A small boy shoots his teacher in US

Police have guns here, thank goodness. They rarely use them and when they do there is always a full enquiry. I am glad they are able to defend themselves and others. There are some bad people out there.

Germanshepherdsmum

What’s your evidence for the vast majority of people wanting gun laws to be changed, Fleurpepper? The Republicans are not currently in power. If the vast majority wanted change, it would happen. Many, yes. The vast majority, no. They fall back on their constitutional right to bear arms, which they consider inalienable. We can debate the issue until the cows come home but we here are of one mind on it and what we think is, frankly, irrelevant.

If true, then the vast majority need to make their voices heard.

I doubt that it is true though - what other country in the world allows the sale of guns and ammunition in huge stores and alongside the groceries? The advertisements boast 'cheap semi-automatics', 'best machine guns' etc.

Roughly half of Americans (53%) favor stricter gun laws, a decline since 2019, according to the Center’s April 2021 survey. Smaller shares say these laws are about right (32%) or should be less strict (14%). The share of Americans who say gun laws should be stricter has decreased from 60% in September 2019

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns

This story is truly sickening, I hope the teacher recovers.
The way this child is treated by the authorities will be interesting.

I know threads meander- but really. Can we stick to children, and very young children at that- going to school with a gun, having been taught to use it by parents, and probably (to be confirmed) with their approval, and shooting a teacher he disagrees with (or other children in a dispute, etc, etc). This is a (thank goodness) unique scenario.

I know people who live in Missouri and the mother is delighted that her adult son carries a concealed weapon. They seem to think it is vital.

Who are we scared of, Gramaretto? Well, in my case terrorists wanting to blow up an airport and armed men intent on springing someone from court regardless of the safety of innocent passers by. I value the protection that armed police give me in those situations. Don’t you?

Iam64- what on earth has this got to do with police at airports carrying guns? Please.

Indeed Gagajo, just tragic and terrifying.

So a child not much older than a toddler, coached to hold, use and aim a gun. At a teacher. Probably because the parents thought he was being taught critical race theory.

Well I'm afraid I don't agree with you
Iam64 and germanshepherdsmum.

Why should we accept guns for our protection. Who are we scared of?
To my mind the arming of police is the slippery slope towards an acceptance of a dystopian society. One which I'd prefer my DGC don't inherit.

From the BBC site

not "an accidental shooting".

Another very sad aspect of this story is the US undervaluing and actual despising (sorry for the poor vocab, my brain is on shut-down this morning) of teachers. I have US teacher friends who have fled the profession. I frequently read online about others who are still teaching and the political attacks on them, lack of support from parents.

Do we assume the parents encouraged the child to take a gun to school and shoot the teacher? Because my DGS is 5. He is still learning to correctly hold a pencil.

It’s not ‘coming here slowly but surely’, Gramaretto. We have very strict firearms laws - to legally own a firearm you must hold a certificate issued by the police and your firearm must be kept under lock and key when not in lawful use. Of course there are illegal firearms in circulation, just as there are horrendous knives.
Like Iam, I am pleased to see police carrying guns for our protection in places such as airports which may attract a terrorist attack. They are also to be seen with firearms outside The Old Bailey, for instance, when some trials are held which could result in an attack. It’s chilling to see at first, but very necessary in some situations. That is not to say we’re on a slippery slope to routinely seeing armed police on the streets, as the Police themselves have made very clear. Nor are we likely to see our strict gun laws relaxed - if anything, further tightening is the greater likelihood.

Germanshepherdsmum

What’s your evidence for the vast majority of people wanting gun laws to be changed, Fleurpepper? The Republicans are not currently in power. If the vast majority wanted change, it would happen. Many, yes. The vast majority, no. They fall back on their constitutional right to bear arms, which they consider inalienable. We can debate the issue until the cows come home but we here are of one mind on it and what we think is, frankly, irrelevant.

Plenty of evidence and polls out there. Here is just one of so many

'CHICAGO (AP) — Most U.S. adults want to see gun laws made stricter and think gun violence is increasing nationwide, according to a new poll that finds broad public support for a variety of gun restrictions, including many that are supported by majorities of Republicans and gun owners.

