How do we stop Mass Shootings? Gun Bans are in the air!

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jephthai

New member
BINGO!!! That is exactly what I have been saying. The desire for fame is the same motivation many assassins of high profile figures crave. Gavin DeBecker reports the same thing in "The Gift of Fear."
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Bruce Schneier (not a gun guy, but a general security guy who tends to be very good on privacy issues) just blogged about fear vs. anger. He discusses some research showing that fear produces less productive responses than anger. A lot of the media attention seems designed to make us afraid. Reading Schneier's link, it looks like our fearful responses to shootings are as ineffective as our fearful responses to terrorism.

Remember fire drills? Public places need to develop a common and established procedure when a shooter occurs. Every one has to have some idea what to do, and not to be an easy target.
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I agree with your suggestions, but with a reservation. Staging "duck and cover" drills may increase the hysteria surrounding mass shootings. It's only worth it if it gives you an actionable response that makes a difference. The classic duck and cover drills in schools were stupid -- if you're close enough to hear the bang or see the flash of a nuclear strike, hiding under your desk won't help.

Having a procedure is good, though. If we could come up with good methods that might make a difference, I'd be all for that. There are a few things that seem like they'd make a big difference, but are just about impossible:

(1) Give the folks in the classroom something better to defend themselves than throwing things at the shooter (guns)

(2) Address the societal ills that produce these cases (within the lifetime of some of TFL's membership, kids brought their hunting guns to school and stored them in their lockers)

Those are tough -- some candidates have been suggested in this thread. My favorite three are media glamorization, over-medication, and lack of parental oversight and discipline. I could be wrong, but it is what I think, anyway ;).

-Jephthai-
 
C

cannonballmount

New member
It's kindof standard to blame the parents or blame the teachers or something.

Raising kids is hard.

Being a teacher is hard.

Truth is, kids, and/or any other group, sort of develops their own code. Kids can be very different people, when they are in the home, when they are in school, when they are at the playground, when hanging out, whatever.

Parents may have to both work to make ends meet. While working they may ever be required to adhere to every requirement of someone else. Some might find it hard to switch from total obedience to being the authority when they get home.

Teachers have it even harder. People who have never been teachers are ever putting strict parameters on what a teacher does, how they teach, and what they teach, and holding the teacher responsible if the imposed parameters don't yield results.

Kids growing up in this muddle, do remarkably well. (most of the time.) A very few, loose it. These can even spread their frustrations to other kids, by the conforming standards. Isolated, the frustrated can become dangerous.

These are modern issues, caused by the need that all adults be employed, no one controlling in the home.

We won't have good answers until we understand the problem.
 
T

toybox99615

New member
duck and cover drills

sounds like a return to the 50's nonsense about hiding under your desk if the bomb goes off in your area. :rolleyes:
 
S

sw_florida

Moderator
The solution to mass shootings is more armed people with a right to intervene when criminal stuff goes down. When it comes to school shootings they work preventative. Bullies think twice. Shooters at schools are often pecked ones. I understand those shooters.
 
R

Republicrat

New member
Of course no mention of the SSRI anti-psychotic medication that is almost always in use by those who do the shooting.

But then again, the pharmaceutical industry is probably one of the biggest lobbies around.

If drugs were banned are regulated more heavily, there would be serious financial loss to the industry.

Regulating guns doesn't really matter financially to the elite as most profits from arm sales come from war- not civilian sales.
 
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tatera

New member
Gun bans will not get much traction as remedy for mass shootings. The cause is without doubt, media hype and the national infamy gained. Laws limiting free speech, in so much as devulging the shooter's identity might be affective.

Duck and cover doesn't seem an applicable solution to a shooter scenario. Throwing things will keep a shooter from taking aim but unless you have an unlimited supply of "ammo", expect this tactic to draw fire.

My suggestion is you plan your escape route. Give it repeated attention so it's automatic when the confusion and panic set in.
 
Y

Yithian

New member
Same old arguement...

No tool has ever killed a human of its own will. (a weapon being a tool)
It makes for good reading in Stephen King novels, but it isn't reality.
People kill people. Accidentally or otherwise.

Outlawing a tool just removes a citizens ability to defend themselves from criminal acts.

Someone here said it better but...
Laws do not apply to criminals.
Because the shear nature of being a criminal is to ignore the law.
 
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