Gun Control.

Friday, March 25, 2005
March 24, 2005
The Odd Silence After The School Shootings
By Steve Chapman

Rain in Seattle is not news; the news is when rain fails to fall, as it has
been doing lately. Likewise, what is conspicuous about the aftermath of the
school shootings in Red Lake, Minn., this week was what didn't occur -- a
torrent of calls for new gun-control legislation.

The attack was the worst at a school since Columbine six years ago. It came
on the heels of some other publicized eruptions of gun violence -- including
a rampage by a defendant at an Atlanta courthouse and a mass shooting at a
worship service in a Milwaukee suburb. In the past, any of these might have
spurred gun-control advocates into a major push for action. But this time,
not much has happened, and not much is likely to.

Why not? One simple reason is that Congress and the White House are both in
the hands of Republicans, who generally aren't eager to impose restrictions
on firearms. But maybe the Republicans are in power partly because of the
new mood that has settled over the issue of gun violence.

It's become clear over the years that most of these spectacular episodes are
so freakish that they are not amenable to regulatory solutions. It's also
become clear that any imaginable gun-control laws are not likely to have
much effect on crime in America.

Even the staunchest anti-gun organizations made only perfunctory efforts to
capitalize on the Minnesota shootings. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence used the opportunity to criticize Congress for letting the federal
"assault weapons" ban expire, mandating immediate destruction of the records
of gun sales, and considering a bill to limit lawsuits against gun dealers.

But these had nothing to do with what happened in Red Lake. Records of gun
sales? The killer, 16-year-old Jeff Weise, wasn't old enough to buy a gun
legally in Minnesota. At least two of his guns were stolen from his
grandfather, a police officer whom he killed.

Assault weapons ban? His arsenal included no such weapons -- only a
..22-caliber pistol, plus a police-issued .40-caliber handgun and 12-gauge
shotgun. Limiting lawsuits against dealers? A bill that hasn't been enacted
couldn't have caused a mass shooting yet.

The Violence Policy Center charged that the problem lies in "America's love
affair with guns," and held up the example of countries that, it says, have
prevented mass shootings through "severe restrictions on the availability of
specific classes of firearms, such as handguns and assault weapons." This
statement only confirmed the National Rifle Association's suspicion that
gun-control advocates are bent on banning entire categories of common
firearms -- even though most owners use them in a responsible and
law-abiding manner.

But decrying America's love affair with guns is like decrying America's love
affair with football or movies. There are some 260 million firearms in
private hands in this country. Any solution requiring vast numbers of people
to reject something they have long valued is not a solution but a fantasy.
It's also an admission that no politically feasible options are likely to
have any perceptible effect on crime.

Support for gun control has been sliding in recent years. In 1990, 78
percent of Americans said they thought laws on firearm sales should be
stricter. By 2004, only 54 percent agreed. By a 2-to-1 margin, they oppose a
general ban on private ownership of handguns -- as dreamed of by the
Violence Policy Center. When Congress let the "assault weapons" ban expire
last year, there was no public uproar.

Past experience with school shootings, horrific as they are, may have also
made people skeptical of overreaction. As it happens, this sort of mayhem is
rare and getting rarer. Last year's annual federal report on school crime
and safety notes that the number of kids killed at school dropped from 33 in
the 1998-99 school year to 14 in 2001-02. Other violent crimes against
students at school have also declined.

Common-sense security measures, like limiting access to schools by
outsiders, may help. But eliminating such shootings entirely is asking too
much. Says Ronald Stephens, executive director of the California-based
National School Safety Center, "It's very difficult to stop an incident like
this unless you have an army standing at the door."

Most Americans have probably figured that out, and while they may be shocked
and saddened by mass murder, they don't expect it to ever be eradicated
entirely. That sort of realism is no ally of gun control.

©2005 Creators Syndicate

"Don" <rath2@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:JtidneTLT49tutnfRVn-jg@comcast.com...
> who gives a fuck?? guns are for pussies.........real men kill with knives.
> get on a diet and never mind the guns ya fat fuckin slob.


Keeper off today?

Can't you anonymous pussies start your own thread?

who gives a fuck?? guns are for pussies.........real men kill with knives.
get on a diet and never mind the guns ya fat fuckin slob.


