Another US shooting

[Mtoto]

Isn't the whole "right to bear arms" thing a misinterpretation? I vaguely recall someone saying that it applied, historically, to taking up arms against enemies, foreign and domestic rather than stockpiling an arsenal in your basement.

The crucial sentence from the Second Amendment reads:

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

But the first clause always seems to be (conveniently) overlooked.

The Amendment was introduced at a time when independence from Britain was still in its infancy and very fragile. The US was not really secure as a new nation until after the War of 1812, during which the British occupied Washington. The intention of the Amendment was that loyal Americans would be able to mobilise and fight an invader at a moment's notice, not that over 200 years later, they would be able to carry concealed weapons everywhere for personal protection because, well, everyone else has got a gun too.

 

[BBassic]

The crucial sentence from the Second Amendment reads:

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

But the first clause always seems to be (conveniently) overlooked.

The Amendment was introduced at a time when independence from Britain was still in its infancy and very fragile. The US was not really secure as a new nation until after the War of 1812, during which the British occupied Washington. The intention of the Amendment was that loyal Americans would be able to mobilise and fight an invader at a moment's notice, not that over 200 years later, they would be able to carry concealed weapons everywhere for personal protection because, well, everyone else has got a gun too.

That was it. Thanks

 

[Buzzer]

Once again its Christians using their religion to kill people. I know not all of them aren't murdering scum, but it's about time the moderate Christians did more than speak up about the cancer in their midst and call the authorities to prevent some more of these terrorist acts.

Personally if I was Obama I would send them all back to Jersusalem where they came from. I know some of you limp wristed tofu munching sandal wearing liberals will say that some of them were born in the US and so should be allowed to live there, but you can't be too sure can you, and we don't want any more of that type of thing here.

The counter argument to that would therefore be that the problem is that the murderer lives in a country that vilifies his religious beliefs, that he's probably part of an ethnic immigant minority that feels under attack and his country is also engaged in a war against Christianity having bombed innocent Christians in the Middle East and this is what radicalises young men to commit these atrocities both at home and to join terrorist Christian organisations abroad.

Oh...hang on, that's not true either. Nice try El Pres, I can see what you're trying to do but you're conflating two completely separate issues. You simply can't compare the problem of Islamic fundamentalist terrrorism in the UK/Middle East with racist redneck murders in the US.

 

[El Presidente]

Oh...hang on, that's not true either. Nice try El Pres, I can see what you're trying to do but your conflating two completely separate issues. You simply can't compare the problem of Islamic fundamentalist terrrorism in the UK/Middle East with racist redneck murders in the US.

Good use of the word 'conflating', I'll have to Google it!

 

[1234andcounting]

If someone lives in rural USA which a lot of people still do a gun is still very much part of their culture and has been for 200+ years.

So was slavery, but they have almost managed to give that up.

I am starting a campaign to bring back bear baiting and sending children up chimneys on that basis.

 

[El Presidente]

The US has 10.6 gun deaths per 100,000 population, compared to 2.22 for Canada and 2.91 for Switzerland, where they have similarly relaxed gun controls. (The UK, which has much stricter controls, has 0.25, so you are 42 times more likely to be killed in a gun death in the US than the UK).

It would therefore appear that guns don't kill people, Americans do.

To put the figures in context, we could look at deaths from vehicles. There are 3.5 deaths per 100,000 population in the UK, but 11.6 in the US. So whilst gun death is a big issue stateside, their obsession with big ugly dangerous cars that kill is actually worse.

I don't see Piers Morgan moralising or campaigning about banning SUV's though.

 

[Stat Brother]

Kalamazoo, Michigan: Seven shot dead in 'random' attacks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35624558

 

[Hillian1]

Land of the free.

 

[Stat Brother]

Land of the free.

Don't forget though that freedom is under threat from ISIS and Mexico.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

The US has 10.6 gun deaths per 100,000 population, compared to 2.22 for Canada and 2.91 for Switzerland, where they have similarly relaxed gun controls. (The UK, which has much stricter controls, has 0.25, so you are 42 times more likely to be killed in a gun death in the US than the UK).

It would therefore appear that guns don't kill people, Americans do.

To put the figures in context, we could look at deaths from vehicles. There are 3.5 deaths per 100,000 population in the UK, but 11.6 in the US. So whilst gun death is a big issue stateside, their obsession with big ugly dangerous cars that kill is actually worse.

I don't see Piers Morgan moralising or campaigning about banning SUV's though.

I would imagine mass shootings don't affect the American statistic much, more crime and poverty which could be tackle via social spending on things like education and rehabilitation of criminals. All the while large 'ghettos' exist around the us, the shooting rate will remain high.

 

[studio150]

Enough is enough another shooting being repiryed in Kansas with 4 dead including the gunman and 20 injured mostly seriously.

Its almost getting to the stage where this horrific events are not newsworthy as just an everyday event.