Gun control in the US

[Fraudornot]

With the assassination of Charlie Kirk looking like it’s been carried out by someone probably suffering from mental health issues with access to guns, why are Americans so unwilling to address gun control. I would love to hear from Americans to know why there is the reluctance.

Haven’t seen anything to say the killer is “suffering” from mental health issues?

Because people want to have guns and don't trust the government to stop other people getting hold of them.

I’m a Brit but have lived in the US in the past. You can’t really begin to understand the issue unless you understand the dedication to the Constitution and the concept of rights.

To me, it seems like common sense to stop dangerous weapons falling into potentially dangerous hands but to some in the US, gun restrictions represent the government impinging on your rights. Hard to explain but I don’t think we can ever understand and we shouldn’t try. It’s a uniquely American issue and is one for Americans to settle for themselves.

Insane dedication to the parts of the Constitution they like.

Bits they don't like that's a little bit more of a take it or leave it sitch.

@cloudycheeseyes I do get it - it’s like an invasion of human rights to stop the right to bare arms. But what I don’t get is why people in the US never look outside the US and see that these sorts of crimes don’t happen in Europe

By this point everyone has guns and if you start restricting you can’t protect yourself against all the ‘baddies’ that have them now. Also it’s part of the whole reason people went to america in the first place- ‘freedom’ and ‘my rights’ and all that.

America: the only country in the world where kinder eggs are banned as being too dangerous, yet school shooting are just considered a fact of life.

Do you really want to ask this?

@Swiftie1878why is that surprising. Kirk’s death has been a pointless waste just because someone had access to a gun

They're mad over there 😭😭

If they didnt introduce it after Sandy Hook, theyre never going to do it.

Perhaps the U S Government could say the 'right to keep and bear arms' should have have been written as 'bare arms' and just meant that people can wear t-shirts?

Then they could bring in more stringent gun controls.

America averages more than 1 school shooting a week, over the last 10 year, resulting in many pointless deaths, I doubt this will make any difference.

@Springtimehereand write messages on bullets

or they could ditch the "and", leaving the "right to keep bear arms", and promote an interest in taxidermy or soft toys.

I'm an American and I don't get it either. So if you ever figure it out, lemme know...

I lived in the US for a while and it was really interesting to try to understand their point of view. In their eyes, it is a human right to be able to carry a gun and defend yourself from bad people. Their phrase was "if you outlaw guns, only outlaws have guns". I don't agree with it personally but living there for a while did make it easier to understand their point of view. It would be like saying to a British person that alcohol should be outlawed because so many people die of alcohol-related issues. Not many people would want their personal freedom constrained in this way. That is the best analogy I can think of for how the Americans I lived amongst thought.

From what I’ve seen he’s been radicalised - I haven’t seen any reference to history of mental distress. I agree that no “normal” person would do something so hideous. But there are a lot of people that could fall into a vulnerable category that could be persuaded. It’s hideous.

Edited to say - laughing at me isn’t warranted. It’s really not a situation that any humour should enter into.

Although it really isn't funny that any country prioritises guns over life.

I don't really think people have thought through how exactly "banning guns" in the US would work. Who would implement and enforce it, and how?

Polling shows that a majority of Americans supports various forms of control.
Including universal background checks and an assault weapon ban.

Too many politicians are controlled by the gun lobby.

Presumably the same way nearly every other country in the world implemented and enforces it. The number of countries that have gun rules like America can be counted on one hand.

It’s a totally pointless conversation.

It’s never, ever going to change.

If Sandy Hook didn’t make any difference, nothing will.

Seeing as Kirk gave a platform to Alex Jones after Sandyhook I'm not sure if the people eulogizing him in the media have rational views about that tragedy