thank you, I\m trying my best but I just can't get through and after Friday\s shooting I\m more scared and I think I need police assistance now.

 

FlashlsisMayia,

 

Good call IMHO. This NewTown slaughter, along with the nurse that committed suicide in London, prompted me to get ahold of someone's parents to warn them to try to help their adult child with what looks to me like a case of dangerous delusion and/or depression. Better to overact beforehand out of an abundance of caution, than to afterward be forced to react out of horror because of a lack of it. Been there, done that, and it still hurts.

 

Kind regards,

bad news and I said my prayers. can we just lock this thread now ?

bad news and I said my prayers. can we just lock this thread now ?

I guess its all up to Chase or Stephen to lock this thread, I don't mind. God Bless and Happy Holidays to everyone on Avsim.

The question here isn't if guns have a place or not, it's a question of how do you ensure that guns do not get into the wrong hands, and that those with guns are mentally sound and capable of using them correctly.

 

Precisely. Could not have said it better.

 

Btw Ró... the reason I said about not such a great time to discuss this "gun control" stuff several days ago is, I believe there is a time to do this... but not right after the incident when emotions are running high and the grieving has barely started. The Democratic Party here seems keen on playing on people's emotions in an attempt to pass legislative restrictions on otherwise law abiding citizens.

 

 

But that mad kid had access to a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns that his mum had in the house legally because she thought Doomsday was coming...

 

How bizarre a statement! Why not accuse me of the very same thing as his mom! Nothing could be further from the "truth". You don't know why she purchased what she did... maybe she was involved in competition shooting. Maybe she was starting a collection. Maybe she was concerned about her and her son's welfare and how to protect them in case of home invasion. Maybe she had good intentions and wanted to introduce her son to a legitimate competitive sport. Maybe she was trying to find something they both had an interest in. In this case, the kid must have had some sort of psychiatric issues not dealt with. Seems to be the major component in these mass shootings.

 

Semi-automatic pistols have only one purpose, to kill people rapidly.

 

Nice try... but you are still confused...

 

In 35 years time (since a teen) which includes military, law enforcement and civilian use... I have never killed anyone with semi-automatic handgun... rapidly or otherwise. I have used it for many other purposes... millions of law abiding citizens in the U.S. have done the same... for the last century.

 

You could make a statement which would be quite less ignorant if you swapped in "cars".

 

"Automobiles have only one purpose, to kill people rapidly." Numbers would back you much better. As a country during the late 60s / early 70s, the U.S. was close to losing more people each year than those killed during the entire period of the Vietnam War. We easily lose a tenth of 1% of our population per year due to automobile accidents.

 

Florida is about to become the first U.S. state to issue one million permits to carry a concealed handgun. Don't hear a lot about people being killed rapidly in Florida.

 

If you want to make a statement about guns... don't say something utterly ridiculous as "only one purpose". We who have used them lawfully know better. A much better statement would be, "though handguns have many useful purposes when used lawfully, the potential for and actual abuse is a constant concern. Is lawful handgun ownership by private citizens really worth the risks it can pose to society?"

 

I found what I consider an interesting statement on a webpage "Sponsored by Friends of the NRA in Vermont":

 

"Impeached President Clinton once declared that any rifle which is black and resembles a military firearm is designed "only for killing people". 12-year-old Rachael of Vermont apparently didn't get the message, as she enjoys shooting the Colt Sporter HBAR Match rifle at paper targets (there is a picture of "Rachael" firing an AR-15). We sometimes wonder what kind of sick mind can only think of firearms in terms of the taking of human life. Fortunately, that particular sick mind is now relegated to history."

 

My understanding is that the wording of the 2nd amendment is ambiguous and open to interpretation, meaning different things to different people.

 

You are incorrect in your understanding. You need to study the purpose the founding fathers of our country had when writing the our Constitution. You also need to study case law relating to the 2nd Amendment.

 

Indiana wrote it's (the state's) constitution a short number of years later. The state founders spelled out specifically lest there be any ambiguity. Indiana Bill of Rights, Article 1, Section 32. "The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State."

 

It's worth noting that one of the worst atrocities of modern times, 9/11, was inspired by God

 

:rolleyes:

 

Just when you think you have heard it all wrt conspiracy theories re: 9/11...

 

That is rich.

bad news and I said my prayers. can we just lock this thread now ?

 

And what about all the others on the forum still sorting through their feelings..... coming to grips with their thoughts and emotions?

 

We have had our say, and everyone else is out of luck?

 

(I would note though for all involved, that we have been told, and should keep in mind, that the key word is respect)

I would also like to give my condolences for the innocence lost. As a father of 4 boys, this hits close to home. I can only hope and pray I never have to go through what those grieving parents are going through now and in the future. My heart goes out to all those effected by this tragedy.

 

Rest in Peace, little ones.

 

jime

I appreciate the open respectful discussion and the mods recognizing everyone copes in their own ways...

 

I have seen a lot of posts regarding Video games, movies etc... here are some REAL statistics...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...canada-20759139

 

Figures from the United Nations show the US sitting fifth in the world in terms of people murdered by a firearm, with 9,960 such homicides in 2010.

But in part this is because of its large population: the US falls to 26th, behind many Latin American and Caribbean countries, when the figure is expressed as a rate per 100,000 people.

