Soldato
- Joined
- 13 May 2003
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I got interrupted whilst writing it and didn't notice which bits I had deleted. That or dementiaDo you have dementia?
Today's mass shooting in the US
- Thread starter Rroff
- Start date
A quick Google seems to show India is 4th in the world for school shootings in this year with 5 so far, Mexico 2nd with 8 all compared to the US's 1st with 288.
School Shootings by Country 2024
I used to think that banning guns would solve the problem, but my opinion has changed over the years. I think some strong legislation around some of the semi-automatic weapons such as AR-15s and the like, would do a lot of good, but I don't think it would really solve the problem.
In anycase there are so many guns in circulation, even if they somehow managed to come up with a law which prevents the sale of guns or certain types of guns, the practical reality of US lawmaking is so awfully complicated especially around federal vs state laws, corruption and infighting - I just can't see it working, literally ever - they're too far gone.
I think one of Americas biggest problems is it's obsession with materialism and stuff, combined with social media and the notion that you have to tick all of the boxes and have all of the things that they tell you to have. If you can't make that - you're a failure and have no hope. Kids are growing up being smashed over the head with all of this 24/7, yet at the same time the levels of professional support for things like mental health and behaviour are only really available to people with lots of money.
The levels of financial equality are all over the place, to me it seems insane that you can have a country with this much money - but tens of thousands of people living in tunnels underneath Las Vegas. When something bad happens like in Ukraine - the US is very good at throwing billions of dollars of cash and *stuff* at the problem, almost "showing off" to the rest of the world how much it can flex it's muscles. Yet when it comes to their own country, they can't seem to solve the problem of providing basic access to important health services for people who aren't rich, it's just stupid.
In anycase there are so many guns in circulation, even if they somehow managed to come up with a law which prevents the sale of guns or certain types of guns, the practical reality of US lawmaking is so awfully complicated especially around federal vs state laws, corruption and infighting - I just can't see it working, literally ever - they're too far gone.
I think one of Americas biggest problems is it's obsession with materialism and stuff, combined with social media and the notion that you have to tick all of the boxes and have all of the things that they tell you to have. If you can't make that - you're a failure and have no hope. Kids are growing up being smashed over the head with all of this 24/7, yet at the same time the levels of professional support for things like mental health and behaviour are only really available to people with lots of money.
The levels of financial equality are all over the place, to me it seems insane that you can have a country with this much money - but tens of thousands of people living in tunnels underneath Las Vegas. When something bad happens like in Ukraine - the US is very good at throwing billions of dollars of cash and *stuff* at the problem, almost "showing off" to the rest of the world how much it can flex it's muscles. Yet when it comes to their own country, they can't seem to solve the problem of providing basic access to important health services for people who aren't rich, it's just stupid.
I understand they have less guns per capita, and India was just one example, there are a lot of countries where people have access to firearms and millions of them are spread throughout the population and the same thing doesn't happen.
You seem to be ignoring my point. Yes, 71 million is a big number. But they're spread out very thinly, if only 5% of people own them then they're far more likely to actually need a gun.
They're less likely to treat them like a toy, more likely to secure them properly and if only every 20th person has one that's obviously going to limit access.
The US has more guns in private ownership than the next 48 countries combined. It's absurd.
Part of the problem in viewing this stuff from the outside too is it's hard to comprehend how "foreign" America is if you haven't been. People assume that because we speak English, have the same stuff, and are thought of as a mini America, that we're similar but in reality, we're miles apart. I've been five times now and it's one of the most "foreign-feeling" countries there are. Their mentality is so completely different to us.
Very few people understand this.
Their values are just so different to ours, have a conversation with the average American about free healthcare or something - it's like having a conversation with a space alien from another dimension or something. They just don't understand the notion of having a society where everybody contributes for the wellbeing of everyone else in that society regardless of who has the money, because ultimately if you do that - society as a whole is better off.
It's every man for himself, **** the next guy.
