I'm very certain they are chosen due to how they make the carrier feel, but to counter your argument, I'll posit one: why aren't they illegally obtaining big scary black automatic weapons, like M-4's? They'd be far more effective (there's your logical angle) as well as nice and scary (there's your illogical angle). They can't easily though, so they default to the next rung down, scary looking semi-autos. If those weren't there, what's next? Non-scary semi-autos. You still fall into the trap of banning them categorically rather than individually.
Well, we all kind of know why. The firearms industry has a powerful propaganda agency called the NRA.
Republican Decision Tree – Gun Violence / Mass Shooting Response
1.0 Identify Shooter
1.1 If shooter is non-white or an immigrant, go to 2.0
1.2 If shooter is white, go to 3.0.
2.0 - Immediately propose sweeping and aggressive action to show strength and resolve. Examples can include overhauling immigration (numbers, screening, etc.), border walls, stop and frisk, profiling (racial or otherwise), more police, greater access to guns, etc.
3.0 - Offer thoughts and prayers. If necessary, point out that it’s too soon to politicize such a tragedy.
It's not that baffling. You have unpaid NRA cheerleaders everywhere, just page through this thread.Oh, no doubt -- I think people in other countries are just baffled at how the NRA can hold so much sway.
I think background checks are very ineffective. You can just buy a weapon second hand, borrow it, or steal it. It just makes it harder for honest people to purchase a firearm. Criminals have no problems getting guns.
And here's the typical Dem version...
1. OOOMMMMMFFFFFGGGGGG, GUNSSSSSS!!!!!!!! MUST CONTROL GUUUUNNNNNSSSS!!!!!!!!! THE NRA IS EEEEVVIIIIILLLLL!!!!!!
2. Identify victims
2.1 If any members of politically approved victims groups injured / killed, play up the tragedy, highlighting as many of the victims as possible, repeat step 1 louder, then proceed to step 3
2.2 If victims are mostly white men and / or Christians, ignore victims, repeat step 1 louder, go to step 4
3. Identify shooter
3.1 If shooter is a straight white male, go to step 4 after repeating step 1 even louder
3.2 If shooter is a member of a politically approved victim group, go to step 5 after repeating step 1 even louder
4. Float the accusation the that shooter is a conservative
4.1 If the accusation turns out to be false, downplay the shooter and still try to imply he's a conservative, repeat step 1
4.2 If the accusation turns out to be true, condemn all white males and conservatives in general, repeat step 2.1, repeat step 1 louder still
5 Downplay the shooter, impugn anyone that attempts to blame him / her/ or whichever of the 57 accepted genders the shooter identifies as, accuse the blamers of racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, homophobia, or other phobia / hatred as applicable, encourage empathy for the shooter, repeat step 1 again
Pedantry in response to dead children.Magazines damnit
Well, the only way that starts to happen is for the US to recognize the NRA as a domestic terrorist organization and to vote out the entirety of Republican leadership. Then real work gets done.
so you agree than it is a people problem
Man you beat the shit out of something......
Trump reversed an Obama-era rule that prevented people deemed mentally ill from purchasing guns.
I mean, they do buy the wooden ones. I sold hundreds of those suckers when I worked at Wal-Mart. Some people want the scary black military lookin' ones, some want nice polished wood, some don't care and just want something cheap to shoot squirrels/rabbits/small deer with. But if someone decides he's ready to lose his shit, if he walks into a gun store and only sees wood stock firearms I seriously doubt he's gonna say 'welp, guess I'll just not kill people instead, won't be as cool now, oh well'.
Yes, the typical lib response to these tragic mass shootings: coming up with stock responses that won't really solve the fundamental problem. Sure, I think there might be some sensible things to do on the gun end, but the sticky point is in identifying troubled / mentally ill people (or such) like this kid, Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook), the guy that killed the judge and wounded Gabby Giffords, and the Aurora, CO theater shooter to name a few. I've commented on this in the past in at least 1 mass shooting thread.
My heart goes out the the families of the victims. What a horrible tragedy.
Just watched Trumps speech on the massacre and it was pretty embarrassing. I could easily tell that he was reading from a prompter. He didn't even try to show empathy.
Yes, the typical lib response to these tragic mass shootings: coming up with stock responses that won't really solve the fundamental problem. Sure, I think there might be some sensible things to do on the gun end, but the sticky point is in identifying troubled / mentally ill people (or such) like this kid, Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook), the guy that killed the judge and wounded Gabby Giffords, and the Aurora, CO theater shooter to name a few. I've commented on this in the past in at least 1 mass shooting thread.
My heart goes out the the families of the victims. What a horrible tragedy.
you dint read the wntire thread did you.
that rule didnt do that
He would have to understand what empathy is first.Just watched Trumps speech on the massacre and it was pretty embarrassing. I could easily tell that he was reading from a prompter. He didn't even try to show empathy.