Just few more thoughts on American guns obsession. Surfed through various on line reflections of VT tragedy…surprised not as much by the fact that when at home, it is a tragedy and when somewhere else – a "just cause" (as Dreamerbooks said in her comment to my previous entry). What amazed even more - that most people put a blame onto gun restricted laws (they either not strict enough, or they they are too strict)
Could a crime like VT massacre be prevented if everyone on campus carried a loaded gun? Most likely there could be much less of victims, as the gunman would’ve been shot before he managed to kill more. Would this prevent a crime as such? Very doubtful – he seemed to care less about other ppl with the guns, since he did shoot himself in the end anyway. A psychotic person could harm others when having “psycho-relapse”. Give him a weapon and he could kill. It is not the gun law or the absence of it, but the COMBINATION of both, unstable psychics and easy access to the firearms that made up for the tragedy.
I’ve read a lot of arguments about the right to carry weapons for self-defense. To me this actually sounds as if the State said: sorry, folks, cannot protect you, you’ve got to do it yourself, here - have a gun. Yes, there might be less of such crimes as robbery and burglary. Criminals are not stupid to rob somebody who would likely have a 44 Magnum in their pocket. But isn’t crime supposed to be fought by the State? Police? Army? All paid by taxpayers, btw…
The world of psychopaths is way too different from the criminal world . It is not the guns that shoot; it is humans who pull the trigger. Can you really trust anyone to make an ADEQUATE DECISION in a stressful moment? Can you feel safe when you know that approximately one in every four adults around you has one or another form of mental disorder and that any one of those can hold a gun? They could be living next door to you...working next to you...driving the same road you take...
What I’m trying to say here – the right to carry guns, although seems to be so important for Americans as part of somewhat questionable “freedom”, is NOT going to solve the issue with the senseless violence. You cannot protect your house from fire by sitting in ambush with your gun, waiting for the arsonist to come; you have to make the house fireproof inside.
Could a crime like VT massacre be prevented if everyone on campus carried a loaded gun? Most likely there could be much less of victims, as the gunman would’ve been shot before he managed to kill more. Would this prevent a crime as such? Very doubtful – he seemed to care less about other ppl with the guns, since he did shoot himself in the end anyway. A psychotic person could harm others when having “psycho-relapse”. Give him a weapon and he could kill. It is not the gun law or the absence of it, but the COMBINATION of both, unstable psychics and easy access to the firearms that made up for the tragedy.
I’ve read a lot of arguments about the right to carry weapons for self-defense. To me this actually sounds as if the State said: sorry, folks, cannot protect you, you’ve got to do it yourself, here - have a gun. Yes, there might be less of such crimes as robbery and burglary. Criminals are not stupid to rob somebody who would likely have a 44 Magnum in their pocket. But isn’t crime supposed to be fought by the State? Police? Army? All paid by taxpayers, btw…
The world of psychopaths is way too different from the criminal world . It is not the guns that shoot; it is humans who pull the trigger. Can you really trust anyone to make an ADEQUATE DECISION in a stressful moment? Can you feel safe when you know that approximately one in every four adults around you has one or another form of mental disorder and that any one of those can hold a gun? They could be living next door to you...working next to you...driving the same road you take...
What I’m trying to say here – the right to carry guns, although seems to be so important for Americans as part of somewhat questionable “freedom”, is NOT going to solve the issue with the senseless violence. You cannot protect your house from fire by sitting in ambush with your gun, waiting for the arsonist to come; you have to make the house fireproof inside.