CNN doing town hall on guns
- Thread starter tlwwake
- Start date
It’s not a gun crisis. Even a simple examination of the facts would show that access to semi-auto high capacity firearms hasn’t changed much in 100 years.
You used to be able to order a full auto BAR or Thompson sub machine gun out of a SEARS catalogue. AR’s and AK’s have been available for 60 years.
Until we ask ourselves what else HAS changed and it’s influence on causality, the problem will never be fixed and we will lead ourselves into further division.
Politicians all use rhetoric. All of them. That’s no excuse either.
This isn’t “just” a mental health issue either. The rise of high profile mass shootings correlates very strongly with:
1. The shutting down of mental institutions in favor of psychotropic drugs.
2. The de-emphasis on the family, fatherhood, church and community organizations
3. The rise of and dependency on smartphones, social media and echo-chamber political discussions. And all the isolation, bullying, sense of anonymity and safety that encourages hateful dehumanizing exchanges with “others.”
Having said that, mental health is virtually always a factor. These guys, when not religiously motivated (Islamists), tend to fit a pretty specific antisocial profile. They need help BEFORE they become monsters.
Until we focus on the problem and actual solutions, these conversations will always be a disgusting political shit sandwich.
Edit to say I do not view shooter video games as a causal factor but they can certainly act as a triggering factor that enables a sociopathic loser to fantasize about power over life and death of others. It really should be something people who are at risk are kept from playing.
You used to be able to order a full auto BAR or Thompson sub machine gun out of a SEARS catalogue. AR’s and AK’s have been available for 60 years.
Until we ask ourselves what else HAS changed and it’s influence on causality, the problem will never be fixed and we will lead ourselves into further division.
Politicians all use rhetoric. All of them. That’s no excuse either.
This isn’t “just” a mental health issue either. The rise of high profile mass shootings correlates very strongly with:
1. The shutting down of mental institutions in favor of psychotropic drugs.
2. The de-emphasis on the family, fatherhood, church and community organizations
3. The rise of and dependency on smartphones, social media and echo-chamber political discussions. And all the isolation, bullying, sense of anonymity and safety that encourages hateful dehumanizing exchanges with “others.”
Having said that, mental health is virtually always a factor. These guys, when not religiously motivated (Islamists), tend to fit a pretty specific antisocial profile. They need help BEFORE they become monsters.
Until we focus on the problem and actual solutions, these conversations will always be a disgusting political shit sandwich.
Edit to say I do not view shooter video games as a causal factor but they can certainly act as a triggering factor that enables a sociopathic loser to fantasize about power over life and death of others. It really should be something people who are at risk are kept from playing.
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Maximizing profits off of each tragedy.
Yes, why not take this conversation to both red and blue states.
Completely agree. Guns, wackos, loudmouth politicians, racism/hate have all been around a long time. Imo just about any “fix” on one of these fronts is a bandaid, which frankly I would be ok with at this point to bridge the gap IF somebody identifies the real problem which I assume may take decades to fix
Are they going to be hosting one on gang violence in Chicago anytime soon?
What about gang violence in Tulsa? New York? LA? Miami? Houston?
Using Chicago as a political crutch because...Obama, is insecure and obsessive, and it happens A LOT on this board.
Because enough people are killed in Chicago over one typical weekend to qualify for a mass shooting.
Klinton has honestly never heard of this.
Do you realize how far down the list Chicago’s murder rate is? The incessant narrative is nothing more than an anti-Obama troll...and a weak one. And you know it lol.
How far down the list is Chicago's murder rate?
The percentage odds of getting shot and killed in Chicago is far more than the percentage of odds of getting shot and killed in a random shooting in this country.
I agree with everything, especially (2). As well as power over life and death of others, first shooter games desensitize them towards violence and death (murder) of others in reality.
Want an opinion from an outsider? The mass shootings are a reflection of the culture. Americans are really good people but are raised differently.
Think about it....what I find so intriguing about America is that it's a country where individual liberty and freedom are stressed as well as celebrated. Now, that's a wonderful thing. But it's also created a narcistic culture of individuals with an inflated sense of self.
In some other cultures, the ''how do my actions effect other people' mantra truly exists. People are more aware of how their actions negatively and positively influence people around them.
Interestingly enough, I don't see this as much in American culture. Where some cultures are 'we' cultures, America is truly a 'me' culture. I see it daily. 'What about MY rights as a woman/African-American/homosexual/ gun owner/Christian?'
These gunmen - white/black/conservative/liberal - are all individuals crying out 'What about MY pain? What about MY anger?' It's all about them.
In some cultures where people quietly sneak off to the woods to commit suicide or form suicide pacts, these gunmen want to spread their hurt, anger, and depression to as many people as possible. It's all about them.
'What about me?'
Think about it....what I find so intriguing about America is that it's a country where individual liberty and freedom are stressed as well as celebrated. Now, that's a wonderful thing. But it's also created a narcistic culture of individuals with an inflated sense of self.
In some other cultures, the ''how do my actions effect other people' mantra truly exists. People are more aware of how their actions negatively and positively influence people around them.
Interestingly enough, I don't see this as much in American culture. Where some cultures are 'we' cultures, America is truly a 'me' culture. I see it daily. 'What about MY rights as a woman/African-American/homosexual/ gun owner/Christian?'
These gunmen - white/black/conservative/liberal - are all individuals crying out 'What about MY pain? What about MY anger?' It's all about them.
In some cultures where people quietly sneak off to the woods to commit suicide or form suicide pacts, these gunmen want to spread their hurt, anger, and depression to as many people as possible. It's all about them.
'What about me?'
I agree to some extent that regarding culture, However, the frequency of these mass shooting events are relatively new. Before Columbine I can’t recall hearing about one, and yet guns and personal liberty centric culture was still a thing.
I think other cultural factors are to blame.
Its more than just personal freedom that has created the 'narcissistic' culture of today, but the development of that narcissism is what (imo) has lead to the increase in these type of events.
I do think the number one thing we could do as a society would be to quit talking about the shooters themselves. Think of it like the streaker at a football game. The networks choose not to show him/her (although they do talk about it) in order to not encourage it. Meanwhile, after every shooting, the media gives instant celebrity to the shooter.
For the record, I'm not saying the media shouldn't talk about the shootings themselves. They are legit stories and need to be told. Just don't give any personal details of the shooter. Don't give that sick individual the attention they want. Second, I'm not blaming the media for the shootings. But I'm am saying that this is something beneficial that the media could do.
On the original topic, how balanced could this forum actually be. Even if you went to the reddest of states, who is going to stand up on that stage the day or two after the shooting and say "We don't need more gun laws, just enforce the ones we have." (Which is a true statement btw). He'd likely be doxxed, shamed out of a job, and then become the target of the unhinged left's wrath. No thank you.
More people were shot in Chicago last week than in the rampage in El Paso and Dayton.
As an aside living in a divided orange household, the wrong orange side of the house has a notebook that belonged to Chas. Whitman.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_crime_rate
10 Chicago IL
Baton Rouge LA
New Orleans LA
2 BALTIMORE MD
3 Detroit MI
Kansas CIty MO
1 ST LOUIS MO
Newark NJ
Cleveland OH
Memphis TN
So being ranked in the 10 spot is far down the list? How many cities are listed in the Wikipedia link you posted? 10? 12? 15?
Well, that certainly settles things. There is no murder problem in Chicago.
