Well... yes. And also no. We live in a very different world than any period in history. We can communicate with strangers from across the planet or even off the planet almost instantly from almost anywhere, any time. We have machines that can pretty much take whatever you imagine and “print it out” for you. Parents used to let their kids run about unsupervised and trust them to strangers, people left their doors unlocked and gave rides to strangers or let a stranger come in and use the phone or restroom- even board for a night or so.
We can say people are the problem, and it is true. Say someone breaks into your home. It isn’t the company that made the lock pick set they used. Locksmiths need lock picks- you’ll be happy they have them of you ever find yourself locked out. Many people have their own lock picks- I had a car when I was younger that no key I made would always work. I kept a set of picks and it saved me several times when I couldn’t open the car with the key and was where I couldn’t get help of would have to wait too long for help to come. Some people just like the mechanics of locks and pick and build them for fun- sometimes they discover better ways to make locks or safer locks this way.
So we cannot blame the tool for how it is used. But- if we go MORE extreme, your own personal nuclear reactor could be very useful to many folks. Some folks would just buy it because it’s cool if they have some hobbyist interest. But you can’t just make your own nuclear reactor can you?
No private party had ever been convicted of a crime or murder involving a small “personal” nuclear device. Hell- you used to be able to buy plutonium and uranium in the mail too, no background checks! But.... that didn’t seem very prudent. Personally I’ve met my neighbors and I am thankful that they can’t own nuclear reactors as some can’t even keep their homes and yards clean enough to not attract pests.
So it’s complicated. The underlying issues of mass gun violence and terrorism are socio economic, political, and tied to other things like social services, mental wellness and availability and quality of care, feelings of opportunity and community, anger issues, personality disorders, and more. A well designed and properly kept, handled,and maintained small arm never got up and committed a murder on its own. A person must have the intent and will or the ineptitude to make that tragedy happen.
But it’s hard- almost impossible, and laced with peril to legislate people. Should we license parents? Should all adults fave aptitude and ability testing and be ranked by their scores, allowed or banned from various things as their records and test ratings dictate they are able to safely and adequately handle any given situation?
What is clear, or should be clear hopefully to everyone regardless of their politics or feelings on guns, is that we certainly cannot just shrug and say that mass shootings are the price of freedom and call the matter settled as something we simply must live with.
There are people who objectively should not have weapons. People who have threatened or attempted to kill others in society and expressed or shown they would do so again come to mind. There are weapons that we cannot legitimize a realistic need for that a competent person would argue- if you believe that any citizen should be able to buy an RPG-7 man portable grenade launcher or a tomahawk cruise missile you probably have some screws loose.
Restricting things like rate of fire for a firearm seem like good ideas until one gets in to the mechanics of how weapons work and realizes that compliance with such laws is largely a voluntary matter. You have essentially no way to tell a fully automatic version of a weapon from a semiautomatic version of the person who built or modified it doesn’t want you to be able to.
Many popular weapons used for mass shootings can be made at home by people with relatively little skill and equipment. And- how do you regulate parts of a fire arm? A barrel is just a metal pipe- usually with grooves. Something like a shotgun- can be made at a hardware store for less than $100 for a relatively effective and reliable weapon, $10 or less for a “single use” or crude one.
So at what point does a metal pipe go from being a plumbing supply to being a weapon part? At what point does a piece of plastic like a polymer pistol frame become a weapon? You can convert cap guns and dart guns and BB guns and such into weapons that fire small arms cartridges.
You’re a DA- how do you prove that a person was making a deadly gun or was modifying a NERF pistol or air soft toy or cosplay prop? We can’t just say: “if it seeks common sense the item is or is intended to be a gun...” in law, that would be too vague. Easily overturned, but also a terrifying idea since it simply relies on police to decide wether they feel whatever you may have is too close to a piece of plastic or metal that could be used as a gun- and you’re facing firearms felony charges.
So it gets VERY complex and once you’ve worded your very specific and well thought out law that specifies exactly what a gun is- someone will make something that is slightly different than your law prevents. Automatic weapons have been federally illegal save for certain exemptions for almost 100 years.
People made crank trigger devices. You turn a crank and the crank presses the trigger multiple times per rotation. They outlawed them most places. People made bunpstocks- those were recently targeted by laws. There have been and will continue to be numerous devices that get around the letter of law and require new laws and so on.
