Do we need gun controls? Do we need better protection from lunatics? How can anyone answer "No" after the Las Vegas and Florida shootings on top of the ones from the later past? But, remember, there are scores of others not considered mass shootings that result in death, and they shouldn't be neglected any more than the the ones the mass media swarm on.
I've been hearing about the following suggested controls so far: (1) Arming teachers, (2) Banning Bump Stocks, (3) Banning Assault Weapons, (4) Limiting high capacity magazines, (5) Raising age to buy a gun, (6) Cutting ties with NRA. Will these get the guns out of the hands of those who are lunatics and are totally obsessed with killing masses or even one person?
In my opinion, the lunatics who want to kill are so obsessed and angry that they will find a way. If not by gun, maybe by knife as we have seen elsewhere in the world, or explosives. They will continue to purchase or steal the supplies and equipment they need to do their deed, regardless of the obstacles and restrictions. We are as likely to stop these people as we are drugs. I think we can agree that we have failed there. Here's a suggestion that law enforcement can try, but even it will require sophisticated management and clever integration of data. No easy task: Create one huge database cross referencing all sales and/or sources of gun, weapons, materials and purchaser (legal) or acquirer (illegal).
One would think ATF already has this start for illegally acquired guns, manufacturers of materials, suppliers, criminals. I would hope they have this information at the minimum. However, the design of the all encompassing "Lunatics Will Kill " database (LWKD)needs far more.
For example, an objective might be to catalog all citizens who have obtained more 1 or more assault weapons (need to describe them all) and/or bump style stocks or other mechanisms that convert a gun to an automatic. Registration of these is mandatory and law enforcement will be instructed to eliminate any quantities of the existing population of destructive weapons in the database deemed excessive. There is absolutely no reason for a normal citizen in America to own automatic weapons. Certainly hunting is NOT a reason. Hunting is a sport, not a slaughter. I enjoyed grouse hunting despite missing many, many birds. They won. So what. However, shooting Bambi who laid down behind the shrubs to hide was my last straw!
If we want to ban automatic weapons of all type, assault or equipment to convert them, then we need to locate them all. It should be mandatory that all suppliers of these, dealers or all individuals including those selling at gun shows or personally, check before sale and then register the sale in the LWKD. Say our limit is 1 of these. Then a second sale should not be made to any person already in the database or anyone affiliated in any way to the an individual already owning one. Tough task. This would require cross connections be defined by sophisticated algorithms to create the connections. For example, the simplest case is within the same family. Or could it be same address? Or could it be same business? Or same gang? The task is monumental. How can we tie together connections when fake IDs could always be the workaround to let the lunatics continue their deeds? Makes this approach seem impossible too! Well, first we use fingerprints instead of names. That would help some until the really corrupt ones find a way around that.
The first objective of a LWKD can only be to provide a deterrent for the lunatics buying or supplying. All violating the registration and supply of weapons or materials need to be arrested and given very stiff penalties. I would imagine a project to create such a database and process, including the enforcement would take 3-5 years to complete. Sorry if there isn't an instant solution, but this is a permanent long-term solution to protect those beyond its effective management completion data. But, we can't kick the can down the road and NOT begin something now that can stop the can from moving forward at some time!
All proposals I have heard so far are short-term that, I am sorry to say, will not curtail the violence we are seeing. There are too many corrupt elements and people, sane or mentally disturbed. What is the comprehensive solution that will help us get the corruptness off the streets or at least quickly identify potential nightmares before they happen?
For example, Arming Teachers. Does putting a sign in front of you house declaring a security system deter criminals even though you have no system? Probably most of them. Would putting a sign at school entrances declaring that personnel within a school are armed and trained deter lunatics? Only if the lunatic plans to live. How many of these have we seen? Florida was an exception, and even then I question whether he cared about his life when he entered the school. So those arguing that alerting lunatics that they could be killed is crazy in itself. However, does this mean that more guns and trained people to use them should be in schools? Yes. However, how fast could they react even if armed? Would they carry them around where they could be hit over the head and gun taken from them to use in killings? Would the guns be locked up requiring the trained personnel to spend minutes to get to them only after the carnage is already done? How many school personnel would really commit to putting their life in danger to combat a lunatic with an automatic weapon when they have a pea shooter? Think about it.
I'll address some other short term solutions and knock-offs in later posts. I may still not be finished with the teacher one either. This post is simply an introduction to short-term vs. comprehensive long-term solution.
Update 3/21/18:
Today they nabbed and killed the serial Austin bomber. Kudos to the agencies in Austin for getting this nut off the planet! So, why are guns such an issue when someone can kill others with common household ingredients and a little knowledge that is provided in detail on the Internet? Should we be concerned with all this bomb-building knowledge on the Internet? I would venture that we need to get control of this even before guns! Accompanying this type of knowledge (and blueprint for killers) is of course the sale of guns legally AND glowingly illegally via the Internet. Why do we even have a Black Web! Don't we need some OFF to spray the spiders out there and a match to burn that web? What is the purpose of it other than mischief! I'll be long in my grave before the Millennials wake up to the menaces on the Internet and how they must be controlled instead of embracing them as neat , different, rad, etc. Wake up call!!!