"Douglas W. "Popeye" Frederick" <Buzcutt454@aol.com> wrote in message
news:114882emsc5qja2@news.supernews.com...
> Friday, March 25, 2005
> March 24, 2005
> The Odd Silence After The School Shootings
> By Steve Chapman
>
> Rain in Seattle is not news; the news is when rain fails to fall, as it
> has
> been doing lately. Likewise, what is conspicuous about the aftermath of
> the
> school shootings in Red Lake, Minn., this week was what didn't occur -- a
> torrent of calls for new gun-control legislation.
>
> The attack was the worst at a school since Columbine six years ago. It
> came
> on the heels of some other publicized eruptions of gun violence --
> including
> a rampage by a defendant at an Atlanta courthouse and a mass shooting at a
> worship service in a Milwaukee suburb. In the past, any of these might
> have
> spurred gun-control advocates into a major push for action. But this time,
> not much has happened, and not much is likely to.
>
> Why not? One simple reason is that Congress and the White House are both
> in
> the hands of Republicans, who generally aren't eager to impose
> restrictions
> on firearms. But maybe the Republicans are in power partly because of the
> new mood that has settled over the issue of gun violence.
>
> It's become clear over the years that most of these spectacular episodes
> are
> so freakish that they are not amenable to regulatory solutions. It's also
> become clear that any imaginable gun-control laws are not likely to have
> much effect on crime in America.
>
> Even the staunchest anti-gun organizations made only perfunctory efforts
> to
> capitalize on the Minnesota shootings. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
> Violence used the opportunity to criticize Congress for letting the
> federal
> "assault weapons" ban expire, mandating immediate destruction of the
> records
> of gun sales, and considering a bill to limit lawsuits against gun
> dealers.
>
> But these had nothing to do with what happened in Red Lake. Records of gun
> sales? The killer, 16-year-old Jeff Weise, wasn't old enough to buy a gun
> legally in Minnesota. At least two of his guns were stolen from his
> grandfather, a police officer whom he killed.
>
> Assault weapons ban? His arsenal included no such weapons -- only a
> .22-caliber pistol, plus a police-issued .40-caliber handgun and 12-gauge
> shotgun. Limiting lawsuits against dealers? A bill that hasn't been
> enacted
> couldn't have caused a mass shooting yet.
>
> The Violence Policy Center charged that the problem lies in "America's
> love
> affair with guns," and held up the example of countries that, it says,
> have
> prevented mass shootings through "severe restrictions on the availability
> of
> specific classes of firearms, such as handguns and assault weapons." This
> statement only confirmed the National Rifle Association's suspicion that
> gun-control advocates are bent on banning entire categories of common
> firearms -- even though most owners use them in a responsible and
> law-abiding manner.
>
> But decrying America's love affair with guns is like decrying America's
> love
> affair with football or movies. There are some 260 million firearms in
> private hands in this country. Any solution requiring vast numbers of
> people
> to reject something they have long valued is not a solution but a fantasy.
> It's also an admission that no politically feasible options are likely to
> have any perceptible effect on crime.
>
> Support for gun control has been sliding in recent years. In 1990, 78
> percent of Americans said they thought laws on firearm sales should be
> stricter. By 2004, only 54 percent agreed. By a 2-to-1 margin, they oppose
> a
> general ban on private ownership of handguns -- as dreamed of by the
> Violence Policy Center. When Congress let the "assault weapons" ban expire
> last year, there was no public uproar.
>
> Past experience with school shootings, horrific as they are, may have also
> made people skeptical of overreaction. As it happens, this sort of mayhem
> is
> rare and getting rarer. Last year's annual federal report on school crime
> and safety notes that the number of kids killed at school dropped from 33
> in
> the 1998-99 school year to 14 in 2001-02. Other violent crimes against
> students at school have also declined.
>
> Common-sense security measures, like limiting access to schools by
> outsiders, may help. But eliminating such shootings entirely is asking too
> much. Says Ronald Stephens, executive director of the California-based
> National School Safety Center, "It's very difficult to stop an incident
> like
> this unless you have an army standing at the door."
>
> Most Americans have probably figured that out, and while they may be
> shocked
> and saddened by mass murder, they don't expect it to ever be eradicated
> entirely. That sort of realism is no ally of gun control.
>
> ©2005 Creators Syndicate
>
>
>

"Don" wrote in message news:JtidneTLT49tutnfRVn-jg@comcast.com...
> who gives a fuck?? guns are for pussies.........real men kill with knives.
> get on a diet and never mind the guns ya fat fuckin slob.

But with the various blood related disease these days, knives might result
in your former assailant getting the last laugh when you die 10 years from
now... Of course, it might be a posthumous laugh for him... Hmmm... I wonder
if gators can catch AIDs from eating infected bodies that have been disposed
of...

"Grumman-581" <grumman###@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:TD_0e.103322$r55.80949@attbi_s52...
> "Don" wrote in message news:JtidneTLT49tutnfRVn-jg@comcast.com...
> > who gives a fuck?? guns are for pussies.........real men kill with
knives.
> > get on a diet and never mind the guns ya fat fuckin slob.
>
> But with the various blood related disease these days, knives might result
> in your former assailant getting the last laugh when you die 10 years from
> now... Of course, it might be a posthumous laugh for him... Hmmm... I
wonder
> if gators can catch AIDs from eating infected bodies that have been
disposed
> of...

Ask a cop what they charge someone with who is HIV positive and knows it who
then screws, spits on or bites a person maliciously.