At least 21 dead at Virginia Tech

[catesta]

Putting the whole gun control issue out the door for the moment, I was disturbed to be channel surfing last night and finding little vinettes on some of the news networks, focusing on the fact that this kid was Korean.

On CNN, they were interviewing some guy from a Korean-American society. On another channel, they mentioned the president of South Korea was "stunned". It seems like the media is making a big deal about this.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember the media interviewing random white people after Timothy McVeigh was charged with the Oklahoma City bombing. "Hey, white guy... what do you think of McVeigh's arrest?" Who?

Seems a little fishy to me.

I'll correct you.

While there was probably no cases of the "hey white guy..." scenario, there was a shit load of interviews with American citizens.

While I don't believe his being Korean had anything to do with his actions, conducting interviews with people of the same race or nationality is a not an uncommon thing. The kid was a Korean National, not a U.S. citizen. That may not be a very important piece of the storu, but it is a piece nonetheless.

[porcy62]

No, the reality camp.

If there is a market for something, people will manufacture. If not here, offshore. But guns will still exist, and they will still be obtained. Only in this scenario mostly by the people you really don't want having them.

With very same argument I could support the legal growing of opium and cocaine in the Appalachian Mountains.

Yes, you could -- but you'd better have a side job of sorts (Ostrich farming? Ski Guide? ) to help cover your bills 'cause you'll be the first Coca & Poppy grower to go broke trying to 'farm' in the cool lufty heights of Mt Washington or Mt Adams.

Would SoCal better for the climate? Or maybe GWB's ranch? The stuff could help the Guy about having some bright eye in His speeches.

[Noj]

I'm for legalizing cocaine. Better to have it taxed and regulated than funding street gangs and international terrorist networks.

[Scott Dolan]

Why not?

Let's make sure we give government even more of our money to throw away.

[porcy62]

Why not?

Let's make sure we give government even more of our money to throw away.

They could dismiss DEA at once, a huge saving for your wallet.

[Soulstation1]

Cho has a first class ticket to hell.........

[Scott Dolan]

Why not?

Let's make sure we give government even more of our money to throw away.

They could dismiss DEA at once, a huge saving for your wallet.

No can do, my friend. They'll still have to enforce laws against other drugs, AND make sure that the drugs aren't being grown illegally cheating the govenrment out of its tax dollars.

I do like the concept though. Let's make guns illegal and strengthen the black market for them, AND let's give any potential criminal the ability to walk down to the corner store and get cranked up on coke.

What a wonderful world it would be.

[Noj]

I don't want to change the gun laws at all. I'm for changing the laws in ways which empower the government, not in ways which empower criminals. With that in mind, I'm also for voting in ways which keep criminals from working in the government.

Let's hope there is a hell for heartless killers like Cho. However, if there's hell below, who's to say we aren't all going to go?

[connoisseur series500]

Its the only serious question I can think of regarding his heritage. Do Korean males respond to disappointment/anger/whatever, in extreme cases, by going on rampages?

No more so than Floridians.

Dan, sometimes it's best to shut the fuck up.

[connoisseur series500]

Its the only serious question I can think of regarding his heritage. Do Korean males respond to disappointment/anger/whatever, in extreme cases, by going on rampages?

No more so than Floridians.

You've got that right. And now they the right to kill you if they feel their life is in danger.

Awesome.

Cram millions of people together in a small state full of mind numbing heat and humidity (not to mention it's the road rage capital of the world), arm 'em to the teeth, and tell 'em they have a right to kill one another.

Dolon on Florida!

[WD45]

No, because I didn't get a chance to pipe in yet.

Guns should be outlawed. It would take a long time to empty the streets of them, and it wouldn't entirely stop killings, but it would help an awful lot. It would help prevent murders of policemen. It would likely reduce the numbers of dead in these mass killings.

That is the same mindset that the alcohol prohibitionists took, too.

I don't understand the "right" to own a gun--especially a handgun. Handguns aren't designed to shoot bears.

Some, indeed, are:

(see attached photo)

They are meant for human targets.

I guess I have been using mine improperly, then.

[edit for photo]

Edited April 18, 2007 by WD45

[Jazzmoose]

You know, I'd love to weigh in on this gun control issue, but the fact that GregK is taking the liberal position and I'd be taking the conservative position is just too mindbending to allow it...

[Scott Dolan]

Its the only serious question I can think of regarding his heritage. Do Korean males respond to disappointment/anger/whatever, in extreme cases, by going on rampages?

No more so than Floridians.

You've got that right. And now they the right to kill you if they feel their life is in danger.

Awesome.

Cram millions of people together in a small state full of mind numbing heat and humidity (not to mention it's the road rage capital of the world), arm 'em to the teeth, and tell 'em they have a right to kill one another.

Dolon on Florida!

Did the KC trip go well?

I fucking hated the fact that we couldn't get our schedules to cooperate.

