Ok ok, I see your point. Those we typically deem as criminals most likely aren’t getting their guns by legal means. And in bigger cities such as Chicago where there is a lot of gun violence and gang violence, I’m sure they aren’t going to their local gun shop and filling out paperwork and waiting the allotted time.
But generally speaking, those who commit mass shootings at schools and/or public spaces, rarely turn out to be criminals in the sense in which you speak. They are generally seen as “normal” to those around them. They generally don’t have prior criminal records. They generally get their guns via legal means or via someone close to them (ie parents) who got their guns by legal means. So, we can’t assume everyone getting their guns by legal means is doing so with good intent.
So, my question to you is this.... if you don’t believe stricter gun laws would work in the USA (though it works in other countries) what do you think we can do to curb our obvious gun violence issue?
I would respectfully point out that a 2016 Obama administration study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics examined how prison inmates obtained the firearms they used during crimes — and the results weren’t surprising. The study found that only about 10.1% obtained their firearms through a retail source. The vast majority of criminals obtained their firearms through other means, including:
- Illegal underground sales
- Bought, borrowed, traded, or rented from friends or family
- Gifts
- Purchased by another individual for them
- Theft
- From their victims
- From the scene of a crime
Criminals who go through illegal avenues to obtain firearms aren't going to submit to background checks while doing so. Ultimately, only law-abiding citizens would be impacted by expanded background checks. As a lifelong resident of Chicago (a city with some of the strictest gun control laws, and highest gun violence in the nation) I can tell you from experience that gun control legislation is useless.
Yes to everything you've written here. We have to keep at them! This time has to make the difference and the madness has to stop. We've lost too many lives to this lethal, irresponsible gun fetish. The lawmakers have an obligation to fix this and we have to hold their feet to the fire until they do.
Human Life vs Gun Rights
Ok ok, I see your point. Those we typically deem as criminals most likely aren’t getting their guns by legal means. And in bigger cities such as Chicago where there is a lot of gun violence and gang violence, I’m sure they aren’t going to their local gun shop and filling out paperwork and waiting the allotted time.
But generally speaking, those who commit mass shootings at schools and/or public spaces, rarely turn out to be criminals in the sense in which you speak. They are generally seen as “normal” to those around them. They generally don’t have prior criminal records. They generally get their guns via legal means or via someone close to them (ie parents) who got their guns by legal means. So, we can’t assume everyone getting their guns by legal means is doing so with good intent.
So, my question to you is this.... if you don’t believe stricter gun laws would work in the USA (though it works in other countries) what do you think we can do to curb our obvious gun violence issue?
I would respectfully point out that a 2016 Obama administration study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics examined how prison inmates obtained the firearms they used during crimes — and the results weren’t surprising. The study found that only about 10.1% obtained their firearms through a retail source. The vast majority of criminals obtained their firearms through other means, including:
- Illegal underground sales
- Bought, borrowed, traded, or rented from friends or family
- Gifts
- Purchased by another individual for them
- Theft
- From their victims
- From the scene of a crime
Criminals who go through illegal avenues to obtain firearms aren't going to submit to background checks while doing so. Ultimately, only law-abiding citizens would be impacted by expanded background checks. As a lifelong resident of Chicago (a city with some of the strictest gun control laws, and highest gun violence in the nation) I can tell you from experience that gun control legislation is useless.
All of this.
Yes to everything you've written here. We have to keep at them! This time has to make the difference and the madness has to stop. We've lost too many lives to this lethal, irresponsible gun fetish. The lawmakers have an obligation to fix this and we have to hold their feet to the fire until they do.