If countries with more gun regulations have far less mass shootings, than why doesn’t the US pass stricter gun laws? Why is this controversial to say?

[WhiteBoyChill]

Mass shooting just happened in my state. At least 22 people dead.

Obviously really bad stuff.

The guy is on the loose and they still haven’t caught him.

It’s also believed that multiple other people might’ve been involved in the shooting as well.

Anyway, my school just released this statement and is still deciding to have classes tommorow and do business as usual. They say there’s no threat to the campus, even though the perpetrator hasn’t been caught, and even though there might’ve been others involved.

Which honestly just sounds really motherfucking insane to me right now.

That we’re still having classes tommorow, despite being the school itself where the shooter formerly attended and the largest University in the state as well.

But these sorts of things tend to happen literally all the time in the US and that is what we cannot ignore.

Mass shootings here are far more frequent and deadly than they are in other countries.

No country comes anywhere close to having anywhere near the same rate of mass shootings.

I’m not advocating for a ban on guns.

But there just really do need to be stricter laws to keep them out of the hands of bad people.

Also the social services here are really shitty as well.

Fact of the matter is, there’s mentally deranged people everywhere here that just never get proper treatment.

Matter of fact practically all these shooters had troubling histories prior that were cause for concern, but they either got insufficient treatment, or didn’t get any treatment at all.

So my solution?

Regulate shit, and get people services.

Other countries have better services and more regulations and nowhere near the same issues.

I’m not saying regulations will have much or any impact at all on organized crime and gun violence more broadly.

But what is known is that no other country has anywhere near the same issues as the US does with mass shootings.

So its time we start doing some things differently.

I don’t get why saying this has to be controversial.

[whirled_up_girl]

I agree that mental health issues are not addressed enough in this country. The problem as I and others who work in healthcare see it is that if mental health records are included in a background check some people might not get help for mental health concerns. At least in healthcare that's sometimes been the concern of patients, on whether psych meds or counseling will affect the background checks for firearms. I wish I could say I knew what the answer is. Unfortunately being able to live safe from gun violence would have to come at the expense of certain rights taken away such as the right to privacy with medical records.

I do think it also makes a difference in what kind of firearm it is. It seems like so many of these mass shootings that we hear about involved some sort of assault rifle. Maybe we just need to have stricter laws for the type of firearm it is.

[whirled_up_girl]

I posted these things in another post but wanted to put them here too. The first one is of state laws regarding mental health and firearms.
www.ncsl.org/.../possession-of-firearms-by-people-with-mental-illness
The second one is a link to the federal firearm laws.
https://www.atf.gov/file/58791/download

I'm reading the laws correctly it seems this guy might have slipped through the cracks, I can't tell though from reports if is commitment was voluntary, if so the federal law might not have applied to him.

[IslaTheWitch]

In my country, there is a strict gun law. But people are still dying from being shot or killed with a knife or anything that could be used for killing. Maybe we have no massive shootings, but it doesn't mean people are not dying because someone wanted to kill them. It's just not so spectacular.

Also, the right to self-defence works differently in my country. You can't simply defend yourself with a gun. You have to wait for your life to be in real danger.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Well yes but your country (whatever it is) has far less mass shootings and that was my whole point.

[IslaTheWitch]

If it is only shooting you care about, you are right.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Exactly. Its the mass shootings that I find the most disturbing.

[slatyb]

"People are still dying?" Of course. It's not possible to completely eliminate homicide. But at what rate? What's the population and how many homicides were there this year?

[Drewtate]

Where I grew up we had strict gun laws yet at the height of the war on terror it was safer to be on the front lines as a soldier or marine in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Those countries where mass shootings don't happen aren't pimping its citizens with antidepressants they don't need in high dosages from a young age.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Well yes because as I said, tighter gun laws don’t really infringe on criminal networks.

But most mass shooters aren’t convential criminals that have easy access to the illegal market

[Drewtate]

In the hood mass shootings happen every weekend just nobody cares.

[WhiteBoyChill]

I don’t doubt it, but the news only reports on the surprising stuff

[Drewtate]

News only reports when white people do it. Two black kids might have gotten gunned down at the weekend and a little black girl raped and murdered yet the media's top story will be some Karen with mental health issues mouthing off about a black bbq in the park

[WhiteBoyChill]

I agree. Their priorities definitely are f*cked but its whatever they think sells and causes the most outrage in the media that they tend to report on

[slatyb]

Because the US has a minority rural population with disproportionate political power and they cling to their guns even though mass shootings are happening in their communities too.

[WhiteSandyBeach]

When the meth-head is coming at you with a machete, talk to him about laws. That should work.

[WhiteBoyChill]

As I said if you read my post in its entirety, we need to prioritize mental health more as well which we do not do enough as a country either

[AngelLily]

The states with the most strict gun laws have the most gun crime. Unfortunately it’s about culture an mental health that needs to change.

