Posted by MMMMarcia on April 27, 1999 at 09:56:57:
In Reply to: Re: Violence and history, has anything changed? posted by Petra on April 27, 1999 at 05:14:55:
Champ wrote:
: : >Yes, and people with knives, baseball bats, cars, etc, kill with these items too...
And Petra replied:
: Oooh, sounds like my husband talking here...:-)
>>Mine, too! ;o)
: True, but it's quite a bit harder to kill with a knife or a baseball bat because you need to get a little closer to the victim (standing eye to eye with a victim is quite different than just pulling a trigger from afar), you actually need physical force, you probably need more than one stab or beat to kill unless you know what to aim for, and in between you physically feel the impact of your weapon on that human body, you see the blood running. Do you pull out a knife from someone's belly so you can use it again? All this makes for at least some psychological barrier with many who initially start a violent attack. With a gun, it's just one clean little move and a person is dead.
>>And let's not forget Columbine. How many of the dead would still be alive if those boys had walked into the cafeteria swinging a baseball bat? It's the easy access to assault-type military weapons I'm against, most of all. I don't know that blanket gun-control is a workable answer. And I don't believe it would have to be necessary to keep every citizen from owning ANY type of gun. But something has to be done somewhere to make it more difficult for these loonies to have ready access to such massive firepower.
I understand that the Major Crime Players will always find a way to get weapons, but the 17-year old misfit who suddenly decides he wants to kill the girl who wouldn't go to the prom with him, and all her family & friends, might be hampered considerably, or even totally thwarted, if he couldn't find a handy AK47 or the like during the heat of the moment. There is a difference, I think.
But here is more food for thought...while I know that this is NOT always the case, by any means, I think there is an interesting dynamic at play here. *Warning: Blanket statement forthcoming! Generalization Alert!* Men, who are more or less programmed (genetically or societally) to be hunter/providers and defenders seem to be the most outspoken against gun control. Women, who are programmed to be nurterers and motherly protectors, seem to be the most outspoken in favor of it. Is this another issue over which the sexes will never agree, or am I off in LaLaLand once again? (I seem to hang out there often, these days!)
And Champ, please don't think we're picking on you. I do understand exactly what you are saying, and why you feel so strongly about it. There are valid points on both sides of this very touchy issue, and it will be most difficult to find a workable solution...but find it we MUST. And I don't think any ONE piece of legislation or any single approach will do it. Obviously, we must address many of the issues mentioned in posts above, including better parenting, higher moral standards, better communication amongst all peoples, better understanding of our disenfranchised citizens, better & more available mental health care, AND, *I* believe, some measure of gun control.
I pray we will find guidance and be able to work towards a solution which will be acceptable to most of us. I hate to imagine where we are headed if we don't.
MMMMarcia