We are never going to stop people from going on a rampage (Easy Access Kills)

[berni_mccoy]

We are only going to be able to minimize the damage they can do. And right now, access is too easy to lethal weapons that can kill on a grand scale.

This guy was not a criminal before he went on a shooting spree, so we aren't talking about illegal access to weapons. It was easy for him to get access to these weapons, LEGALLY, was as easy as going down to the nearest GunMart.

There is no reason a student needs to carry guns. Period. Students, whereever they come from, are there to study, not take up assault weapons and kill people.

There is no reason two students in colorado should have had a small arsenal available to them.

There is no reason any kid should be able to go to a gun show and buy weapons that can kill 30+ people in a short period of time or buy assault weapons with armor piercing bullets that can take down armored police officers.

It isn't guns that kill. It is unstable people who kill. And we are never going to be rid of unstable people. But we can limit access to extremely lethal weapons.

Despite the NRA bullhorn of Faux News, making sure everyone has guns is only going to increase the frequency of massacres, not stop them from happening.

The time has come to establish laws that limit access to these weapons. Yes, people have a right to defend themselves, to bear arms as spelled out in the Constitution. But there is nothing unconstitutional about making sure there are checks and balances on who has them or preventing an arms race of handguns and rifles.

[Wickerman]

1. not here on a visa

http://abcnews.go.com/

and not Chinese.

[berni_mccoy]

4. Sorry, last news reports I read this morning were still touting Chinese student-visa

[Wickerman]

12. cool

just wanted an otherwise thoughtful piece to be accurate. :hi:

[Atman]

2. Not from China.

And VA is one of those "trade show gun sale" states. You can walk in off the street and go home packin'. A recipe for disaster.

[berni_mccoy]

5. Updated...

[Atman]

8. LOL! I put up a post this morning saying he was here on a visa.

Now I know that was bad info, too. He was a "resident alien."

.

[Midlodemocrat]

3. South Korean and a resident alien who lived on Tech's campus.

[berni_mccoy]

6. yes, yes, but the point is about access to guns.

[Midlodemocrat]

13. Honey, you are preaching to the choir if you are talking to me about

gun control. And, if you can discover a way to control guns in this country, I'll support running you as our candidate.

I'm totally anti RKBA, but that's just me and I know I'll never convince the other side to agree with me. Anymore than they could convince me to agree with them.

[berni_mccoy]

15. Sorry, I had to respond three times to the fact I reported he was

Chinese on student visa, which was still the status in this mornings news...

[Midlodemocrat]

16. I didn't mean to appear as though I was being critical of you, I wasn't.

I'm a little tired from yesterday and last night, so my temper might be shorter than usual.

But, I agree with you 100%. Those kids never had a chance with the weapon that guy used on them. Like the ad for the Navy says "like shooting fish in a barrel".

[panader0]

7. There is a poll at cnn,com about guns

It asks: Do you think gun control laws would stop this kind of shooting?
I say no, because guns are available everwhere. There are laws against drug possession too, and drugs are available everywhere, even in schools.
www.cnn.com

[berni_mccoy]

10. We have to start somewhere... start by making it at least a reasonable process

to obtain a gun.

You go through a ton of paperwork and legalities to buy a house (or even a car).

You need to be licensed to SAVE LIVES using CPR.

You need a license to drive a car.

But the laws to obtain and be licensed to use a gun? Less than those to own a house, buy a car or even to have a damn credit card.

[aikoaiko]

9. Do you really think you know enough about this situation to be making all these claims?

[berni_mccoy]

11. What "claims" have I made? I say it's time to put in some restraints on access to guns.

[aikoaiko]

19. You say easy access kills -- but you wish to allow people to own firearms for self-defense.

Tell me what restriction would have prevented this massacre?

I don't know the answer, and I don't think you do either, because we don't know enough about this incident.

[MikeNearMcChord]

14. Here is an excellent article from DailyKos

That is an antidote to the "Arm Everyone and There is No Mass Shooting" types that you hear all the time.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/17/74039/3522

[John Q. Citizen]

17. It may not be unconstitutional in your expert opinion, but I guarantee if you

want to lose congress and the presidency in 2008 the fastest easiest way is to pass new gun legislation on the national level, either successfully or not. (bush would veto, congress wouldn't over ride)

When the Repos come back in, they will just change it back further than it is now.

So we will end up losing power and losing on the gun issue as well.

For the record, I have never owned a gun in my life. There are no guns in my household. But I do know something about politics.

[Name removed]

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