Have you noticed that nothing ever gets done about gun violence? ~

It's sadly funny how every time one of these mass shootings occurs, people get all worked up for about a week, wringing hands about gun laws and such, but nothing gets done or even initiated. Then other news comes along and they go back to sleep until the next one happens, and they get all worked up for about a week, and again, nothing gets done or initiated, and the pattern is repeated as other news comes along and they go back to sleep until the next one occurs, and so on, and so on, and so on. Now here we are, almost 10 years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and 23 years since Columbine High School, to give two examples, and nothing has changed.

It all just gets filed under Sh*t Happens.

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MistyCee

Ya know, I just got chided for a "timely" question here, and it gets back to this question.

I think the answer to why we haven't done much about gun violence is that its just not much of a priority to a lot of people.

Lots of folks don't give a crap about other human beings and are primarily motivated by self interest.

I could make a case for humanity, and the long term interests of these folks and their descendants, but it's a really hard sell for them when they think more guns or their guns are a better deal for them short term then an alternative which might be better for the rest of humanity.

It's hard to argue against self interest with sociopaths.

RedBaron · M

@MistyCee But it's ridiculous to assume everyone is a sociopath. The fact is that there may not be much that can be done about it in the short or long term, and that's scary. Gun laws? Anyone intent on shooting a bunch of people won't be deterred by any laws.

MistyCee

@RedBaron I get you, but gun laws are at least a bandaid (much like masks) which may but solve the problem entirely, but at least might help alleviate a little.

I really don't want to get into the nitty gritty, but the whole guns are sacred and the 2nd Amendment is absolute and prevails over the idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for citizens, is really offensive to me.

Individual rights, imo, should NEVER be absolute, nor really should anything else.

I'm sure I'll be called a communist and worse for saying it, but I don't want to live in a Hobbesian State of Nature.

RedBaron · M

@MistyCee Unfortunately, gun laws wouldn't alleviate anything. Laws are for law-abiding people. As I said before, anyone with ill intent determined to shoot a bunch of folks isn't concerned with laws.

Johnson212 · 61-69, M

@MistyCee Gun laws won't solve the problem it will just be re-defined. You are not doing anything about gun deaths by passing more restrictions. The only thing involving gun control that will actually reduce gun deaths are to completely outlaw guns entirely, it would take a long time but eventually they would dry up and you would see a reduction in gun deaths. Nothing short of that is going to work and outlawing guns entirely is not on the table in the united states. There are just too many people myself included who will not go with that. How about lock the school door instead.

MistyCee

@Johnson212 Locking school doors is a good move, but it's not going to be a total solution either.

Honestly, I'm not up for a total gun ban either, but every little bit helps and if we can make it harder for 18 year olds to get cheap automatic weapons or put financial pressure on parents who allow minors access to guns, I think it's worth pursuing.

My problem isn't with the lack of a perfect solution, as much as throwing our hands up and saying, since no solution is perfect and they all have costs, we should do nothing.

MistyCee

@RedBaron So why outlaw murder or robbery if people don't abide laws?

I get the problem, i.e., criminalizing conduct doesn't stop it from occurring, but penal laws are the best we've come up with.

The alternative is what? Wergilds?

RedBaron · M

@MistyCee Because it’s what civilized societies do.

MistyCee

@RedBaron Yeah, I agree, but isn't civilization and the whole social contract/live together and cooperate a liberal/commie thing?