This shit with the latest school shooting is pissing me off.
After everything spree shooting there's talk about gun control.
This time however the right is taking the moral high ground and claiming that's it's just wrong to bring it up so soon. While I can understand where they're coming from, I call bullshit.
If the perpetrator was brown these same people would be up in arms over border control.
So no. You don't get to play the moral high ground card here.
Absolutely agree that there is room for discussion. And you may not believe this, but military grade weapons have always been available. And an AR-15, for instance, the big villain here, is nothing more than a semi-automatic rifle that has been publicly marketed for well over one hundred years. You could take every AR-15 tomorrow, but you've done nothing. There are hundreds of military or civilian rifles or shotguns that are identical in characteristics, many far more powerful.
Now I'm not smart enough to know what really needs to change, but I know for sure that nothing the government can pass as far as legislation is much in the way of an answer. As I said, it's problem with society, and how we've evolved from the days of my youth until today. Is is violent TV and film, video games, social media, who knows, but somewhere along the line society has devalued life in general. The problem is, we can never go back, that's for certain ... but arguing that it's all one thing or another ... or one political viewpoint or another ... just further divides us, it does nothing to find a solution. That's a big part of the problem right there. We've divided ourselves into armed camps right and left, and there is no middle ground. That's a big thing that's changed over my lifetime ... people no longer listen to one another, it's their way or the highway. There no longer is compromise for the better good. Sorry I have nothing more of value ... but to me, it's society itself that needs to change.
Amazing response, I'm so jaded from voat that elegant responses still astound me.
I've fired an AR-15 before and have looked into buying one, I'm not a total stranger to gun culture itself, though not quite as experienced as you are. There are hundreds of weapons with comparable killing power, so I can understand that the discussion centered around that particular weapon is pointless. That gun is a meme by this point. While civilians have always had some military weaponry available, for the first 150 years or so, it was far too expensive for the average person to be able to afford. Since the advance of semi automatic weapons the efficiency of putting lead down range and cost have both dropped dramatically. $500 gets me a decent high-point carbine and hundreds of rounds of 9mm.
I have really nothing to retort with your second paragraph as I completely agree with basically every point. People are so afraid of admitting they're wrong that they'll just bunker down despite any evidence. And it's no longer just on touchy topics like does god exist? But every single thing now, it's ridiculous.
There's got to be a solution somewhere, the rest of the world has tried different methods to varying success. What is it, like Norwary requires everyone to own a gun, and Australia outlawed them all. Those are two extremes that we could never accomplish.
I have no solutions, or at least easy ones. Like I said, it's a societal thing here in the States. We need to somehow evolve into a better society. Though the government can do some things to help, they certainly can't fix the problem.
As for the gun thing ... I disagree a bit on the availability of cheap military weapons in the past. A very good M-1 Carbine or Garand (seventy year-old plus Tech) could be purchased for a song back in my youth, along with all the dirt cheap military surplus ammo I could carry. The same was true of a WWII era P-38, Browning Hi-Power, or 1911 Colt handgun and ammo. And believe it or not, back before the '68 gun control law, all could be purchased by anyone through the mail from an ad in a men's magazine. I guess I'm just trying to say that the firepower was there and easily accessible ... the thought process to do anything with it other than plink or hunt, wasn't (generalization, of course, but none the less more accurate than not).
Sorry though ... I don't know how we get to that place again and it's sad to me that this has happened on my watch. All I know is somehow, evolution past the violent society which is now so pervasive is the only answer. I guess somehow we have to get back to thinking for the good of all, instead of what our own individual preferences.
As for Voat ... there are many good people. I ignore what I don't like there, which is getting harder all the time BTW, and attempt by what I post and comment to make it a better place. This may be a futile effort, but I'm not alone. But it is what it is and I understand how anyone could be easily jaded.
Personally, I think we should all revert back to double action revolvers and bolt action rifles. You still get your guns, but would limit the damage one can do.
There's most definitely a societal aspect. We're the top country for spree shootings. The gun culture here is borderline absurd. We're taught through media from a young age that guns can be a solution to a problem. Combined with our glorification of these perpetrators.
I don't believe there is a simple black and white solution. It's far too ingrained in our culture.
Deranged people have always existed, but the access to military grade hardware is a newer aspect.
Now the 2nd amendment argument certainly muddles the water. As there's good reason it exists.
I think it's time to have a serious discussion about a solution. Sadly everything is so politically charged it's damn near impossible.