The right to arm bears
This is a bit of a rant about gun control in the US. It's not particularly well reasoned or anything because, well, it's a rant. I'll actually put out a decent arguement when I'm feeling more reasonable.
33 dead and apparently Bush thinks US gun laws are adaquate. But then this is the man who still thinks war in Iraq wasn't really illegal and was so worth it.
If 33 people can be killed and 29 injured, then I'm thinking the laws really aren't all that good.
What truly annoys me is that the Constitution doesn't actually enshrine the right of people to bear arms. What it really says is:-
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
The founding fathers wanted people to be able to bear arms so they could form a militia to get rid of the British and any other invading bastards before they had a standing army. It wasn't designed so that people could horde vast numbers of weapons for their own personal amusement.
I feel the need to quote Eddie Izzard at this time...
And the National Rifle Association says that, "Guns don't kill people, people do,” but I think the gun helps, you know? I think it helps. I just think just standing there going, "Bang!" That's not going to kill too many people, is it? You'd have to be really dodgy on the heart to have that…”
The BBC News website charts the history of gun violence in US schools.
April 2007: A gunman shoots dead at least 20 people at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia.
October 2006: A 32-year-old gunman shoots dead at least five girls at an Amish school in Pennsylvania, before killing himself
September 2006: Gunman in Colorado shoots and fatally wounds a teenage schoolgirl, then kills himself; two days later a teenager kills the headteacher of a school in Cazenovia, Wisconsin
November 2005: Student in Tennessee shoots dead an assistant principal and wounds two other administrators
March 2005: Minnesota schoolboy kills nine, then shoots himself
May 2004: Four people injured in shooting at a school in Maryland
The Columbine school killings led to calls for tighter gun controls
April 2003: Teenager shoots dead head-teacher at a Pennsylvania school, then kills himself
March 2001: Pupil opens fire at a school in California, killing two students
February 2000: Six-year-old girl shot dead by classmate in Michigan
November 1999: Thirteen-year-old girl shot dead by a classmate in New Mexico
May 1999: Student injures six pupils in shoot-out in Georgia
April 1999: Two teenagers shoot dead 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves at Columbine School in Colorado
June 1998: Two adults hurt in shooting by teenage student at high school in Virginia
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old boy shoots himself in the head after taking a girl hostage
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old shoots dead two students in school cafeteria in Oregon
April 1998: Fourteen-year-old shoots dead a teacher and wounds two students in Pennsylvania
March 1998: Two boys, 11 and 13, kill four girls and a teacher in Arkansas
December 1997: Fourteen-year-old boy kills three students in Kentucky
October 1997: Sixteen-year-old boy stabs mother, then shoots dead two students at school in Mississippi, injuring several others
Do you think, if next time (and honestly, we all know there's going to be one) the death toll hits 100 or more something might be done?
33 dead and apparently Bush thinks US gun laws are adaquate. But then this is the man who still thinks war in Iraq wasn't really illegal and was so worth it.
If 33 people can be killed and 29 injured, then I'm thinking the laws really aren't all that good.
What truly annoys me is that the Constitution doesn't actually enshrine the right of people to bear arms. What it really says is:-
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
The founding fathers wanted people to be able to bear arms so they could form a militia to get rid of the British and any other invading bastards before they had a standing army. It wasn't designed so that people could horde vast numbers of weapons for their own personal amusement.
I feel the need to quote Eddie Izzard at this time...
And the National Rifle Association says that, "Guns don't kill people, people do,” but I think the gun helps, you know? I think it helps. I just think just standing there going, "Bang!" That's not going to kill too many people, is it? You'd have to be really dodgy on the heart to have that…”
The BBC News website charts the history of gun violence in US schools.
April 2007: A gunman shoots dead at least 20 people at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia.
October 2006: A 32-year-old gunman shoots dead at least five girls at an Amish school in Pennsylvania, before killing himself
September 2006: Gunman in Colorado shoots and fatally wounds a teenage schoolgirl, then kills himself; two days later a teenager kills the headteacher of a school in Cazenovia, Wisconsin
November 2005: Student in Tennessee shoots dead an assistant principal and wounds two other administrators
March 2005: Minnesota schoolboy kills nine, then shoots himself
May 2004: Four people injured in shooting at a school in Maryland
The Columbine school killings led to calls for tighter gun controls
April 2003: Teenager shoots dead head-teacher at a Pennsylvania school, then kills himself
March 2001: Pupil opens fire at a school in California, killing two students
February 2000: Six-year-old girl shot dead by classmate in Michigan
November 1999: Thirteen-year-old girl shot dead by a classmate in New Mexico
May 1999: Student injures six pupils in shoot-out in Georgia
April 1999: Two teenagers shoot dead 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves at Columbine School in Colorado
June 1998: Two adults hurt in shooting by teenage student at high school in Virginia
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old boy shoots himself in the head after taking a girl hostage
May 1998: Fifteen-year-old shoots dead two students in school cafeteria in Oregon
April 1998: Fourteen-year-old shoots dead a teacher and wounds two students in Pennsylvania
March 1998: Two boys, 11 and 13, kill four girls and a teacher in Arkansas
December 1997: Fourteen-year-old boy kills three students in Kentucky
October 1997: Sixteen-year-old boy stabs mother, then shoots dead two students at school in Mississippi, injuring several others
Do you think, if next time (and honestly, we all know there's going to be one) the death toll hits 100 or more something might be done?