Should the 2nd amendment (Right to Bear Arms) be Abolished?

[Vibranium]

gunman in Aurora, Colo has hostages, in standoff

http://gawker.com/5973375/gunman-in-...ding-to-police

[thwhtGuardian]

As a fellow New Englander I have to say I'm unfamiliar with New England paranoia. Unfriendliness? Sure. Thriftiness? You bet. Prone to complaining about the weather, vacationers, taxes, and politicians? Yes indeed (though I doubt that's really just a New England thing). But not so much the paranoia.

Same here, I don't see much paranoia in Mass either.

[Puma]

Same here, I don't see much paranoia in Mass either.

You'll soon notice that Vibranium tends to use broad generalities rather than limiters when ascribing traits of large groups.

[Jeff Brady]

You'll soon notice that Vibranium tends to use broad generalities rather than limiters when ascribing traits of large groups.

Especially ones that don't even exist.

[verslibre]

Nor should you, but more often than not when an intruder is disturbed they high tail it rather than attack the home owner. Now I'm not questioning her actions, but I do wonder if the woman had shouted a warning that she was armed what the intruder would've done. There's every chance that he had no idea that the house was occupied and he'd have legged it.

Overstating the obvious. This guy did not. He didn't bolt when he learned there was somebody home (a light on upstairs, if not downstairs, should have given that away), and we don't know if he tried to when he saw that revolver, but the fact he got hit so many times tells me he got close enough for her to panic. He clearly wasn't there to borrow some eggs and flour because people don't force their way into homes for those kinds of things.

[Vibranium]

You'll soon notice that Vibranium tends to use broad generalities rather than limiters when ascribing traits of large groups.

its profiling im sorry

I guess as you move farther north, people get less tense

My dad lives in NH and he's pretty mellow

[thwhtGuardian]

its profiling im sorry

I guess as you move farther north, people get less tense

My dad lives in NH and he's pretty mellow

I don't even know if that's true, I know plenty of people who live in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Florida who aren't paranoid.

Paranoia has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with mental illness.

[Vibranium]

I don't even know if that's true, I know plenty of people who live in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Florida who aren't paranoid.

Paranoia has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with mental illness.

how dare you?

maybe it's not paranoia, just cynicism

I'd like if this country could have a helpful dialogue about gun control and mental health, but as days go by, that fades a bit

[thehod]

Overstating the obvious. This guy did not. He didn't bolt when he learned there was somebody home (a light on upstairs, if not downstairs, should have given that away), and we don't know if he tried to when he saw that revolver, but the fact he got hit so many times tells me he got close enough for her to panic. He clearly wasn't there to borrow some eggs and flour because people don't force their way into homes for those kinds of things.

A light on in a house, to use your example, is not indicative of someone being home. It is entirely possible his intention was to hurt the people in the house, but it's also possible he stumbled onto them by accident while searching the place. The fact is we don't know.
And stop painting his actions as innocent, because that is nothing like I've suggested. He was in the wrong in every way.

The point is the instances of an intruder breaking in with a intent to harm is very rare, and, in my opinion, does not justify the requirement to own a firearm for self defence reasons as the instances of them working for a home owners benefit are easily outweighed by the instances where they were either not required, were of no use or worse, have resulted in the wounding, fatal or otherwise of one of the residents.

[Kees_L]

I'd like if this country could have a helpful dialogue about gun control and mental health, but as days go by, that fades a bit

The country? So it's the country arguing through your own mouth and posts or would that be you?

I'd say you ought to expect to get called on things you say, depending on how reasonable your reasoning would come across as or in case of such lacking?

So being like

its profiling im sorry

might not be to cut it?

I mean I understand your point on how 'difficult things would be difficult, among or between any different people' but. At the same time anyone might be aware of such already, in conversations or threads such as these.
Which is why ones' own reasoning would need to get put forth as aptly or soundly as possible, for any reasoning or any conversations.
And for conversations on difficult or laden or potentially controversial stuff only the more so. Which is where the getting called on would come in.

[Gary_B]

Meanwhile, a burning of "violent" video games, movies and CDs is still on schedule for the 12th.

Fahrenheit 580.

[Vibranium]

Fahrenheit 580.

Fahrenheint 360? no

is this thing on? *taps mic*

[Valerie]

No it isn't. You have tests, licenses' taxes and you constantly have to prove you're fit to drive a car, and also, there's not people going out committing spree killings because they jumped into an Audi and thought they'd kill a bunch of kids.

Frankly your entirely argument is bankrupt and I think somewhere deep down you know this hence the NRA soundbites you're recycling in order to dismiss more people being killed for your 'rights'.

Wrong on both points. Driving tests, licenses, and taxes do not prevent inattentive or reckless driving. Yes, drivers education and testing are good things, but only insofar as people pay attention to what they've learned.

And yes, automobiles have been used as weapons in a number of crimes, even in attempts at spree killing, whether by intentionally running people over or by loading a car with some explosives and detonating it.

Again, the problem is not with cars themselves, but with how people choose to use or abuse them.

[Valerie]

Oh, so when you said "I believe if those rights were used by more people with due regard for all the responsibilities involved, we'd have fewer dead kids", you were blaming the dead teachers for not having guns because real-life would be like a Hollywood film.

No. I'm blaming lawmakers who think unarmed, defenseless, dead teachers are more acceptable and morally superior to armed, well trained personnel better capable of protecting children from criminals.

[Valerie]

Abolished? No.

But I have yet to see any reason why the average non-police, non-military citizen should be allowed to own a gun where pressing/holding the trigger once fires more than one bullet. Determine set numbers and classifications for assault or automatic or semi-automatic (whatever you want to call them) guns. And then develop regulations and laws to either keep the high end stuff out of the hands of the general public, or at least make them extremely difficult to obtain.

A firearm that fires more than one round per trigger pull is an automatic, and for the most part is already illegal for private civilian ownership and use in the United States. Semiautomatics only fire one round per trigger pull, but don't necessarily need to be reloaded every time they're fired unless they are being used as single fire. These inlcude a lot of rifles, some shotguns, and nearly all handguns- everything loaded with a magazine, tube-loaded rifles (which have what some would call expanded capacity, though they are not easy to reload), and revolvers.