Why can’t America ban automatic weapons?

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

I don’t get it. I honestly don’t. After Sandy Hook that should have been enough... statistics speak for themselves.

Why? What don’t I get?

Is someone on here justifying owning weapons that than kill large numbers of innocents en mass and instantaneously with car accidents and the drinking of alcohol?

There lies the problem. The way human beings can justify their opinions and others actions by deluding themselves with ignorance.

But just how do you discuss/understand this when you get answers like 'we need guns just in case' and knives kill too

Yes - this is the problem that us US-based proponents of gun control (and we are millions) are facing. We are trying to discuss it within our country, and we are trying to make change happen. But we repeatedly come up against these arguments too.

Also we repeatedly come up against the Second Amendment.

We are trying and trying and trying. In this conversation you're getting a small taste of what we're up against.

And we very much appreciate those who are trying to help us with this.

As Ructation says, Americans are not doing nothing:

momsdemandaction.org/about/

If people are being selective this is for a reason.

What about being selective about weapons a country can have due to their power of destroying others?

More organisations working on gun control. I donate time and money to several. I also regularly write to my elected representatives. I talk to anti-gun-control friends to try to convince them to change their minds - I have succeeded with several.

everytown.org/

www.bradycampaign.org/

giffords.org/

www.vpc.org/

www.csgv.org/

nyagv.org/

Plenty of enlightened Americans do want gun control. Plenty.

I don't believe it's a lost cause.

Plus, you've got lots of people who've come of age since Columbine, who have an appetite for change.

Fingers crossed the walk out on 14 March gets lots of support.

Trump will, of course, ignore it. Or trot out the usual platitudes, while doing nothing.

I don't believe it's a lost cause.

I really want to agree with you. I feel that while the pro-gun people are becoming more entrenched, young people are smarter and do have an appetite for change. I really struggle with the hopelessness I feel.

Julie8008 excellent post at 1939.

I know it's not evidence but I personally notice on many American tv shows and films characters drinking and then driving, unless its key to the storyline it seems to be seen as no big deal - can American posters comment re social acceptability of this?

I live in Scotland where the drink drive "limit" is now effectively zero since December 2014 and it's made a huge difference.

I'm also not sure on rules on smoking in USA but again in uk/Scotland you can't smoke in public buildings. In some cases not even on the grounds (eg hospitals). You can't even buy cigarettes until age 18. Tons of other rules too around smoking.

As the child of an abusive alcoholic I've noticed big differences in how people treat that issue too. In the 70's it was seen as private family business, now people are far more likely to report/intervene.

Driving generally - in USA youngest age is 14.5, but generally it's around 16 yes? Here in uk they can't even start lessons until 17, there's 3 elements to the driving test - hazard awareness, theory, practical - all of which have to be passed before they get their full licence. The cost, time and difficulty of passing the driving test means most youngsters don't get their full licence until around age 18. In addition the cost of buying and running a car is high here (especially insurance) which means even once they pass their test quite a few cant afford to get a car anyway. It's not like it seems in USA where high school kids are driving to school with a gaggle of friends distracting them. If new drivers DO drive in careless/dangerous ways they can quite easily end up losing their licence.

USA as a whole (not saying all Americans) do seem to have strangely lax approaches to potentially dangerous activities generally, the gun issue is the most extreme example.

Ructation it must be SO frustrating.

School shootings

For comparison -
Mexico - In 2017 school shootings killed 2
South America - In 2017 school shootings killed 2
Europe - In 2017 there was 1 school shooting but nobody killed
Canada - In 2017 no school shootings
Asia - In 2017 no school shootings
Oceania - In 2017 no school shootings
Africa - In 2017 no school shootings

Ructation - nothing will change with that man in 'charge'. Clearly.

That's why people have to get out and vote. It's the first, easy step.

Kursk can’t see any figures there for US school killings?

But Mexicans are rapists and murderers! Surely their slaughter of children numbers should be much higher than the US...?

I mean, y'all need to build a wall to keep yourselves safe from them.

P.S. If you're worried that the world is laughing at you, you'd be right.

I feel so sorry for reasonable, decent, intelligent Americans, seemingly so out-numbered by ignorami.

In the UK if you want a gun it is usually to either shoot pheasants for dinner or shoot at a target for sport and as has been mentioned by many pp the rules about where and how you store them are very strict.

From what I can gather many people in the US buy a gun 'for self defence' so before they've even left the shop, let alone considered licences etc. the primary reason for owning one is to use on another human being 'in self defence'.

I wonder why it is always men that feel the need to stockpile and use weapons of mass destruction? How do the females manage to survive without all these guns, seeing as they are so necessary?

Trump being the epitome of dick swinging, needing to tell everyone he has a bigger 'button' than Kim Jong-un and is ready to push it.

I bet if it was always women carrying out mass shootings, the men in power would suddenly be a lot more interested in control.

Someone suggested an effective route to making gun control popular among politicians would be to give every Muslim a gun.

It was my understanding that the majority of Americans do support more gun regulation and restrictions on availability of semi automatic weapons, even some members of the NRA, but a minority have disproportionate power because of the way the senate is elected.

I saw a tweet earlier this evening - basically that if all non-whites started buying semi-automatic guns en masse, USA would likely have effective gun control within a fortnight.

I seriously cannot understand why stricter gun controls/laws would be such a hardship if it saves lives. OK you might have more paperwork to complete, have more questions asked of you - it might take more time but surely to most people if, just if it might save a Childs life it is worth it?

I seriously cannot understand why stricter gun controls/laws would be such a hardship if it saves lives. OK you might have more paperwork to complete, have more questions asked of you - it might take more time but surely to most people if, just if it might save a Childs life it is worth it?

90% of Americans agree with you.

I assume the other 10% is made up by the higher powers who could actually implement things?

I am sure the majority of Americans would agree with stricter gun laws

But ask them should they be allowed to own a gun should they feel under threat many would reply yes becuase they would see themselves as responsible gun owners but also they have the right to defend themselves should they need to

It isn’t just about who owns guns it’s an attitude that I have the right to

There are far far too many guns how many acts of violence escalate simply because there is a gun at hand

We don’t have that attitude deeply ingrained into our society it would never cross my mind to own a gun