So, maybe you heard of the man near Pittsburgh that killed 3 police officers over the weekend. I think he may have injured some others as well.
His mother called in a domestic dispute to the police and they arrived at the house. A few of them walked up to the door and they were shot down. The suspect was wearing a bullet proof vest and had an AK-47. They are saying that this was a setup.
His motive? He was afraid that since Obama was elected, his guns would be taken away!
So, how does going on a shooting rampage help his cause? It just makes it more necessary to ban assault rifles and automatic weapons.
Luckily, he didn't kill himself so he'll have to face the consequences of his actions.
---Now I admit... I know very little about guns, and I'm happy with that. I don't want to be anywhere near them. They make me nervous. I'm not even against people having guns. I know some hunters and they are very responsible with their weapons.
BUT, do we need to have these high powered guns? Is there really a need for those? I mean, if you want to hunt or protect yourself, a rifle or handgun should be sufficient.
The shootings in Binghamton, NY (which is like an hour from me.) ... the suspect had 2 legally registered handguns that he used to carry out his slaughter... so what can we do? Do we just settle .. knowing that some people are nuts and that this will happen? or is there something we can do.
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Well, I couldn't be any more anti-gun. After living in Singapore where guns are illegal and the crime rate in near zero, I know it's do-able.
About a few months before we moved back to the states, there was a gun found in a land fill in Singapore. It was HUGE news. The police were investigating to see if they could find where it came from. Everyone was appalled and outraged that they had found a hand gun. If only the U.S. were like that.
Over the weekend, a man here in Washington, upset that his wife had left him, shot and killed all five of his children ages 16-7. This is a tragedy, and yet pro-gun people won't see it as a reason to take away people's weapons.
Honestly, I feel killing someone with a gun, makes it easier and less intimate...if that's makes any sense. If people had to kill someone with their bare hands or a knife, I wonder how many could really do it, it's not as easy as pulling a trigger.
Many countries have gun-bans and their crime rate is nothing compared to ours. I think that says it all.
First, such sadness for the 3 police whose lives were taken. That hits me far too close to home.
I am anti-gun as well. Due to the fact that my spouse is a police officer we have 2 weapons in the home - both related specifically to his job and they are appropriately stored. And while I would love to a higher level of gun control in the U.S. I also understand that the current bans are less than effective. In many states, the systems set up to screen potential buyers are overwhelmed to the point that they are a joke within the law enforcement community. What really needs to happen is that we need to have a well written, well thought out avenue to gun control. Something with a system in place to make it work - to police it. Without that, it is just another law on the books that is essentially unenforced (and, sadly, we have a lot of that).
One of the problems, imo, is that the gun lobbiest groups have entirely too much power over gun legislation. And that is irony X100. I think that it is their influence that has resulted in weak and ineffective legislation.
Horrible story. The thing that gets me is the reasonong behind having to possess an AK47 at all. Hunting rifles, I can see if there is a tradition of hunting in the area. Handgun, well, not in my house, but o.k. But what is the rationale for needing to own an automatic weapon or multiple weapons? The right to bear arms does not mean the right to own an arsenal. It has happened so often that even a simple handgun can fall into the wrong hands and cause tragedy to occur, so what would compel someone to arm themselves to the teeth? Paranoia? Possible government takeover of our rights? (Hey, wait a minute...that's what happened when Bush was in office, and we didn't see anyone using their weapons to overthrow the government then!)I just don't get the overkill mentality.
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