The Mass Shooting Epidemic...how do we stop it?

[Sean]

No single magic trick will stop all shootings. But that does not mean we should throw up our hands and do nothing at all, simply because whatever we do, will not stop EVERYTHING.

Mass shooting numbers dropped significantly when automatic-type weapons were banned, and jumped significantly when the ban expired. So - FOR GOD'S SAKE - we know that WORKS. It didn't stop all shootings, but it DID STOP MANY.

No one said there has to be one single magic trick? Who are you talking to or what point or comment are you addressing?

Where are the stats and numbers on Mass shootings dropping significantly when automatic-type weapons were banned. Where can we see the data on the significant jump in mass murders when the automatic ban expired? I thought the automatic ban was still in effect. I also know that there is significant monkeying around with the definitions and numbers to make it seem as if a mass shooting is occurring virtually everyday.

Shootings fall mostly into some categories:
street violence, gang, rage
suicide and domestic violence
crazy young men shooting into a crowd

If AR and AK platforms were banned...it would only effect a very small percentage of gun deaths but yet that is where all the focus is...FOR GOD'S SAKE why do gun control people always want to focus on the smallest aspect instead of the something that would make the most significant change? Social chaos and mental health are always just another of many parts of many small parts instead of admitting that they are the overwhelmingly largest factors. WE KNOW WHAT DOESN'T WORK and that is the many gun laws we already have, so what reasonable person would insist that more gun laws are what is needed?

[Ivy]

what reasonable person would insist that more gun laws are what is needed?

Apparently quite a few of us. Check out the poll link I posted earlier.

[teresa]

Excerpt from h**ps://www.wired.com/story/the-looser-a-states ... gs-it-has/

In a paper published earlier this year in BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal), epidemiologists at Columbia University looked back at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s crime database from 1998 to 2015 to calculate annual rates of mass shootings in each state. Then they matched that up against each year’s edition of the Traveler’s Guide to the Firearms Laws of the Fifty States—an annual report that tracks any changes to gun laws in all 50 states and rates each one on their permissiveness. Published by a Kentucky attorney and arms dealer for a gun-toting audience, the guide is frequently promoted by the National Rifle Association. States are scored zero (for completely restrictive) to 100 (for completely permissive) based on 13 factors, including the right to carry guns in the open, limitations on the types of guns state residents can own, and whether out-of-state gun permits are recognized...

...When they compared those scores to mass shootings per million residents, they found that for every 10-point relaxation in a state’s gun laws, the rates of mass shootings in that state increased by 11.5 percent. This trend showed up even after the models were adjusted for population demographics like household income, unemployment, poverty, education, incarceration rates, and race.

[teresa]

.it would only effect a very small percentage of gun deaths but yet that is where all the focus is..

That is a good point, Sean. The focus needs to be broader. At the same time, emerging statistics (see above post) seem to indicate that gun control can help avoid mass shootings.

And other statistics comparing countries seem to indicate that gun controls can help with gun violence overall.

However, people don't need guns to kill themselves or others, so the focus needs to be broader in preventing suicide and violence towards others.

I don't think it has to be either/or.

[Cootie Brown]

In other countries that don’t allow private citizens to have guns the killers use bombs, knives, and vehicles. If someone wants to kill people they will find a way.

The horse left the barn a long time ago. There is an estimated 300 million guns in the hands of private citizens. Proposing new guns laws is just politicians being politicians. New guns laws will not stop anyone from getting a gun if they want one. Blackmarket guns are available virtually everywhere.

Better security in schools, public buildings, shopping and entertainment areas with high people traffic. Also putting more emphasis on “see something say something” to alert authorities. A change in the law to allow the police to stop and frisk people would also be beneficial. Also installing high tech cameras in schools and public areas with 24/7 monitoring would be beneficial.

An emphasis on better security makes much more sense that new gun laws. Again, there is an estimated 300 million guns in the hands of private citizens now. That Genie is not going back in the bottle.

[Ivy]

In other countries that don’t allow private citizens to have guns the killers use bombs, knives, and vehicles. If someone wants to kill people they will find a way.

The horse left the barn a long time ago. There is an estimated 300 million guns in the hands of private citizens. Proposing new guns laws is just politicians being politicians. New guns laws will not stop anyone from getting a gun if they want one. Blackmarket guns are available virtually everywhere.

Better security in schools, public buildings, shopping and entertainment areas with high people traffic. Also putting more emphasis on “see something say something” to alert authorities. A change in the law to allow the police to stop and frisk people would also be beneficial. Also installing high tech cameras in schools and public areas with 24/7 monitoring would be beneficial.

An emphasis on better security makes much more sense that new gun laws. Again, there is an estimated 300 million guns in the hands of private citizens now. That Genie is not going back in the bottle.

Did you read Teresa's posts?

[Cootie Brown]

I agree a ban on automatic & semi-automatic weapons is reasonable. Limits on the numbers of rounds a gun can hold is also reasonable. Clips should be limited to 6 rounds for a pistol & rifle.

On Guam shooting ranges are available where citizens can shoot machine guns and similar weapons. That could be an option too for people that want to shoot machine guns for fun. Such weapons would need to be secured and not allowed off premises.

I also think gun licenses need to have a minimum age of 21. Permits, for younger people, just like a learners permit for a drivers license could be available, as long as they are with a licensed adult gun owner.

Gun permits are so easy to obtain that many gang members are legally licensed to carry their weapons. Gang affiliation should be a reason to deny a gun license, along with alcohol and drug arrest.

[Ivy]

I think for it to be said that "the horse is out of the barn and there's nothing we can do now" is BS. Teresa gives some solid statistics on that.

[Cootie Brown]

In other countries that don’t allow private citizens to have guns the killers use bombs, knives, and vehicles. If someone wants to kill people they will find a way.

The horse left the barn a long time ago. There is an estimated 300 million guns in the hands of private citizens. Proposing new guns laws is just politicians being politicians. New guns laws will not stop anyone from getting a gun if they want one. Blackmarket guns are available virtually everywhere.

Better security in schools, public buildings, shopping and entertainment areas with high people traffic. Also putting more emphasis on “see something say something” to alert authorities. A change in the law to allow the police to stop and frisk people would also be beneficial. Also installing high tech cameras in schools and public areas with 24/7 monitoring would be beneficial.

An emphasis on better security makes much more sense that new gun laws. Again, there is an estimated 300 million guns in the hands of private citizens now. That Genie is not going back in the bottle.

Did you read Teresa's posts?

I did. I do not believe new gun laws will solve the problem but I noted, in another post, some tweaks to existing gun laws make sense.

[Cootie Brown]

I think for it to be said that "the horse is out of the barn and there's nothing we can do now" is BS. Teresa gives some solid statistics on that.

I did not say there is nothing that can be done now. I have offered several ideas that would likely reduce the killings and still not breach the 2nd amendment. You do realize any new gun laws are going to be challenged in court as a breach of 2nd amendment rights? That is no small obstacle to overcome.

Political solutions are intended to make people feel good, they are not intended to actually change anything in any significant way. Politicians just need to cover their butts politically.