Gun Control

[Brent]

16 rounds a second is AUTOMATIC which is illegal. Semi-automatic; you pull the trigger, you shoot a bullet. So you are saying there is no need to have anything other than a single shot rifle? Pump action shotgun you can unload 3 shells in a second and it is neither automatic nor semi-automatic if it is a pump action. We can get into the weeds on this all day. You are not going to stop people from hurting and killing large amounts of people if they so choose to. You can arm law abiding citizens to help stop the bad guy since everyone is everywhere and cops will only come if you call 911.

I'm not saying to arm all people. I'm saying bad people do bad things and it takes good people to stop them.

[lil angels]

16 rounds a second is AUTOMATIC which is illegal. Semi-automatic; you pull the trigger, you shoot a bullet. So you are saying there is no need to have anything other than a single shot rifle? Pump action shotgun you can unload 3 shells in a second and it is neither automatic nor semi-automatic if it is a pump action. We can get into the weeds on this all day. You are not going to stop people from hurting and killing large amounts of people if they so choose to. You can arm law abiding citizens to help stop the bad guy since everyone is everywhere and cops will only come if you call 911.

I'm not saying to arm all people. I'm saying bad people do bad things and it takes good people to stop them.

[Michael]

I watched the medical examiners news conference live on Sunday. I heard him say each victim was shot 3 to 11 times. Sickening.

Yes, I saw the same press op and the multiple shooting of the children was sickening. To treat innocents in that manner is so evil. The medical examiner though was too matter of fact in his presentation to the point of even chuckling about himself to the media. He was over the top IMO. I would hate a job like that were you become so desensitized to such a horror.

[JenNJ]

I'm sorry, I was mistaken about the stabbing in China. I meant to write attacked, not killed. That's what I get for being distracted.

[Michael]

I'm sorry, I was mistaken about the stabbing in China. I meant to write attacked, not killed. That's what I get for being distracted.

Both of you have valid points.

[Countrygal]

Apparently there are no provisions stating I have the right to bear arms in my state.

Neither do residents of California, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York.

http://www2.law.ucla.edu/volokh/statearms.pdf

Whereas states such as West Virginia and Wisconsin state

“A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and state, and for lawful hunting and recreational use.”

so don't fret Countrygal....your right to shoot racoons and chickens can't be infringed upon

That's interesting BC. I'm sorry you don't share that right, but I think that our constitution
provides for it for you. Hopefully you won't come across any bears or rabid wild turkeys! ::::::

Unfortunately, tho, I don't know how long any of us will maintain those rights....

Honestly, I do not believe gun control is the issue here. There was a mass killing of innocent people, many of them children. It was horrendous and unacceptable, but it happened. We can never totally prevent these things from happening as long as there are people in this world. What the issue is and should be is helping those families to get through this time. It's Christmas. Think about how this Christmas will be for those families. I like the quote I got on a FB post from Mr. Roger's mother. I can't remember it exactly, but whenever something terrible happened, his mother would tell him to look for the helpers. They're always there, she said. And they were there in this instance. There were heroes. There were helpers. There were people who risked their lives and others who risked their lives and lost them. People stepped up in an emergency and stood for what was right and good. That's the story here. One madman went wild but a hundred other people stepped up and stood for what is good and merciful. THEY are they story. THEY are the ones we should be hearing about, NOT the one who caused the chaos, but the ones who took control. ...IMO...

[Unregistered]

I watched the medical examiners news conference live on Sunday. I heard him say each victim was shot 3 to 11 times. Sickening.

It IS sickening.

What's also terrible- I'm sure that some of those teachers or faculty were gun owners. Yet, they chose to obey the law, and not bring firearms to school, and thy ended up victims. I only wonder, if they were allowed, under a trained ccw permit, to have a firearm, could lives have been spared? We have heard of the teacher who used her body as a human shield to protect the kids, and the teacher who hid the kids in the closet and said they were in the gym- what is one of them was armed? They could have at least had a fighting chance.

I went to a movie the other day, and saw a no firearms sign, so I had to go back to the car and leave my firearm in the car, because I am a law abiding citizen. A criminal would not care about that sign, or a law. Everyday citizens are the heros of this country. I don't want to sit around waiting for the cops to save me. I want to save me.

There are sickos in this world, and an evil that, as a Christian woman, I can only saw derives from the most evil and wicked, starting with the murder of Abel in Genesis. Evil will always exist until the end of time. Evil will always find a way. Let's give the good people a fighting chance!

[MyAngels]

After talking to my resident arms expert (DH lovethis), one thing that I think should be clarified here is what type of rifle this kid took into that school. The Bushmaster .223 semi-automatic rifle that he used is in fact an AR-15, which is an assault rifle. The AR-15 is currently manufactured by several companies under different brand names but they are all essentially the same.

The military currently uses an M4 fully automatic assault rifle, which evolved from the original M16. The AR-15 and the M16/M4 are very similar, the major difference being the semi-automatic vs automatic use of these guns. An automatic can shoot in bursts, while the semi-auto cannot. Both of these guns can hold a 30 round magazine, which are what the Sandy Hook shooter had. He had to have had several of these high capacity magazines with him for him to be able to shoot that many times in that short of a time.

For those of you wondering what possible use a private citizen could have for the perfectly legal AR-15 semi-automatic, my DH uses his for varmint hunting (coyotes and such). It is illegal to use it for hunting with a magazine larger than 5 rounds.

I would be in favor of banning the high capacity magazines for not only these types of guns, but all guns including handguns. In this case, if he had only had 5 round mags it's entirely plausible that there would have been fewer victims.

