Comments on: Ben Stein: Stricter gun laws won't cut shootings
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- I bet quite a few posts on these site are sales reps from weapon and ammo manufacturers. Must be laughing all the way to bank as people horde huge amounts of weapons for no reason (Obama did not put forth a single piece of legislation on the matter and in fact some bans were allowed to expire!) Lemmings.
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- Stein has it wrong again with his neocon view. America has some 11,000 gun deaths a year, add in the gun deaths from suicide and it doubles to 22,000. Most other civilized western countries like Canada, Britain, France, Germany, et al have gun deaths ~ 100. The nations all have gun control. You cannot buy an AK-47 to shoot up a mall in Britain.
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- To truly resolve and fix this issue, the solution needs to focus on addressing the source of the issue at its root cause rather than the various symptoms of the problem. I believe there are two main sources of the problem:
1. The enormous amount of violence, crime, murder, and bigotry that we allow to be "fed" to our children through TV programs, video games, and, yes, even cartoons. Have you noticed that the vast majority of content is violent and angry? Our thoughts are powerful and thoughts create, both in our psycological structure and in action in the physical world. We are allowing these young, powerful, creative minds to be filled with images of negative behavior and are now starting to witness the results of allowing this type of "diet".
2. A lack of proper guidance and teaching of moral and spiritual ethics in both thought and behavior. This needs to start in the home - in EACH home - and if parents don't have the experience or ability to teach it, then they need to make sure it is provided via a church, a stong mentor, or some other way. This is a core responsibility of parenting.
Ultmately we are all products of our environment. All great spiritual teachers have said in one way or another that "you are what you think". We are creating this situation by allowing our youth to be exposed to large amounts of negative, toxic content, and by not providing them with clear guidance and the discipline to know and choose ethical behavior and respect for themselves and others. Until this changes the problem will not change. - Reply to this comment
- Why should anyone care about what Ben Stein says?
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- And yet the basis of your whole thesis on this subject reflects the NRA/guns without limits point of view, Mr. Stein. You say you wish people would come up with an alternative but until then the status quo should remain in place (doesn't it bother you that people are dying now?) while simultaneously ignoring anything that might take away people's semi-automatics and ammo. And yes, I have no doubts you won't read this but I'm pointing it out anyway.
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- mecury said: "I'll take on a guy with (3) 10 round magazines over one with a single 30 any day. I'll also take on a guy with an ax over a guy with a AK 47 (Chinese made BTW) any day as well."
Wow you are an idiot. Try it and see how well that works out for you. By the way, AK47s are made in many countries, not just China, they originated in the former Soviet Union and REAL full auto AKs (the REAL assault weapons) cannot be sold in the US without meeting strict requirements and acquiring federal tax stamps. Show me one, just ONE mass shooting where the high capacity magazine would have made any difference either way. The shooter in Colorado killed and wounded most of his victims with a SHOTGUN. His AR15 (complete with high capacity magazine) JAMMED. - Reply to this comment
- In response to "Outlaw ALL guns for ALL people for whatever reason...", let me suggest two things -
(a) If you can punish someone for not buying something (aka Obamacare), the let's require every adult in the US to buy and carry a handgun (then, to paraphrase what Ben says, "If a man had started shooting in a crowd, probably several men in the crowd would have shot him down immediately. Maybe a woman, too."); and
(b) When all the guns are gone - assuming that is even possible - then who will protect us when the nutjob is in the White House and the military is willing to play along? - Reply to this comment
- "In Sandpoint, North Idaho, where I live for most of the summer, it's extremely easy to buy a gun. You can buy them at stores and at gun shows, or just at yard sales. Yet there are almost no gun deaths in Bonner County, Idaho."
Gee, Ben, have you heard about the material fallacy called hasty generalization? Do you go on the scientific principle that whatever happens to me is the only thing that happens? - Reply to this comment
- Nothing that has been tried has been successful in stopping or even slowing down the madness of gun violence, it's past time to try something new and radical. Outlaw ALL guns for ALL people for whatever reason, and punish people for having guns in their possession with extremely lengthy prison sentences...say, 20 years with no possibility of parole.
I realize that this idea has absolutely no chance in hell or Texas of ever becoming law....but something has to happen. What does it say about people who would rather keep their ability to kill animals and go target shooting rather than see something meaningful done to curb gun violence mass-murder in this country ? Nothing admirable or respectful. - Reply to this comment
- There is an easy way, let certified good guys carry guns, and let the world know that people are able to carry guns in public places. This will start to slow gun violence in places like DC and Chicago.
I would never want to trample the property rights of another, so property owners should have the right to post no guns signs and have the force of law behind them. I just won't go to places like that. In public places like schools, the good people of our society should be able to carry firearms concealed.
The problem with most of these mass shootings is they happen at "Gun Free" zones like schools. Why? they are target rich environments and the shooter knows that the police will take time to show up and that no one else will be able to stop him.
The answer to the majority of these shootings is easy. Lots of states have good programs and are getting better. Florida has been on the forefront for years and contrary to what the media has said, there hasn't been blood running in the streets like every town is the wild west with shootings on ever corner every day. - Reply to this comment
