I must say, I don't agree with American law on firearms, and lets be honest, any gun freely available is a bad gun to have in circulation, legal or illegal. I like the theory that if guns are something that can be legally purchased, then bullets need to be $5000 each. There would definately be no more of these type shootings, because no uni kid could afford that in bullets, rich parents or not, with the incident that has just taken place in Virginia.

I can see in a couple of years, there will be kids from that incident here, with PTSD, as a result. I agree with Jon, being that the incident is horrific in every way, and the kids are going to suffer for much longer than most know. Any person shot is one too many for my liking.

I don't agree with Marilyn's statement regarding protecting oneself... because lets be honest here, there is a vast difference between someone attacking you with a fist compared to a gun. There is a vast difference between protecting oneself from an enemy, compared to protecting oneself from you own country. If you want to talk about using statements to condem gun use in America, the statement of protecting oneself from oppressors and the like is not it, because America is not being invaded.

I do agree with Marilyn on the matter of America's social and economic problems. Society and political policy has destroyed America over the past decades, to the point now where all other countries are merely waiting for the USA to implode basically, then rebuild and start again without all the nonsense constitution that causes more harm than good.

Any rule that is set in stone is not a good rule. A good rule is one in which can be changed to suit and reflect society as society itself changes, not attempt to keep a society within control via laws set from the stone age, hence America's social and economic problems. A constitution must be able to be amended constantly as social bearing requires, not simply be set in concrete and attempt to move society within out dated laws.

America and immigration is another issue. America wanted to build itself to become a social and economic world power, so they opened their borders to anyone and everyone, hence now with so many other races, religions, ethics and cultures within one country, internal implosion is highly possible because everyone is far too busy fighting one another, instead of living by one set of laws and culturalistic values. Yes, I said it... if someone lives in another country they should adopt that countries cultures, and their own fall second. We make choices to live in another country, yet people form societies within societies, hence the major issue within the continental US.

I wish this were a world where there were no guns, knifes as weapons or aggressiveness and hatred. However, unless the government is willing to have enough prison space to house all the criminal (murderers) for life, and enough government workers to collect all the private firearms of all the innocent citizens who wish to hunt for food, fur, and sport; even though the right to bear an arm is taken (CRIMINALS WILL STILL HAVE GUNS!) I believe in gun responsibility. I believe all gun owners should have to have back ground checks and psych evals. I also believe that all gun owners, collectors, sportsmen, should have to take a test to acquire a fire arm to assure they are knowledgable and psychologically sound to have a fire arm. If a gun owner is irresponsible, and does not lock his/her guns in a safe place and that gun is used by a child or a criminal to kill someone, (that gun owner should be held CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE)! In my oppinion, guns are a necessary evil for innocent people to protect themselves against murderers and the off hand chance of necessity for a militia due to oppressiveness of either our own government or the government of another country. Mao Ze Dong stated, "Power comes from the barrell of a gun." I do not think there would be a communist China if there were not private ownership of guns for members of the communist party in China. I understand all the folks who feel that gun contol is the key. If it were actually a fact that guns were able to be controlled that would be ideal. But is there ever truely gun control, or just the illusion of gun control that enables criminals to have more power than regular citizens.

Food for thought.

Marilyn, do you have a gun?

In regard to the United States Constitution, it is not a document of law! It is a document of legislation! There is a difference. It is not meant to create barriers to freedom via new laws. It is a document set in place to insure that personal liberties are not taken away from the American people. The United States Constitution has nothing to do with its social chaos. Its social chaos is a result of disparity of wealth, power and well being resulting from being a completely free market economy with very few restrictions on large corperations who tend to have few scruples in reference to maintenance of wealth in the hand of the rich and powerful few stockholders..

Anthony,
No, I do not own a gun. I am by law not allowed to own a gun due to my psychiatric hospitalizations. However, my husband owns fire arms that are locked safely in a gun safe of which I have no access to for my own safety until I am fully healed.

Diversity may cause some problems but it is the beauty of the United States.

Law or legislation, all aspects must be capable of change as society itself changes, that is more proactive to the best interests of protecting rights or human beings than attempting to live by legislation or law outdated.

So you still could access them if you really wanted too... I have little doubt about that. There are so many American citizens on this forum with PTSD, unstable, yet bear arms and believe it is their right. If you have no access to them, you are the first to come out with that. Others seem to be proud of having a gun with PTSD, and lets not stuff about here, PTSD = unstable especially when not fully controlled. If you have depressive bouts, anxiety and and up and down emotionally on a regular basis, then that equates to unstable in my books.

