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Links to books and other items on this page and elsewhere on Greg Ladens' blog may send you to Amazon, where I am a registered affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps to fund this site.
My take on the Connecticut School shooting …
This day was a sad day as we learned that a madman killed his parents and went into a school and killed many people, mostly small children. This was tragic and an unnecessary evil that our country could have done without. For whatever reason this man had, let us remember that God is still in control. We do not know why God would allow these incidents of evil to keep occurring, but rest assured He is still on His throne and those children are now safe in His presence never to be harmed again.
Already there are rumors of protests in the streets over gun control and outlawing guns. This is NOT the answer. The answer is to confront evil head on. Face it down and cast it out. Prohibition has never worked and never will. On September 11, 2001 evil struck our nation again. Over 3,000 people were killed, yet not one single gun was used. Only two cheap dollar store box cutters in the hands of evil minded men led to the deaths of thousands. Many people died in the Okalahoma City bombing as well, and again not one single firearm was used.
Today another tragedy I happened that has escaped our news media’s biased stance and reporting measures. Today in china a man killed 22 people, get this, with a KNIFE! Again, not a single gun was used, yet 22 people died at the hands of an evil man wielding a sharp knife.
Cavemen used to kill each other with sharp rocks and sharpened sticks. I wonder if they ever had protests and calls for a ban on all rocks and sticks? Highly unlikely as most cavemen were superior in intelligence and morals to those on the left who call for bans on our rights today.
A gun ban will not solve anything. Cocaine is illegal, yet we put people in prison for selling it and using it all the time. Heroin has been banned, but it is still in use. Alcohol prohibition never worked out either. Gambling? Banned in most places, but people still have private lotteries and bets. A gun ban will only take guns away from law abiding citizens. Criminals and evil minds will still find a way to kill even if they have to use gasoline and a match to do it. What then? We ban matches? Probably so, if some had their way.
This tragedy in Connecticut is terrible and a great evil has been committed, but our politicians look to more regulations than to the God that they kicked out of these schools years ago. Perhaps if we went back to the old way of doing things, we might be a better people with a better place to live.
Mark my words. The people committing these acts of evil did not get away with it. Sure they may have killed themselves, but as well all face God on Judgment Day, they will pay for their crimes each according to his deeds.
Oh, and for those of you who want to take away our Second Amendment right, do us a favor and take away the First amendment as well. Might as well go all out if you are in a freedom banning mood. As a matter of fact, just go on and burn the Constitution and be done with it already. It’s not like you follow it anyway.
That is bold. Not only taking the tragedy to pontificate about the second amendment but also to prostilitize. We don’t let people buy tanks or other military hardware, assault grade firepower should not be an exception. To claim otherwise takes paragraphs to even begin to sound sane.
What makes this event so tragic is both the loss of life and how unsurprising it is to hear of. Feeling dull or anything less than outraged that this occurred is all the more reasons that we need new ideas and policy.
Kevin Sanders, you are in the wrong place to spew this tripe. Also, your details are wrong on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and on the stabbing spree in China. Just another God-fearing, Bible-thumping, Second Amendment loving liar.
Mr. Sanders is rather confused. The man with a knife in China *injured* 22 children. There were no deaths. Gun nuts are subject to hallucinations, I guess. Gunwhackery should be listed in the DSM.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-attacks-22-kids-knife-china-school-article-1.1220230
–bks
bks – Mr. Sanders is an ill-informed spokesman for his cause, to be sure, but if you suggest that 90 million or so of your fellow Americans should be considered mentally ill, including a sizeable majority of the population in some areas, you don’t encourage them to line up behind your political platform. As a nation we do need to try to do more to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill – and do more to discourage them from running amuck with other weapons; the worst school massacre in U.S. history remains a bomb attack – but to achieve that we must avoid reviving the Kulturkampf mentality on both sides of the national cultural divide. It guarantees stalemate. I think President Obama may be in a position to get reasonable steps taken precisely because, contrary to the imagination of the racist ultraright, he has never been a “gun-grabber” or shown any interest in destroying the rural way of life. Most people will have no good reason to fear that whatever reasonable measures he may propose are intended to set up something more extreme later. Let’s keep it that way.
Jane, I hope you are right.
@ wilson md
You are correct. We do not sell military hardware to American citizens – becuase we are giving it away for free to Al Qaeda in Syria and Libya.
@BKS,
In any event, 22 people fell victim to a man weilding a weapon. Now, let’s have a talk on banning knives. Then sticks. Then sharp rocks. Then … all oher man made and nature made objects that can kill people. Especially boxcutters, becuase boxcutters cause airplanes to fly into buildings.
I wonder why the familiies of the victims of 9/11 did not sure the box cutter companies? Or the airline? Or the CIA for letting this happen. Like a gun crime, it was everyone else’s fault except the people who carried out the attack.
At matt,
Yes I am a Bible thumping, God fearing CONSTITUTION abiding free sovereign indivudual … and will be for all eternity. Better get used to it. There are hundreds of millions more just like me.
