No one is going to break into my home because statistically it never happens.
Therefore, owning a gun would be a waste of money and a danger (based on the numbers).
http://mouseguns.com/quotes.htm
Gun Control
1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
3. Colt: The original point and click interface.
4. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.
5. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?
6. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
7. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.
8. If you don't know your rights, you don't have any.
9. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
10. The United States Constitution (c)1791. All Rights Reserved.
11. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand?
12. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.
13. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.
14. Guns only have two enemies; rust and politicians.
15. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
16. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
17. 911: Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
18. Assault is a behavior, not a
19. Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer.
20. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
21. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
22. You have only the rights you are willing to fight for.
23. Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don't make more.
24. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.
25. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.
"You may not like guns, and choose not to own one. That is your right. You might not believe in God. That is your choice. However, if someone is breaking into your home the first two things you are going to do are: 1) Call someone with a gun. 2) Pray they get there in time."
Anonymous
Banning guns in Chicago doesn't work any more than banning cigarettes in Chicago would work, because there are no borders of any kind.
Good thing no one cares who, or what you trust.
No, its because Chicago is full criminals.
Why aren't these kind of thread derail called out? Meaningless and unsubstantiated one-liners seems to be par for the course for this poster.
Said by lopri:I did not read the OP (sorry, not worth my time)
Why aren't these kind of thread derail called out? Meaningless and unsubstantiated one-liners seems to be par for the course for this poster.
Because your original post was pretty stupid and you actually said
and now you're whining because you think they derailed a thread?
How many drunk drivers didn't kill anyone yesterday?
Citizens have no need to be armed with mass killing machines.
Hell, I am against government intervention. I am against having an army. I don't think there is any need for that shit in this modern world.
You may argue that only 0.5% of the crimes are using 'legal' weapons, but the fact is that these companies are manufacturing guns because people are buying them LEGALLY. If you cut off their demand then they don't manufacture anymore.
Guns are also too cheap. Why don't they tax the shit out of them like cigarettes?
There's a clear and legal path for the opponents of the 2nd Amendment to take to change the Amendment. Why do they always try to use underhanded and illegal methods of changing the law?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...rsation_n_2311009.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
'I Am Adam Lanza's Mother': A Mom's Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America
Written by Liza Long, republished from The Blue Review
Fridays horrific national tragedy -- the murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut -- has ignited a new discussion on violence in America. In kitchens and coffee shops across the country, we tearfully debate the many faces of violence in America: gun culture, media violence, lack of mental health services, overt and covert wars abroad, religion, politics and the way we raise our children. Liza Long, a writer based in Boise, says its easy to talk about guns. But its time to talk about mental illness.
While every family's story of mental illness is different, and we may never know the whole of the Lanza's story, tales like this one need to be heard -- and families who live them deserve our help.
Three days before 20 year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, then opened fire on a classroom full of Connecticut kindergartners, my 13-year old son Michael (name changed) missed his bus because he was wearing the wrong color pants.
I can wear these pants, he said, his tone increasingly belligerent, the black-hole pupils of his eyes swallowing the blue irises.
They are navy blue, I told him. Your schools dress code says black or khaki pants only.
They told me I could wear these, he insisted. Youre a stupid bitch. I can wear whatever pants I want to. This is America. I have rights!
You cant wear whatever pants you want to, I said, my tone affable, reasonable. And you definitely cannot call me a stupid bitch. Youre grounded from electronics for the rest of the day. Now get in the car, and I will take you to school.
I live with a son who is mentally ill. I love my son. But he terrifies me.
A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books. His 7 and 9 year old siblings knew the safety plan -- they ran to the car and locked the doors before I even asked them to. I managed to get the knife from Michael, then methodically collected all the sharp objects in the house into a single Tupperware container that now travels with me. Through it all, he continued to scream insults at me and threaten to kill or hurt me.
That conflict ended with three burly police officers and a paramedic wrestling my son onto a gurney for an expensive ambulance ride to the local emergency room. The mental hospital didnt have any beds that day, and Michael calmed down nicely in the ER, so they sent us home with a prescription for Zyprexa and a follow-up visit with a local pediatric psychiatrist.
We still dont know whats wrong with Michael. Autism spectrum, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant or Intermittent Explosive Disorder have all been tossed around at various meetings with probation officers and social workers and counselors and teachers and school administrators. Hes been on a slew of antipsychotic and mood altering pharmaceuticals, a Russian novel of behavioral plans. Nothing seems to work.
At the start of seventh grade, Michael was accepted to an accelerated program for highly gifted math and science students. His IQ is off the charts. When hes in a good mood, he will gladly bend your ear on subjects ranging from Greek mythology to the differences between Einsteinian and Newtonian physics to Doctor Who. Hes in a good mood most of the time. But when hes not, watch out. And its impossible to predict what will set him off.
Several weeks into his new junior high school, Michael began exhibiting increasingly odd and threatening behaviors at school. We decided to transfer him to the districts most restrictive behavioral program, a contained school environment where children who cant function in normal classrooms can access their right to free public babysitting from 7:30-1:50 Monday through Friday until they turn 18.
The morning of the pants incident, Michael continued to argue with me on the drive. He would occasionally apologize and seem remorseful. Right before we turned into his school parking lot, he said, Look, Mom, Im really sorry. Can I have video games back today?
No way, I told him. You cannot act the way you acted this morning and think you can get your electronic privileges back that quickly.
His face turned cold, and his eyes were full of calculated rage. Then Im going to kill myself, he said. Im going to jump out of this car right now and kill myself.
That was it. After the knife incident, I told him that if he ever said those words again, I would take him straight to the mental hospital, no ifs, ands, or buts. I did not respond, except to pull the car into the opposite lane, turning left instead of right.
