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[Rusty Nails]

Nor have the majority of US states, but the ban seems to be being called for countrywide.

Maybe I am even changing my mind and thinking that the focus should be on the people and not the weapons. The state of mind of the perpetrator is probably most key. If you took away the gun from this shooter, he would have most likely found another way to do his damage and make his mark on the world.

Would he have been able to kill 21 and injure 12 quite so easily without guns? Or the other perpetrators of mass shootings?

People will always try to kill and harm others, but there is no excuse for making it so easy, and so difficult to stop once it has started.

Yes it is about the people, and it is about attitudes but it is also very definitely about the widespread ease of gun ownership

 

[presta]

It would appear that religion is more of a hazard than guns:

 

[icowden]

Nor have the majority of US states, but the ban seems to be being called for countrywide.

The US is one country. We are comparing countries.

If you took away the gun from this shooter, he would have most likely found another way to do his damage and make his mark on the world.

Really? You think there are other easy ways of killing massive numbers of people. Remote killing by pulling a trigger is much easier than having to knife people to death. Bow and Arrow? Unless you are hawkeye, you aren't going to kill many people. Build a bomb? Well yes, but its harder to get bomb parts than guns in the US.

If you can buy a weapon for mass killing in the US equivalent of Tesco, it's no surprise that they have problems.

 

[Deleted member 49]

When I was called a wanker no-one had a problem or thought it was out of order with the language.

Hard to deny facts....

 

[Craig the cyclist]

The US is one country. We are comparing countries.

Really? You think there are other easy ways of killing massive numbers of people. Remote killing by pulling a trigger is much easier than having to knife people to death. Bow and Arrow? Unless you are hawkeye, you aren't going to kill many people. Build a bomb? Well yes, but its harder to get bomb parts than guns in the US.

If you can buy a weapon for mass killing in the US equivalent of Tesco, it's no surprise that they have problems.

Exactly, now stop arguing with me just because it's me, and think for a moment how does that change?

It changes through a fundamental rethink of a countries behaviour towards firearms. Think of the drink driving analogy I used, that is how this stops.
If you want to kill a dozen people and give zero shits if you die in the process (or even intend to kill yourself as part of it) what good is a ban? Better support for mental illnesses, restrictions on guns, places you can go if you feel overwhelmed, that is the way forward, a ban is futile.

 

[Craig the cyclist]

Hard to deny facts....

Exactly, you notice that no-one said I shouldn't have said that about @Fab Foodie because it was untrue

 

[matticus]

Better support for mental illnesses, restrictions on guns, places you can go if you feel overwhelmed, that is the way forward, a ban is futile.

He's starting to get it ... 🤞

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Handguns have been banned in the UK since 1996. Anyone want to have a guess at the most common firearm type used in killings in the UK is since that point in time?

It’ll undoubtedly be a handgun since that’s the most easily portable and easily concealed firearm but what percentage of homicides in the UK are by use of a handgun compared with all other weapon types? How does that compare with America?

 

[Craig the cyclist]

He's starting to get it ... 🤞

That is not a ban though is it. Just a change to the national view on guns.

Go on, admit it, you agree with me, then we can arrange a beer and you can see what a great chap I am

 

[Rusty Nails]

It changes through a fundamental rethink of a countries behaviour towards firearms

The country's behaviour towards firearms is inextricably linked to the ease of availability of those firearms and the rate of ownership.
Unless you can prove otherwise, I somehow doubt that the ratio of disturbed/violent people in the US is 50 or 70 times that in the UK, but just possibly the number of murders by firearm is 74 times that of the UK in great part because of the ease of availability.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

https://www.indy100.com/news/united-states-mass-shootings-guns-2657386458

Americans make up about 4.4 percent of the global population but own 42 percent of the world’s guns.

 

[matticus]

That is not a ban though is it. Just a change to the national view on guns.

Go on, admit it, you agree with me, then we can arrange a beer and you can see what a great chap I am

RESTRICTIONS - as you posted - not a total ban. I'm sure you're aware there ARE legally owned guns in the UK?

You're right - I WOULD like a change in the public attitude to guns in the USA; although I need to caveat that, because it is CRYSTAL CLEAR from the reaction to every one of these tragedies that a large %age of USAnians already have a healthy attitude to guns.
But that attitude won't change overnight for that dangerous, powerful minority, no matter how clever you are at sociology and education - whilst gun ownership/purchase/use restrictions could change the lives of the next 199 possible victims immediately.

 

[Craig the cyclist]

It’ll undoubtedly be a handgun since that’s the most easily portable and easily concealed firearm but what percentage of homicides in the UK are by use of a handgun compared with all other weapon types? How does that compare with America?

I don't know or really care.

The point is that simply banning something is pointless. Handguns are banned in the UK, they are used most often in crimes/murders/shootings. By banning assault rifles in the US does anyone really think that this type of mass shooting with them will just stop?

Of course they won't, they will carry on regardless because if you intend to kill people then you won't stop that course of action because of a ban, there is already a ban on killing multiple people!

 

[matticus]

By banning assault rifles in the US does anyone really think that this type of mass shooting with them will just stop?

(To quote America's greatest philosopher)

 

[Rusty Nails]

I don't know or really care.
The point is that simply banning something is pointless. Handguns are banned in the UK, they are used most often in crimes/murders/shootings. By banning assault rifles in the US does anyone really think that this type of mass shooting with them will just stop?

Of course they won't, they will carry on regardless because if you intend to kill people then you won't stop that course of action because of a ban, there is already a ban on killing multiple people!

Your first sentence is obvious to everyone because you completely ignore the statistics that show the huge difference in the rates of killing by guns in the US and the UK and just repeat the mantra that bans will not stop killings.
There will always be killings by gun, it is virtually impossible to stop 100% of them, but you can make huge improvements by banning them.