@ Jan
I agree with you. We do need t keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill people, but how do you do that without walking all over someone else’s human rights?
If a person is mentally ill and has never been on meds before and has never been declared mentally ill by a physician, then how do we cath those people before they purchase or STEAL a gun?
Not only do some people purchase guns, theives break into homes and stores and stea firearms as well. it is easy to purchase a machine gun in Mexico and walk across the border with into the USA becuase we have such lax border control measures. If al Qaeda wanted to nuke us all they would have to do is figure out how to get the nuke into south america. It would a breeze to transport it to mexico from there and then just roll it right across the border unchecked, becuase unlikely all other countries on the face of the earth, we have border with no military guards on it.
Anyone can get a wepon if they so desire even if they have to kill a soldier and steal one. if someone is hell bent on committing a crime, they will find a way to do it. If this manmad has purchased 55 gallons of gasoline and detonated a gasoline bomb in the school, how would that be any different than doing it with guns? What then, would you call for a ban on matches and gasoline?
Also, you are probably equating everyone on anti-depressants as “mentally ill” . Being that millions of Americans either are on antidepressants or have been at one time, you are probably counting on that politicaly move to be able to take guns away.
Jan I am not disagreeing with you that true mentally ill people should NEVER be able to weild a dangerous weapon, but do not inlcude every single person who has ever had a bout of depression. That is truly a political move with a sinister purpose behind it.
I am a gun owner, but do not possess an AR-15, AK-47, or any bullpup rifle either. I cannot afford such things. Well, I could afford the cheaper less reliable ones, but one like Rock River Arms, Barret, etc make are far superior to Colt, DPMS, and many military issue arms becuase of the piston system they use. They are not full auto firing, but semi-auto. The tyue AK-47 rifles that are made in Romania and shipped here have the heavier machine gun barrel on them but the purpose behind that is to save manufacturing costs for the company. The AK-47s made in the states are crappy less reliable, and ultimately junk. They hang up alot, have spring problems, etc. The one imported from Romania are the real Russian military issue grade AKs without the ability to fire full auto.
Most citizens who own one of these do not even want the ability to fire full auto, but in full auto mode, you waste too many expensive rounds and it makes the firearm harder to control. Many people who own these firearms target shoot and some even hunt feral hogs with their ARs and AKs.
Hunting is not the reaosn for owning them though. People want them to be able to do exactly what the second amendment was designed for – to protect themselves againt invading armies and their own government should that government turn on its own people.
If an all out gun ban were given by executive order tomorrow, some people would willingly give up their guns. However, some of the more redneck hardcore gunners would fight to the death before a=giving up anything. In the deep south it would look like Iraq all over again. Rednecks setting up roadside bombs and picking off soldiers, etc. it would take an army of 200,000 going door to door to be able to conquer such a feat, if at all. Remember what happned in Iraq. over 100,000 troops. Air power, special ops, etc. How many years did it take these highly trained, highly weaponized soldeirs to take away weapons from civilians? Oh, that’s right. They never accomplished their goal fully. Not yet.
I am not advocating such violence and bloodshed, but only predicting a repeat of Iraq if UN or US soldiers ever tried to take away people’s human rights to self defense.
There is a difference between owning one gun and twenty guns, just as there is a difference between owning one cat and twenty cats.
–bks
Yes there is a difference. There is a difference between making one statement and two staements. Your point would be? …
Most gun owners own at least three to five guns. Most I know own as many as thirty and a half a case of ammo for each caliber. Gun don;t work without ammo like cars don;t run without fuel.
Jay Leno owns more than one car. What do we do about that?
11 steps to facism:
1)Invoke a threat
2) Establish secret prisons
3) Develop a paramilitary force
4) Surveil ordinary citizens
5) Infiltrate citizen’s groups
6) Arbitrarily detain citizens
7) Target key individuals
8) Restrict the press
9) cast dissent as treason
10) Subvert the rule of law
11) disarm the citizen
Ten down, one to go.
anti-gunners also make me sick by polkiticizing this shooting once again. They care nothing for children. If they did they would not be responsible for the deaths of 55 million unborn American children since 1973. Tey scream and plead for the children so long as the child is outside of the womb. But if it’s inside the womb, they like the Queen on Alice in Wonderland – OFF WITH IT’S HEAD!
If you care so deeply about children, how about letting more of them be born instead of sucking their brains out of their skull in womb?
On the subject of gun control I say to any liberal this … If the gun is responsible for the crime, then put the gun on the witness stand and let it tell its side of the story before being condemned. Then if found guilty, you can put the gun in jail.
Yes guns commit crimes. Boxcutters also commit crimes. Two particular boxcutters caused planes to fly into buildings on 9/11. By using left wing logic, the boxcuters are responsible for 9/11.
http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2012/12/mind-control-technicians-manufuring-lone-gunmen-like-microchips-2514288.html
Drugs like Prozac among many other can make children and youth kill on their own or by coersion. Too many sootings have occured for this not to have government involvement somehow.
