Posted on 03/22/2005 10:53:46 AM PST by Dan from Michigan
Minnesota School Massacre Latest Example of the Human Toll of America's Love Affair with Guns
Shooter's Willingness to Commit Suicide Demonstrates Futility of Deterrence, Restricting Access to Firearms is the Only Way to Prevent Future Tragedies
Washington, D.C.—Yesterday's mass shooting at a Minnesota high school in which a lone shooter killed nine and wounded more than a dozen before taking his own life was the worst school shooting since the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where two students killed 13 and wounded another 23 before taking their own lives.
In the wake of this most recent shooting, Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Violence Policy Center (VPC) states, "America must face the fact that we have a love affair with guns that exacts a tremendous and unacceptable cost in human lives lost. Mass shootings like that at Red Lake High School are the future for America's children until policymakers decide it's time to enact real gun control. Other countries have found the solution to mass shootings, and it consists of severe restrictions on the availability of specific classes of firearms, such as handguns and assault weapons."
Noting that, as was the case at Columbine, the Minnesota high school shooter was prepared to die in order to perpetrate the shooting, Rand adds, "There is simply no way the criminal justice system or a series of security measures—such as the guard and metal detectors present at Red Lake High School—can prevent a shooter determined to kill and willing to die."
The shooting at Red Lake High School is the latest mass murder-suicide to occur in the United States and follows, by less than two weeks, a murder-suicide at a Wisconsin hotel that resulted in eight dead. These shootings, like the vast majority of such incidents, were perpetrated with a gun. A study conducted by the VPC in 2002 found that guns were used in 95 percent of all murder-suicides and estimated that at least 1,300 lives are lost each year to murder-suicide. (For a copy of the study, American Roulette: The Untold Story of Murder-Suicide in the United States, as well as gun violence information for Minnesota, please see www.vpc.org).
If you were trying to say that I am ignorant concerning the second amendment then, once again, I have have no desire to be "educated" on the subject by you. Any real scholarship concerning the second amendment and the text itself makes it meaning clear.
Doncha just love the modern, computerized word processor? These templates sure save a lot of time.
_______________ Massacre Latest Example of the Human Toll of America's Love Affair with Guns
Shooter's Willingness to _______________ Demonstrates Futility of Deterrence, Restricting Access to Firearms is the Only Way to Prevent Future Tragedies
Washington, D.C.—Yesterday's mass shooting at a _____________________ in which __________ killed ____ and wounded _________ before __________________ was the worst ___________ since the __________________, where ___________ killed ___ and wounded another ___ before ___________.
In the wake of this most recent shooting, Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Violence Policy Center (VPC) states, "America must face the fact that we have a love affair with guns that exacts a tremendous and unacceptable cost in human lives lost. Mass shootings like that at _____________________ are the future for America's ______________ until policymakers decide it's time to enact real gun control. Other countries have found the solution to mass shootings, and it consists of severe restrictions on the availability of specific classes of firearms, such as _____________ and assault weapons."
Noting that, as was the case at ____________, the _______________ shooter_ was/were prepared to _____ in order to perpetrate the shooting, Rand adds, "There is simply no way the criminal justice system or a series of security measures—such as __________________ present at ______________—can prevent a shooter determined to kill and ___________."
The shooting at _____________________ is the latest ____________________ to occur in the United States and follows, by less than ______________, a ___________ at a ____________ that resulted in ______ dead. These shootings, like the vast majority of such incidents, were perpetrated with a _________. A study conducted by the VPC in ______ found that _________ were used in ___ percent of all _________ and estimated that at least _________ lives are lost each year to ___________. (For a copy of the study, ___________________________________________, as well as gun violence information for __________________, please see www.vpc.org).
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-22-2005/0003239748&EDATE=
What Can We Learn?
ST. PAUL, Minn., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens for a Safer Minnesota
(CSM) expresses our sincere condolences to the families affected by the tragic
shooting at Red Lake High School near Bemidji, Minnesota. "We share their pain
and send our deepest sympathy," said Rebecca Thoman, M.D., Executive Director
of the St. Paul non-profit dedicated to reducing gun violence.
"Every time a child uses a gun in a violent act, we must ask, where did
the child get the gun? Eighty percent of the time, the answer is from his own
home, or the home of another family member or friend," Dr. Thoman said. "Our
national experience, tragically, shows that not only do guns fail to keep us
safe, but accessibility to firearms is the single factor that transforms a
routine conflict into a tragedy," Dr. Thoman added.
Thoman noted that with increased awareness about child-related gun
violence in the United States it is important that we as a society search for
ways to prevent future tragedies. Medical research shows that guns in the
home increase the risk of both suicide and homicide among family members
(American Journal of Epidemiology, Nov. 15, 2004). In fact, a gun in the home
is 22 times more likely to be used in a suicide, homicide, or unintentional
shooting than against an intruder (Journal of Trauma, 1999).
