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I'm not so sure it's that simple.

Tintallë
Gondor

Apr 17 2007, 6:26pm

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I'm not so sure it's that simple. [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am absolutely sure that no amount of stress could induce me to go on a killing spree and use a gun on innocent people. That's because of my personal values and ethics, which are as inescapably a part of me as my brown eyes and size 6 feet.

My son owns firearms. He enjoys target shooting. He also has a concealed carry permit. He is alive and well today because he was carrying a weapon when two men attacked him with knives - BIG knives - in a store parking lot. (He was on his way home from checking out a security alarm at his workplace.) He was suddenly struck with fear for his life. His training kicked in and he pullled out his gun. He aimed - he did not shoot - and they ran. He collapsed in a miserable shaking heap afterward and suffered from insomnia and nightmares for weeks, but the experience reinforced his belief that gun ownership is not the evil I had always told him it was.

A gun ban would not prevent a knife attack. Quite possibly my son would have been left bleeding and dying in the parking lot so two thugs could steal about $80 in cash and a couple of sacks of groceries from Wal-Mart. I found myself feeling profoundly thankful that he had been carrying a gun. You would have to know me to know how unbelievable that statement is. Was.

I was once an advocate of banning guns, but now I am not so sure. I doubt whether banning guns is the answer. I do not think it will address the sick, sick American culture that places such a low value on life. Americans are bombarded with violent images all day every day - the newspaper focuses on sensational stories of murder and violence, television dramas and movies are rife with slayings and gunplay, many of the most popular video games are non-stop violence and glorify or at least downplay criminal activity, and a lot of rap and hip hop lyrics describe violent acts. Americans are desensitized to violence. Oh, when someone goes on a killing spree there are lots of pictures of grieving people and newscasters talk in sympathetic, heartfelt tones for a week or two but no one really addresses the cultural/sociological etiology, the root cause of the behavior. I'm sure the students at Virginia Tech will be offered post-traumatic counseling and support in the weeks to come, but where are the efforts at prevention? How do we identify and support individuals before they reach the breaking point?

I will be interested to learn if Cho Seung-hui's friends had any inkling that he was unhappy or stressed and, if so, what they did about it. How is it that a senior English major became a mass murderer? Surely that did not happen overnight.

I would say that the basic problem in America is not the availability of guns but rather the lack of any sense of community and responsibility for others that pervades American society these days. I live in southern California. Gang violence is a big problem. Racism is alive and well - can you imagine your teenager going out with a bunch of his friends to beat a migrant worker to death? It happened here. I live in a "me, me, me" society. Plastic surgery is a big business here because people are so self-obsessed and so preoccupied with outward appearances. We have housing tracts, not communities. I've moved 16 times in my life; when I moved here it was the first time no one - NO ONE - greeted me or showed the slightest interest in a new individual living nearby. People avert their eyes when passing each other on the street; most are startled or uncomfortable when I look them in the eye and say "Good morning!"

My daughter spent an undergraduate year in Adelaide, Australia. She was upset and crying one day on a city street one day and people - total strangers! - attempted to help her - offered to sit with her, talk, buy her a cup of coffee, hold her hand. When I learned about the free hugs campaign I was not surprised that it was started by an Australian. My daughter is back in Adelaide now and will probably stay there because the culture is healthier and more supportive than she has experienced in America.

So, gun control? Maybe. The more I think about it, though, the more I think it is not the answer.

That said, it still made my skin crawl to see my son cleaning his gun the other night. I came very close to throwing up.

Please remember that this is my opinon only. I would hope for it to spark thoughtful debate rather than angry dissent. Thanks.

