[Boudica]

simple just ban guns lol then the crazies wont have access to them

Ok. so you've banned them. But the crazies who already aren't allowed to own them, are still getting hold of them. Murder is illegal but that didn't stop them. Why would a ban on a tool be any different? We'd also need to deal with the problem of physical access to those weapons (given there are over 400 million in the US alone). That's where this issue becomes really complex. I'd love to know more in depth ideas about how you solve that problem in a feasible way. That's the part that makes this discussion more interesting too.

Thread went a bit stale but yeah. I view the mass shootings as a symptom and not the disease. But media repeatedly refuses to look into the disease. Politics and media have become too close friends and serve eachother instead of the public.

I agree with this. Though, that shows how complicated an issue this is. I suppose if it was easy to solve we wouldn't still have the issue as prevalent as it is.

[iKmn0T]

It's such a complex problem, as many others have pointed out, that probably won't be solved with just one quick fix.
I'd say there needs to be a shift in society. I lived in Switzerland for a few years, and almost every household has a rifle. They have mandatory military service for all men, and they get to keep the weapon in the end. But for them it's more of a "we can defend our country" kind of thing, not a "I'll shoot someone if they enter my home". Also, there's a lot more vetting, you have to do a short course if you want ammo, and iirc some kind of psychiatric test. Guns itself don't have to be the problem, it's how people are seeing them.

[Boudica]

It's such a complex problem, as many others have pointed out, that probably won't be solved with just one quick fix.
I'd say there needs to be a shift in society. I lived in Switzerland for a few years, and almost every household has a rifle. They have mandatory military service for all men, and they get to keep the weapon in the end. But for them it's more of a "we can defend our country" kind of thing, not a "I'll shoot someone if they enter my home". Also, there's a lot more vetting, you have to do a short course if you want ammo, and iirc some kind of psychiatric test. Guns itself don't have to be the problem, it's how people are seeing them.

I think that's a very interesting comparison and speaks to the mindset around guns and gun law moreso than the simple act of owning them.

[jrocxzs]

I feel like gun control wouldn't stop mass shootings... Too many people have gotten past it already. Obviously encouraging everyone to be armed might aide in stopping the shooter in their tracks but what about if the person you encouraged to be armed ends up becoming a mass shooter themself?

[daniel2005]

The penchant to kill is innate to all animals including us. Banning guns will just result in more knife crime. Look at the UK.

[Boudica]

The penchant to kill is innate to all animals including us. Banning guns will just result in more knife crime. Look at the UK.

Actually, the UK is a bad example. You hear a lot of scare stuff in the news about knife crime but it's not nearly comparable to the statistics on homicide in the US.

However, I completely agree with what you're saying otherwise. Take away the gun, and they'll use another tool for the job. Murder was made illegal but that's not stopping the mass shooters, so why would making the gun illegal do it? You'd have to completely destroy the supply chain, which is almost impossible now.
The UK doesn't have many guns in the first place (we do have some) but it's much easier to control guns in a country where there are very few present.

[aznsenseition]

The sad truth is that mass shooters will continue to be an issue, in part due to the amount of attention they get in the media. The narcissistic, suicidal psychopath who wants to be remembered for something by a world they feel has ignored them is an alarmingly recurring group of character traits in today's youth, especially in the US.

[Boudica]

The sad truth is that mass shooters will continue to be an issue, in part due to the amount of attention they get in the media. The narcissistic, suicidal psychopath who wants to be remembered for something by a world they feel has ignored them is an alarmingly recurring group of character traits in today's youth, especially in the US.

I think that's a very valid point. How you deal with that problem... much harder thing to figure out, I think!