Sure – I agree with Ted Cruz. Nothing wrong with praying for victims. Ted Cruz didn’t shoot those victims. The criminal did. The NRA didn’t shoot those victims – the criminal did. It doesn’t matter whether normal citizens need an assault rifle to go about their lawful life. In America, if a citizen wants to keep and bear arms, they have the right to do that – even if 1/2 the country wishes they wouldn’t.

It is not the hundreds of millions of gun owners in the USA that are at fault. Only one gun owner shot and killed those people. That is the criminal and that person bears 100% of the responsibility for this crime. Not the NRA, not any politician, not other gun owners, not 2nd amendment supporters, not the parents who raised him, and not any mental health professional who treated him (I have no idea if this happened – just throwing it in to my list of people not responsible for the criminals actions). Criminals do bad things and people die. We cannot stop that from happening. We will never be able to stop a motivated bad person from killing people if they want to kill. Killers kill, and will use whatever tool they have to do it. Sorry – that is real life.

If we want to cut down on mass shootings we need to stop publicizing them to stop copycats and glory hounds from being inspired. We need to really beef up our mental health resources and institutionalize people who are mentally ill or who have threatened violence. Even then we will miss killers. Wishing doesn’t make the world perfectly safe from the criminal actions of crazy people or normal people determined to kill.

Mass shootings are a fad and that is why they are so much worse now. Not much you can do about a fad except try to make it uncool to commit death by cop (or armed citizen). More armed citizens would also allow killers to be killed faster. If 1/2 the people were armed, I suspect killers would be more worried about going to schools, churches and malls to commit mass murder. They want to go out with a large body count – and if they knew they would only be able to kill one person before they were blown away I suspect that would be disincentivized and preferably just kill themselves as most decent crazy people do.

But people with your attitude stand in the way of that happening and drive up the body count. (How ironic). Oh well. That is the world we live in.

I did not say that you personally killed those extinguished in mass shootings, rather it is your attitude and that of the thousands like you who are inhibiting change.

It is you playing at semantics and trying to distort the narrative that is being immature and childish. You accuse that ‘I am afraid and angry’, how the hell do you work that out? Fear is not in my nature, if it were I would not have led the life that I have.

Keep wishing your mighty wish that you could snap your fingers and change the constitution of the United States.

Being a mature adult, approaching 80 years, I am well aware that as a Brit my influence in the matter is on the low side. However that will not prevent me calling out the hubris of the likes of you, ones who clearly fail the logic test, one who repeats the same negative waffle time after time. That is why I call you out as being a hindrance to much needed change by repeatedly indicating that the 2nd Amendment is inviolate for it seems to be the only one that is. You are falling in with the rhetoric of e.g. the NRA who may as well be actually pulling the triggers. What normal citizen needs an assault rifle to go about their lawful life? Not one.

You remain as boneheaded on this as the likes of Ted Cruz:

Texas US senator Ted Cruz’s comment that he was “praying” for families of the eight victims killed in a shooting at a shopping mall in his state has sparked outrage as many critics say the Republican should advocate for meaningful gun control rather than repeatedly invoke prayer after mass, deadly violence.

Spare us your prayers’: Ted Cruz faces backlash after Texas mall shooting kills eight

Ted Cruz, of course, is not noted for his intelligent insight do you really want to be classed with such as he?

Yes Lionel. My opinion on gun control has directly impacted 48,830 people, causing them to die in 2021 (latest data). My opinion personally caused 26,328 to kill themselves using a gun. My opinion caused 20,958 murders using guns. Yep – my opinion caused every mass shooting in America. Apparently I am extremely powerful.

I wonder if my opinion that humans are only causing 1/2 of the warming is causing global warming? Probably – because I am so powerful.

Lionel – you are simply afraid and angry and taking it out on everybody who disagrees with you. It is very immature and quite stupid.

You should grow up and try using your logical reasoning ability.

How exactly am I blocking change? Is there some proposal to change the 2nd amendment that I am lobbying against? Nope – nobody that I am aware of has introduced any legislation to change the 2nd amendment. So the status quo is exactly what it has been since the 2nd amendment was passed. No law shall be passed that infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms. That has not changed and it is my opinion that it never will. No matter how many criminals kill people using guns (or cars or knives or drugs).

