Connecticut School Shooting

[Shelley & Beans]

Hoping and praying that none of my fellow Doodle Lovers are effected by this, but wanting to send my thoughts and prayers to those that are and to let you know your Canadian friends are feeling for you. How heartbreaking that society (and lost individuals) can be so cruel. Children under 10 years old don't deserve this fate for any reason.. God Bless!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Oh good. Didn't see this before I posted. Off I go.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Done.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Done and posted on FB.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Great Bonnie! I'm going to go do that right after I walk the doodle.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Hey Cheryl, start a petition and I'll sign it. This may be a optimal time. No presidential election coming up and Obama can't run again so he may be willing to tackle this issue. And we have had so many of these incidents in the past couple of years.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Just signed the Whitehouse.gov petition.  Thanks Camilla!!

Should we post the petition in a separate discussion?  

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm not saying that I disagree with banning semi-automatic weapons but if you want an example of how successful the government is at keeping illegal items off the streets take a look at the illegal drug trade. Where there is a demand there will always be someone willing and able to supply.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

We tried Prohibition of alcohol in the 1920's. Not sure if you are familiar with that debacle...  but it did a great job of making the gangsters millions of dollars from illegal liquor sales.  I don't understand how banning certain types of weapons would be a first step toward changing peoples attitudes. It didn't do so with banning alcohol or drugs.  We have had a tremendous increase in mass killings in the U.S. beginning in the 1980's and steadily increasing to present day.  What changed from my childhood days in the 50's? I grew up in a household with an unlocked gun cabinet yet it never occurred to me to take a gun and kill someone when I got angry.  Is it the availability of guns or the mental instability of our society or both? It is certainly something I struggle to understand.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

All I know is that the murder rate in countries where guns are outlawed are a teeny, tiny, infinitesimal fraction of the murder rates here.

 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Ricki, I agree, there is a gun culture and a culture of violence, but that's a bigger issue. That shouldn't stop responsible people from enacting responsible legislation now, politics be damned.  That's leadership.

What changed, I think,  is that when we grew up, violence in the media wasn't as prolific. The internet didn't exist.  I think families and neighborhoods were closer.  You couldn't do anything in my neighborhood without somebody's mother catching you! Today, I know a lot of people in the community but I barely know my neighbors.  But also, these weapons were not available.  Someone with a handgun might shoot a person or two, but you couldn't walk into a public place and mow down scores of people in a matter of seconds.  We ban smoking in public places, large soft drinks in NYC, and you and I can't ride around with rocket launchers in the back seat of our car -- why allow the sale of military weapons to any civilian?? I don't get it. This won't stop all the violence but will reduce mass killings. It has to start here. If it stops one of these tragedies it's worth it (in my opinion). 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

 Cheryl, I guess I just can't wrap my mind around the logistics of a ban whether it be "sale of" or "ownership of".  Most of the Joe Citizens that I know already own semi-automatic firearms. Many people bought them after the last sale ban ended in anticipation of the next ban.  There are SO many out there right now that if they stopped being sold tomorrow...well I'm sure you get where I'm going with this.  And asking current owners to surrender their weapons. Oh boy. And yet they can be stolen and end up in the wrong hands very easily.  We, as a society, are just in so deep at this point. It's tough to see any light at the end of the tunnel...

[F, Calla & Luca]

Really, I don't know if I know anyone who wasn't a cop who has a gun.