What is already on the books...

[Rangefinder]

With respect to a bunch of "new" legislation likely to be crammed down our throats, how many different things can we already identify at the Federal, State, or local level regarding firearms that is redundant, absurd, impractical, and really serves no realistic purpose? Think as if you are making a case for trial and your opposition is an anti. Who, what, when, where, and why. We can't defend against what may be coming without even being able to identify what's already in place with no practical purpose.

[44 AMP]

how many different things can we already identify at the Federal, State, or local level regarding firearms that is redundant, absurd, impractical, and really serves no realistic purpose?

Short answer, all of them!

The root problem for the nation; too many people are being shot...
The root problem for the anti's;, too many people have guns....

Since we have, and have always had laws that say it is a crime to shoot people for fun or profit, isn't everything else just a waste of resources?

I think it is. But, apparently I'm in the minority on this....

If one law doesn't stop a crime, 300 won't stop it either....

[Brian Pfleuger]

Well, read through the 1934 National Firearms Act, the 1968 Gun Control Act and the 1986 Hughes Amendment.

You'll find plenty, and that's just a start.

[Eghad]

A law is just a societal norm that sets a standard for behavior. It does not stop anybody from committing a crime who is predisposed to do evil or wrong. It defines what is correct behavior and then other laws provide punishment for "after the fact" for violating the norm.

Our problem is to find a solution to prevent any more of these tragic events. The politicians saying that new laws will prevent this is wishful thinking.

What we need to seek is a before the fact solution.

[Ghost1958]

I may be pessimistic but I have never believed a law, or anything else less than armed guards will stop such occurances.
The mental health aspect is beaten to death. People snap all the time. Normal one week out of kilter the next. Nothing on the planet short of the ability to respond to violence with a return of swift overwheleming violence in return will stop a person bent on killing a bunch of people or one person for that matter.

Laws background checks etc do nothing. Even violent repeat felons can and will lay their hands on whatever firearm the want simply because they dont operate inside the system.

Attacks like these will happen. Thats the reality of life. The only question is do we disarm the innocent :which we have already done with gun free zones: so they are lambs at the slaughter or do we either allow them to have means to stop or mitigate these attacks. And/or put armed staff in place to meet an attack with a quick overwhelming response?
Life isnt fair, social engineering only makes things worse and after 200 years plus there are enough laws on the books about any and everything there shouldnt even need to be another law discussed on any subject.

[44 AMP]

Our problem is to find a solution to prevent any more of these tragic events. The politicians saying that new laws will prevent this is wishful thinking.

What we need to seek is a before the fact solution.

Seek all you wish, you will not find a before the fact solution that works without either locking us ALL up, or drugging us ALL down. It is stress that powers the rage that creates the killing, and it is a very, very individual thing.

Until you can discover, assess, and remove the stress from each and everyone's life, all over the planet, at the same time, you don't have a chance of preventing someone, somewhere, going on a killing spree.

Some people can handle extreme amounts of stress and maintain, or even excell. Some people snap because someone called them a name, or wore the "wrong" color near them.

until you can monitor, and control all that, and everything in between, there is no "before the fact" solution.

And, even if you could do all that, what gives you the right to do it?

The only thing that stands a chance of resisting force is an opposite force. Which is why we have an armed police. And why we arm ourselves. Because when seconds count, the police are only minutes away...

We debate not that our children should be protected, but about what is "reasonable" or proper to do for their protection. A school full of murdered children, teachers, and administrators is graphic proof that what was considered adequate failed, miserably.

In stead of more of the same policies that have already shown to be failures, repeatedly (gun control, etc.), why not try something else? It might not work, either, but if we don't even try something else, we'll never know, will we?

Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing, the same way, and expecting a different result. In this light, isn't more gun control simply insanity?

[hermannr]

The easy fix is in front of everyone if they would look. Remove the restrictions keeping the school staff from being able to protect themselves and the children.

If the school principal had been armed with any reasonable firearm, she probably would not be dead, and how many other would also be alive, She tried to tackle the guy and got shot in the attempt.

Then I propose another idea, If this CT shoot had know that he COULD meet armed resistance...would he ahve even tried? Remember, as soon as LE showed up he committed suicide>>>?

[Chaz88]

I do not know if things have changed with kids or we just hear more about it. I tend to think that we just hear more and it is sensationalized more.

I remember when we only had three TV channels and a news paper was the closest thing to the internet. It was a lot harder to saturate the populace with information then.

I also remember going to high school in a small town in the 80's. Most of us had carried a knife since before we started school and a lot of us had shotguns, rifles, and pistols in our unlocked trucks in the school parking lot. We used them to hunt and shoot before and after school. The worst thing to ever happen was a fist fight. Nobody ever even threatened to go get a gun. We had all started learning about them from the time we could even comprehend the idea.

I just can not help but wander how we got to this point. I do not think it is because the kids are that much different. We were much worse in some ways but we were allowed to make some mistakes suffer some consequences, learn from it, and have a second chance. Now the kids are to be protected from making mistakes and shielded from consequences until they really screw up. Then they are hit with the heavy end of the hammer and the consequences are often for the rest of their life.

These thoughts are coming from this and a few other threads I have been reading. Sorry if it is a bit off topic.

[Warrior1256]

Lunatics and criminals do not obey laws anyway. How is making new ones going to make any difference.