ivan

People, are we really going to allow the opportunity for national dialogue on this issue go by the boards? Now is the time for setting aside our partisan differences and engaging in a real debate. The MMA vs. Jackie Chan Question is just too important right now and needs to be settled once and for all if we are to move forward as a nation, as a species, really. Okay, I got off track. I'll stick with my argument that treatment of mental illness is key and gun control is a red herring. And these issues should be national dialogue. Most mass shooters don't broadcast their intentions to an actionable degree. Yes, better mental health care access is something we've needed to do since Reagan fucked it all up, but gun control is what we can do something about across the board. The recent pro gun dialog has labeled it a red herring - it's not, of course. It works, and its something we should do. I'd be OK with legal revolvers, all other handguns illegal. You want self defense? You've got six rounds to make it happen. Any more than that and you didn't go to the gun range often enough, pal. Sorry.

bring back the blunderbuss!

BTW, the last two posts were me (Tvash) posting as Ivan. Too damn lazy to logout/login.

Most gun makers are private, but Smith and Wesson is not - down 20% since the shooting. The majority owners of Freedom Arms, makers of the perps rifle, are unloading the company in the wake of the tragedy. It seems that, from a political standpoint, shooting 20 6 year olds got the attention of even the Rfucks in congress, at least some of them, who now state they are willing to relook at gun control measures such as the assault weapons ban. Military style weapons are big business (the reason why they are still legal). If I were a manufacturer, I'd be pretty nervous right about now.

Weighting the benefits and harms, it would be best for everyone if handguns were banned along with assault rifles. They save far fewer people than they hurt. Sorry, gun freaks. Your costly little hero fantasy is just too expensive for the rest of us.

tvash's presence, near snoring on my bofa, no doubt explains my passionate perfidy

actually had a great one of the kidz today, but as i had the misfortune to be in it too, it's all fucked up...

seems like we've already hit most of the items on the start of your list w/o the ones at the bottom suffering any threat at all? as to kev's question, the study of any guerilla war makes it obvious that most popular revolutions begin w/ seriously inferior weapons compared to the government, but that a variety of factors soon find the rebels w/ war-toys plenty-equal to the task at hand (them libyans n' syrians of late, for example, haven't taken to long to turn the tables, and the endless frustration in vietnam of course was that we could up the ante as much as we wanted w/ minimal return) - all americans having access to the same arsenal as da gubmint in order to forestall the apocalypse makes about as much sense as the folks that advocate the idea

colonel kurtz claimed the kong didn't care for the polio vaccine neither

meh. i teach on a sprawling campus. sure we gotta a cop, plus the main station down not more than 3 minutes away at 95 mph, sirens awailing - i wouldn't be surprised if a couple of my colleagues were even armed (2 ex-green berets on staff, reckon their hands would be enough ) - but w/ a thousand entrance/exits, folks all over the place at all hours, there's no castle-like illusions to be had - schools are supposed to be about openness and trust anyhow, and if there's a war-on-education, then in the name of winnning that war, a few good soldiers will likely have to die from time to time...that's why i got a helmet in my room and a fine fortress-plan it's like thurber said: "there is no safety in numbers...nor in anything else."

agreed. course...to keep said laws on books will necessitate keeping libturds in office so the other side doesn't cut n' run later under the kinda sunset provisions that killed the original AW ban

anyone know if the shooter had any recent vaccinations?

witch hunt? i'm in!

the fact that this is a frequent enough occasion as to warrant a wikipedia page speaks volumes! the events of november 2, 1853 speak deeply to my approach to public instruction

shit, i can't hardly even afford the gas to get to where i could ski!

actually, i'm on the record kirk for NOT caring about the kids

sorry to hear that man - as a high-school teacher i've had the sad occasion to see schizophrenia emerge in some of my kids, always guys, as you say - humans hardly work well even in prime health...

thank god i have this whole week off to spend staring out the window at the endless motherfucking cocksucking whoremongering souldestroying eternal fucking rain

i said "kinda" - there was little of this actual energy towards action after the virginia tech ho-down, despite all them grown-ups that got kilt - i'm happy to see some sorta movement, mind you, just think it's fucked that the cult of childhood-veneration is what was crucial to getting at the heart of the biscuit...

our nation can't summon the political will to fucking find it's car keys - i'm not holding my breathe on us pursuing a gun control policy that would do more than push around the proverbial titanic deck chairs. the story d'jour kinda pisses me off - why do we suddenly give more of a crap b/c its a bunch of kids who got killed? why is it that the endless # of adults getting gunned down don't matter?

agreed, i read them in that order too

don't get me wrong, i've not spent much time mulling my thoughts over on olde-boy - i read a book which layed him out as quite the cock-sucker, and looking into it, didn't find much to dissuade me from the original impression - as a history type, i'm quick to concede the liabilities of impressions like this though - him being french, of course, i'm preconditioning to be pissy

raging assholes don't get sympathy, yes? was just wondering if this was something i was supposed to feel all sad over...

holy mother mary in a rib-tit t-shirt, here's why i like the study of beowulf! i don't have to listen to a thing she says... ... [video:youtube]

mostly i've used hand n' shotguns to harangue hate upon failed fucking electronics