Quoting khigh:" I want an armed bear! And, while we are at it....a shark with a laser on its head."

Ohhh!







Also, cause I am never able to resist a good pun:

If someone comes into my home and shoots me I'd never blame it on the gun. To Ban or blame guns does not stop things like what happend Fri from happening, it just makes it hard for people that know gun safety and use guns properly to protect themselves should a situation come into play when they need one. We may need new procedures put in place but any kind of ban is not the answer. It only leaves criminals and sick people with guns and everyone else defenseless.. You dont have to like guns or own one but to even start thinking a solution to these shootings is banning guns is not an answer.

Also we have the highest crime with guns in the US cause we have easier access to guns, if other countries had access like we do the numbers would go up there too. There is crime and killings all day everyday in other countries, people WILL kill no matter what.

Quoting ~Julie Blue Eyes~:" It would be one thing to call her "irresponsible" if the kid was 5, took it with him to class and then ... [snip!] ... a dozen? Would you call her an irresponsible car owner because she didn't hide her keys from him? Of course you wouldn't."

A gun owner should NEVER assume that their gun is safe to be left lying around and not locked away so yes, I would call anyone who leaves their gun accessable to others irresponsible.
Of course the bad guy here is Adam lanza and of course he could've chosen many other ways to inflict suffering. I am not lobbying to ban guns here, just to insist that gun owners take responsibilty for their own guns and not assume that others will respect their weapons as much as they do. I certainly wouldn't leave my car keys lying around. My car keys are either in my pocket or in my purse when I am not using them..... and my purse is always with me.
By suggesting gun owners took more responsibility for their guns I wasn't trying to bash on gun owners. I think it is in their favour. That way the people wanting to ban guns have less 'ammo' (excuse the pun) for their campaign.

Quoting Rabbit™:" "

That last part is just stupid....

You don't see many atheists going around and committing these atrocities.
And the Nazis used guns to get the people TO the cyanide. Not to mention the many they killed WITH guns.

Quoting LolaMcKitten:" Obviously it's the person who kills and not the weapon - but I still do not see a need for civilians ... [snip!] ... armed aside from hunting for food. I don't think it's practical at this point, but I still do not believe guns are necessary. "

 

Quoting sταrry skies:" No. What people are failing to realize is that criminals and mentally ill people bent on causing death ... [snip!] ... are registered gun owners and don't commit crimes? How many people carry a concealed weapon and don't use it illegally?"

You're right. They'll kill regardless. But not on a massive scale like this.
Someone on my FB said someone killed with a microphone. Well, if this person had a microphone, I doubt they would have been able to make it to victim number two without a teacher taking them out. But he had a gun, a very fast killing one at that.
Yes, the man in China used a knife to attack a school. But those 20+ kids parents will still have children to hold. If he had had a gun like in CT, things would have been different.
No one is saying people won't kill regardless. But guns DO make it easier to kill on a massive scale.

Also, most guns are used for crime, not protection.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/research/hicrc/firearms-research/gun-threats-and-self-defense-gun-use/index.html

Quoting Faith1LovesMLP:" Guns shouldn't be illegal. It's a Constitutional right to bear arms."

I doubt the founding fathers had automatic or even semi-automatic weapons in mind when they drew up the constitution.

Quoting Melissa   16 weeks!:" Banning guns won't do a thing."

It has for other countries...why are we so different????

Quoting Squid Kid:" I don't get why people defend the right to have guns so badly, honestly. I think they're WAY too accessible ... [snip!] ... or military, I see no reason for a civilian to need a gun unless they love in the boonies and have to fend off bears."

 

Quoting ~Ice Princess~:" It has for other countries...why are we so different????"

Too bad it'll never happen here, hm?

Quoting LolaMcKitten:" Ohhh! Also, cause I am never able to resist a good pun: "

LOL

Quoting sταrry skies:" To bad it'll never happen here, hm?"

Crazier things have happened.

At the LEAST, I think that you, and everyone in your home, should have to pass a psychological evaluation. And assault weapons should be gone. There's NO reason to have them. Period.

Quoting Emmiboo:" A gun owner should NEVER assume that their gun is safe to be left lying around and not locked away so ... [snip!] ... I think it is in their favour. That way the people wanting to ban guns have less 'ammo' (excuse the pun) for their campaign."

I understand your point, but you seem to have forgotten that the shooter KILLED his mother, the gun owner. He could have stabbed her with a knife or knocked her unconcious with a baseball bat to grab the keys off her person in order to access the gun safe (or car, depending on which direction we're going with this). If someone is willing to steal and kill, there's not much anyone can do about it--they'll find a way somehow. The terrorists of 9/11 planned and prepared for years, and they didn't use any guns to kill those thousands of people.

Maybe if the mom had had one of her guns on her, she could have shot him before he had the chance to hurt her or leave the house to hurt anyone else--but even then, I'm not sure if many mothers could kill their own child even out of self defense.

I firmly believe in our right to bear arms, and I pray the people of our country won't ever allow our government to steal that right from us. I don't think anyone in their right mind fully trusts our government, so why on earth would we allow it to disarm us and make us vulnerable to whatever corruption it could bring about? As far as people wanting psych evaluations required for gun permits, who is going to perform those evaluations? And who's to say the government won't get their hands in that and magically determine that nobody is mentally stable enough to own firearms?

Like others have said, making something illegal won't keep it out of criminals' hands.

Quoting ~Ice Princess~:" You're right. They'll kill regardless. But not on a massive scale like this. Someone on my FB said ... [snip!] ... not protection. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/research/hicrc/firearms-research/gun-threats-and-self-defense-gun-use/index.html"

Not on a massive scale such as this? Do you not remember April 19, 1995?