But here’s the real kick in the nuts- many guns including the popular AR series riffles- there are VERY small differences between a fully automatic version and a semi auto. It really comes mostly down to one tiny part with the AR, that can be made at home with little skill and can’t be seen when the riffle is assembled. If the person never shoots the riffle full auto, you wouldn’t know unless you dissembled it. The ATF is going to be very busy if we are goin to make them regularly dissemble and inspect every gun in America.
Rim fire weapons can have the head spacing reduced slightly by moving the barrel back- this makes it so that when a round enters the chamber, it fires before you pull the trigger. The first time you pull the trigger the riffle will empty itself, reload and repeat as desired. And you can do that on accident with an honest or careless mistake- or just a bad batch of parts out of spec due to manufacturing issues. Is the guy who buys that gun deserving of felony charges for possessing it if he didn’t know? How do you prove he knew or not?
The more you think about it and the more you know- the less cut and dry it becomes. Many states banned external magazines that detach from the weapon. People made things like “billet buttons” to meet the word of the law but circumvent it and allow slower tor less easy reloading than factory, but faster than would make the law worth anything in practice. They outlawed bullet buttons so people made speed loaders that allow you reload a riffles internal magazine without dissembling the riffle and as fast or almost as fast as changing magazines.
Around and around it goes. The law changes slower than technology and can’t be everywhere all the time. Over restrictive laws make “accidental criminals” out of honest and decent people. But while gun violence is largely a people problem and a social problem.... it’s still a problem. Changing people and changing society isn’t very easy or guaranteed. So we certainly do need some laws aimed at the guns themselves- ensuring accountability, taking prudent steps to mitigate or prevent harm, and steps to prevent those who don’t have the commitment, intent, and faculties to responsibly enjoy gun ownership from becoming statistics is a prudent step.
But in 1963 John F Kennedy was shot in the middle of a parade. So I don’t think it was such a great idea to freely give out guns with out proper background checks first.
Also in 1963 there was a school shooting where 6 kids got hurt and one man nearly died.
In 1966 in 96 minutes a lone gunman shot and killed 14 people and injured 31 others. One final victim died from his injuries in 2001.
All from University Texas tower.
And if you've ever seen that tower it's clear why he chose it. There's an open field right in front and no cover for 50 yards unless you actually run towards the tower, which a bunch of people in a panic is just... that's not gonna happen. Interestingly, there is also the bomb incident, when someone got pissed and literally blew up a school and killed something like 100 kids. Hell, the first school shooting on this countries' now soil is older than the country. A group of Native Americans walked into a school, shot and scalped the teacher and killed a bunch of kids; happened in 1764.
Yup I mention that Native American one once in here and seriously someone tried to argue with me saying it didn’t count as a school shooting.
I am sorry what part of school shooting is missing? A school shooting is literally just when a school is attacked by someone or a group of people and people are killed, hurt, and/or scared for their life.
But yeah everyone just assumes nothing happen till Columbine.
Well, the fire is light. I'm jumping on. If a criminal is at your door and knows you have a gun but doesn't know what kind or how skilled you are will he stop and think? Just something to think about.
What if it's the cops at your door and they have a no-knock and you think your home is being invaded and then your girlfriend gets shot while she's asleep for a warrant issued neither of you truly had a part in?
All good, man. No-knock warrants shouldn't be allowed on average citizens. I think that is extreme. Police should almost always identify themselves. As an organization they are the good guys. They shouldn't die for doing their job and you shouldn't either when dealing with them.
Your property is your own. If someone comes into it you should be allowed to defend yourself and your own. It's simplistic but simple generally works.
Not entirely true, a quick Google search led to this
On Monday, Aug. 1, 1966, a 25-year-old architectural engineering student and former Marine sniper, Charles Whitman, killed 15 people and wounded over 30 others in a mass shooting he carried out on the University of Texas's Austin campus. (Two more eventually died as a result of the attack).
Also in 1963 there was a school shooting where 6 kids got hurt and one man nearly died.
In 1966 in 96 minutes a lone gunman shot and killed 14 people and injured 31 others. One final victim died from his injuries in 2001.
All from University Texas tower.
I am sorry what part of school shooting is missing? A school shooting is literally just when a school is attacked by someone or a group of people and people are killed, hurt, and/or scared for their life.
But yeah everyone just assumes nothing happen till Columbine.
Your property is your own. If someone comes into it you should be allowed to defend yourself and your own. It's simplistic but simple generally works.
On Monday, Aug. 1, 1966, a 25-year-old architectural engineering student and former Marine sniper, Charles Whitman, killed 15 people and wounded over 30 others in a mass shooting he carried out on the University of Texas's Austin campus. (Two more eventually died as a result of the attack).