Me... I am stable, and still would not have gun in my house just knowing that I have PTSD, and if something did come up and through me over the edge near instantly, I know I cannot grab it and either kill myself or another so easily.

My statement about immigration is not talking about racism, it is talking about the mere facts of putting many cultures in one country all with different morals, values, ethics and culturalistic values, equals social chaos. Every country or city where immigration has not been controlled strictly to ensure immigrants have time to become culturalistically aware of their new country, tend to become a chaotic mess instead. Sydney is an example of that in Australia, hence why Australian immigration has been tightened up so much where near nobody can immigrate here unless highly skilled. Visit, yes, immigrate, no. I dare say that won't change any time soon either until Sydney socially calms down a little, because if it wasn't stopped at the cause, other cities would then follow to become explosive socially, hence the entire country would have followed America, and be waiting to implode. Now, it is controlled to ensure immigrants have a decade or two in order to socially adjust to Australian ways, as should any immigrant if immigrating to America, as an example, should adopt American culturalistic values, but not disregard their own, simply their own have a place, and that is not to butt heads with the majority, being American cultural values.

This is where the readily available possession of guns comes into play IMHO. All bad...

It doesn't matter what country, what laws, what restrictions...if someone wants a gun bad enough...there are plenty of ways to get one. If someone is disturbed enough to kill 33 classmates and teachers...nothing's going to stop them.

Countries that have anti-gun laws still have gun crime. Countries that don't have anti-gun laws still have gun crime. Black markets, illegals sales, etc. won't stop because legislatures say 'no more'.

BTW-the US Constitution can and has been amended many times. Nothing is set in stone. If enough of the population wants a change, then there is a process for change.

Ha - $5000 per bullet! I love that idea. Then, however, we'd have to keep the ammunition out of the illegal market and the gun shows. I wish it could work!

Actually, the U.S. Constitution was a document written in order to create our government. If you read the whole thing before the amendments, that's what it does. Additional legislation, of the like created by the U.S. Congress, derives from the principles and precedents set up in the Constitution and the Amendments (or, at least it's supposed to).

As for the notorious 2nd Amendment: legal and historical scholars have long debated and continue to debate exactly what the Founders intended with this one. I personally have to suspect that their recent history was very much in mind when they included it in the Bill of Rights (another name for the first 10 amendments). Remember, the Constitutional Convention took place in 1787, a mere four years after the Treaty of Paris sealed the peace between America and Britain. I mean, we wouldn't have had a chance against the British if the colonists had not formed local militias. Course, we wouldn't have won our independence without France, but that's getting off the subject.

By the way, I'm an American (as if you couldn't tell :-)). My husband and I don't own a gun. Nor would we want to.

Anthony, I agree that thenbullets must be expensive. This way, a person will think twice before spending them. Not $5000, but 100 per each would be reasonable.
Also I would obligate gun owners to attend target practice every week or so.

But, you write about someone attacks you with a fist... Well, it may be not exactly a fist, but a club or a bat. If a few guys will attack me with that, it is a death scenyence for me. This is why, in the case of attack, I want something which can counteract - A 9 mm PISTOL, at very least. I do not thing that bastards who attack other people deserve to live. And will feel perfectly fine to kill them. Hell, if someone else in VT had a gun, there would be less victims!
I will not consider a gun for as long as living with someone, at least for now, since with my issues I can kill a family member. But if live alone, I will need it.

I also totaly agree with what you said about adopting the culture of the country you came into. I think that assimilation must be an immigrant's responsibility. But too bad, not too many people understand that, and this is one of the things that will kill the US in a not far away future. Hope I will be in Nicaragua by this time.

Is it not a direct correlation that the thought pattern to be armed just in case someone attacks me, is not a pattern that is directly distinguished towards insanity? That is like someone who thinks people are out to get them, so they take precautions because their mind is telling them such stories, often schizophrenia is the name given to this logic.

What type of brain washing logic is that? That is an excuse to justify, not a reason to bear arms. Can someone please provide a legitimate reason, not an excuse to why any person should have the right to bear arms in public, apart from police? I just don't see it, thus I may be thick when it comes to this subject... so if someone could kindly give me a factual and legitimate reason to bear arms, instead of a "what if" excuse to justify the cause, that would be much appreciated.