The poll by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows 71% of Americans say gun laws should be stricter, including about half of Republicans, the vast majority of Democrats and a majority of those in gun-owning household'

The US is very divided, we know. On this and so many issues. But to say that those who want Gun Laws to be changed, and vote accordingly and fight towards this aim, should accept that a 6 year olds can walk into school with a gun and shoot the teacher- (and he could just so easily have shot other school pupils, 1 or many) - as a CHOICE- this is what I find sickening.

Germanshepherdsmum

What’s your evidence for the vast majority of people wanting gun laws to be changed, Fleurpepper? The Republicans are not currently in power. If the vast majority wanted change, it would happen. Many, yes. The vast majority, no. They fall back on their constitutional right to bear arms, which they consider inalienable. We can debate the issue until the cows come home but we here are of one mind on it and what we think is, frankly, irrelevant.

This
I’m not shocked airport police openly carry guns. I’m rather relieved. I hope we never see police routinely carrying guns though

All very well to say
They do not care and it's their children M0nica
But surely everyone in the so called civilised world should show some moral fibre and make a stand against this
It's coming here slowly but surely, if we don't stop it
I was shocked to see airport police in Edinburgh now openly have guns.

Agree, GSM. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the US constitution, which many Americans view as sacrosanct. It's a totally different mindset to what we have here. Just look at what happened after the Dunblane massacre, and how action was swiftly taken.

I can not see the NRA ever letting the right to bear arms be overturned.

They have a large influence in both houses, and the $’s to buy influence when and where needed.

What’s your evidence for the vast majority of people wanting gun laws to be changed, Fleurpepper? The Republicans are not currently in power. If the vast majority wanted change, it would happen. Many, yes. The vast majority, no. They fall back on their constitutional right to bear arms, which they consider inalienable. We can debate the issue until the cows come home but we here are of one mind on it and what we think is, frankly, irrelevant.

Blinko

Fleurpepper

Very shocking post Monica.

A vast number fo people, parents, families, DO NOT WANT GUNS and try their best to alter gun laws. How can you say that it is their choice to be shot because the gun lobby won't change.

Honestly, that made me feel sick.

It’s not M0nica’s post that’s sickening, it’s the state of society in the USA that apparently cannot control firearms.

This bit is shocking

'They do not care - and it is their children dying/shooting people - why should we? Shocked and horrified that a rich and advanced democracy can tolerate brutality certainly, but it is their choice.'

the vast majortiy of people, families, do want gun laws to be changed and are fighting for this- but the NRA and Republicans refuse to do anything. It does not mean that this kind of thing happening is 'the choice' of the people.

Just done a quick check. State of Virginia (where this happened) allows open carry without a permit. Also it is the home state of the NRA. It did introduce some control measures after recent massacres, one of which is that “most people” are limited to only one handgun purchase per month... WTF.

Fleurpepper

Very shocking post Monica.

A vast number fo people, parents, families, DO NOT WANT GUNS and try their best to alter gun laws. How can you say that it is their choice to be shot because the gun lobby won't change.

Honestly, that made me feel sick.

It’s not M0nica’s post that’s sickening, it’s the state of society in the USA that apparently cannot control firearms.

Very shocking post Monica.

A vast number fo people, parents, families, DO NOT WANT GUNS and try their best to alter gun laws. How can you say that it is their choice to be shot because the gun lobby won't change.

Honestly, that made me feel sick.

Of course we can’t stop anything Monica but surely it’s well worth discussing

It was a deliberate act by the child. They had had a run-in with the teacher involved.

Iam definitely says NOT accidently in the BBC report

Lets be brutal. If a country encourages gun ownership and effectively has a regime that, whatever the rules, makes it possible for children to easily access guns then events like this are going to happen.

It is fine for police chiefs and, indeed, coming from a more civilised counry, for people like us to be shocked and horrify us,

But until the Americans, themselves accept that the slaughter of innocent children and men is so high that they must bring in restrictions on gun ownership, nothing is going to change.

And, if they are so brutalised that even this incident cannot turn them off guns, then so be it.

They do not care - and it is their children dying/shooting people - why should we? Shocked and horrified that a rich and advanced democracy can tolerate brutality certainly, but it is their choice.