17 Dead in Florida. GOP does nothing.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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

[kyc0705]

And in any case, kyc talked about assault rifles, whose sole purpose is mass murder.

I'd like to clarify that I was talking more generally about an obsession about guns in general—i.e. the claim that everybody will need one at some point to defend themselves. I wasn't talking specifically about assault rifles, because to me, the argument that private citizens don't need them is so obvious that I rarely even think about it. But considering how circular even any single facet of the gun debate turns out to be, it turns out that's fantastically optimistic.

So let me state my beliefs on this for general reference: The belief that EVERYONE needs to own a gun is dangerous. The belief that ANYONE needs to own an AR-15 is ludicrous.

[kyc0705]

Guns are a dangerous liability. Toddlers kill more people in the United States than foreign terrorists. Having teachers armed? Be prepared for more of this, only with injuries and death: http://abcnews.go.com/US/minnesota-3rd-grader-fires-police-officers-gun-school/story?id=52866888

A firearm in a home is more likely to be used against you than to defend you.

And you know what? I'd rather let a burglar take my stuff than murder him. I have insurance. Items can be replaced. That life cannot. And the actual lives of children being shot up at school who now are dead are worth a hell of a lot more than my TV in the very unlikely and theoretical situation of a burglary.

Who says he wants your stuff. Maybe he wants to rape your wife or daughter... you don’t know what his motive is

Why are you more afraid of the fake burgular you made to scare yourself in your head than the real massacres being carried out on a bi-annual basis?

And to be sure, in an actual shooting situation, adding to the number of guns being fired is just about the worst idea. You can be a "good guy with a gun," but you're still unloading real bullets that can still hit real people. That's what's so harmful about the hero fantasy: pretending that you could instantaneously become a gunslinging savior, when it's much more likely that you'll just add to the chaos and danger.