Where are you taking me? he said, suddenly worried. Where are we going?
You know where we are going, I replied.
No! You cant do that to me! Youre sending me to hell! Youre sending me straight to hell!
I pulled up in front of the hospital, frantically waiving for one of the clinicians who happened to be standing outside. Call the police, I said. Hurry.
Michael was in a full-blown fit by then, screaming and hitting. I hugged him close so he couldnt escape from the car. He bit me several times and repeatedly jabbed his elbows into my rib cage. Im still stronger than he is, but I wont be for much longer.
The police came quickly and carried my son screaming and kicking into the bowels of the hospital. I started to shake, and tears filled my eyes as I filled out the paperwork -- Were there any difficulties with at what age did your child were there any problems with.. has your child ever experienced.. does your child have
At least we have health insurance now. I recently accepted a position with a local college, giving up my freelance career because when you have a kid like this, you need benefits. Youll do anything for benefits. No individual insurance plan will cover this kind of thing.
For days, my son insisted that I was lying -- that I made the whole thing up so that I could get rid of him. The first day, when I called to check up on him, he said, I hate you. And Im going to get my revenge as soon as I get out of here.
By day three, he was my calm, sweet boy again, all apologies and promises to get better. Ive heard those promises for years. I dont believe them anymore.
On the intake form, under the question, What are your expectations for treatment? I wrote, I need help.
And I do. This problem is too big for me to handle on my own. Sometimes there are no good options. So you just pray for grace and trust that in hindsight, it will all make sense.
I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanzas mother. I am Dylan Klebolds and Eric Harriss mother. I am James Holmess mother. I am Jared Loughners mother. I am Seung-Hui Chos mother. And these boysand their mothersneed help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, its easy to talk about guns. But its time to talk about mental illness.
According to Mother Jones, since 1982, 61 mass murders involving firearms have occurred throughout the country. Of these, 43 of the killers were white males, and only one was a woman. Mother Jones focused on whether the killers obtained their guns legally (most did). But this highly visible sign of mental illness should lead us to consider how many people in the U.S. live in fear, like I do.
When I asked my sons social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. If hes back in the system, theyll create a paper trail, he said. Thats the only way youre ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless youve got charges.
I dont believe my son belongs in jail. The chaotic environment exacerbates Michaels sensitivity to sensory stimuli and doesnt deal with the underlying pathology. But it seems like the United States is using prison as the solution of choice for mentally ill people. According to Human Rights Watch, the number of mentally ill inmates in U.S. prisons quadrupled from 2000 to 2006, and it continues to rise -- in fact, the rate of inmate mental illness is five times greater (56 percent) than in the non-incarcerated population.
With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill -- Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nations largest treatment centers in 2011.
No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, Something must be done.
I agree that something must be done. Its time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. Thats the only way our nation can ever truly heal.
God help me. God help Michael. God help us all.
This is stupid. Literally nobody thinks that guns are the only way to murder someone. Many people DO recognize that guns make it much easier to kill someone, including yourself on purpose or by accident. Gun can be A problem (nothing is THE problem) and also other things be problems.Whenever gun control arguments come up, I always like this picture a friend send me via facebook
lol what's an illegal method?
Look at the way states are challenging DOMA. They're passing same sex marriage laws. What about marijuana? States are passing legalization laws. Are they going about it illegally because its undermining federal law? Ok I get it. Most of AT here supports legalization and gay marriage, so in those cases its ok, but with gun laws. OMG. NO WAI. I'm just saying. Be consistent.
Our President has promised "meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this" in response to the CT school shooting and other recent shootings. I'm not sure what he means by this and can only hope that he's talking about fixing our mental healthcare system and not going down the gun control path.Nobody will address the mental health issue because we are all mentally ill. There are a few humans that are born that aren't really human, that do not feel empathy, for most empathy is destroyed in childhood. We all live in a state of suppressed rage, sorrow, and loneliness, because we were told we are worthless. Each of us is so profoundly sad that we can't allow ourselves to feel it. We must never let anybody see our weakness because we will be shamed again. No no, never again will we let in that pain.
Did we but suffer, we would not suffer. When you have re-experienced all your grief, you heal.
This is stupid. Literally nobody thinks that guns are the only way to murder someone. Many people DO recognize that guns make it much easier to kill someone, including yourself on purpose or by accident. Gun can be A problem (nothing is THE problem) and also other things be problems.
Or knives!It was brought up like "events like this can't happen without guns"
Wellllll....
It was brought up like "events like this can't happen without guns"
Wellllll....
Our President has promised "meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this" in response to the CT school shooting and other recent shootings. I'm not sure what he means by this and can only hope that he's talking about fixing our mental healthcare system and not going down the gun control path.
We deserve a meaningful solution and owe that to 6 dead adults and 20 dead children....and thousands more. And lastly, let me assure you of one thing...I feel empathy and this nation feels empathy.
No one is going to break into my home because statistically it never happens.
Therefore, owning a gun would be a waste of money and a danger (based on the numbers).
Statistically you are unlikely to get into a car accident.
Therefore you should not wear a seatbelt.
Except it's the law and since laws like the seat belt laws the number of deaths from car accidents have been reduced.
I'm sure that's not the point you were trying to make were you?
Nobody will address the mental health issue because we are all mentally ill. There are a few humans that are born that aren't really human, that do not feel empathy, for most empathy is destroyed in childhood. We all live in a state of suppressed rage, sorrow, and loneliness, because we were told we are worthless. Each of us is so profoundly sad that we can't allow ourselves to feel it. We must never let anybody see our weakness because we will be shamed again. No no, never again will we let in that pain.
Did we but suffer, we would not suffer. When you have re-experienced all your grief, you heal.