Subject	User	Time
Prayers and heart-felt sympathy to Virginia Tech Students, Families, and Staff.	grammaboodawg	Apr 17 2007, 9:21am
What leads a person to commit such an act?	Noneoftheabove	Apr 17 2007, 10:25am
Humanity's still OK; just a few individuals are depraved.	L. Ron Halfelven	Apr 17 2007, 11:46am
Thanks for that insight.	Aunt Dora Baggins	Apr 17 2007, 2:26pm
And you're absolutely right, it is easy to focus on the horrible.	Noneoftheabove	Apr 17 2007, 2:47pm
The tragedy isn't that one individual was depraved	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 4:11pm
The root of the problem is simple...	Aragorn'sSexyScar	Apr 17 2007, 4:45pm
Coincidentally, I'm 42.	GaladrielTX	Apr 17 2007, 6:19pm
I'm not so sure it's that simple.	Tintallë	Apr 17 2007, 6:26pm
and that....	Magpie	Apr 17 2007, 6:35pm
This is the first time	Ataahua	Apr 17 2007, 7:39pm
Very well said, Tintalle	Aunt Dora Baggins	Apr 18 2007, 12:52pm
Well..	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 6:33pm
Yet, you wouldn't use a semi-automatic weapon	Rivendweller	Apr 17 2007, 8:01pm
Nope	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 8:06pm
Plus...	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 8:18pm
I understand	Rivendweller	Apr 17 2007, 8:29pm
Well....	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 8:54pm
Agree about the mental health system	Morwen	Apr 17 2007, 9:06pm
sorry... just can't buy this:	Magpie	Apr 17 2007, 9:15pm
Like I said...	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 9:27pm
okay... suffiently calmed	Magpie	Apr 17 2007, 10:21pm
Well	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 11:08pm
I worked with K-2	Magpie	Apr 18 2007, 1:02am
One of the unwritten laws of American politics . . .	Pukel-man	Apr 17 2007, 9:38pm
That's	Aerlinn	Apr 18 2007, 3:00pm
Yes, but the threat is there!	Aragorn'sSexyScar	Apr 18 2007, 3:31pm
I'm staying resolutely away from the public-policy debate...	L. Ron Halfelven	Apr 17 2007, 6:21pm
Thanks for putting this in perspective, L. Ron,	Patty	Apr 17 2007, 4:38pm
There is some good in this world... and it's worth fighting for	grammaboodawg	Apr 17 2007, 2:38pm
Horrible news	Owlyross	Apr 17 2007, 10:34am
Actually, tighter controls are part of the reason this tragedy is so bad.	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 1:31pm
It's a complex problem, for sure	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 2:42pm
I don't see it as so complex at all	linkin-artelf	Apr 17 2007, 3:07pm
The media and gun control advocates got the jump "pushing their agenda" first.	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 4:40pm
Well, I certainly hope for America's sake	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 5:01pm
I appreciate your understanding.	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 5:07pm
Not really.	Aerin	Apr 17 2007, 11:28pm
Well...	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 5:43pm
I sometimes forget	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 6:08pm
That's funny.	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 6:20pm
Good point!	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 9:07pm
Sometimes I watch those movies about the wild west...	Magpie	Apr 17 2007, 6:26pm
Wow!	Owlyross	Apr 18 2007, 7:47am
It's a subject of which I know	Magpie	Apr 18 2007, 12:47pm
Thanks for the story	Owlyross	Apr 18 2007, 1:01pm
You have only to look at Washington, D.C.,	GaladrielTX	Apr 17 2007, 6:14pm
I must say	Donry	Apr 17 2007, 3:33pm
Well...	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 3:55pm
Wholeheartedly agree with that. //	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 5:08pm
And that demonstrates two things	linkin-artelf	Apr 17 2007, 5:18pm
It was the police that didn't stop the killing...	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 5:31pm
Right	linkin-artelf	Apr 17 2007, 5:44pm
In response to your comment about the killer rampaging without a gun	'esquey	Apr 17 2007, 10:21pm
Guns make it easier to kill people.	N.E. Brigand	Apr 17 2007, 11:20pm
Depends	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 11:51pm
Link inside.	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 4:27pm
That wording in article is so biased	linkin-artelf	Apr 17 2007, 5:09pm
The Fraser Institute	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 5:21pm
Not to drag this off on a tangent	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 5:25pm
Well, alcohol and cars are banned	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 5:32pm
In fact	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 5:36pm
Why don't we ban crime instead of guns? //	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 5:39pm
I don't know if you're joking, AE...	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 5:44pm
It's a joke that isn't a joke.	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 6:16pm
That's no tangent. MADD reports	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 5:34pm
The difference lies in the intended use	linkin-artelf	Apr 17 2007, 5:37pm
Maybe the U.N. should start a donkey safety course. //	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 5:41pm
Just for general edification,	Ataahua	Apr 17 2007, 7:37pm
Agreed.	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 7:16pm
But alcohol has been a staple of human existence	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 9:17pm
