Yet another school shooting in the USA

The USA was the definitely top country in the 1950s. I can remember as a teenager we talked about "The States" as a type of Nirvana, a place of wonder, full of glamorous people driving about in huge Cadillacs. Actually going to the States was an unattainable aspiration for most of us.

I went to the USA for the first time in the 1980s. There are parts of that country I'd still like to see but I would never go there again until Trump has been replaced by a decent President.

My older DGD's, approaching their 18th and 21st birthdays totally understand why I haven't carried out a suggestion made a couple of years ago.
I had suggested that we might celebrate their special birthdays (and my 70th) with a short trip to New York.
Trump's election scuppered that idea as I can't face a trip to USA now.
Maybe one day!

Varian, many thanks for your above posting detailing Donald Trump's measures to give further rights to US citizens to carry concealed arms. I am sure many on this forum will find that information totally shocking in the light of all the mass shootings witnessed in the past few years.

I also totally agree with the posting made by GillT57 where in that he states that we are witnessing the slow decline of the United States. I feel that America has seen great divisions become endemic within its society as it has become totally "in hock" to globalization.

In the above, many US citizens are looking back to the days of the "great American dream", and in that hoping those halcyon Days can again be recreated. Hence the election of Donald Trump accompanied by such measures as the reluctance to change legislation such as the right to bear arms, even though in the eyes of the rest of the world that legislation desperately needs addressing.

A divided declining nation will always look back to what once made it great I feel even though that may bring forward an obscene government with outdated polices and legislation.

However, there but for the grace of the powers that be may well go us.

The US is going to hell in a handcart: gun laws that no-one can challenge because of powerful lobbies; Trump in the White House; and an obesity problem that is out of control - I am always shocked by footage from the US full of folk who must struggle to walk about.

I have never been there and have no desire whatsoever to do so.

There are opposition groups in the US, here are just two. everytown.org And www.csgv.org/about-us/

The problem is the immense wealth and influence the NRA has. The gun manufactures back the NRA all the way, because it means money to them but there's no one who will sponsor those who advocate gun control. There's no money to be made by restricting guns.

I guess it's similar to the years it took for smoking to be outlawed in public places and the on-going battle to get food manufacturers to act responsibly. They all have vested interests and it very hard to fight against them. Even more so when they are armed.

Nothing more to add to most of the posts above. It’s a USA problem and they’ve failed to deal with it. It’s now getting the same as when we hear of a suicide bombing, as one example, in a far flung country - sadness at the loss of life, but there’s nothing we can do about it.

This popped up in my Facebook feed. The UK may not be perfect, but I think we got that legislation right.

Purpledaffodil. Australia also brought in strict gun controls after a mass shooting in 1996 - they haven't had a mass shooting since.

The Port Arthur massacre happened just after Dunblane, and John Howard seized the mood of the nation to bring in reforms, despite the powerful gun lobby.

Unless the power of the gun lobbyists in America is curbed, I cannot see changes taking place in that country.

SueDomin that is a very good analogy. The smoking lobby was very powerful, yet eventually, by the efforts of pressure groups like Ash, the law was changed.

The statistics relating to gun violence in the USA, compared to any other nation are shocking but sadly, I think that the Americans will pay no heed to factual evidence.

I didn’t know that Oldwoman70. Gun control makes even more sense then doesn’t it?

Lucky 'The US is going to hell in a handcart'

and not 'just' on gun control.

The desperate thing is that they want to take us with them ...

Thank goodness we haven't left the EU and ended up at the mercy of Trump.

Maybe there is hope amongst the sorrow.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43105699

I am very impressed with the young people from the school who are campaigning on the issue and horrified at the amount of abuse they are receiving. If only :::::

They have refused to even debate the issue in the Florida House of Representatives.

Perhaps the next generation will be the ones who will ensure change but I hope it's not a long wait.

Trump has suggested arming and training the teachers - that’ll end well

I didn't think it could get any worse...but the prospect of Gunfight at the OK Coral being enacted for real in front of terrified students, words fail me.

Trump is trying to placate the students and at the same time not upset the gun lobbyists. He's a fool and it will really start kicking off. Shame on him.

Arm the teachers - may the lord preserve us.

All power to yesterday's demonstrators - the way to go I think. They need to generate support and turn it into a national campaign.

Trump is the coward, because he won't stand up to the gun lobby.
He won't because he needs their votes, but I think he agrees with them anyway.

Yep, completely dependent on NRA votes and support. It is appaling.

If a large % of teachers are armed- any gunman will always shoot the teachers first, just in case. Tragic.

A group of teenage survivors of a US high school shooting this week took command of the national debate over gun control, one of the most contentious issues in American life.

The massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is the latest in a series of mass shootings in the US. Despite public horror, these attacks have failed to spur significant change to the nation’s gun laws.

But the Marjory Stoneman Douglas student activists, rallying behind the hashtag #NeverAgain, have torn up the familiar script in their push to hold adults — from the gun rights advocates of the National Rifle Association to the US president — accountable.

“The people in the government who were voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and are prepared to call BS,” Emma González, a senior at the school, said in an impassioned speech at a rally last weekend that spread quickly on social media.

“They say that no laws would have been able to prevent the hundreds of senseless tragedies that occur. We call BS. That us kids don’t know what we’re talking about, that we’re too young to understand how the government works. We call BS.”

www.ft.com/content/9341021e-1818-11e8-9376-4a6390addb44

Just been watching some of them on C4 news - so impressive. Trump isn’t fit to lick their boots - what a truly truly evil man he is

Luckygirl Thu 22-Feb-18 10:04:29

I concur absolutely.

Trump isn’t fit to lick their boots
and with that statement meliza