[connoisseur series500]

Went great. Met up with Free.

[connoisseur series500]

No, because I didn't get a chance to pipe in yet.

Guns should be outlawed. It would take a long time to empty the streets of them, and it wouldn't entirely stop killings, but it would help an awful lot. It would help prevent murders of policemen. It would likely reduce the numbers of dead in these mass killings.

That is the same mindset that the alcohol prohibitionists took, too.

I don't understand the "right" to own a gun--especially a handgun. Handguns aren't designed to shoot bears.

Some, indeed, are:

They are meant for human targets.

I guess I have been using mine improperly, then.

I don't think you can compare the two situations. Alcohol is a lot easier to make illegally than a gun is to build. I also think that Prohibition didn't have people's full support. Might be different with gun control. People might miss the weekly (and daily?) use of alcohol. You don't use your guns every day (or at least I hope not.) Different thing altogether.

[catesta]

No, because I didn't get a chance to pipe in yet.

Guns should be outlawed. It would take a long time to empty the streets of them, and it wouldn't entirely stop killings, but it would help an awful lot. It would help prevent murders of policemen. It would likely reduce the numbers of dead in these mass killings.

That is the same mindset that the alcohol prohibitionists took, too.

I don't understand the "right" to own a gun--especially a handgun. Handguns aren't designed to shoot bears.

Some, indeed, are:

They are meant for human targets.

I guess I have been using mine improperly, then.

I don't think you can compare the two situations. Alcohol is a lot easier to make illegally than a gun is to build. I also think that Prohibition didn't have people's full support. Might be different with gun control. People might miss the weekly (and daily?) use of alcohol. You don't use your guns every day (or at least I hope not.) Different thing altogether.

Most people that own a gun for personal protection would probably tell you they hope to never use it.

[Jim Alfredson]

Personally, with the kind of arseholes running our country, I'd like to keep the freedom to bear arms. Who knows when we might need them?

[Scott Dolan]

Personally, with the kind of arseholes running our country, I'd like to keep the freedom to bear arms. Who knows when we might need them?

werd

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

arseholes

When did you become English, Jim?

MG

[WD45]

No, because I didn't get a chance to pipe in yet.

Guns should be outlawed. It would take a long time to empty the streets of them, and it wouldn't entirely stop killings, but it would help an awful lot. It would help prevent murders of policemen. It would likely reduce the numbers of dead in these mass killings.

That is the same mindset that the alcohol prohibitionists took, too.

I don't understand the "right" to own a gun--especially a handgun. Handguns aren't designed to shoot bears.

Some, indeed, are:

They are meant for human targets.

I guess I have been using mine improperly, then.

I don't think you can compare the two situations. Alcohol is a lot easier to make illegally than a gun is to build. I also think that Prohibition didn't have people's full support. Might be different with gun control. People might miss the weekly (and daily?) use of alcohol. You don't use your guns every day (or at least I hope not.) Different thing altogether.

The craftiness needed to make passable alcohol [enough to get you loaded] is most definitely on par with the craftiness needed to make a passable gun [enough to get you shootin']. See the zip gun concept.

If there are 30 million gun owners, then I think we could say at the most conservative that half of them do not favor making them illegal. That still leaves 15 million. That is a far cry from "full support" of gun control, especially in your scenario of outlawing all 200 million of those guns.

And I must say that the notion of someone else telling me how often I can use something, let alone the government leaves me cold. Is there any other aspects of my life you see fit for government regulation / prohibition?

[BERIGAN]

Sick fucker sent a package to NBC "explaining" why he did what he did....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18169776

[Man with the Golden Arm]

damn, that Taxi Driver schtik is frikkin crazy. WTF!

[GregK]

You know, I'd love to weigh in on this gun control issue, but the fact that GregK is taking the liberal position and I'd be taking the conservative position is just too mindbending to allow it...

I only take my own position

[Chuck Nessa]

I only take my own position

Well..............bend over.

[connoisseur series500]

And I must say that the notion of someone else telling me how often I can use something, let alone the government leaves me cold. Is there any other aspects of my life you see fit for government regulation / prohibition?

Yeah, we prohibit murder and rape and theft, etc.

I understand your argument in principle, but we cannot disassociate handguns/automatic weapons from it's designed use, which is to shoot somebody (self defence or otherwise.) There is little chance for recovery after being shot, unlike recovering from being drunk or getting stoned. You cannot compare the two.

I actually support the legalization of some drugs (like marijuana.) I generally favor keeping the government out of regulating our lives; but this gun issue is something else. In a multiracial, heterogenous, dynamic, imbalanced, and free society such as ours, allowing people to own handguns is a recipe for disaster.

I am definitely of the opinion that nuts like this guy would somehow be able to get hold of some kind of weapon, but single murders are committed daily in this country by readily available handguns. We need to ban the suckers.