[WhiteBoyChill]

I’m talking about mass shootings specifically though. Not gun violence more broadly

[Radiate143]

It has to do with American depravity and mindset. You can make a million laws. It won't change much in America.

[WhiteSandyBeach]

What country are you from>?

[Radiate143]

@WhiteSandyBeach what does that matter? Can an American not recognize the ills within their own society?

[WhiteSandyBeach]

LMAO

We should make meth illegal. Criminals abide by the laws.

[Radiate143]

@WhiteSandyBeach why? Do you smoke meth?

[WhiteSandyBeach]

Yes. So lets make it illegal. Then I'll stop. lol

[WhiteBoyChill]

Perhaps, but the issue is still that virtually anybody that wants a gun has access to one

[WhiteSandyBeach]

Same with Meth.

[WhiteBoyChill]

@WhiteSandyBeach But the difference is there actually has been a concerted effort towards meth. There hasn’t beeen much of an effort at all regarding gun regulation

[WhiteSandyBeach]

And no effort to put criminals in jail. In Tennessee a man was arrested 67 times and then killed someone.

[WhiteBoyChill]

@WhiteSandyBeach Yes, that as well. The compassion for criminals, and the failures of the state to intervene where necessary

[gorydetails]

Gun grabbers can fuck off.

[WhiteBoyChill]

It isn’t about taking guns away from the people that already have them. Its about preventing guns from falling into the wrong hands in the future.

Also, do you have a solution to the problem?

[gorydetails]

Yeah, the solution is to re-open mental institutions and start housing people in them.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Ok, but naturally not every mentally ill person is going to be found or treated in time. But if you make it harder for them to access certain materials in the meantime, fatalaties are bound to decrease

[WhiteBoyChill]

For when they do decide to lash out

[gorydetails]

If you can't find a mentally ill person to put them in an institution, how do you propose to find them to prevent them from having a gun? This ought to be an interesting reply.

[WhiteBoyChill]

It’s as simple as just having laws and regulations in place to prevent mentally ill people from purchasing through the legal market.

There will still be mass shooters who purchase through the illegal market, but predictably far less of them (as can be evidenced by other countries)

Its possible anyone can still purchase through the illegal market but the illegal market is still far less accessible to mentally ill people.

[gorydetails]

How are you going to identify these mentally ill people? How is that different from identifying them as needing to go to an institution?

[WhiteBoyChill]

You won’t be able to identify them necessarily all the time but countries with tighter gun laws definitely don’t share our problems with mass shootings to anywhere near the same degree.

[gorydetails]

I don't give a shit about other countries. So rather than being a shit lib and knee jerk a reaction to take away people's rights, how about you come up with a better plan? How about we get society that honors religion and meaning in people's lives? Start shunning mass media and the latest tik tocker. Have a government that offers huge tax incentives for married couples to raise children. Reinstate the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence/prayer in schools and government business. Bring back things that bind us together, rather than this bullshit rhetoric the democrats spew on a continual basis.

[WhiteBoyChill]

You’re not going to convince other people in society to just change their culture though is the thing. We have to contend with the society we live in and work to find solutions.

Ultimately yes, if you want to evangelize society by all means you are free to set out and do it, but the culture as a whole is still controlled and dominated by the media.

A more effective solution would be to just copy the model of countries that have succeeded like Switzerland.

[WhiteBoyChill]

*Their culture and way of thinking*

[gorydetails]

That’s the stupidest statement I’ve ever heard. They changed the culture to this disgusting shit show we’re living in, now.

Oh and what is Switzerland’s plan that you like so much?

[WhiteBoyChill]

What I’m saying is that too many people in this country have already been brainwashed into supporting the degenerate shit that’s taking place. You can push back in certain areas, but even just the fact that 70% of society supports gay marriage is enough of a problem on its own.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Switzerland requires training and permitting for gun owners. Something our country doesn’t. We’re the only country that doesn’t require training and permitting.

Anybody here can buy a gun. And that’s precisely why they keep falling into the wrong hands so frequently.

America’s current gun owners can keep whatever guns they have right now.

But going forward there needs to be a stricter process for purchasing.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Let me ask you this.

Cars can kill people. Guns can kill people.

Why is it that we only require permitting and training for one, but not the other?

[gorydetails]

Let me guess, you’’ve never actually bought a gun, you just regurgitate crap you read online. Driving is a privilege, not a right. Do you have to pass a test to vote? Should you go through hours of training before you can speak freely online?

[WhiteBoyChill]

You’re comparing unlike things to dodge my argument. Those other things you mention do not possess the potential to kill somebody outright.

Answer the question.

If a gun is an instrument that can kill someone why shouldn’t we try and ensure they stay out of the hands of bad people?

Why shouldn’t we look at other countries, and learn from their laws where it makes sense to apply them?

Why shouldn’t people be trained on how to use them safely first?

Why shouldn’t there be background checks?

Why shouldn’t people that have committed violent felonies before and been submitted to mental institutions (as this guy has) be barred from purchase and possession?