sorry, i don't think "let's just give up" is a viable strategy for preventing gun violence....
'Let's not give up' always sounds like a good cheer unless the cause sucks or is actually hopeless. I happen to think both are true, sucky and hopeless, but you're making an emotional appeal while using the term 'viable', like 'practical', when I can think of few things further from practical then seizing existing firearms. There are more guns then cars and they're very easily concealed on someone's property even if we were willing to turn out the police and/or military to search everyone's house one by one in detail. There is such a thing as realism, even if I thought we should confiscate all firearms I can barely imagine the sort of manpower we'd need to seize them all or how many billions of dollars would be needed to do a 'buy back' for those willing or how much more for those searches. Prohibitions have not worked very well in this country.
in each country which has enacted stronger controls, a buy back was exactly what they did first before applying the related laws. buy backs work, whether you like them or not. local law enforcement around the country have been successfully using a buy back program for quite some time, there is no reason why this could not be done on a national scale.
also, i would argue that previous prohibitions have not worked in the US because they have not been done very thoughtfully. the "war on drugs" being one of the biggest prohibition failures in our history but yet we keep on trying the same failed policies and expecting different results. i don't think it's fair to keep throwing our hands up after each gun death and saying "we can't do anything about it". arming everyone will never be the correct solution.
"The RIAA has shown a certain disregard for the creative people of the industry in their eagerness to protect the revenues of the record companies." -- Frank Zappa
"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman
Poll: 54 percent view NRA favorably
28/12/2012 04:23:35 AM
- 970 Views
Hahahaha. That is full of shit. OMG. Thanks for the laughs. *NM*
28/12/2012 06:30:08 AM
- 406 Views
I have this to say about that...
28/12/2012 07:10:52 AM
- 768 Views
That was rather long but probably one of the best things I've read this year
28/12/2012 02:31:24 PM
- 546 Views
Excellent article by a knowledgable individual armed with facts. *NM*
28/12/2012 04:36:23 PM
- 270 Views
See my response to Novo.
28/12/2012 06:28:00 PM
- 637 Views
please cite the errors, manipulations, or lies.
28/12/2012 09:30:28 PM
- 591 Views
I cited two in response to her, and those were just the ones I remember off the top of my head.
28/12/2012 11:07:36 PM
- 722 Views
If you can't remember them, then don't claim them *NM*
29/12/2012 03:08:08 AM
- 325 Views
Two just from memory is enough to substantiate my claim.
29/12/2012 03:35:49 AM
- 611 Views
'Substantiate your claim'? I don't think you're lying, I just don't feel any reason to be swayed...
29/12/2012 04:00:10 AM
- 511 Views
The 2 things you attempted to "cite" were absolute nonsense and proved nothing.
31/12/2012 06:00:00 PM
- 581 Views
Re: I have this to say about that...
28/12/2012 05:23:44 PM
- 650 Views
Never point a gun at anything you are not going to shoot, nor shoot anything you do not mean to kill
28/12/2012 06:13:20 PM
- 610 Views
Still losing the gun debate and it's driving you a little crazy isn't it!
28/12/2012 06:40:51 PM
- 482 Views
Gallup: 58% want more gun control; Ipsos: 70% want more gun control, 90% want background checks.
28/12/2012 10:29:50 PM
- 630 Views
..and 100% want to win the lottery, but it isn't going to happen.
05/01/2013 02:17:50 PM
- 663 Views
Re: I have this to say about that...Actually, modern military weapons are constructed to wound
29/12/2012 08:43:49 PM
- 720 Views
Yeah, uh, no. Not until you do some serious background checks on teachers.
29/12/2012 01:00:20 AM
- 658 Views
GOP estimates of teacher competence have increased to the point of giving them concealed guns.
29/12/2012 02:36:08 AM
- 749 Views
You know the GOP is unlikely to object to background check on teachers, the unions might
29/12/2012 02:56:06 AM
- 612 Views
his premise is "there's already too many guns so why bother trying anything at all now"
07/01/2013 06:27:20 PM
- 622 Views
I don't think that's his sole premise but it's also quite true
07/01/2013 07:05:20 PM
- 650 Views
i think you're missing a piece of the puzzle
07/01/2013 07:23:02 PM
- 574 Views
I'm not missing it, I just don't think it's wise or especially moral
07/01/2013 09:36:05 PM
- 614 Views
moral has nothing to do with it, imho
07/01/2013 11:26:00 PM
- 666 Views
Data is data my friend. Please feel free to present your own data if you would like. *NM*
28/12/2012 05:49:09 PM
- 296 Views
Is that the same Gallup that said 54% of America would vote Romney?
28/12/2012 06:15:43 PM
- 673 Views
Once again data is data.....feel free to cite other polling data. *NM*
28/12/2012 06:38:29 PM
- 287 Views
The goddamn frigging election. *NM*
28/12/2012 07:13:04 PM
- 293 Views
Oh, was the NRA running for something? Good grief, was a ridiculous reach. *NM*
28/12/2012 08:07:56 PM
- 296 Views
No, but it shows Gallup polls are horseshit. *NM*
28/12/2012 08:48:12 PM
- 286 Views
No it doesn't, it only shows that Romney was more awful of a candidate than Obama was. *NM*
28/12/2012 09:14:00 PM
- 302 Views
Not according to Gallup, just most US voters; Gallup DOES say 58% of the US wants more gun control.
28/12/2012 10:22:19 PM
- 785 Views
Yes. Most of us aren't against guns per se; we're against the inane concepts of gun "shows"
29/12/2012 01:06:50 AM
- 524 Views
Exactly, crazy libs like Joel want to get rid of all guns, but normal Americans.....
29/12/2012 01:36:00 AM
- 582 Views
Too bad the radical fringe on both sides drowns us both out so well.
29/12/2012 02:25:31 AM
- 679 Views
Previous polling failures by Gallup are evidence for the claim that Gallup polls are flawed.
29/12/2012 01:05:08 AM
- 680 Views
Gallup was Romney +1 with +/- 4% on Election Day.....turned out Obama +3.
29/12/2012 01:33:45 AM
- 521 Views
So what I don't understand about this whole teachers with gun thing
30/12/2012 12:42:05 AM
- 660 Views
It would strictly be voluntary
30/12/2012 03:02:18 AM
- 638 Views
You seriously don't think a linebacker can take a gun off a 5' teacher?He can just punch her.
30/12/2012 09:45:05 AM
- 617 Views
He can already punch her, not all schools are high schools and that's not the norm for spree killers
30/12/2012 03:05:55 PM
- 716 Views
Leveling that playing field is much of the point of guns.
05/01/2013 05:43:47 PM
- 664 Views
You aren't familiar with guns if you think that a large male can't disarm a woman who has one.
07/01/2013 10:14:21 AM
- 628 Views
Well Paul Ali Slater didn't, disarming is risky, and he seems familiar enough with them to me *NM*
07/01/2013 01:25:28 PM
- 324 Views