Instead of blaming me for gun violence you should do something more productive. But if you want to blame me for civilization falling – that is ok with me. I disagree – but hey it is a free country and you can think and say whatever you want.

I think you should blame the people who pulled the trigger for every mass killing in 2023 (and every year before). But you want to blame anybody but the actual criminal. Ok. That will be productive. Keep wishing your mighty wish that you could snap your fingers and change the constitution of the United States. Have fun!

I disagree with you on this issue.

Whilst the body count climbs at a rate higher than 2022 and at an elevated count at that. Your attitude is why civilisations fail.

US mass killings set to reach record number in 2023

Pig headed Republicans road blocking change.

I wonder what the odds are on any given person being directly impacted by death or severe injury because of the rigid thinking of the likes of RickA?

You are of course free to believe whatever you want. I disagree with you on this issue.

Lionel:

There is only blood on the hands of those who pull the trigger.

By denigrating any suggestion of significant reform to gun laws then you are in effect aiding and abetting the status quo therefore there is blood on your hands. With each successive shooting as the cumulative body count grows the blood on your hands gets thicker and spreads.

Shoppers flee in panic after gunman steps out of silver sedan and opens fire at Premium Outlets mall

Rick A, you really do appear as dim as a Toc H lamp.

Lionel:

There is only blood on the hands of those who pull the trigger. There is no such thing as collective guilt. My opinion on how hard it is to do something does not kill people. Free speech doesn’t kill people. That is what we believe in America. Sorry you do not understand that.

“I prefer the more conservative periods.”

Since the conservative periods support your bigotry and racism and take rights away from people you don’t think should have them, we’re not surprised.

“Liberals tend to be more loosy goosy and “find” rights in the constitution that others don’t see. The abortion right from the penumbra of the 13th amendment is an example of this. I mean it just isn’t in the constitution – so they made it up. ”

So much for your “legal expertise”. That was a complaint by the right — but wasn’t held anywhere else. It was overruled by the current court because of the view that women can’t be trusted with control over their own bodies [and because one of the more recent appointees blatantly lied about how she viewed roe].

“Things are more black and white to a conservative, but more shades of gray to a liberal. ”

Well yes, since conservatives are known to not value reasoned thought or to understand that some problems require complicated solutions. Look at the right-wing fake furor about voting not being secure, immigration being dangerous, Covid 19 vaccines being scams and dangerous, children being at risk from drag queens, the Biden family being deeply involved in scandals, and so on. Not a single one of those things is remotely supported by fact, but all are pushed by leaders on the right because they know their supporters, people who are unwilling to ask “Where’s the evidence?” will eat it up.

But then you’ve long shown that you choose to deny reality since pesky things like evidence and data directly contradict what you believe. Your response isn’t close to a surprise.

Added: I’m not at all surprised at your ignorant take on the effect of stand your ground laws.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article274380535.html

I wouldn’t get my hopes up Lionel. I suspect that the 2nd amendment will be very very hard to change or get thrown out. Not impossible – but very very hard.

Sure the 2nd amendment will be hard to change or dismiss as long as there are more morons around like you RickA saying how hard or impossible it is, and we will see more incidents like the one dean mentions above or that of the birthday party shooting.

Now here is an example of another moron:

South Dakota’s governor told an audience of people that her two-year-old grandchild has several guns.

The USA sure is stuffed until real brains sort it. The NRA is a terrorist organisation, why else would legislators be too afraid to make drastic changes.

Whilst you encourage inaction the body count mounts – blood on your hands.

I prefer the more conservative periods. But I am of course biased in that direction.

Conservatives are more rule bound and require laws to be constructional with a bit stricter analysis and laws to be written a bit more clearly and better supported under the constitution.

Liberals tend to be more loosy goosy and “find” rights in the constitution that others don’t see. The abortion right from the penumbra of the 13th amendment is an example of this. I mean it just isn’t in the constitution – so they made it up. Which is why it was overruled by a more conservative court.

Things are more black and white to a conservative, but more shades of gray to a liberal.

I don’t know the facts of the shooting case you refer to – but it sounds completely unjustified. If what you say is true – I cannot see how that could be a valid self-defense case or a castle doctrine case. I am not aware of any state where you can shoot someone for ringing your doorbell. So you may get your hope in this case.