America's passion for guns intact as shooting toll rises

A shame.

I own two handguns and since open carry passed I carry open. I have not shot one person and don't plan on it. When President Regan signed a bill taking funding away for state mental hospitals many things changed in America. Homeless mentally ill live in tent cities and have become aggressive beggars. Prisons are now mental hospitals and citizens are increasingly more responsible for their own safety. Guns are tools like saws and hammers and in the wrong hands they can be life threatening and dangerous.

I own two handguns and since open carry passed I carry open

Please stay in your open carry area.

Guns are tools like saws and hammers and in the wrong hands they can be life threatening and dangerous.

You're right, and given that there are hundreds of millions of guns in the US, the likelihood of many being stolen or lost and ending up in the hands of criminals increases dramatically, as do accidental discharges, as does their use in crimes of passion. And when there are so many heavily armed and violent gangs of all ethnicities - I'm including heehawdist militias and the 'come and take it' crowd - the US, with its history of violence, becomes an even more frightening to live in and visit.

Where does the 30,000 deaths by gun come from? The usual statistic is 12 or 13,000, and that is down from 35 years ago. Anyway, in the US they kill little kids, presidents, shoot congress women, and nothing happens. That is the culture.

America: Dumbing down on stupid™

The "shooting toll" is not rising, but something is. Since 1960, America has seen it's murder rate and violent crime fall by more than one-third. Conversely, the number of news stories covering murder and violent crime have increased ten-fold. Regardless of the new stories, and political posturing, America is a safer place than it has ever been.

When it comes to the recent mass shootings, the shooters know that if they kill as many as possible, the news will show their names and faces around the world. The media is more than a little complicit in that it both provides a means for these sick people to express their sickness, and that it profits financially by doing so. I applaud those very few news outlets which refuse to print or air stories of mass shootings. If none of the them reported these stories, far fewer such shootings would occur.

Remember, if you are not a member of a militia, then you are not entitled to "keep and bear arms."

I have not shot one person and don't plan on it.

If you have no intention of using it, why carry a gun?

Guns are tools

Guns don't kill people, people who are tools kill people.

Despite the thousands of people killed in car accidents every year, Americans still have a strange fascination with automobiles.

As mass shootings shatter lives, the fascination with firearms among many Americans shows little sign of fading.

Because the US Congress is owned by the NRA.

Despite the thousands of people killed in car accidents every year, Americans still have a strange fascination with automobiles.

Yeah, it's weird that they wouldn't want their society to collapse by banning cars. Disgusting really.

But faced with a Republican-controlled Congress unwilling to move forward on the matter, Obama—who made fighting gun violence his chief resolution for 2016—is left with his wheels spinning.

.....In the speech, Obama formally unveiled a handful of executive measures that will make it harder to buy and sell weapons, but which he admitted would not stop the scourge of mass shootings.

The voters (remember them) do not want Obama's version of firearm banning or his registration/confiscation laws. That's one of the many reasons why Obama's Democrats have lost control of both houses of Congress under Obama's seven year reign.

Obama continues to push for laws that will prevent law-abiding people from defending themselves from criminals and ne'er-do-wells. The voters have rejected Obama's gun-control plans. Obama has no qualms about turning law-abiding citizens into felons. Felons can no longer vote.

Obama admits that his laws won't stop criminals from being criminals.

The voters (remember them) do not want Obama's version of firearm banning or his registration/confiscation laws.

Who says the voters are always right? I'm not saying that the government should ignore voters and do whatever they want, but there are many issues where leading from ahead is a good thing. Guns is one of them.

That's one of the many reasons why Obama's Democrats have lost control of both houses of Congress under Obama's seven year reign.

You might be right about that one. The Republicans ran a successful scare tactic campaign convincing gun nuts that Obama was out to get their guns. There hasn't even been any moves made toward stricter guns laws, let alone confiscation though.

Obama admits that his laws won't stop criminals from being criminals.

No one ever argued that. That would be stupid. What the laws would do is make it harder for nut jobs to get their hands on guns. Statistically, crime is down across the country, but these random shootings are happening more frequently. We also have cops who seem to be more trigger happy despite the drop in crime. You think the problem might be the easy access to and massive proliferation of guns?

as shooting toll rises

Proof? Gun crime has been declining for several decades. Seems rather dishonest to just blatantly lie in the headline.

Illyas,

Like I said in my post, crime is down everywhere. It's the senseless shootings that are on the rise. You want proof, just watch the headlines. Another story of a shooting at a school in Ohio is up today.

MrBum,

While they may be getting more headlines, '10 yr old boy accidentally shoots father with pistol' has been occurring for years. Is there any statistical evidence to back up an increase in senseless shootings beyond the anecdotal?

As for

Who says the voters are always right? I'm not saying that the government should ignore voters and do whatever they want, but there are many issues where leading from ahead is a good thing. Guns is one of them.

Can you really not see how while it may benefit you on this issue (gun control) the same argument can be used to justify all sorts of things, like mass surveillance, warrant-less wiretapping, etc? What's the point of democracy if you want government to just ignore the voters.

Illyas,

While they may be getting more headlines, '10 yr old boy accidentally shoots father with pistol' has been occurring for years.

Yes, the type of accidents you mention have been going on as long as there have been guns, but they aren't the headline making shootings I'm talking about. A kid taking a gun to school and shooting classmates is not an "accident." I don't have the numbers to back it up, but I'm sure you'll agree that we hear about these non-accidental random shootings on a monthly basis now. Was the media just sitting on these stories up until now?

Can you really not see how while it may benefit you on this issue (gun control) the same argument can be used to justify all sorts of things, like mass surveillance, warrant-less wiretapping, etc?

All of the things you mention go against the constitution. Strict gun laws on the other hand would actually be in line with the original intention of the constitution, despite what you might think about the 2nd amendment. A strict interpretation of the amendment was upheld until the 1970s. That's when a new leadership took over the NRA (and Republican party?), and things have slowly got out of hand since then.

I see your point, but I think certain things like equal rights, right to abortions, and gun control just shouldn't be up for discussion. I pretty sure we could still keep a democracy while having those things guaranteed.

It's the senseless shootings that are on the rise

The senseless people like the sexually frustrated Elliot Rodgers (Santa Barbara University). The bullied "Trenchcoat Mafia" over at Columbine. The crazy Korean guy who gunned downed students at Virginia Tech.

The list goes on and on . . . . . . pretty soon Games like Battlefield and Call of Duty will be banned. No more good movies like Mad Max, Terminator or Heat.

The fascination with firearms among many Americans shows little sign of fading

It will never fade.

What's the point of democracy if you want government to just ignore the voters.

The vast majority of voters don't own guns.

Let me elaborate on I don't plan on using my gun. I never planned on being chased by a drug high career felon swinging a tire iron. That did happen and there is a reason 45 states in America have open carry. If a person can pass the criteria for carrying a handgun then that person is as safe as a Police officer to carry a handgun. Alcohol kills more people every year and more people are fascinated with Alcohol than with guns. You can protect yourself and others with a gun from violence. How are people going to protect themselves or others with Alcohol?

Let's not forget the meds that many of these mass shooters were on. Those were not available years ago.