Ghost wrote:Holland&Holland wrote:Ok, guys, being a Monday morning quarterback is easy, but be careful what you ask for.
This is a very sad situation, and my heart and prayers go out to the families of the deceased and injured. It is not a time for political talk, not a time to make rash decisions with consequences for years to come, that needs to come from thoughtful discourse with a clear head and using logic not emotion.
It is very easy to look at this situation, see the outcome and state, this individual should not have been allowed to have guns but remember the context and what you are asking for.
So, a guy comes home from Iraq, voluntarily seeks counseling, should we take all his guns away?
So a guy gets divorced, losses his job, maybe drinks a bit more than he should, sees the doc, gets some anti-depression meds, should we take the 1/2 of the guns he has left away?
So, FBI builds a data base and determines who they feel is not mentally stable enough or gun ownership, Chelsea Clinton happens to be in the presidency, you happen to be a self proclaimed libertarian, are you on that list? Maybe.
No, no and no.
How about the instances of this:
Kid expelled from school and not allowed on campus with a backpack, should that be ignored?
Kid goes online and threatens to shoot up a school, his comments were reported to the FBI, should that be ignored?
That's what I take issue with. It almost seems as though the FBI ignored it. Atleast that's how it feels to me.
And his social media posts. Things he had said. Then knowing he wasn't supposed to be allowed back on school grounds with a backpack. Yet, he walked in with a backpack, and set off a fire alarm? So if all of this information is known now, why wasn't the local PD keeping a closer eye on him?
There are far more important things here that need to be looked at, before we consider any sort of gun control, regulations or restrictions.
People may disagree with me about this. But social media should be constantly monitored by the government! There should be a database of keywords, that as soon as one is used, it pops up at the FBI or ATF, and instantly it's being looked into. Many of these tragedies have some sort of mention or sign before they happen. We always seem to find out after the fact that it was mentioned earlier. There was a warning sign of it.
Then, once those comments are made, that's it. Guns should be gone. Because if you can sit and threaten to take someone's life like that, you should be disqualified from owning a gun. And be immediately enrolled into a program for help.
There are keywords in all of these arguments. The guy that just recently gets divorced, it's a legit arguement. But, what if the only reason he seeks out a counselor, is because he's looking for answers about what he did wrong. Not because he's angry she left, he just wants someone to talk to about it, wants confidentiality, isn't depressed, just needs that ear to vent to? Doesn't use a single keyword that would alarm anyone that he would carry anything violent out. But then there is the guy who uses certain keywords. These are the things that need to be researched, and worked on. And worked into the mental health, along with the FBI and ATF, and NICS.
But, I would also consider looking at an age restriction on AR's. Kids now, aren't as responsible as we were when we were kids. I see it all of the time. Gosh, now the local FD wants new trucks because the neighboring FD gets a new one. Or because the older one they want to replace is a manual, and new firemen don't know how to drive a manual transmission. The younger generation today, is different than we were. And the responsibility isn't there anymore that it once was. Neither are the values or upbringings we once had.
People are raised different now. When I was younger, I loved to party. But was scared to death about drinking a beer or two at a party, and then driving, not because I was worried about getting caught. But because I was worried about getting into an accident and hurting someone else. Now, people don't care anymore. People drink and drive, do massive amounts of drugs and drive. Society has a whole different set of values today than they did 30-40 years ago.
The whole world went from a more of a humanitarian place, caring about one another, and wanting to do something to help others and make the world a better place, to now being a place of "it's all about me". It's a sad state in society now compared to what it was earlier.