WE: After school shooting in Connecticut, Piers Morgan blasts America’s ‘gun madness’

[armstrong001]

31,347 Americans died from gun violence in US last year.

Let that number sink in.

Are you really going to conflate accidental death, suicide and homicide for this argument? There were also 32,000+ deaths due to "automobile violence" last year too.
8,583 murders were comitted with firearms last year, according to the FBI 2011 crime data http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr...e-data-table-8. Not 31,347.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Whatever side of the gun rights aisle you sit on, I think (or hope) that most of us see that it's far to easy to get a gun in America.

Something needs to change...because the system isn't working like it should.

That's the key. I don't believe there should be an outright ban, but I wouldn't lose any sleep if there was. Your point is the key item though. Many of the suspects in these recent mass shootings should have been giant red flags and should not have owned guns, yet they did legally.

---------- Post added December-14th-2012 at 02:45 PM ----------

Are you really going to conflate accidental death, suicide and homicide for this argument? There were also 32,000+ deaths due to "automobile violence" last year too.
8,583 murders were comitted with firearms last year, according to the FBI 2011 crime data http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr...e-data-table-8. Not 31,347.

So, if 8,500 people were murdered in the US last year and everyone concedes that SOME of those happened with legally obtained guns, do we all agree that restricting or banning legally obtained guns would make our country safer?

Is there a way to quantify how many homes were protected by a gun owner vs. how many lives were taken by a legally obtained gun?

[armstrong001]

Yup, that's what stopped Columbine and Virginia Tech...someone with a legally owned gun stepped in and saved lives....

You do realize that because they were in a school zone, any law abiding citizen who may have had an inclination to carry a firearm on to the school grounds for protection would be committing a crime themselves, and would be dissuaded from doing so because they are, by definition, law abiding?

[youngchew]

There will always be someone with the means and lack of sense of self-preservation to obtain and do something stupid with a gun.

which is why I'm glad the gov't allows me to own one as well. can you imagine how much more confident criminals with guns would be knowing that citizens no longer have them? car jackings, muggings, any crime that involves face to face interaction would probably skyrocket.

[Pride]

This is completely backwards thinking. So you are saying that if someone at the school had a gun he or she could've shot the person who was shooting the kids? How about if NO ONE HAD A GUN TO BEGIN WITH. I'm sorry but your reasoning is so completely wrong.

Just because it's different than yours doesn't make it wrong.. I'm sick and tired of the elitist left thinking people in this country. You are the first people to point and tell someone they're wrong just because they think differently than you. Get over yourself.

You both are arguing both ends of the extreme yet don't seem sensible enough to realize it.. Usually the best option can be found in the middle, not by telling someone else they're wrong. Nothing gets accomplished this way and that is the largest problem in this country today in my opinion.. People who are so self absorbed and entitled, so inflexible to accept that maybe there is another way other than their way. Lets look and discuss compromises. Lets find the middle option, the best option. Lets employ logic, broad, and forward thinking to a problem and lets really get a good discussion going on. Anything better than "you're just wrong".

For example.. Should laws adapt to changes in society. for example, I've read much on the topic of people are mentally and emotionally maturing much slower in some aspects than they did 50 years ago.. Maybe you put an age limit on gun ownership to 21, or 25.

Perhaps we assign a single Police officer to every school in the country.. Perhaps in this way Stugein's idea isn't 100% wrong. Trust me, I think I'm with you about feeling uncomfortable about having Joe Schmoe carrying a gun in my children's school. But a trained Police officer with a firearm is much more acceptable to me.. There are ways we can protect ourselves without alienating half the country. I'm not saying that's an answer or even a good one. But lets start the discussion and keep it going, no one gets served by telling someone they're wrong. We as a country need to be creative.

[Sticksboi05]

You do realize that because they were in a school zone, any law abiding citizen who may have had an inclination to carry a firearm on to the school grounds for protection would be committing a crime themselves, and would be dissuaded from doing so because they are, by definition, law abiding?

I know this. And this adds to the ridiculousness of the argument that someone with a legally purchased gun could've realistically, prematurely ended these tragedies.

[mboyd784]

We celebrate gun culture and violence in this country. From TV, movies, video games, pop music, military propaganda, etc. It is omnipresent in our day-to-day life in America because it sells and it is very profitable. No gun law is gonna make even the slightest bit of difference until we have a massive culture shift in this country...and that is going to be very difficult to achieve.

[NAZology]

This will be a valid point when all guns have internet connectivity. Until then, it's pretty ill-conceived.

The government owns all "spectrum" that these carriers use. You are telling me our government can't force gun manufacturers to install technology that allows these guns to be tracked via the internet? I understand the questioning of this theory. My point is, monitor the guns every movement.

[FanboyOf91]

We celebrate gun culture and violence in this country. From TV, movies, video games, pop music, military propaganda, etc. It is omnipresent in our day-to-day life in America because it sells and it is very profitable. No gun law is gonna make even the slightest bit of difference until we have a massive culture shift in this country...and that is going to be very difficult to achieve.

It also doesn't help that 50% of Americans owns a gun and many daily use them for self-defense, armed security, hunting, and pest extermination.

[thebluefood]

Disarming innocents does not protect innocents.

This. It's too late for us. This nation was founded with gunpowder. It's in our DNA to have and use firearms, for good and evil.

All a ban will do is make sure only criminals will have them.

We're not Germany, we're not England, we're not the Netherlands or any other European nation. We're the United States and for better or worse, we have bullets running through our veins along with blood.

[Sticksboi05]

Just because it's different than yours doesn't make it wrong..

That's not why it's "wrong", it's just unrealistic for many reasons (like the fact that it will always be illegal to possess weapons on a school ground) to think that the best solution is someone else mowing down a potential shooter instead of there just not being guns to begin with.

[Warhead36]

This. It's too late for us. This nation was founded with gunpowder. It's in our DNA to have and use firearms, for good and evil.

All a ban will do is make sure only criminals will have them.

We're not Germany, we're not England, we're not the Netherlands or any other European nation. We're the United States and for better or worse, we have bullets running through our veins along with blood.

Our nation was founded on the backs of slavery as well. Shall we return to that route?

[Enter Apotheosis]

which is why I'm glad the gov't allows me to own one as well. can you imagine how much more confident criminals with guns would be knowing that citizens no longer have them? car jackings, muggings, any crime that involves face to face interaction would probably skyrocket.

The problem that most gun advocates (and many anti-gun advocates) have in my experience is that they assume that cause and effect is always a direct one-to-one relationship. It's not actually that straightforward in reality and I promise you that the psychology of prospective criminals wouldn't change in the way you have envisioned.

[Mr. Sinister]

I would venture to say that the majority of people who kill others do so with legally obtained property. Are you for the confiscation of all property that may be used by one person to kill another?

What do you think is more dangerous, running from someone with a sword in their hand, or running from someone with a 9mm, swhooting at you?

Confiscating anything that could be used to kill someone is ridiculous, considering that there are many different ways that people coul dbe killed by others. Do you have a statistic that shows anything coming remotely close to the amount of gun related murdersd in this country per year? Guns are the most effective way of killing people, not getting hit in the head with a brick.

[No Excuses]

This. It's too late for us. This nation was founded with gunpowder. It's in our DNA to have and use firearms, for good and evil.

All a ban will do is make sure only criminals will have them.

We're not Germany, we're not England, we're not the Netherlands or any other European nation. We're the United States and for better or worse, we have bullets running through our veins along with blood.

This is a bunch of horse manure. Total ****ing bull****.