Now, back to teachers. Instead of rereading my notes, I'll state here and now -- BAD idea! I'd much rather have a human like the one in Maryland High School yesterday (I believe) who reacted in a minute to get a shot at that nut and take him out! Heck, a teacher would still be trying to get his/her weapon from wherever it was stored SAFELY. That, plus the 3 incidents already with teachers shooting off guns in a classroom put this on my not-to-do list. I'll still go with the database to manage the whole gun, bomb, bomb-making ingredients, etc. system needed for the future. WHEN are we going to start! Again, I don't expect to see even a start of anything comprehensible like this in my life time. I do believe I have concluded on my long-term solution.
So, how about short-term, like NOW:
1. Background checks - only going to annoy the honest non-killers. Internet sales, gun shows, individuals, Black web, etc. will always be there to supply guns, ammo, and modifications to auto-weapons. Someone needs to gain access to distributions initiated by Internet actions. You know how some stores ask for ID and age before selling some products (Walmart, etc.). Well, why not REQUIRE all Internet distributors to comply with a list of possibly dangerous products too? Just asking for ID won't do it! We need identifying equipment, such as fingerprint, eye, camera access, etc. to order these products AND we need them to automatically update a government database. This isn't the comprehensible one I talked about, but simply a LOG until we get that database. All background checks should also be collected and standardized (government) so we have a log and include the biological identification elements.
2. Schools? How about churches too? How about movie theaters? How about Las Vegas open areas? Come on folks, let's not get sentimental and focus on just the kids at school.The same numbers of incidents can happen ANYWHERE. The is NO way to prevent nuts from hitting soft-targets. We can continue to protect as much as we can high-exposure venues and areas, such as a Super Bowl, large concert, etc. But, the only workable solution is to get the weapons out to people's hands. Make it more than tough for products like auto-weapons and bomb-making materials. I feel real bad that I can't come up with something that will work and reduce these incidents. Armed teachers will not prevent anything. Notice that shooters are usually PAST students. They would already know the details of who and where the additional "guards" are. I would then expect they, like ISIS for example, to still do there mischief but avoid what they have already discovered. SO, what am I saying? Stop throwing lots of money at solutions that won't work! Spend a little to randomly have armed guards show their presence. The key work, is random patrols and activities. Never the same routine, never the same number of people, never the same days and hours, etc. So, forget the full-time guards escalation that someone can learn and avoid. Use a minimal number more. Maybe increase the number for an entire area, not a school and rotate the guards randomly across the schools, events, etc. to a degree that anyone seeking harm cannot know if its safe or not to show up at any time! How about something like this for short-term?
3. BAN auto weapons: I could go for that. WHY does anybody need a weapon like that? I much rather have every neighbor with a rife/gun and a neighbor watch network than just me and an auto-weapon. I'm just going to have to depend on the government agencies and military units to protect me from foreign attacks. I, myself, can NOT expect to survive any other way! Ban also any modifications to make a gun automatic. Ban? STOP the manufacturers from making them! We need Crack-Down! Certainly we should know WHO the manufacturers are already. CLOSE them down! Don't have to ban and control them if they are not made and/or distributed. Let's put some hurt to them before they become a drug-dealer size operation!
4. Do you think even age 21 is high enough for the nuts? Why annoy the honest hunters? Hunting equipment needs to be available to all ages. Yes, maybe guns need to be supplied by the parents though. But, now we have the situation like we've seen where teen-killer used daddy's gun! And we have incidents where small kiddos got hold of daddy's gun and shot someone. Can't stop everything. How do we make parents more responsible? Limit them? Make them lock up guns? Must-have gun lockable gun-cabinets? Trigger locks? I vote to low-cost solution of trigger locks for ALL guns. Never sold without a trigger lock! But, once again, every player selling MUST comply with restriction and sale! So, part of log and control in #1 above is the requirement to have a trigger lock accompany it. Also, all owners of existing guns must purchase a lock and log to gun and lock serial numbers (1 lock serial number per assigned gun). I would think ANY parent with children would want this. Why risk not having a lock? Reminds me of a Dr. Phil episode yesterday where a parent has a destructive and respectfulness teen but still decides to leave on a vacation twice a year without the child INSTRUCTING him to not have a party. Right! You can almost not expect to have a trustful child go without a party. Only difference will be that of chaos. So, lock up those guns.
5. Cutting ties with NRA? Surely not. However, the NRA needs to step up and provide some solutions! How about those in this post? Stop lobbying and put some money into solutions that you are capable of performing and distributing. The money you save, plus government money to implement solutions, plus benefit to everyone is a reward NRA should seek hotly! SO, go to it NRA. Stop fighting the Dems over amendment rights and show to world some solutions that would boost your importance and membership!
Once again, I need a break. Go ahead and comment about what has been written so far. This is important to each one of us. Think and respond please.
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