 

 

Guessing they aren't playing a lot of video games or watching a lot of violent TV in those countries but the primary driver still remains drugs, poverty and desperation..

 

Also, very sad to see the funerals begin today, brought a tear to my eye and also good to see a good news story regarding JetBlue out of this...

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/compassionate-airline-fulfills-wish-sandy-hook-victim-family-202004360.html

Also, does anyone remember Pearl River MS?

http://en.wikipedia....School_shooting

 

The incident began on the morning of October 1, 1997 when Luke Woodham fatally stabbed and bludgeoned his mother, Mary Woodham, as she prepared for a morning jog. At his trial, Woodham claimed that he could not remember killing his mother.

Woodham drove his mother's car to Pearl High School. Wearing an orange jumpsuit and a trenchcoat,^[1] he made no attempt to hide his rifle. When he entered the school, he fatally shot Lydia Kaye Dew and Christina Menefee, his former girlfriend. Pearl High School assistant band director, Jeff Cannon, was standing five feet away from Dew when she was fatally shot. Woodham went on to wound seven others before leaving, intending to drive off campus and conduct another shooting at the nearby Pearl Junior High School. However, assistant principal Joel Myrick had retrieved a .45 pistol from the glove compartment of his truck and subdued Woodham inside his mother's car.

 

DISCLAIMER: Apologies if not being scared to speak about the issue offends anyone, it is not for lack of compassion but compassion with a desire to question and better understand.

 

I am also neither pro nor con, I believe in greater regulation in the forms of better licensing, stricter interview process, expiring permits that require re-interviewing and accounting for all your weapons since your last license. If you can't do that you don't get your license renewed. So I am not just pro-gun or anti gun laws, just open to discussion...

It's worth noting that one of the worst atrocities of modern times, 9/11, was inspired by God (via Bin Laden and his cronies).

Well really 9/11 was an attack inspired by politics, I think religion was just used as an excuse to justify the attack in eyes of some extremists... But yeah, sure some mentally disturbed people can always get influenced by many other things than just games and do some horrible things.

:rolleyes:

 

Just when you think you have heard it all wrt conspiracy theories re: 9/11...

 

That is rich.

That was your response to my (taken out of context) remark, "It's worth noting that one of the worst atrocities of modern times, 9/11, was inspired by God". Did you read the rest of what I said?

 

Fair enough though; I should have said, "..was inspired by belief in God". My bad, but this simply came about because I'm not a believer, I follow no religion, and "God" means much the same as "belief in God" to me.

 

I was trying to make a point with respect to other comments about the influence or otherwise of violent media, such as video games, on potentially violent personalities, that involved attempting to show that those predisposed to violence could find their inspiration anywhere.

 

Why you should think it a conspiracy theory for me to say that the 9/11 attackers were inspired by (let's get it right this time) a belief in God baffles me. They were Islamist fundamentalist terrorists motivated by a bizarre & medieval interpretation of religious texts (probably originating, and developed from, the writings of Sayyid Qtub, who hated the USA and all its works), and believed themselves to be heading for holy martyrdom with that attack on the WTC.

 

You do know that "Allah" is just what the Arabs (and in fact some Christian sects) call "God"?

 

So yes, it was a conspiracy, but by Islamist fanatics, inspired by (a belief in) God.

 

QED.

Well really 9/11 was an attack inspired by politics, I think religion was just used as an excuse to justify the attack in eyes of some extremists... But yeah, sure some mentally disturbed people can always get influenced by many other things than just games and do some horrible things.

But why would they need a religious wrapper if it was just politics? And what politics (unless just hating the USA is politics)?

 

Murder and suicide are sins in Islam, as in Christianity, but dying in holy war (or jihad if you will) gets them into paradise (they believe). We've seen lesser events involving suicide attacks in Britain and elsewhere.

 

Mohammed Atta (the leader of the 9/11 attacks) apparently left a note about how his body was to be arranged and what rituals were to be accorded it after his death (though why he thought there'd be anything left to do that with escapes me). Whatever political motive these characters had, they were religiously motivated first and foremost.

 

I posted my last response before seeing your comment, but nevertheless think about, or find out about, Qtub and his Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the work of the Madrassas in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and of course the Taliban.

Guys, this thread isn't about 9/11 or religion... Perhaps take it off line as you are getting really Off-Topic and inevitably leading to a lock...

Fair enough though; I should have said, "..was inspired by belief in God".

 

Yeah I read it... and the "..was inspired by belief in God" is still wrong.

 

And considering "Allahu Akbar" is repeated on (at least one of) the hijacked 9/11 aircraft cvr... it's been used in numerous movies... t.v. series (The West Wing has used the word "Allah"). Probably known since hmmm early 1980s? (sounds about right since I have read passages of the Quran beginning from around / about that period)... I would have... yeah... known the term.

 

Despite appearances / rumors to the contrary... I did not fall off the proverbial turnip truck yesterday.

Again,

Guys, this thread isn't about 9/11 or religion... Perhaps take it off line as you are getting really Off-Topic and inevitably leading to a lock...

Guys, this thread isn't about 9/11 or religion... Perhaps take it off line as you are getting really Off-Topic and inevitably leading to a lock...

 

The "off-topic" aspect was crossed days ago...