Everything I have read suggests he was a nut job which is my point the tests they have for owning a gun are nowhere near good enough.
I have a few knives that would be considered illegal to most coppers, they would be considered weapons when they are in fact tools.
Tuthmes said:Someone can be sane, pass your test and go insane in the years to come. It also still doesnt address the issue that those weapons will be easily available to everyone. In a legal way or illegal. Or someone's emotional state, or mistakes and fkups, or, or...
Why do guns NEED to be legal?
It is not a one off test in England and should not be in the States. And I am sorry but what you are saying does not work for me. Some people kill themselves driving cars and kill others. So should they be banned? A very very small minority misuse guns but a lot of the time they seem to be legal guns. So better checks could go a long way.
This guy did not suddenly go boom he ordered guns and ammo and waited for it all to show up. It was premeditated and if he had to justify the assault rifle and 100 round drum magazine to the police he may have been stopped.
Good points, however I would argue that guns were invented as killing machines where as cars and alcohol aren't. Whilst id agree that all deaths related to all three things are just by products of their original purposes, you wouldn't go and legally buy a car or alcohol with the intent of murdering someone would you/
Guns have only one purpose, to kill.
The point is it's not about misusing guns (well it is actually). The point is having them around. As Tom already stated, they up the ante (in more ways then one).
Sure, they should be available for certain members of our society (police, hunting), but not as a right for everyone (as is the case in the USA).
My point is he shouldnt have beeing able to buy an assault rifle at all and the 4-6k bullets that go with it. Nobody should have that right (in the case of assault riffles, not even the police). As for his mental state. He whas study'ing at the university (3rd or 4th year). All the weapons he hade he aquired legally. He went bezerk and already hade the weapons. If they where harder to come by it might have taken him longer to get them. People may have noticed he hade them, etc.
Oh, and guns arnt purely invented as killing machines either, my sweet little BBC child of the '90s
See point #129, you screaming lefty.
come now... what were they invented for? shooting up blocks of wood for the fire?
I have left my caps loc untouched yet, republican!
Yes, guns are designed to "stop" people and animals:
Well I've been a gun owner all my life and I've never planned to shoot anyone, just like the VAST VAST majority of shooters ...
I honestly dont know what point you're trying to make.
Then why do you have one?
That's ok, I dont understand what politics have todo with gun ownership either.
Well I've been a gun owner all my life and I've never planned to shoot anyone, just like the VAST VAST majority of shooters ...
I'm sure. However, it doesn't change the fact that, in the USA it remains very easy to legally obtain something that was invented with the sole purpose of killing other lifeforms does it? That is fact and not opinion.
Why do I have one?
First question should always be : what the fuck has it got to do with you? Thats called civil rights where I come from.
But not to get your back up, and to answer your question, I have always shot targets ,paper or clay, and hunted off an on, all my life, just like god knows how many thousands of other people in this country, let alone in the US, where emasculation isnt always legislative.
The thing is, out there under your nose are many many people just like me, who do this stuff, but who always ended up getting legislation forced upon them by people like you; that is, with respect, people with lots of ideas but fuck all actual knowledge
What about people who do archery?
Should we ban bows as well? They're pretty dangerous.
No guns are made with the sole intention of killing other lifeforms, my hystestical chum. Before the ban there were loads of people in this country shooting pistols, but it only took 2 looneys to go mad and kill folks, and that was the end of pistol shooting (an Olympic sport) in this country. Fred West murdered and raped over 10 girls iirc, and buried them in his garden, are you suggesting we ban penises too?
Strong arguments you got there. Not sure anyone with that temper should be allowed to carry a gun though.
People like me? I don't even live anywhere near you. That also means there arent a whole lot of people just like you around me. Infact, if you where carry'ing a gun, I'd call the police and so would 99% of the people here.
I hate legislation as much as you do, but society needs rules (see the banking world aswell). Anyways, it's always fun to see how you want to turn this into a political debate, rather then debating the fact why you would want a gun. I take it you are pro legalizing weed and other drugs aswell?
Almost certain they are banned here in Holland aswell. Atleast the ones you can sport/kill with. You'd need a permit.
Bit off as they're not legal over here What's it like in comparison with Yankland, which was the main point I was trying to make?
You can argue for a gun ban on the basis of anything, dont make it right.
The funny thing about gun panics is that anyone with basic chemistry and easily available chemicals can create far more deadly devices but I have yet to hear calls for a ban on chapati flour etc.
Banning is not the answer gun control is. I have a friend who recently got a .22 rifle and the police work involved was staggering. He had 3 visits where he was told his safe was not good enough and that he needed a separate ammo safe. If America had checks anywhere near the same as here maybe these nut jobs would not get so many guns.
That's blanket punishment though. Hundreds of thousands of people can't be trusted with alcohol, they either damage themselves with it or damage/kill others while under the influence. If it wasn't for alcohol 1000s of people every year would be alive.
If we banned cars there would no longer be road traffic accidents or deaths by dangerous driving. Far more people die by vehicle in one way or another than would die from being shot if more gun ownership was allowed.
Oh, and guns arnt purely invented as killing machines either, my sweet little BBC child of the '90s
Why do I have one?
First question should always be : what the fuck has it got to do with you? Thats called civil rights where I come from.
Once again, rubbish analogy. Try robbing a bank or shooting up a cinema with a bottle of whiskey. Now you can argue that alcohol abuse can damage others as well as the person doing the abusing, but alcohol is an enabler, not an implement. You can't actually kill other people with the alcohol (well you can, but its rather difficult). As for cars, see the argument above. Amazingly you don't get people going on killing sprees with the highly dangerous Ford Focus.
In single incidents maybe and even then there are incidents of someone mounting the pavement and mowing down a bus queue, either because they are drunk or because they are not fit to drive. I actually saw some coffin dodger mount the pavement once in town. He drove for a good 100 metres before crashing into a wall, thankfully and miraculously nobody was seriously injured as most people got out the way...apparently his foot got stuck or some shit.
How is 12 people getting killed in one sitting differ from 12 different people getting run over by a bad driver or drink driver at different times?
you want to turn this into a political debate, rather then debating the fact why you would want a gun.