jerryhung

The gun numbers: just 3% of American adults own a collective 133m firearms

Facts show owning more than 40 guns is actually fairly common in the United States, and violence falls most heavily on the country’s poorest neighborhoods

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...-133m-firearms

jerryhung

Think the above speaks to dbd's point earlier

jerryhung

I find that a converted Republican becomes a Democrat and/or a sworn enemy of the Republican party

But yes judging by the values of the current Republicans they seem like a bunch of amoral people. Look at Corker and his about turn. Flake voted for the tax bill because he would personally benefit. These people are .. <speechless.>

jerryhung

Sorry but that's just wishful thinking. Are you going to put metal detectors in open air cinemas, concerts, malls, etc. What about a full military society where everyone is chipped and bagged - I am sure this is a NRA/Republicans' wet dream.

The best bet is to ban all assault weapons, register all hand guns, limit gun ownership and take on the loons at the NRA and right wing sites. And Rupert Murdoch's Fox of course which is the epitome of private owned propaganda in my opinion.

mahdawg

I am only talking about schools, as although we should all be able to lead safe, care free lives, children should be protected the most.

The part in bold will never happen in anyone's lifetime. That is wishful thinking. Hence why I suggested other alternative's.

Still we live in Canada, so I don't care. Gun ownership here is controlled, regulated so all is good

dbd33

Last week we stayed in a house across the road from a middle school in Los Angeles. First thing in the morning there were very many young people on the playing fields practising a game they misguidedly call soccer. In the evening there were very many young people practising netball. This sort of behavior went on every day.

It's a bit lost on me how metal detectors and security screens would help protect the students from a shooter on the street. Should the fields have walls around them such as carve up Belfast and Brampton? Could these walls do double duty by keeping out Mexican students?

dave_j

I'm not making a point here merely an observation and something I haven't thought about for a long time.

I went to an inner London primary school built by the victorians. It was surrounded by a high brick wall and there were only two standard width doors opening into the inner playground for people, one marked Boys and the other Girls, each fitted with a substantial steel gate. I wonder why the victorians thought it necessary to isolate the school from 'outside', what threats did they see? Whatever they were, they did something about it or were they simply trying to stop anyone escaping?

mahdawg

I always thought the walls in Belfast were quite scenic when I was growing up I joke.

Definitely they wouldn't prevent it. Just my suggestion on damage limitation to a sad situation. There's probably not many ideas you can come up with that both the Republicans & Democrats would agree on

Oakvillian

Well done: you've managed to completely miss the point, it's over there somewhere.

Primary schools (whether Victorian or otherwise) tend to have enclosed schoolyards or playgrounds to ensure that young children do not go wandering off school property during break times. In Victorian cities, the building material of choice was brick; in modern suburbs most elementary schools have some sort of chain-link fence surrounding the property. The purpose of either is not to prevent shooters getting in (hardly a priority in late 19th Century London) but to prevent children getting out and getting lost.

BEVS

My infant/junior schools were like this.

That was to keep the children (us) in. Help stop truancy as well.

It was not to keep someone out.

scrubbedexpat091

This school was chosen for a new form of security system, been in place since 2015 and at the time the cost was 400,000.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ana/362210002/


My high school was surrounded by steel bar fencing, chain link fence can easily be cut or climbed. It was put in place both to keep students in, and people out who were not staff or students. Only easy way in was through the schools office.

dave_j

I listened to the radio this morning concerning the ongoing discussions that surround updating ICBC, the monopolistic insolvent auto insurance institution of BC. It reminded me of an argument put forward by the gun lobby, it goes something linke this. 'Guns don't kill people, it's the user that does that.'

Now auto insurance in BC insures the car not the driver with the end result that poor driving isn't penalised, but this goes contrarywise to that above in that it argues that it's the car that kills and the driver's simply a passenger. But clearly ICBC's support of this delivers the result that there are some very strange driving habits in BC.

So how does this affect gun ownership in the US. Well clearly the geni is out of the bottle in the US but why not take a step sideways and take a lesson from ICBC. Once you accept that gun ownership is something that's never going to change, perhaps law makers could introduce compulsory insurance for gun ownership with, like auto insurance, a sliding scale of premiums depending on a percieved gun risk type. It would provide a fund for medical expenses for those injured by firearms and might, just might, make those with 50 or so guns think twice about ownership of so many. Of course this would require the existence of a gun registry so it won't happen.... but perhaps with the prospect of new business potential the insurance lobby could take on the NRA and the insurance lobby has far deeper pockets... A gun licence in all but name.

Aviator

Trump did a great job of deflecting the gun issue last week. Tariffs on steel and aluminum, now the big talking point, the NRA and gun control seems to be lost in the news somewhere!

caretaker

All those things are diversions from Russiagate and obstruction of justice, he can't be impeached for guns or aluminum.

Aviator

So long as the media don't get distracted by these side shows!