It's a suggested solution based on real studies and cases, which provide some validation. You don't think intervening in young peoples' lives to keep them on a straighter path is of no use?
Reading through a kaleidoscope includes SCOTUS, the NRA, and many State legislatures. They twist the words of the second amendment to suit their own purposes.
Yes, strawman. In fact, you threw a red herring into the strawman's arms. You did not address my point, which is that mental health problems
do not account for a significant proportion of gun crime. You can mention all the anecdotal/hypothetical situations you want. While 'suicide by cop' may be a thing, it wouldn't be suicide in the legal or statistical sense. A 'normal' suicide, where someone shoots himself in his basement is not a violent crime, as it is not a criminal offence to take your own life.
I certainly do get it.
Militia (United States) - Wikipedia
The militia of the United States, as defined by the U.S. Congress, has changed over time.[1] During colonial America, all able-bodied men of a certain age range were members of the militia, depending on each colony's rule.[2] Individual towns formed local independent militias for their own defense.[3] The year before the US Constitution was ratified, The Federalist Papers detailed the founders' paramount vision of the militia in 1787.[4][5] The new Constitution empowered Congress to "organize, arm, and discipline" this national military force, leaving significant control in the hands of each state government.[6][7]
Today, as defined by the Militia Act of 1903, the term "militia" is used to describe two classes within the United States:[8]
- Organized militia – consisting of State Defense Forces, the National Guard and Naval Militia.[9][10]
- Unorganized militia – comprising the reserve militia: every able-bodied man of at least 17 and under 45 years of age, not a member of the State Defense Forces, National Guard, or Naval Militia.[11]
Congress has organized the National Guard under its power to "raise and support armies" and not its power to "Provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the Militia".[12] This, Congress chose to do in the interests of organizing reserve military units which were not limited in deployment by the strictures of its power over the constitutional militia, which can be called forth only "to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions."
This is the Canadian version:
Canadian Militia - Wikipedia
A bunch of yokels who don't like the gub'mint getting together in cosplay costumes is
not a militia in a real sense. The key clause from the second amendment is "well-regulated". Private armies are
not well-regulated.
People who shouldn't have firearms are able to access them in the US so easily because the country is utterly
littered with them. A determined person can get one - or more - if he wants to, legally or otherwise.
I absolutely think intervention is needed, but who's going to step in and make it happen? The city, state and Federal governments are doing a shytty job on many fronts, so I would like to know what you suggest. IMO, many kids who might be on a path to destruction should be removed from whatever 'family' situation they're in. The 'parent(s)' don't raise them in a way that could prevent them joining gangs, engaging in crime and becoming lifelong criminals, so they really need to be removed. Why do we have 10-12 year olds stealing cars and fleeing from the police? Why do we have kids of the same age shooting people, robbing, burgling and dealing/running drugs? You'll probably say it's because of poverty, which it is, but the real problem is that the parents weren't raised to be functional members of society, either.
Right- they quote the Amendment, then come up with some twisted way to use it in their own form. However, it IS a right but the methods of preventing the wrong people obtaining guns are, IMO, almost useless. Your comment about local yokels is accurate- it's too bad they can buy camo. God, I hate that crap- camo pants & shirts, camp waders and hip boots for fishing, camp cookware, camo EVERYTHING, because they think it's cool. I helped someone with a roofing job and he said he would replace my gloves. Yup- camo. He's one of the guys I have posted about, with the idiot cousins- he wears a big 2nd Amendment belt buckle, yet he thinks the police should be able to talk their way into someone's house after finding pot in a car during a traffic stop. He seems to think that owning guns and hunting makes him a man. Too much of that BS, IMO.
I agree with your last paragraph 100%. It's too easy to steal guns, it's too easy for people to lie on the application and as the killings in Chicago proved, the Police aren't filing the reports needed after someone threatens suicide or threatens to shoot people. There's also an illegal gun trade in this country that the Feds are unable to stop. The Obama admin Fast And Furious program is still biting us in the ass, too. I have to say that in some places, people do need a way to protect themselves from predatory jags who, in far too many cases, are people they know as 'friends' or acquaintances. People are careless, irresponsible and stupid- welcome to the Good Ol' US of A. Make your own acronym. Do you really think I like having two murders two and four blocks from my house in the last thirty days? Think about the people who live in the area of MKE or any other city where shootings occur frequently- their options are limited- many can't afford to stay OR leave. Chicago gun laws are very strict and they're not stopping the violence. Crimo's dad sponsored the dirtbag's application. Good job, there.
Last weekend in Chicago- 71 shot, 8 dead. If you know anything about Chicago, the Highland Park shootings should be included since it's really a suburb, even though it's in a different county. That would put the total at 15 dead, more than 100 shot.
I'm sick of the killing, but I'm also sick of the lack of solutions by government and the pandering that's done, based on emotional responses. Of course emotions will be an unavoidable part of this discussion but just saying 'guns are the problem' when people are the problem isn't going to solve it. If ~400 million guns were the problem, we would see far more killing. If the stat of ~45K firearm deaths is accurate and if each person was killed with one gun, that means 99.9875% of the 400 million guns weren't involved. OTOH, I have seen articles showing that most (by a wide margin) of gun deaths involved stolen guns. Weeding through the BS on both sides takes a lot of time and I'm not going to post a link because it's all so slanted.
Suicide by cop is planned- the results are the same, but the ones who go out this way can't bring themselves to pull the trigger. You're making a distinction without a real difference. Recently, a guy who was despondent after his mother died robbed a store, stole a car, went on a chase and pulled a gun on the cops, aiming it at them after they used the PIT maneuver.
Would you say he was suffering from mental illness?
