American Gun Laws

I lived in the Sates with my American husband for 12 years and we had a nice group of friends. We and one other family were the only ones who didn't own a gun. We knew a wife who kept a gun by the side of her bed because her husband was away often. One night he came home unexpectedly and she called out to him but he didn't answer. As he opened the bedroom door she was aiming the gun at him. Luckily, she didn't shoot him. Gun ownership in US and the beautiful city of Bath are 2 of the reasons we came to live here - so glad we did. It's a much better place to bring up children.

Knife crime in this country is, I suggest, generally a young urban man on young urban man crime. If guns were more freely available they would be shooting each other, to more lethal effect. One can only hope that in the states there will one day be a powerful anti gun lobby that will have the weight of the pro gun lobby (which is huge) - then they would need a sympathetic president plus 2 sympathetic legislative bodies. Just maybe they might at least ban the sale of those guns that make multiple shootings so easy.
But I don't know what it would take - the level of wooden headed denial and conviction that they have it right (the founding fathers were perfect, you understand) is quite astounding.

Was not the right to bear arms framed at a time when there was little, if any, organised crime prevention service in the fledgling USA? I am sure the Founding Fathers did not envisage a country where suburban housewives routinely carry guns.

Do you remember the US female politician (Gabrielle Giffords) who was shot earlier this year? On that occasion, there were many people standing nearby who had guns on them, and wanted to help. However, they did not wish to shoot at the gunman, for fear they would be taken for an accomplice as they opened fire. In the end, the gunman was tackled to the floor by 2 unarmed people, 1 male, 1 female (how incredibly brave, I just can't imagine it).

For me, this puts paid to the idea that you are safer with a gun. What's the point of having a gun if you're not going to use it in a life-threatening situation where the other guy has a gun, because you're too scared about being shot at yourself?!

I think it really comes down to trust in your fellow citizens as a community. In the presence of one crazy person, knowing that the community will do what they can - that's what all societies need, I think.

It's not just that Americans can carry guns ( I don't remember actually seeing any being carried on show) but the thought that they could carry a loaded machine gun in the back of their car. Is there any limit to the size of weapon that can be bought over the counter? Some of the weapons used in this last massacre seem rather scary.

Just glimpsed the massacre bloke on the news. Mmmmm.
Surely even the gun lobby must now question the logic of letting just anybody buy a gun!

I do sigh though when the media say things like "police have yet to establish a motive". Surely these people have mental health problems of a very serious kind so it does not really make sense to talk about motives. They need to be taken to a special hospital and examined by psychiatrists.
If the psychiatrists then say - no this man is sane, he just has some very odd ideas, or was getting paid or something. Then fine, move to a trial. But they are already discussing the death sentence for the guy in the USA who looked completely out of it.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the scandinavian case where the gunman is being tried.

He does now seem to fit more of the profile for this sort of thing, having tried to join a shooting club and being refused [I think rejection is mentioned a lot in these cases]. But, he seemed quite a normal sort of person when he was studying to be a Dr [?]. If only these people could be 'spotted' before they commit these crimes.

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This thread is 10 years old!

johanna

Really crimson ?
Have you not wondered how you would feel wandering around Dunblane, or Hungerford or more recently visiting Norway perhaps?
I have.

Oh come on!

I've lived in Norway - a country with some of the strictest gun controls around. You only get permission to own a gun if you can officially document a use for it - and taken extensive training it its use for that purpose, usually hunting or sports.

You cannot compare that with the lax gun laws in the USA. In spite of what happened on Utøya 11 years ago.

How many times does a "Dunblane" or "Hungerford" happen in the US.

It is unusual for mass shootings to occur in either the UK or Norway.

Dickens
I think you’ll find johanna has left the building.

MerylStreep

Dickens
I think you’ll find johanna has left the building.

... again!

I never look at the original posting date of topics.

Silly old me!

Dont worry Dickens I felt your reply was still worth reading.

And I too didnt notice the date!