Gun Ownership

[cyberangel]

Then someone else would have been 'the Killer' Or better still imagine if the 'Killer' had not been able to get hold of a gun in the first place!

[subsidinginsanity]

cyberangel, how do you propose we stop people from ever getting guns in the first place? Keep in mind that it was the killer's decision to force this situation onto other people. If somebody had shot the killer walking into the theater do you consider that just as bad as him killing 12 and wounding dozens?

[sparklekaz]

Hi Subsiding,

You could say that about any maniac who goes berserk and kills people. The problem is they don't look like maniacs. Up until they do the deed, they blend in and look just the same as anyone else. We can say 'what if' till the cows come home. The bottom line is we cannot 'predict' when something bad is going to happen.

The problem with fear is that it causes people to act out of character and sometimes irrationally. Having a gun yourself may bring you peace of mind, and if that is what you really need then by all means buy one. But you cannot live your life dominated by fear.

We cannot see into the future. We just have to deal with the reality of the here and now. I hope you live to be a little old man surrounded by lots of grandchildren for you to tell the stories of your life too. But you could just as easily be killed crossing the road to buy a newspaper by a out of control car. Or by an accident in your own home. The statistics for both of these are pretty high too. Does that mean you are never going to do your own DIY or walk to the shops.

I can tell this shooting has really upset you and I don't want to belittle how bad you feel and how frightened it has made you. I think that is the real tragedy. You must do what you have to do, but I just hope that if you do decide to buy one, you don't live to regret it.

Love and light
Kaz

[cyberangel]

Well said Karen.

Subsidinginsanity, I wish you peace of mind my friend.

Love and Light

[gruntal]

One of the most eloquent arguments of the death penalty is that it actually encourages life imprisonment via plea bargaining. I think that is a bit ridiculous but that would make an interesting thread in itself. The point is deadly force can be a threat or a deterrent depending on how you look at it. Even if it is never actually used but kept in reserve.

As ever the philosopher I wonder at laws and weapons and even those nasty pit bulls that have such deadly potential. Not to mention the stockpile of nuclear weapons my country relies on keep those aggressive foreigners at bay. If the actual purpose of those very things was to create death and destruction then they failed utterly. If anything peace came from knowing they exist but rarely if ever get used. Well if you were at the wrong time and place that would speak for itself. To me that begs the question: is there ever an easy fix for the potentially tragic except to have the ability to deal with it in an opposite but equality powerful way?

[subsidinginsanity]

gruntal, I like the saying "Love conquers all" but I don't see how loving the shooter would have stopped him.

[subsidinginsanity]

cyberangel, sparklekaz, thanks for your comments. I appreciate your blessings and points of view.

[wayne]

Aug 28, 2012 15:56:46 GMT subsidinginsanity said:

Aug 24, 2012 23:08:43 GMT wayne said:

Maybe one day when the right politician with enough courage steps forward, he/she will change the gun laws.

How would you change the gun laws?

I have not been put in that position. Many are put in top positions but do nothing worth while except help themselves and their friends. The world needs someone who can achieve great things through compassion, humility and by being an example in their own way of living. Until then we are stuck with what we got.

[subsidinginsanity]

I completely agree, but that doesn't really answer the question.