17 Dead in Florida. GOP does nothing.

[ProgressiveCanadian]

Incredibly proud of every surviving student who has taken the oppurtunity to tell Republicans that they are rancid monsters on live TV and social media.

The GOP are rancid monsters and it makes me proud the youth are standing up to them.

Get off your moral high horse.  You used to be a Republican.

Yeah a brainwashed one, and am glad I left that filth.

I believe that abortion is murder but I don't think you're a monster even though you are on the side that opposes human rights.

Honestly STFU...comparing assault weapon murders to abortion "murder" is frankly disgusting.

[Strudelcutie4427]

The NRA is a terrorist organization and we should lock up their leaders and throw away the key. They’re indirectly responsible for the violent gun deaths of tens of thousands, if not more. They’re nothing but a plague on the country, and they’re part of the reason there’s never any action after incidents like this. Repeal the 2nd amendment, shut down the NRA, and make gun ownership illegal. We need drastic measures.

Hamas is a terrorist organization who slaughters people and liberals want to give them a legitimate country

[ProgressiveCanadian]

The NRA is a terrorist organization and we should lock up their leaders and throw away the key. They’re indirectly responsible for the violent gun deaths of tens of thousands, if not more. They’re nothing but a plague on the country, and they’re part of the reason there’s never any action after incidents like this. Repeal the 2nd amendment, shut down the NRA, and make gun ownership illegal. We need drastic measures.

Hamas is a terrorist organization who slaughters people and liberals want to give them a legitimate country

Ah yes, wanting peace in the middle east = supporting terrorists.

[ProudModerate2]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

[Strudelcutie4427]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

[kyc0705]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

[Strudelcutie4427]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

[kyc0705]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

[Strudelcutie4427]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

Burglar has a gun, you have nothing. You die. Burglar has a gun, you have a gun. You can kill him before he kills you. You have a gun, burglar has a crowbar. He runs away

[kyc0705]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

Burglar has a gun, you have nothing. You die. Burglar has a gun, you have a gun. You can kill him before he kills you. You have a gun, burglar has a crowbar. He runs away

Or... you can buy a home security system, and it notifies the police (or better, scares away the burglar), while giving you enough of a heads-up to hide. Revolutionary concept: there are conflicts that can be averted or mitigated without lethal weapons!

[Strudelcutie4427]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

Burglar has a gun, you have nothing. You die. Burglar has a gun, you have a gun. You can kill him before he kills you. You have a gun, burglar has a crowbar. He runs away

Or... you can buy a home security system, and it notifies the police (or better, scares away the burglar), while giving you enough of a heads-up to hide. Revolutionary concept: there are conflicts that can be averted or mitigated without lethal weapons!

It usually takes the police minutes to arrive unless you live next to the police station. During a home invasion with a violent burglar every second counts. If you live far from the police (and often times a burglar is familiar with the area and knows how far the station is) itll be too late. For example, I live in a small town with a small police force. There are never more than 2 cops patrolling the road and the station is a 10 minute drive without traffic. Put yourself in this scenario. There's a hungry lion and you can either be a porcupine or a sloth. Both are slow but one is armed and one is not. The lion will go for the defenseless prey rather than the one he knows could hurt him

[kyc0705]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

Burglar has a gun, you have nothing. You die. Burglar has a gun, you have a gun. You can kill him before he kills you. You have a gun, burglar has a crowbar. He runs away

Or... you can buy a home security system, and it notifies the police (or better, scares away the burglar), while giving you enough of a heads-up to hide. Revolutionary concept: there are conflicts that can be averted or mitigated without lethal weapons!

It usually takes the police minutes to arrive unless you live next to the police station. During a home invasion with a violent burglar every second counts. If you live far from the police (and often times a burglar is familiar with the area and knows how far the station is) itll be too late. For example, I live in a small town with a small police force. There are never more than 2 cops patrolling the road and the station is a 10 minute drive without traffic. Put yourself in this scenario. There's a hungry lion and you can either be a porcupine or a sloth. Both are slow but one is armed and one is not. The lion will go for the defenseless prey rather than the one he knows could hurt him

I do not consider it very likely that I will be the victim of a violent burglary. In fact, most burglaries occur during the day, because the perpetrator specifically does not want to encounter the homeowner. Do you know why? Because most burglars, according to crime statistics, are inexperienced teenage boys.

