I think by now everyone in the world with an internet connection has heard about the shooting at the elementary...

I think by now everyone in the world with an internet connection has heard about the shooting at the elementary school in Connecticut. I've seen posts all over G+ detailing how we need to take guns away from people, more gun control, limiting access to firearms, etc. I've also see posts demonstrating how a world without guns doesn't stop people from inflicting damage, such as the knife attack at a school in china today.

My take is this:

Human beings found ways to be horrific to each other for tens of thousands of years before guns were invented. We threw stones, we launched spears, we fired arrows; we set warhorses to trampling people and used fire to burn villages. 

Guns aren't the problem, people are the problem. People are highly stressed and they're angry. Some are even suffering actual biological mental problems. However, we don't have methods to detect and assist people who are suffering. 

Gun violence isn't a problem, it's an indicator of a problem. As a society, as a modern world, we need to look at the root causes of why people feel the need to lash out not just have a gut-reaction and take away the tools one used to strike out, whether that tool is a gun, a bomb, a sword or a car.

Comments

Caitlyn Bowyer said…
Jason ON - Thank you. 

Guns aren't the problem, people are the problem. People are highly stressed and they're angry. Some are even suffering actual biological mental problems. However, we don't have methods to detect and assist people who are suffering.

Gun violence isn't a problem, it's an indicator of a problem.
Rob Gordon said…
Sorry, I disagree - every time people get slaughtered like this - in this case children, we here that guns have nothing to do with it - or that if everyone had guns everything would be great.  I am really angry right now and this is probably not a good time for the gun fetish people to be making this argument.
James Karaganis said…
Rob Gordon Or perhaps not the best time for you to bother replying to other people's opinions with which you disagree. Let it slide for a while.
Laura Manach said…
If people are the problem, tell me why in France we never have killings in schools, while in America you have one every two months?
Rob Gordon said…
James Karaganis Whatever dude - keep talking about how wonderful guns are.   I am pretty disgusted at the moment.
Caitlyn Bowyer said…
Rob Gordon, I'm not going to call you out specifically, but I've heard more of the BAN ALL GUNS and GUNS ARE EVIL comments in the last two hours. 

I try my best when anything tragic happens, to let it rest for a day or week, or however long (to the tragedy) that the families of those involved need to grieve. They don't need our opinions. 

And yes, I know I agreed with Jason ON, and he's right. Humans, have always been killers when pushed to a point-of-no-return.
Jeff Chapman said…
Whish I could +1 this more than once.
Jerome A. F said…
no, guns are the problem, it's too effective at killing people.
Jeff Chapman said…
so is a van full of fertilizer and diesel fuel
Jason ON said…
Laura Manach, because French people are full of wine, chocolate and sex. 

Also, I am a gun owner, yet I think the NRA are a bunch of tools and have told them so when they try to recruit me. I am a veteran of the armed forces of the United States and have carried a gun in defense of myself and others. And right now, in my bedroom there are four guns, loaded, not hurting anyone. They're not walking around, they're not looking for a target and they're not angry. They're just hunks of metal and carbon-composite materials taking up space until I, the human being in this scenario, decided to do something with them. Heck, right now one is even chambered and cocked, needing only a pull of the trigger to be fired.
Jerome A. F said…
Jeff Chapman yeah, but I haven't seen people using that to kill a bunch of kids every few months so far, we can talk about that when it's a problem
Rob Gordon said…
I'm sorry, I have to mute this now.  James is right - I am too disgusted with to discuss this rationally right now, and when I see a post trying to claim that guns have nothing to do with this I just think it is ridiculous.
Jason ON said…
Jerome A. F, so are soldiers. You want to get rid of soldiers and veterans, too? Drowning is too effective at killing people as well. Maybe we should ban pools, oceans and boats.
Jason ON said…
Rob Gordon, guns have nothing to do with the shooting today any more than any other day. People shoot people. Guns don't. Unless of course your computer/phone is typing out responses on the internet and you're not.
Jerome A. F said…
Jason ON they're supposed to kill enemies, aren't they? on the other hand these guns have been used to kill innocent children. pools are not very effective at killing people at all, compared to guns....most people come out of the swimming pool alive and well, how many survive something like Connecticut unharmed?
Tim McAdam said…
Jerome A. F you forgot one thing in your pool scenario....
the person doing the killing!
Jason ON said…
Tell that to the Japanese religious sect that released a bomb in the subway, or the 9-11 hijackers, or the suicide bombers, or the IED manufacturers, or the survivors of the USS Cole or the Saudi Arabia barracks bombing...

Guns are a tool. Nothing more. People will always find a way to kill other people.
Jerome A. F said…
Tim McAdam well it's not my scenario, I thought it's ridiculous comparison, but Jason insists
Jerome A. F said…
that's what we have been talking about all along, it's too effective as a tool....
Jason ON said…
Jerome A. F, guns are supposed to kill enemies too. But soldiers come home and kill their spouses, or their neighbors or their platoon-mates. 