[Crystal]

After talking to my resident arms expert (DH lovethis), one thing that I think should be clarified here is what type of rifle this kid took into that school. The Bushmaster .223 semi-automatic rifle that he used is in fact an AR-15, which is an assault rifle. The AR-15 is currently manufactured by several companies under different brand names but they are all essentially the same.

The military currently uses an M4 fully automatic assault rifle, which evolved from the original M16. The AR-15 and the M16/M4 are very similar, the major difference being the semi-automatic vs automatic use of these guns. An automatic can shoot in bursts, while the semi-auto cannot. Both of these guns can hold a 30 round magazine, which are what the Sandy Hook shooter had. He had to have had several of these high capacity magazines with him for him to be able to shoot that many times in that short of a time.

For those of you wondering what possible use a private citizen could have for the perfectly legal AR-15 semi-automatic, my DH uses his for varmint hunting (coyotes and such). It is illegal to use it for hunting with a magazine larger than 5 rounds.

I would be in favor of banning the high capacity magazines for not only these types of guns, but all guns including handguns. In this case, if he had only had 5 round mags it's entirely plausible that there would have been fewer victims.

Now, here is a plausible idea. Not being a gun person, I was unaware that the size of the magazine could be limited so that there are less rounds that can be fired. Perhaps limiting this, rather than the actual weapon, would be a good starting point and a fair compromise for everyone on both sides of the issue. Thanks for sharing the information

Out of curiosity, Do you know if these types of weapons are permissable for hunting only, or are there other allowed uses for them?

[MyAngels]

Now, here is a plausible idea. Not being a gun person, I was unaware that the size of the magazine could be limited so that there are less rounds that can be fired. Perhaps limiting this, rather than the actual weapon, would be a good starting point and a fair compromise for everyone on both sides of the issue. Thanks for sharing the information

Out of curiosity, Do you know if these types of weapons are permissable for hunting only, or are there other allowed uses for them?

You can legally own and use an AR-15 semi-auto for anything you can do with any other gun. An automatic weapon can only be purchased or owned under very strict conditions. I'm not entirely sure how, but I think you have to have an FFL (Federal Firearms License) with a special designation, and then they have to be registered with the government.

My DH also mentioned that it's fairly easy to buy the parts to convert a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic .

During the Federal Assault Weapon Ban days it was illegal to buy the high capacity clips, but now they are pretty easy to come by.

[Sugar Magnolia]

During the Federal Assault Weapon Ban days it was illegal to buy the high capacity clips, but now they are pretty easy to come by.

This! Yes! Reinstate please.

[Unregistered]

You can legally own and use an AR-15 semi-auto for anything you can do with any other gun. An automatic weapon can only be purchased or owned under very strict conditions. I'm not entirely sure how, but I think you have to have an FFL (Federal Firearms License) with a special designation, and then they have to be registered with the government.

My DH also mentioned that it's fairly easy to buy the parts to convert a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic .

During the Federal Assault Weapon Ban days it was illegal to buy the high capacity clips, but now they are pretty easy to come by.

Your DH is right, it is easy to convert a semi auto to an automatic, but it is very illegal to do so. To possess an automatic weapon, even if you make it yourself, you have to have a class 3 security clearance, an extensive background check, and pay thousands of dollars. If you are caught with an automatic weapon, without these permits, you will go to jail.

[Scout]

I do not like guns. I would not sleep peacefully knowing that we had a firearm in our home with two small children. That is not to say that we wouldn't be responsible with one. We would. People are & it is their right to own them. I just truly feel, and this is only my opinion, that the equation is pretty darn simple. No Guns, no mass shootings. What if one of those teachers had a loaded gun and a child found in & fired it? What would the debate be then? If they did I am pretty sure it would not be lawful to keep it loaded in a classroom. I don't know how long it takes to load a gun but, I would think if you needed one that quickly & had to stop to unlock the lock box for the gun & another for ammunition it would be too late to do any good anyway. What if Guns were banned completely by all except military and police? And I know that this would not stop some from acquiring firearms illegally, I was not born yesterday. I just feel that if no one were allowed to have a gun there would be less firearms all around simply because they would not be legal to sell them! My SIL bought a gun. Do you know what her background check was??? Giving her ID when she bought it!! No holding period?? WTH? That is complete crap and I know she is a responsible person but, not one person should be able to give an ID and walk out with a firearm that same day! But, unfortunately we are allowed guns & this is just something I have to deal with so I choose to teach my DS that if he sees one he is to get an adult right away. He knows he is not to touch one but, kids are curious so I, personally, wouldn't want one here. JMHO.

[My3cents]

This exactly.... I think the teachers should be aloud to be trained and legal to carry at school or any other business for that matter if the ad people know somebody else will be there with a weapon then they would think twice about it. Or they would be stopped a lot faster!

yikes this scares me---

Think about it more.....

[My3cents]

Certainly if someone wants a gun bad enough they will find one. However, it would be a heeluva lot more difficult to obtain one and perhaps, by the time the person did find one, they may have had the time to cool down and change their mind. Maybe, maybe not, but I'd rather they didn't have them sitting in their home when they get pissed or go off their rocker. I'd rather they'd have to go look for one.

I took this from the other thread that was for Prayers for the Children.......wanted to comment

I see where your going with this Crystal and I am for anything that would prevent this type of horrific event---

I don't think it would have mattered in this circumstance or one like it- this man was bent on doing what he did and would have gotten the weapon to do it, nothing would have stopped him from carrying out what he did. Shooting his mother- hid right mind was wacked out and I don't think legal or not legal played into it. I feel mental illness was his number one weapon- and he snapped.