I consider the odds that I would have to fight off a trained killer roughly comparable to the odds that I would need tornado insurance in New Jersey. Is it possible? Sure. Is it in any way likely? No.

[Bojack Horseman]

It is a sad, sad day in America when people would rather make children and teenagers endure the bullsh**t of TSA airport-style security at the beginning of each school day than ban assault weapons.

[ag]

It usually takes the police minutes to arrive unless you live next to the police station. During a home invasion with a violent burglar every second counts. If you live far from the police (and often times a burglar is familiar with the area and knows how far the station is) itll be too late. For example, I live in a small town with a small police force. There are never more than 2 cops patrolling the road and the station is a 10 minute drive without traffic. Put yourself in this scenario. There's a hungry lion and you can either be a porcupine or a sloth. Both are slow but one is armed and one is not. The lion will go for the defenseless prey rather than the one he knows could hurt him

Have you ever been present in a burglary? Do you want a bit of a personal experience? They burglarized me three times, once I walked in in the middle of it, once I missed it, likely, by a few minutes. Trust me, it has nothing in common with your wet hero fantasies. One thing you definitely do not want during a burglary is to do anything that theatens the burglar. He has an advantage over you: he is expecting trouble, you are not. This is true even in the middle of the day, when almost all burglaries happen (of course, the burglars, as a rule, do not want to find you at home). It would be even more so in the middle of the night, when you are asleep and he is awake. The best you can do if you realize he is there is to follow his instructions - that is, of course, if you want to actually live to tell the tale, I am not talking about a suicide by a burglar.

It is a scary thing: somebody will get hurt if they take what you are writing here seriously.

[Strudelcutie4427]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

Burglar has a gun, you have nothing. You die. Burglar has a gun, you have a gun. You can kill him before he kills you. You have a gun, burglar has a crowbar. He runs away

Or... you can buy a home security system, and it notifies the police (or better, scares away the burglar), while giving you enough of a heads-up to hide. Revolutionary concept: there are conflicts that can be averted or mitigated without lethal weapons!

It usually takes the police minutes to arrive unless you live next to the police station. During a home invasion with a violent burglar every second counts. If you live far from the police (and often times a burglar is familiar with the area and knows how far the station is) itll be too late. For example, I live in a small town with a small police force. There are never more than 2 cops patrolling the road and the station is a 10 minute drive without traffic. Put yourself in this scenario. There's a hungry lion and you can either be a porcupine or a sloth. Both are slow but one is armed and one is not. The lion will go for the defenseless prey rather than the one he knows could hurt him

I do not consider it very likely that I will be the victim of a violent burglary. In fact, most burglaries occur during the day, because the perpetrator specifically does not want to encounter the homeowner. Do you know why? Because most burglars, according to crime statistics, are inexperienced teenage boys.

I consider the odds that I would have to fight off a trained killer roughly comparable to the odds that I would need tornado insurance in New Jersey. Is it possible? Sure. Is it in any way likely? No.

When it does happen, youd wish you had insurance (gun)

[Strudelcutie4427]

It usually takes the police minutes to arrive unless you live next to the police station. During a home invasion with a violent burglar every second counts. If you live far from the police (and often times a burglar is familiar with the area and knows how far the station is) itll be too late. For example, I live in a small town with a small police force. There are never more than 2 cops patrolling the road and the station is a 10 minute drive without traffic. Put yourself in this scenario. There's a hungry lion and you can either be a porcupine or a sloth. Both are slow but one is armed and one is not. The lion will go for the defenseless prey rather than the one he knows could hurt him

Have you ever been present in a burglary? Do you want a bit of a personal experience? They burglarized me three times, once I walked in in the middle of it, once I missed it, likely, by a few minutes. Trust me, it has nothing in common with your wet hero fantasies. One thing you definitely do not want during a burglary is to do anything that theatens the burglar. He has an advantage over you: he is expecting trouble, you do not. This is true even in the middle of the day, when almost all burglaries happen (of course, the burglars, as a rule, do not want to find you at home). It would be even more so in the middle of the night, when you are asleep and he is awake. The best you can do if you realize he is there is to follow his instructions - that is, of course, if you want to actually live to tell the tale, I am not talking about a suicide by a burglar.

It is a scary thing: somebody will get hurt if they take what you are writing here seriously.