Well...	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 9:32pm
I did rush in my choice of references.	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 5:38pm
I don't want to start a gun control debate	Owlyross	Apr 17 2007, 5:11pm
That's a decidedly peculiar way of not starting a debate./	L. Ron Halfelven	Apr 17 2007, 5:58pm
You're right	Owlyross	Apr 18 2007, 8:32am
As I stand with one foot firmly planted on each side of the debate,	Aunt Dora Baggins	Apr 17 2007, 7:06pm
Well said, Aunt Dora	Morwen	Apr 17 2007, 7:53pm
Hear, hear!	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 3:34pm
The sad thing about this situation	linkin-artelf	Apr 18 2007, 6:49pm
In response...	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 7:53pm
Applause!	Aunt Dora Baggins	Apr 18 2007, 8:07pm
That's where I'm coming from.	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 8:32pm
The Prince of Pompadoodle	Aunt Dora Baggins	Apr 18 2007, 8:52pm
Perfect!	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 9:18pm
I like that expression - roots and wings	linkin-artelf	Apr 18 2007, 8:59pm
Totally OT,	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 9:20pm
No, can't claim it as mine	linkin-artelf	Apr 18 2007, 9:57pm
I am like you, on the outside looking in	linkin-artelf	Apr 18 2007, 8:32pm
That's part of the reason I qualified my response.	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 8:47pm
Wow. So arming the public with even more guns will prevent gun deaths?	'esquey	Apr 17 2007, 8:43pm
No one is suggesting that everyone should run out a buy a gun.	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 8:48pm
It may not make the world safer	'esquey	Apr 17 2007, 8:50pm
The number of deaths is irrelevant.	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 9:07pm
I do hope	FarFromHome	Apr 17 2007, 9:43pm
Well..	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 10:01pm
Well, well. . .	Advising Elf	Apr 18 2007, 1:38pm
Orr..	'esquey	Apr 18 2007, 2:05pm
Well	Darkstone	Apr 18 2007, 3:45pm
It is a moral issue in the sense that...	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 10:05pm
Weapons of mass destruction?	N.E. Brigand	Apr 17 2007, 9:59pm
Of course.	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 10:08pm
The number of deaths is irrelevant?!?!	'esquey	Apr 17 2007, 10:10pm
For one thing	houndrock	Apr 17 2007, 10:12pm
I apologize to 'esquey.	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 10:29pm
And regarding my country...	'esquey	Apr 17 2007, 10:30pm
psst, 'esquey	linkin-artelf	Apr 18 2007, 6:24am
Thanks so much!	'esquey	Apr 18 2007, 2:06pm
I don't understand	Owlyross	Apr 18 2007, 7:56am
A comment about rights in general. . .	Advising Elf	Apr 18 2007, 2:56pm
I totally agree with you /nt	Owlyross	Apr 18 2007, 3:24pm
Not so sure.	DownfallenWest	Apr 19 2007, 3:44pm
sad day for VA (and the world)	a.s.	Apr 17 2007, 10:51am
Very sad	KmK	Apr 17 2007, 12:01pm
It is so hard to understand	Rivendweller	Apr 17 2007, 12:01pm
So very sad.	White Gull	Apr 17 2007, 2:59pm
oh.... lovely	grammaboodawg	Apr 19 2007, 4:16pm
Shocking and horrifying	Ciars	Apr 17 2007, 4:17pm
A native Montrealer is among the dead...	diedye	Apr 17 2007, 4:47pm
A horrible situation.	RosieLass	Apr 17 2007, 5:23pm
BTW, in this thread,	GaladrielTX	Apr 17 2007, 6:15pm
Out of ignorance.	Advising Elf	Apr 17 2007, 6:23pm
Nope	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 6:27pm
but...	Magpie	Apr 17 2007, 6:30pm
coughnitpickcough...	diedye	Apr 17 2007, 6:37pm
"VT" is correct.	Aerin	Apr 17 2007, 11:06pm
I had a friend who attended years ago	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 3:39pm
A friendly reminder	Altaira	Apr 17 2007, 6:54pm
Blanket comment: editing of comments about the value of others' comments is imminent {nt}	Altaira	Apr 17 2007, 9:26pm
Such as, perhaps	Aerlinn	Apr 18 2007, 3:12pm
It missed you even if you didn't miss it!	L. Ron Halfelven	Apr 18 2007, 3:18pm
I agree with you on both points, L. Ron. //	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 3:41pm
I'm still waiting to hear	Aerin	Apr 17 2007, 11:37pm
Well	Darkstone	Apr 17 2007, 11:57pm
Whew!	Aerin	Apr 18 2007, 4:36am
Thanks for the update.	N.E. Brigand	Apr 18 2007, 6:24am
It's nice to hear some good news.	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 3:43pm
I am glad the people you	Shadowfaxfan	Apr 19 2007, 5:15am
157 people died in bomb blasts in Iraq today	Owlyross	Apr 18 2007, 3:45pm
I was thinking about that as I watched the news today and	Lossefalme	Apr 18 2007, 8:23pm
Yes and no	linkin-artelf	Apr 18 2007, 8:54pm
One way to get guns out of the hands of teenagers....	Darkstone	Apr 18 2007, 9:05pm
I've seen the news and...	elvenhobbit	Apr 19 2007, 8:09pm
My only response: Prayers and heart-felt sympathy to Virginia Tech Students, Families, and Staff and	grammaboodawg	Apr 20 2007, 10:52am
Hear, hear, gramma	Altaira	Apr 20 2007, 3:23pm
The film " Bobby" captures so much of todays grief, then and now...	Rivendweller	Apr 20 2007, 3:51pm
Mods way up.	linkin-artelf	Apr 20 2007, 9:47pm
This, this is what is needed	mae govannen	Apr 21 2007, 11:34am
tearing This is wonderful... thank you //	grammaboodawg	Apr 21 2007, 11:45am
Wow. Thank you so much. His words are as true today as they were then. //	Lossefalme	Apr 21 2007, 1:25pm
Thank you, Rivendweller.	Aunt Dora Baggins	Apr 21 2007, 6:35pm
Thanks, Gramma.	Aunt Dora Baggins	Apr 21 2007, 6:31pm

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