Dr. Thoman expressed concern that our nation is "moving in the wrong
direction on gun policy" noting that Minnesota passed a concealed-carry law in
2003 that put 25,000 more handguns in our communities and the US Congress
allowed the assault weapon ban to lapse, flooding the civilian market with
military-style assault weapons that had been illegal since 1994.
Citizens for a Safer Minnesota encourages citizens to prevent gun violence
by becoming active in their own communities. Visit
http://www.endgunviolence.com to access resources and share your opinions.
SOURCE Citizens for a Safer Minnesota
Web Site: http://www.endgunviolence.com
That's just it, I don't want them negotiated away either, but what do you call the march of gun control since the 1968 Gun Control Act, progress? You can recite the 2nd. Amendment to the Libs until your' re blue-in-the-face and they'll just turn around and use Article V and simply repeal the 2nd. Amendment. I fully expect that within the life of my kids they will have the same firearm rights as the English if we continue to ignore the part that mental illness plays in these mass shootings. I would like to see the NRA fight off the VPC with political efforts to restore the federal and state mental hospitals. It's an offensive tactic that the left will have difficulty protesting in the public square and, at the same time, be positive PR for those of us in favor of keeping the 2nd. Amendment. Or you can remain on the defensive and loose.
Far be it from me to do what you don't want. What you don't get is that each of your posts is nothing more than an insult escorted by a question. The insult of your first post to me; " Don't you believe in the Constitution"?, was the entire intent of that post, just as is the above quotation. The rest is just prologue.
"That's just it, I don't want them negotiated away either, but what do you call the march of gun control since the 1968 Gun Control Act, progress?"
I call the fact that I can now buy an AR-15 again progress, yes. :-)
Not in California, New York or Mass. you can't. That's not progress, that's just self satisfaction.
Cops kids are mass murderers in MN yet last week I heard the MN head of the Million Morons on the radio saying only the police should have guns. HMMMM, the last 2 school shootings in MN were done by kids who parent or guardian
were LEOs (police officers). I guess we need to make sure
the have trigger locks on all their duty guns and vest locks
on their bullet proof vests since the latest murderer had
a LEO-issued vest, too. Add to the list a pedal lock for
cars since the murdering thug kid also used gramp's LEO
car...Can't wait to hear the "only the police should have
guns" chant from the Morons,Brady Bunch, and VPC idiots now.
and most ironically today at our State Capitol:
peace pipes: smoking is only applauded at the capitol when people get killed...and school prayer is encouraged only after a school shooting. the world all makes so much sense.
I only wish the guards were armed. If you're basically in a prison setting anyway (wire ,fencing and metal detectors)
what's the big deal to have armed guards?
Look at the past 10 years. I see progress in the right direction. More states are now ccw and most recently the awb has passed. I know the opposition is vocal and visible however they are losing. Keep the faith and wage the good fight. No need to bend or start making concessions. Regardless how it appears, more people in the country support gun rights than oppose and I think the momentum is with the good guys.
Oh please...
Not speaking to you, Dan. Just tired of the liberal spin.
Hey, if only criminals could take out feeding tubes... Oh well, whatever, nevermind... /sarcasm.
I'm sorry. It has been an extremely emotional four or five days.
Yes and usually the law makes it impossible for the school to move troublesome kids to someplace else. "they are yours until they are 18, so do something with him" is their mantra.
Actually with the fact that a terrorist could do this as well, if I were a school administrator I would quietly be arranging it so that a handfull of teachers in every school would have training in weapons use and have a firearm available at the school. This would be far more effective than to waste people's time trying to get guns off this planet. (Never work anyhow, but some armed teachers would.)
"because the shooting happened at a Native American reservation, and minority-on-minority crimes get little, if any MSM exposure."
I won't go into details but I have the greatest respect for native American traditions. I have have the chance to learn fron one who learned from a Lipan Apache elder.
Normally, I would agree with what you say but I think the Terri Schiavo news has trumped everything else.
just mho.
Gov Tim Pawlenty signed a concealed carry bill into law in 2003. He is up for re-election next year. Plus, there is an open Senate seat. I fear the Far Left will use this sad event as a fundraising tool for RAT candidates in MN.
1. Mandatory incarceratio -- for indefinite periods of time -- for people who are deemed to be "mentally unstable" by some sovereign authority; or
2. Mandatory amputation of all limbs for people who are deemed to be "mentally unstable" by some sovereign authority.
Nothing short of one of these two measures is ever going to prevent the kind of incident that occurred in Red Lake the other day.
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