer list than every other country combined.
Sure, "guns may not be the issue" - but you know what is? "Gun culture". Gun fetishization. Gun availability.
The only countries with school shooting death tolls *ANYWHERE* near the US' were conducted by actual "MILITARY UNITS", not lone people.
I am a supporter of the second amendment. I was chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon Gun Owners Caucus. I was a registered defensive handgun instructor with the Liberal Gun Club. I own an AR-15. (Okay, I own the parts to assemble one that I haven't gotten around to.)
But enough is enough. The complete blockade by the NRA on *ANY* restrictions is irresponsible. The NRA used to be an organization that supported responsible gun ownership, and advocated for gun owners.
Now they are an extremist organization who are lock-step with GOP.
I cancelled my NRA "Life of Duty" membership long ago in protest to their extremism.
There *CAN* be a "middle ground" where people can own guns for personal defense, for hunting, for sport shooting. But that doesn't flood our streets with literal weapons of war.
I know many hunters. I don't know a single one that uses an AR-15 to hunt. (Including ones who own multiple AR-15s.)
The AR-15 is a *TERRIBLE* home-defense weapon, because its rounds will pierce multiple walls, significantly increasing risk of unintended strike.
I am 100% in favor of responsible gun ownership. This means not simply "BAN ALL GUNS!" (oppressed people need them for self-defense. I am a supporter of Pink Pistols, JPFO and the like.) But it also doesn't mean "do nothing." It means *RESPONSIBLE*.
Possible actions:
Ban high capacity magazines. Outright ban. Purchase back from current owners. "High capacity" would vary by weapon type. I know the popular opinion is "10", but there are many "reasonable personal defense" weapons that shipped with 12 or 15 round magazines.
Note: I don't believe in any "pure confiscation" measures. Any outright bans must be backed by the government *PURCHASING* them at a reasonable price. Things aren't cheap.
Another reasonable measure used in many states is a firearm purchase license. Require a background check and training. These licenses should be "shall issue" though - if the person can legally own, they will be issued the license. It should be reasonable in price, quick to get.
Republicans want ID to use a Constitutional right (voting) so why not for firearm ownership? That is already proven constitutional by states that have passed it.
Close the "gunshow loophole" as many states have done. And require background checks/purchase-license-verification for private sales. Make a phone number the seller can call to verify.
Waiting periods. They don't have to be long. 3-5 days is plenty.
Safe storage laws. Or at least "must report theft". Make gun owners take responsibility for how they store their weapons.
Red Flag laws - that are both quick to process, and notably *EASY TO APPEAL* so they aren't just used as retaliation.
Will these steps stop mass shootings? No. But they just might help deter them. And one fewer is worth it.
And they might also reduce the two bigger gun violence problems: Domestic violence and suicide. Anything that delays someone getting a gun is proven to reduce both of those.
"It won't stop it completely" isn't an excuse to not try to REDUCE it.
At the same time, if you're a conservative who says "laws won't stop it" to gun violence, but is trying to pass laws to stop abortion? You're a hypocrite of the first order.
And no, abortion isn't murder. The two aren't comparable at all. Science doesn't back it up; *THE BIBLE* doesn't back it up.
@ehurtley Excellent thread, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Still I believe you left out the most effective action, one that will allow for all the others to be implemented: VOTE OUT ALL GOP CANDIDATES IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
They aid and abet mass shootings, and should be kept out of power.
@ehurtley NYC is flooded with these untraceable, printed guns(ghost guns) that anyone can assemble.It is perfectly legal to buy the parts online. Scares everyone...
@TomB No it isn't. "Ghost guns" is largely a lie.
Yes, it is *possible* to 3D print a gun. It requires either a metal 3D printer (extremely expensive) or produces a gun that will destroy itself in 10-30 rounds.
The bigger issue is "95% complete lowers" where you buy an unregulated component that takes ten minutes of work with a dremel to turn into "the regulated piece of a gun" - those should be regulated as guns. (Admittedly, using a dremel will produce an unreliable gun.)
@ehurtley I understand that....but the proliferation of these types of guns in NYC has become an epidemic. Every night there are multiple shooting shown on the news
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYHGFY6TJFQ
@ehurtley Actually, the people doing the background checks are hard pressed to get them back in a week. Not enough staffing. In Texas, if itβs not back in 10 days the gun shop can sell you a gun at their discretion, so they just sell it to you. Much better to set a realistic time frame and do thorough checks than rush them through.
Update laws on "machine guns" and suppressors. Regulate bump stocks and the like as machine guns - but allow manufacture and sale. But increase the taxes on these to keep up with inflation. The $200 tax was set in 1934.
If you really want one, fine. You can get one now. They're just outrageously expensive, so people don't use them when committing crimes (nobody's buying an automatic AK-47 for $40,000 to rob a bank.) Continue that, but keep the tax up with inflation.