It hasnt happened to me personally but it did happen to a friend who was scarred for years because of it. She was afraid to be home alone and was constantly paranoid because two guys broke into her house. She would have no chance against two guys since she's 5'2 105lbs. She has a gun now which gives her the chance to fight off the burglar who in 99.99% of the time would be bigger than her

[ag]

It usually takes the police minutes to arrive unless you live next to the police station. During a home invasion with a violent burglar every second counts. If you live far from the police (and often times a burglar is familiar with the area and knows how far the station is) itll be too late. For example, I live in a small town with a small police force. There are never more than 2 cops patrolling the road and the station is a 10 minute drive without traffic. Put yourself in this scenario. There's a hungry lion and you can either be a porcupine or a sloth. Both are slow but one is armed and one is not. The lion will go for the defenseless prey rather than the one he knows could hurt him

Have you ever been present in a burglary? Do you want a bit of a personal experience? They burglarized me three times, once I walked in in the middle of it, once I missed it, likely, by a few minutes. Trust me, it has nothing in common with your wet hero fantasies. One thing you definitely do not want during a burglary is to do anything that theatens the burglar. He has an advantage over you: he is expecting trouble, you do not. This is true even in the middle of the day, when almost all burglaries happen (of course, the burglars, as a rule, do not want to find you at home). It would be even more so in the middle of the night, when you are asleep and he is awake. The best you can do if you realize he is there is to follow his instructions - that is, of course, if you want to actually live to tell the tale, I am not talking about a suicide by a burglar.

It is a scary thing: somebody will get hurt if they take what you are writing here seriously.

It hasnt happened to me personally but it did happen to a friend who was scarred for years because of it. She was afraid to be home alone and was constantly paranoid because two guys broke into her house. She would have no chance against two guys since she's 5'2 105lbs. She has a gun now which gives her the chance to fight off the burglar who in 99.99% of the time would be bigger than her

Well, if it happens to her again, I am sure your eulogy at her funeral will be beautiful. And I am not joking: I estimate her chances of actually making it out alive if she tries to use that gun to be pretty miniscule.

[kyc0705]

When it does happen, youd wish you had insurance (gun)

I don't think that tornado is going to be scared off by a gun

[Ban my account ffs!]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

GOD.. for F**K'S SAKE.. NO!  THis is NOT going to happen!  The chances of you buying a gun and then killing someone in cold blood or even accidentally are SO MUCH higher.  Statistics is a bitch, I know... but it's a bitch that wont go away.

[Ban my account ffs!]

It usually takes the police minutes to arrive unless you live next to the police station. During a home invasion with a violent burglar every second counts. If you live far from the police (and often times a burglar is familiar with the area and knows how far the station is) itll be too late. For example, I live in a small town with a small police force. There are never more than 2 cops patrolling the road and the station is a 10 minute drive without traffic. Put yourself in this scenario. There's a hungry lion and you can either be a porcupine or a sloth. Both are slow but one is armed and one is not. The lion will go for the defenseless prey rather than the one he knows could hurt him

Have you ever been present in a burglary? Do you want a bit of a personal experience? They burglarized me three times, once I walked in in the middle of it, once I missed it, likely, by a few minutes. Trust me, it has nothing in common with your wet hero fantasies. One thing you definitely do not want during a burglary is to do anything that theatens the burglar. He has an advantage over you: he is expecting trouble, you do not. This is true even in the middle of the day, when almost all burglaries happen (of course, the burglars, as a rule, do not want to find you at home). It would be even more so in the middle of the night, when you are asleep and he is awake. The best you can do if you realize he is there is to follow his instructions - that is, of course, if you want to actually live to tell the tale, I am not talking about a suicide by a burglar.

It is a scary thing: somebody will get hurt if they take what you are writing here seriously.

It hasnt happened to me personally but it did happen to a friend who was scarred for years because of it. She was afraid to be home alone and was constantly paranoid because two guys broke into her house. She would have no chance against two guys since she's 5'2 105lbs. She has a gun now which gives her the chance to fight off the burglar who in 99.99% of the time would be bigger than her

chances are she'll shoot herself intentionally before she shoots anyone else.  Beyond that she'll shoot someone else accidentally... or, in a rare case, on purpose... but not cuz they threatened her realistically.  She needs a therapist and some xanax... not a gun.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

We should repeal the 2nd Amendment, seize everyone's guns and do what Australia did. Ordinary people do not need guns.