Also, you're saying I can't hold your head underwater until you die? It only takes a few minutes. The pool scenario works.

Look, all of you: you're trying to nitpick but the fact of the matter is people love killing other people. As I said, as Nolan L said, we'll use sticks and stones, we'll use arrows and swords, we'll use guns and bombs. We love killing each other and we will find a way.

The root problem here isn't that someone used a gun, the root problem is WHY a person would want to do this to other people, especially children.

As I said before, my guns are in the other room: they're not angry, they're not spiteful, and they're not stressed. They're sitting there doing absolutely nothing as guns will until a human being picks them up.''

The same with a car. More people dies from auto crashes every year than gunfire and yet no one blames the car, we blame the driver, or the weather or in some rare cases a malfunction.

When an airplane hit each of the twin towers we didn't blame the airplane or even the pilots, we blamed the guys with tweezers -- because as we all know, a guy with tweezers can be over-run before he does too much damage.

Blaming guns for the actions of Man is ridiculous!
Jerome A. F said…
you mean the plane? it's not like everyone can afford a 747 o_o......yeah actually there're laws for crimes, mental institution for crazy people, there's laws for hate speech and illegal immigrants. and why is it ok to say illegal immigration is a problem, but guns are not the problem?
Jerome A. F said…
Jason ON well actually I already answered it when someone post about diesel fuel killing people. we can discuss about swimming pool being a problem when someone kill 30 innocents kids in a public swimming pool, at the moment, let's stick to guns.
Jerome A. F said…
Nolan L if there's a 747 hijack every few months in the US, we can bring that into the discussion too. btw, 747 when they're not hijacked, they provide transportation to a lot of people, just exactly what're the benefits of allowing guns? I mean in reality, what does it do for these owners in their daily life, and what benefits they bring to the society?
Jerome A. F said…
it does bring a lot of security problem to schools, doesn it?
Jerome A. F said…
there're also many countries which have gun control and have a lower crime rate than the US, maybe it's time you guys should give it a try, if you still see school shootings every months, you can always bring it back. I don't know what's about scary about gun control, if you don't use your guns anyway
Jason ON said…
Jerome A. F, Nolan L was kind enough to tell us which countries/states/cities he was referecing, ehich countries are you referecing?
Jerome A. F said…
Nolan L most of these things post dangers to YOU, yourself. guns are something that deemed to post danger to others....
Tim McAdam said…
as are lions and tigers and bears...... Oh my....
:o)
Jason ON said…
Jerome A. F you have a very narrow defined view of guns. Guns post a danger to self as well, unless you've never heard of suicide or people shooting themselves. The Sun can cause cancer on anyone, not just Nolan L. 

I also notice you failed to provide a source for your earlier claims as I requested.
Jerome A. F said…
France, they're just hunting
Jason ON said…
Who's "just hunting?" And Laura Manach already mentioned France so you need to pick another.
Jerome A. F said…
Jason ON you can ban the Sun? doesn't sound feasible. I did not say guns can't post danger to oneself, I was just making the point it posts danger to others, therefore why other people have a stake in the discussion about guns but not Nolan's sex life
Jerome A. F said…
Jason ON just for hunting, why do I need to pick another? if it's a valid example, it's a valid example. ok australia, if you insist
Jerome A. F said…
Nolan L you're fancying one day you might save europe with your short gun?
Jason ON said…
Jerome A. F, so hunting guns (more than likely rifles) can't be used to kill people?
Tasha L. said…
posting just so i can keep reading...this is good stuff.
Jason ON said…
Scott Nuttall, but that's my point: the UK has better mechanisms in place for mental health care than the US.
Jason ON said…
Falling, or falling behind the US?
Jason ON said…
Or better mental health services.
Jeff Chapman said…
cars kill more people in a month than guns kill in a year.  Ban the cars.
R B said…
Guns are made for the sole purpose of destruction. Guns make it easier for people to kill people.
Jeff Chapman said…
Scott Nuttall They intentionally speed and run red lights and drive drunk.  It amounts to the same thing.  I thought you wanted safety at all costs.  punish those who do nothing wrong to protect us from those who would.  That's what you're advocating.
While we're at it religion has been the cause of more death and suffering than any other source in the history of the world.  let's strike that freedom down too.  We're all Janes now.  They're pacifists and won't even hurt a bug.
Jeff Chapman said…
oh, it was careless.  he didn't give a shit about anyone.  why do you want to punish me for that or Jason ON or anyone else who hasn't hurt anyone?  some people drive drunk and break that law, we don't ban alcohol.  some people stab people with knives and we don't ban knives or even swords.
Jeff Chapman said…
When there are no people we will all be safe.....
Jeff Chapman said…
There is no better security than a weapon that ensures that regardless the size of your attacker you can meet them with equal or overwhelming force.  All "security" aside from knowing how to defend yourself is an illusion.  Remember the cops can't protect you if you're dead.  They may catch whoever killed you but they can't bring you back.  If you take away a right guaranteed by the constitution of the country you live in you are punishing all the citizens of the country for the crimes of a few.

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