What do sensible Republicans think will lessen shootings?

gold21

Fri, Nov 09 2018, 12:46 pm

flowerpower wrote:

I have a silly question. In Texas... starting from practically age one every kid owns a gun( or two). Are there any mass shootings in Texas ever? Why not?

There was a mass shooting in Santa Fe, Texas just recently. I remember it being on the news.

amother

Aqua

Fri, Nov 09 2018, 12:56 pm

How are the illegal guns coming into the country? I dare say that most inner city shootings are done with illegal weapons.

If it's coming through our porous southern border, all the more reason to build a fence.

pause

Fri, Nov 09 2018, 1:06 pm

On most issues I have Republican views, but with guns, I'm all for gun control. Get rid of all the weapons both legal and illegal.

Only law enforcement and specifically assigned security guards should be allowed to carry.

We don't live in the days of marauding Native Americans, lawless gangs of the Wild West, nor oppressive British troops. The only legitimate reason people need to carry guns on themselves today is to protect themselves from other crazy people with guns. Get rid of them all and be done with it.

gold21

Fri, Nov 09 2018, 1:08 pm

amother wrote:

Agree 100 perfect

Build the wall!

amother

Azure

Sat, Nov 10 2018, 12:14 pm

Wow, this thread is refreshing.

I don't live in the US, and although more republican leaning in my views, I usually can't stand the Republic stance on this board which is usually to support Trump and other Republican polices at all costs, even when it doesn't make sense. Including on recent threads regarding Trumps' response to the gun control questions after the Pittsburgh massacre.

Guess those are the posters who make the most noise, glad to hear that it isn't the case for everyone.

simcha2

Sat, Nov 10 2018, 3:47 pm

amother wrote:

Most guns used and bought illegally are initially bought legally (mostly in Virginia and at gun shows) and then resold illegally.

A wall would have no bearing on the numbers of guns.

Making it harder to buy them legally and having them registered and checked on would.

33055

Sat, Nov 10 2018, 4:58 pm

Stop publicizing and glorifying the mass shooters. The losers get their names out there and the fact they had the power to take lives. I think often the publicity is the motive. They get to go out in a blaze of glory which makes them famous.

crust

Sat, Nov 10 2018, 5:17 pm

pause wrote:

I agree. I thought this was simple common sense.
I'm slowly realizing that for too many people in this country, it is not. Sigh.

Fox

Sat, Nov 10 2018, 6:43 pm

In my experience, identifying as a Republican, conservative, or libertarian doesn't translate automatically into certain views on how best to reduce gun violence. I think it's probably fair to say that most people who fall into one of those categories value the 2nd Amendment, but beyond that, there's a lot of variance.

When the topic comes up privately among Republicans/conservatives/libertarians, some of the following are frequently mentioned, though not everyone agrees with all of them:

* Lack of fathers in the home is pushing several generations of young men toward dysfunction that erupts into violence. We need to promote and incentivize marriage and fatherhood, and we need to reform excesses of the criminal justice system to get men back in their sons' lives.

* We need to enforce the gun laws we have at a highly local level. When people compare other countries to the U.S., they often don't understand just how enormous the country is and how easy it is for lonely people with problems to fall through the cracks of states and big cities. Local law enforcement quite frequently knows when someone is volatile and potentially violent, but they lack the means to do much about it until a crime is committed. Or they have to work with social service agencies whose experitise is not in preventing violence. Places where gun ownership is relatively high but who have less gun violence (e.g., Switzerland) have plenty of the same laws, but the enforcement and monitoring is done at almost a micro-local level.

* Bring back high school gun clubs, shooting competition, and similar opportunities for kids to learn about guns safely (and gun safety). This will give young boys, who have always had a fascination for guns, a supervised outlet, and it will enable experienced instructors to identify young men who display an abnormal interest or focus on violence.

* Make it easier to take guns away . . . and easier to get them back. Lots of states and muncipalities have laws that enable guns to be confiscated from people who might pose a danger to themselves or others. However, as noted above, the people making that determination are often not experienced in law enforcement and the standards tend to be quite high. At the same time, once guns are confiscated for whatever reason, it can be almost impossible to get them back. This leads to a cycle of hiding weapons belonging to family members, etc. Give individual officers the opportunity to confiscate guns, but give them back within a reasonable time frame. If police departments know they won't be dragged into court, they will be more willing to confiscate weapons from households where people are having acute crises.

* Better address the mental health issues of veterans. Twenty veterans a day committing suicide, often with guns, should be unacceptable. More research into the causes and subsequent action to address the causes should be a high priority.

imasoftov

Sun, Nov 11 2018, 1:48 am

flowerpower wrote:

I have a silly question. In Texas... starting from practically age one every kid owns a gun( or two). Are there any mass shootings in Texas ever? Why not?

It's not a silly question, but it is one that is easily answered by Google.

samantha87

Sun, Nov 11 2018, 9:48 am

Fox wrote:

I generally identify as republican/libertarian and agree with everything Fox said. Mental health care, especially. Lots of mentally ill people cycle through shelters and jails without getting any real help or refusing to medicate when needed. Look at the guy who started the fires in Williamsburg shuls. He needs treatment but he'll get jail.