If they refuse to give up their guns and pose a threat to the army/police they should be labeled as traitors to America and charged with treason, and if they fire their weapons, then all means necessary should be used to stop them.

I cannot begin to tell you how offensive these ideas are.

The millions of lawful, law-abiding gun owners, of which I am one, are not the problem here.  Never have been.  Never will be. 

Vast numbers of guns in public hands poses a threat to society. Therefore, the government has an obligation to use its powers of eminent domain to purchace guns, by force if necessary, for the betterment of society.

[America Needs R'hllor]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

Burglar has a gun, you have nothing. You die. Burglar has a gun, you have a gun. You can kill him before he kills you. You have a gun, burglar has a crowbar. He runs away

I'm sorry, but this is incredibly, amazingly, astoundingly stupid.
What, do I need a gun because I miiiiiight one day face a danger? If we're going on the paranoid way, why not stock myself with an antidote for every poison in case someone poisons me? Why not just live on a deserted island because the world is such a dark, dangerous place? Seriously, this is stupid. If you really want a gun, learn how to use one responsiblly and get a lisence. Get this into your head- satisfying your paranoia is not worth constant deaths of teenagers.
And in any case, kyc talked about assault rifles, whose sole purpose is mass murder. Why do you need this to defend yourself?! Why not just let the general public buy goddamn nukes so that they can assure destruction for anyone who threatens them?

[Hammy]

Not gonna quote the big mess above because it takes up too much space, but on the note of the 'good guy with a gun' and burglars, keep in mind the numerous times that people have shot and killed family members because they panicked and blindly shot because they thought they were burglars.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Assault weapons ought to be banned. The risks are just too much to justify the potential positives from keeping them legal.

[Fuzzy Bear]

As a start to gun control in this country, we need to ban any and all assault (most auto and semi-auto) weapons to people in the general public. There is absolutely no reason for people to own these weapons. They are designed for one thing and one thing only .... to kill people en masse.

Its not that you get one and want to use it. You'd rather have one in the event you really need one than really needing one and be left to your own devices

I can absolutely say that I would never want to own a gun of any sort. Like countless other people, I've struggled with depression and anxiety in the past, and there have been days that I honestly believe the only reason I'm here right now is that I didn't have an easy method to do something very stupid. I'm absolutely terrified to think about what I would have done if there'd been a gun nearby.

When you have a device whose sole purpose is to destroy things, you're much more likely to hurt yourself or someone you love, even if by accident. Even in a person with no history of mental illness, a temporary episode could prove devastating.

Should people have the right to own firearms? If it's there in the constitution, I suppose so. But can we PLEASE stop enforcing this idea of a hero fantasy? Or that everyone's going to need one at some point in their lives? It's just totally disingenuous.

You may not ever need one, but what if you do? Theres no telling if or when youll face somebody who wants to hurt or kill you who's bigger and stronger than you. Wouldnt you want a way to level the playing field and give yourself a chance to live?

People have survived break-ins without guns, and people have been killed despite having one. Claiming that being armed is the only way to survive such an encounter is absurd.

Burglar has a gun, you have nothing. You die. Burglar has a gun, you have a gun. You can kill him before he kills you. You have a gun, burglar has a crowbar. He runs away

Or... you can buy a home security system, and it notifies the police (or better, scares away the burglar), while giving you enough of a heads-up to hide. Revolutionary concept: there are conflicts that can be averted or mitigated without lethal weapons!

I had a home security system once.  It was during a time where my oldest son was into the drug scene and had questionable associations.  We had several alerts on this system where police responded while my wife and I were out.

Because we had "excessive alerts", our local municipality fined me $100.  I appealed this to a 7 member board.  Two (2) board members listened, the other five (5) wanted my money.  The money grubbers lambasted me for not having a "key person"; a neighbor that would have a key to my house that could turn off the alarm.  (I'm not kidding; this is what it was.)  There was no concern for the fact that folks may well have been breaking into my home, and that the alarm had frightened them away.  (Daytime burglaries in my neighborhood are not uncommon; it's when folks are not home, and burglars can hide in plain sight.)

So I can have a gun, carrying concealed, that will give me some protection, particularly if I come home to an intruder, or I can have a home security system and pay fines to my local municipality because police respond to it and they consider it excessive.