Posted on 10/13/2006 2:33:17 PM PDT by NapkinUser
More school shootings, and the inevitable commentary on the evening news: "I didn't think this sort of thing could happen here."
The heartfelt, but naive belief that murderous rampages "don't happen here" begs the question: "Where do you think such things happen?"
Labels exist for the places where shootings occur: urban, inner city.
But one thing urban folks can tell their scared suburban friends right now is that a good part of the horrendous violence in their communities is due to the proliferation of guns.
Sometimes it seems like everyone is packing. Someone disrespects your girl? Shoot 'em. Someone looks at you wrong? Shoot 'em. Someone mouths off to you at a party? Shoot 'em.
So for once, maybe the suburbs and rural America can take a cue from the cities: "Get the guns out of your homes."
Because while much of America lulled itself into believing that these things "do not happen here," they were also stockpiling. Where they live guns are used for hunting, for target practice and for a misplaced sense of security. I get that, my mother's family has those references. Mother's stories about growing up on the Kansas farm often involve guns.
There was the time when grandfather's favorite dog turned up rabid. "Get the gun!" Grandpa shouted from the field, knowing he had to shoot his dog before it bit his family.
There are stories about hunting rabbits and duck for dinner and shooting coyotes so they wouldn't kill the livestock.
But mother gave up fetching food from the woods long ago. She goes to the grocery now. She feels safe with good locks on the house. Grandfather's guns have been passed down as family heirlooms, not loaded weapons.
She has no use for a gun.
More people who live in these "couldn't happen here" communities need to come to the same revelation.
Because for all the recent head scratching about how to prevent more school shootings, studies have made several things clear: School shooters almost always are boys. The shootings are planned attacks, not spur of the moment. And the guns come from the shooters' homes.
We need to quit dancing around these facts, starting with the president. George Bush's recent summit should have been titled "Gun violence in schools."
Apparently that would have been too to-the-point. So it was proclaimed the less accurate but more benevolent, "Conference on School Safety."
The little political commentary about guns in schools has been insane commentary. Wisconsin Rep. Frank Lasee proposes teachers carry guns. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt made the same suggestion, until smarter heads backed him away from the idea.
Arm the teachers? How about disarm the kids?
The best way to do that would be to address where school shooters get their guns - from their homes. Oh I know, people will talk about their right to bear arms, the need for self-protection, that they like to hunt wild game. All are understandable replies.
But anyone giving these answers should also honestly address two questions: Do you really need a gun in the house, and if so, how secure is it? And, how well do you know your son?
I can hear the refrain now: "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Nice slogan.
Here's the truth: Troubled boys with access to their parents' guns have killed their classmates, their teachers and quite often, themselves.
And yes, it can happen anywhere.
What 2 things do school shootings have in common?
Guns
Schools
Outlaw schools, and stop school shootings.
Outlaw murder! - Oh, wait...
That's pretty much the dumbest thing I've seen all month. Thanks for killing some of my brain cells. :p
Guns are already illegal in schools. It is against the law to shoot a child anywhere in this country.
From this we know for certain that because of these laws no child was killed at school with a firearm.
You can pass all the laws you want but the criminals will just ignore the new laws as they ignore the 20K gun laws now on the books.
If you want to see the factual truth look at the states with right to carry laws. Violent assaults and gun crime are way down. it you look at the facts an armed society is the safest society.
Of course truth and fact have no relationship to liberal socialists.
But the gun control crowd wants to prevent everyone from having access to guns not just nuts and criminals.
If you remove black-on-black gun crime, we have a lower gun crime rate than England.
Yawn
"Do you really need a gun in the house?..."
What f***ing business is that of yours you dumb b**ch??? I hate this woman.
"two questions: (1)Do you really need a gun in the house, and if so, (2) how secure is it? And, (3)how well do you know your son?"
She can't count, either.
You can't. There are too many travelling in too many directions.
What's wrong with me? I've been legally 'packin' for over 5 years and been in some of the above situations but fail to "shoot 'em".
While this article appears in the Aberdeen South Dakota newspaper the writer is from Kansas City. This editorial won't play well in South Dakota where the pheasant season is starting and brings in thousands of hunters and millions in tourist dollars to our state.
True enough...
For once? The majority of the entire issue consists of frightened urbanites insisting that their fears dictate the laws for everyone. And, of course, if they could just take guns away from enough law-abiding citizens, why, magic would happen and there wouldn't be any for the criminals. You can't reason with these people, they aren't reasoning at all.
Somewhere there is an aphorisim about 'conservatives are liberals that have been mugged.' Does that extend to violence against women?
To quote Robert A. Heinlein, "An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life."
My wife and I just had a house built and it is built around my guns. The Second Amendment keeps all the Amendments and the Constitution safe from the enemy within and the guns protect my new home. If you would like to come and see my new home and you knock on the door politely and be nice you will be welcome. If you just try to break the door down and come in and be mean I will be mean too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.