Can you not think of one place that deserves to be a gun-free zone?

[Tab]

The gun apologists are claiming that if everyone was always armed and there were no gun-free zones, then everyone would be "safe".

But what about in a hospital or other environment with pure oxygen? Want to fire a gun in there?

What about a laboratory with all kinds of chemicals and/or other agents that could be released?

What about a manufacturing site with pressurized chemicals?

What about airplanes?

What about a psych ward with violent patients that could take your gun?

These are just a few. Aside from the fact that your kids should be able to attend school in a place of safety, there are probably many more examples (feel free to add onto the list) where you decidedly do NOT want a projectile or explosive device.

[Turbineguy]

1. On the other hand

look how many people would shoot their television sets?

[99Forever]

2. I have a much better idea.

Everywhere.

[KittyWampus]

3. The entire planet should be a gun-free zone.

[Wind Dancer]

20. My thoughts exactly!

We're kindred spirits.

[tj_crackersnatch]

4. my house eom

[renie408]

5. You beat me to it.

[hack89]

6. The thing about gun free zones is that they are not gun free

to criminals and crazy people.

I do not support guns everywhere - I agree with your list.

I also understand that with the exception of airplanes and high security psych wards, calling them "gun free" does not make them safer because there is no way to keep guns out of them.

So it takes more then merely designating a school "gun free". They have to be designed to keep shooters out.

[bongbong]

10. Criminals

When a "responsible" Delicate Flower carries his gun into a gun-free zone he becomes a criminal.

Since the Delicate Flowers claim to be "law-abiding", he has the duty of making a citizen's arrest on himself, and, if he resists his own arrest, he is required to shoot himself to stop the evil criminality.

Delicate Flowers are mega-ridiculous.

[hack89]

11. So you agree that gun free zones don't stop shooters? nt

[bongbong]

15. No

Nope.

But I take it from your tone that you agree that "law-abiding", "responsible" Delicate Flowers are frequently criminals because their cowardice requires them to carry guns into gun-free zones?

Then do you agree that they should attempt to arrest themselves, and if they resist they are required to shoot the offender?

[hack89]

18. So how do they stop shooters?

if, as you point out, criminals carry in gun free zones all the time?

[bongbong]

19. Get rid of guns

DUH!

[Starboard Tack]

23. Once again, we have the technology to truly make them gun-free.

Now is the time to start implementing it.

[hack89]

25. What technology are you referring to? nt

[Starboard Tack]

27. This

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1172&pid=94334

[hack89]

32. You can't have technology that requires the cooperation of the shooter

None of that would work with a criminal or determined mass shooter using any one of the 300 million guns presently in circulation. And things like GPS chips can be removed or destroyed.

Lets not forget that criminals don't obey laws.

The answer for schools at least is tougher perimeter security like doors, locks, camera systems - stuff designed to keep shooters out long enough for either the cops to show up or to get kids to safe rooms.

[Starboard Tack]

34. I agree. Removing the chip would render the gun inoperable.

Your suggestions for schools are also good.

[tblue]

7. In the Bay Area, there are recent cases of sexual abuse

by teachers. And we are talking about arming teachers now? What could possibly go wrong?

I teach K-2. Ok? Most teachers are awesome. But we are all human and some of us are seriously flawed.

[liberal N proud]

8. Here is one

I know you think it is a bit too much, but we can start here and negotiate.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

9. Conservative logic...

Guns reduce crime, yet we have more guns and more crime than any other industrialized nation.

Lower taxes create jobs, yet we lowered taxes on the wealthy by two-thirds and have fewer jobs.

We ought to have zero crime and a gazillion jobs.

[Ruby the Liberal]

31. Well stated.

Don't mind if I borrow that?

[Toronto]

33. The problem is that they didn`t really reduce taxes

They simply deferred them to the next non-Republican administration. In the meantime they spent gazillions of dollars on the military to benefit the weapons manufacturers who (among others) comprise the 1% that everyone is pointing to. The Democrats keep inheriting the deficits of the Republicans and no one seems to notice...

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. My house.

[ellisonz]

13. I've had a gunner tell me that he needed his gun...

...to go to an Obama rally because the Secret Service isn't enough protection.

[Lizzie Poppet]

14. I can think of many.

But they have to actually be gun-free zones...not just places someone hung a meaningless sign on.

Personally, I include schools, although I suppose I can see why some call for armed security.

[dmallind]

16. Not that you are interested in civil discussion, but sure.

Guns for responsible owners serve the same purpose as safety belts or fire extinguishers - as a plausible but not perfect protection against highly unlikely but potentially catastrophic events.

So when would it make sense not to have that? When the highly uinlikely risk becomes either impossible or so close to it as be no risk worth considering at all. Where would that be? Where there is alredy equal or greater plausible protection. So courtrooms where armed guards intented to protect everyone are present would be an example. Or anywhere with controlled entrances where there is no risk of other armed people getting in with nefarious intent - jails, or embassies, or even some private companies would qualify.

Now feel free to bloviate with cutesy insults and ignore the valid logic of the response.

[Robb]

17. I'm trying to remember the last time

... a fire extinguisher accidentally put out the wrong fire. Or a kid found a safety belt and buckled his little sister to death.

[Tab]

22. If you followed your own logic

then a fire extinguisher would not be used for putting out a fire, but rather as defense against someone else attacking you with a fire extinguisher.

A gun's only purpose is to kill, and when you fight guns with guns, particularly in an uncordinated response (lots of citizens pulling rods, as opposed to trained law enforcement or military) you just up the stakes for more people to get hurt.

Equating guns to fire extinguishers or safety belts is a ludicrous position to take.

[Starboard Tack]

24. "serve the same purpose as safety belts or fire extinguishers"

That's where you lose all credibility. The comparison is beyond lame. It is insulting. I wouldn't insult my dog by telling him such bullshit.
What you consider a safety device is actually a killing tool. Enough with the obfuscation.

[Taverner]

21. Schools, Courthouses, Hopitals, Post Offices, DMV...

[graham4anything]

26. the NRA has soundbytes for anything...remember though, very few actual people are members

they just gang up bully style and ram their views down peoples throats

I know I say this often, and then everyone bitches but

ALL democrats should line up behind Mike Bloomberg and his vow to finance any canddiate strongly anti-gun

Soon there would be no one left in congress, even in the reddest of states, who is pro-gun

because money talks and within 6 years, ALMOST ALL the senate/house could be anti-gun

and stop bitching about a couple of things he did you don't like

If you are for the stopping of guns on the street, there is only one answer
and it is possible
(though the NRA folks will attempt to deride it)

[naaman fletcher]

28. This is the worst straw man argument I have seen in my life. nt

[libdem4life]

29. Please, proceed poster,

[Ruby the Liberal]

30. My house, my place of work, my bank, where I attend worship and where I vote

(that was an actual lawsuit BTW - the right to "bear arms" as a "well regulated militia" at polling stations - which they lost)

Where I buy gas, where I buy groceries, hairdressers/barbers, my home improvement/hardware store, the liquor store, the bodegas, sporting stadiums, art museums, theaters, the post office, FedEx and UPS, the farmer's market, restaurants (including fast food), public parks, retail stores, medical facilities (hospital, Doc office, hospice, veterinarian, etc), shopping malls, gyms, tanning salons, AAA offices, car dealerships, and the county courthouse.

ie - any doorstep that I might darken on any given day.

For starters.

Schools are obviously a given.

Let them take their toys out to the middle of the woods and shoot coke cans off of tree stumps - but lock the blasted things back up before reentering society.