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

I do.
I'm not saying getting rid of assault rifles will rid us of all crimes, not at all. But it will decrease them.

There is just no reason to have assault weapons. None. Collecting is not an excuse. A person's collection is worth more than lives? I don't think so.

Quoting ~Ice Princess~:" I do. I'm not saying getting rid of assault rifles will rid us of all crimes, not at all. But it ... [snip!] ... to have assault weapons. None. Collecting is not an excuse. A person's collection is worth more than lives? I don't think so."

Did you know that under the last assault weapons ban, they didn't ban assault weapons, just ones that look like them? You could buy the same exact weapon if it had a wooden stock and you couldn't buy it with a plastic stock.

Most of our mass murder victims fell to something other than a gun. 9/11, OKC, Bath School Massacre (1927, worst school killing in the US), etc.

Quoting khigh:" Did you know that under the last assault weapons ban, they didn't ban assault weapons, just ones that ... [snip!] ... murder victims fell to something other than a gun. 9/11, OKC, Bath School Massacre (1927, worst school killing in the US), etc."

To be fair, he did use a gun to set off the bomb in his truck...

I get that those things will/can happen without guns, but there has been MORE violence with guns than bombs. Why make it easier for killers?
If they're that determined to use a BOMB or bomb-like device, nothing will stop them.

But MAYBE in the case of Sandy Hook, if the people in her home had had to at least have psych evaluations, this wouldn't have happened.

Quoting ~Ice Princess~:" To be fair, he did use a gun to set off the bomb in his truck... I get that those things will/can happen ... [snip!] ... in the case of Sandy Hook, if the people in her home had had to at least have psych evaluations, this wouldn't have happened. "

If the teachers or school administration was armed, it wouldn't have happened or the death toll would have been less. I don't disagree that our mental health system should be reformed, but denying someone guns in their home is not going to stop their family member from getting them somewhere else.

Mass murder deaths actually peaked during the AWB.

Quoting khigh:" If the teachers or school administration was armed, it wouldn't have happened or the death toll would ... [snip!] ... not going to stop their family member from getting them somewhere else. Mass murder deaths actually peaked during the AWB. "

I think we need police on school grounds in EVERY school, bulletproof glass and metal detectors.
Every one cries about the cost, but what costs more? Some money or losing your child? I don't think you can put a value on our kids' lives.
Maybe if politicians/states would quit spending money on stupid smurf it could happen.

Quoting ~Ice Princess~:" I think we need police on school grounds in EVERY school, bulletproof glass and metal detectors. Every ... [snip!] ... you can put a value on our kids' lives. Maybe if politicians/states would quit spending money on stupid smurf it could happen."

We agree on that! My old high school (after I graduated) put in cops and metal detectors. The metal detectors didn't do anything. One girl taped a wooden baseball bat to her leg and beat the crap out of a pregnant teen because it was her boyfriend's baby.

However, the cops are a good idea. Another thing I have heard suggested is hiring veterans and retired police officers.

Quoting khigh:" We agree on that! My old high school (after I graduated) put in cops and metal detectors. The metal ... [snip!] ... baby. However, the cops are a good idea. Another thing I have heard suggested is hiring veterans and retired police officers."

That's an excellent idea.

Quoting ~Ice Princess~:" That's an excellent idea."

Speaking of, my son's 1st grade teacher (who is at a new school) said they had a parent volunteer to start patrolling the grounds every day. And he did yesterday.
I know it made her feel a little bit more at ease.

Quoting ~Ice Princess~:" Speaking of, my son's 1st grade teacher (who is at a new school) said they had a parent volunteer ... [snip!] ... volunteer to start patrolling the grounds every day. And he did yesterday. I know it made her feel a little bit more at ease."

They have security at DD's school which makes me feel better because it's an open school. The only walls are exterior and around the gym and cafeteria. Everything else is made up of bookshelves and dividers


I think they are putting police officers in the school my sister teaches at because they are in pods with huge windows.

Quoting Dahling:" I firmly believe in our right to bear arms, and I pray the people of our country won't ever allow our ... [snip!] ... stable enough to own firearms? Like others have said, making something illegal won't keep it out of criminals' hands."

.... but it's not criminals that do these mass shootings, it's everyday normal folk who have had a mental breakdown and got their hands on a gun.
You are right, a gun ban won't help in the case of the US because gun use there is too widespread now, a ban would never work. Gun owners just need to be more aware of who has access to their guns, that's all. That way, decent gun owners can continue to have their guns and the rest of the world can be safe in the knowledge that a total loony won't steal it. Gun safes with other locks,not just keys, maybe combination codes etc. Something needs to change to make the guns less accessable to others. Only the gun owner should have access. Also, gun owners need to realise that they shouldn't just assume their family members and friends are mentally ok. Mental health awareness is vital too.