Caporegime
Theres too much money to be made from guns and everything around them for the lobbies to allow the US to do anything about their gun issues. Like all things in the US, money explains 99% of the bizarre **** they do.
Soldato
- Joined
- 6 Jan 2012
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- 5,505
What an absolute tragedy!
Only ever seen a handgun once, stayed with a lovely family in Kentucky years ago who thought it would be good to show a young Brit their 'arsenal'. The conversation went something like this:
'Wanna get the feel of it'? A 44 Magnum is presented to me, heart rate increases dramatically.
'Is it loaded'?
''Of course!'
'Er, no thankyou ....'
The gun goes back in the cabinet to rejoin the two rifles and four other handguns. The proud owner clearly perplexed by my lack of interest-slash-terror.
That's the problem, right there.
Only ever seen a handgun once, stayed with a lovely family in Kentucky years ago who thought it would be good to show a young Brit their 'arsenal'. The conversation went something like this:
'Wanna get the feel of it'? A 44 Magnum is presented to me, heart rate increases dramatically.
'Is it loaded'?
''Of course!'
'Er, no thankyou ....'
The gun goes back in the cabinet to rejoin the two rifles and four other handguns. The proud owner clearly perplexed by my lack of interest-slash-terror.
That's the problem, right there.
Soldato
- Joined
- 21 Jan 2010
- Posts
- 3,814
I had a conversation with a man in a new York bar. He told me he was there on leave- he said he got 2 weeks, but was expected to not take it all.
The look on his face when I said I got over 5 weeks. He just couldn't understand it.
There is a twitter post doing the rounds from supposedly the dad of one of the young victims where he has posted a picture of himself posing with her wearing a t shirt that says "**** your zero gun zones", and simply captioned "why?"
....
....
Yep, another good point. There are so many jobs tied to the arms sector there that banning guns will mean mass unemployment.
Suspended
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Banning guns would be impossible, too far gone.
More gun controls though - surely that would increase jobs for people in terms of licensing?
Soldato
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- 14 Aug 2018
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Which is one of the hard things to get your head around unless you've experienced it, as in general there is a deep seated mutual appreciation. Americans love the Brits and vice versa. I only have to start talking when I'm there and I see people's faces light up. Though due to several hundred years of divergent history we now have some widely differing thoughts on the same subject.
One of my best friends lives in Florida and having discussions about certain 'obvious' things to me, including guns, is often like pulling nails. Luckily we have humour to smooth it over.
One week before a guy shot and killed over 50 people in Las Vegas I was walking down that exact road and area. It does give you pause for thought.
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Soldato
It's easy to get desensitised to this stuff, but bloody hell this one is awful. I'm in shock.
On the face of it, this post sounds a little crazy. But there has been some reasonable speculation that one of the reasons we (US in particular) had so many serial killers in the 70s is to do with the quantity of lead in the water and how this has the potential to inhibit normal reactions to impulses.
On the face of it, this post sounds a little crazy. But there has been some reasonable speculation that one of the reasons we (US in particular) had so many serial killers in the 70s is to do with the quantity of lead in the water and how this has the potential to inhibit normal reactions to impulses.
You're seemingly missing my point though because there are dozens of countries where 25% of the population or more own guns, people are able to get hold of them even illegally, yet mass school shootings are a very specific problem for America. Yes America has more guns, but there aren't impossible barriers for someone to overcome in getting firearms in another country and doing the same thing, except it doesn't happen.
I feel like i am a little desensitised because it happens so often but whenever its a school it just hits me. This is grim.
Indeed, i have kived in the US for over 7 years in total. Apart from language, it is a very foreign place, and the people have have very different customs and social norms. Actual real communication can be quite hard.
Compared to Europe, Switzerland, France amd Germany where in total i have lived over 10 years now all are much more natural and the people much easier to get along with and understand. They just happen not so speak English, otherwise British people are much more similar to Germans than Americans
Soldato
If Americans are so obsessed with owning a gun, then why can't they change the laws so its just a pistol they can own, why do they need assault rifles.