Kevin,
This again;
I spent this morning sitting with my 18 month old great grand daughter, drinking my 4 shot latte. It is becoming our tradition to make my coffee together and then for her to dip her almond cookie into it. I am having trouble not weeping. I own guns. I enjoy shooting them. I would gladly have that enjoyment restricted or eliminated if it would reverse what has happened. I would give them up to prevent it ever happening again.
I spent this morning sitting with my 18 month old great grand daughter, drinking my 4 shot latte. I want to start a conversation, today, as to what we know we can do to begin to resolve this issue, massive changes to gun control and licensing, better health care, a societal commitment to social justice…., and what we need to gain better understanding of ,the contribution of violence in media, and such.
I spent this morning sitting with my 18 month old great grand daughter, drinking my 4 shot latte. We need to start, today, to look at what we can do, now, and examine, fearlessly, what we can do tomorrow. That there are 100s of years of guns in circulation is daunting, but if we do not start to do something, even if at the start it is not enough, it will never get better.
I am having trouble looking at my great grand daughter and not weeping.
Perhaps that is because I should be.
I am torn about my guns. I am not given to grand gestures and do not know how to respond to this state of affairs. I think the most effective course of action I can take is to become an activist in promoting drastic changes in laws regarding weapons possession and licensing, as well as social justice causes. Opposition to the NRA is an additional area of opportunity. I have always despised their views on gun ownership. Perhaps we need to start a drive to have the government declare them an organization that promotes the spread of terror. A bit hyperbolic I know but I am very emotional, sad and angry at the moment.
Robert
Kevin. The exercise of a right requires responsibility. Our current, nearly anything goes, situation is wrong and your fears do not stand as justification for it. It is irresponsible.
Amendments can be modified or nullified by others. The constitution was conceived by the founding fathers as a living document or they would not have provided a way to modify it. We eliminated slavery by amending the constitution, right? We enacted and repealed prohibition, right?
I am not advocating prohibition of gun ownership, but I am willing to discuss it and any other proposal on their merits, their merits as effective solutions and not some atrophied remnant from the past.
Robert
Kevin, if you are 10 out of 11 steps on the way to fascism, your country is already a fascist country, and your guns have done feck all to prevent it from happening. Kind of makes your claims that guns are needed to protect your freedoms rather laughable.
Makes you and your friends not just irrelevant, but a liability—you were supposed to be protecting the freedoms but managed to lose 10/11 of them, as well as contribute to dozens of mass killings of innocent people. Good job.
It is like a security guard at a bank shouting out how necessary he is to protect the bank after the robbers, under his nose, have made off with the money, the furniture and the vault itself but have left a clock on the wall—which the guard protects by firing hails of bullets into random crowds of innocent people saying it is a regrettable cost we must pay if we are to keep the bank from being robbed.
Of course, given that you can’t spell “fascism” you may not know what it is anyway. I doubt the US is on its way to anything resembling fascism. If it is, then gun-owners obviously aren’t up to protecting freedoms so exactly what is it you’re actually doing (aside from contributing to a heavy body count not seen in other rich countries).
Dan,
So you doubt if America is on a downward spiral toward tyranny eh?
Try this on for size:
Harry Belafonte and all his wonderous glory is advoctaing send conservatives to the gulags.
Left wing protestors in the streets threatening death to conservatives as if they were Islamic terrorists shouting death to America or something. Not much different between the two from what I saw in Michian last week.
DHS has advocating setting up highway checkpoints using bulletproof booths for the agents there.
The TSA has already expressed their desire to carry out more groping and molestation of citizens on US highways, subways, trains, and boats now.
The DHS has purchased millions of rounds of hollow point ammunition particulalry in 223, 40 S&W, 9mm Luger, and 308 calibers. All calibers federal law enforecment and military soldiers use. What are they planning?
We have seen hundreds of enormous machine gun weilding heavy armored personnell carriers being bought by DHS. Why does DHS need these military vehices in the streets of America?
Do these agencies know something is about to happen or are they planning an event?
United States Army Special Forces jumping from balckhawk helicopters in downtown Minneapoils over the summer “practicing” for urban warfare “in the middle east”. Yeah right.
Enormous brand new never used prison facilities in Georgia, Utah, Montana, and other places sit there collecting dust., These are areas of federal land. Why does the government need brand new prisons with no prisoners? Are they planning to put dissenter in concentration camps? http://www.campfema.com Maybe, maybe not, but why all the brand new empty prisons facilities and why does a new Army manual talk about enemies of the state being conservatives and patriots?
Sounds like tyranny in the works to me.
insufficient combatant: ” Not much different between the two from what I saw in Michian last week.”
You do know the loser from fox news admitted he started the incident, and admitted he then doctored the footage to shift the blame, do you not?
no, facts were never a strong point for you – as demonstrated by everything from your tsa comment to the end of your post.