A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
It’s obvious there are insufficient regulations, the “militia” is poorly regulated so lots of innocent American children get killed, not just in mass murders, but on a daily basis.
What kinds of regulations would you like to see?
And here we go!
It’s not obvious.
unsubstantiated claim
this does not necessarily follow from your unsubstantiated claim (even if you could convince us that indeed the “militia” is poorly regulated, you still have more work to do)
please explain (without copying and pasting)
Well, we would need a good understanding of the problem in order to answer that one. Let’s begin… 
We’re in the right place now.
Household chemicals are “regulated” yet hundreds of kids get sick or die from ingesting them. According to the CDC, poisoning was the number one mechanism in mortality rates, ahead of car accident deaths. Granted, not every time is fatal, but many times are. The same argument can be made for alcohol and the deaths and injuries it has caused.
My point is that “regulation” does not solve many problems. I personally believe public education is at least the first step in reducing gun related casualties. Education on both gun safety and threat prevention and drills. Being fairly young, I can say in the possible case of a gunman threat in the school, I was not impressed with or felt very safe with the procedures in place (in a school off a military base at least). We practiced loads of fire drills throughout the year, yet for the possibility of an armed threat in the school, we sat in the corner with the lights off…And this was done, at most, once a year. The only reason I felt safe on base in this scenario was because: 1. The military police officer assigned to the school carried a gun 2. I knew the base was packed with both military personel with BOTH military assigned AND personal guns.
I guess my overall point is that regulations will help, but I am firmly against banning civilian guns. And that more education is needed to prevent these “mass murders” as well as the “daily” ones you refer to.
Billy, what is this militia of which you speak? Random individuals with psychoses? I don’t see how the second amendment applies in this case.
The idea of regulation is to reduce the number of deaths and injuries. Done properly, such things generally do make a difference. If you can change 100 deaths to 99 deaths, it was probably worth it.
I think you’re right on that.
That’s because a fire is probably a thousand times more likely to occur in any given school. I’m guessing, but it’s got to be way over a hundred. Also, crappy as it is, there is less you can do about a school takeover than a fire. Fire drills have specific motions that work, and if they’re practiced they can make a big difference. If a “gunman drill” involves hiding in the same room, it basically doesn’t require as much rehearsal.
Like you said, you were probably a lot safer in a school on a military base than in Newtown or another typical town.
There is no chance that civilian guns will be banned in this country in the near future. None. Even bringing it up takes away from any serious conversation on possible better regulation/education.
John,
I know you know I’m not speaking of the militia–that’s the words of the 2nd amendment.
Are you saying the 2nd amendment does not give you the right to own firearms, unless you join the well-regulated militia?
Billy
The violence we are seeing is the result of a societal value system that promotes aggression, the 2nd ammendment is a by product of this values system, though it has been twisted to into a tool to increase sales of guns.
A short story: I was driving across Texas a couple years ago and it was hot and hotter. No AC in the truck, so window wind was it. My passenger complained all the way across how hot it was. I didn’t understand this logic. I couldn’t change the heat or the truck so continually complaining was pointless. The gun debate seems to me to be along the same lines. I’m hearing “It’s hot” over and over with no constuctive ideas on how to modify or improve current conditions. Billy keeps copying facts and phrases but has contributed nothing to make conditions better.
1)limit mag size 2)increase BG checks prior to purchase 3)limit ammo puchase 4)register to purchase ammo. These are a few examples of changes that may or may not help. I feel they are worth a try. Standing around saying “it’s hot” is pointless and takes away from the overall task.
Any other suggestions on how to control this better wold be welcome.
Can a person with a criminal record own firearms?
Is proper training required to own firearms?
Is it required to store firearms safely in cabinets designed for this purpose?
Do all firearm owners need high caliber and/or automatic functions?
Can anyone honestly say they feel safer without any regulations?
I was puzzled for a moment thinking how public education could help. But then I remembered that we are not in the Connecticut shooting thread. This is a more general thread about guns in America. Public education could indeed help prevent the accidental shootings that take place all the time, such as when a kid finds a gun in the shoe box on the top shelf in their parent’s closet. But it won’t reduce murder rates. Everybody already knows murder is bad and illegal.
Billy, I got a xmas present for you… what address should I send it to? It’s a sign you can put in front of your house that reads: “Attn Criminals: This house is a gun free zone.” I think it’ll make you feel much safer and is a perfect regulation for your home.
Gilby
Dang it Gilby, you made me snort coffee thru my nose on that one.
Freedom of the press
In the early 1960s, my father was an NRA Rifle Safety instructor who taught all the neighborhood kids to shoot (without bothering to ask their parent’s permission 
). He had leeway, maybe because he was the only guy on the block who actually saw action in WW II (He was a US Infantry Army Sergeant who got Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart after losing his leg in Kesternich, Germany as the Battle of the Bulge was starting). Buried in Arlington National Cemetery almost ten years ago.
I shoot consistently perfect scores from the 50 yard line with AR-15, and shoot a 9 mm and 12 gauge shotgun. Get it at Walmart for less (plus employee discount!!!). http://www.walmart.com/cp/Guns-Rifles-Ammunition/1088608
If you stop by, make sure to ring the bell:D
Gilby: What do you shoot?
Unicycle Gun Control
Harper and me are working with John to run a Unicycle Mounted Shooting Workshop at the next NAUCC, so bring your guns. We’ll be posting some training videos soon. It will be part of the competition by 2014.
What kind of training is important for the unicycle mounted shooter?
Above all a mounted shooter needs to be physically fit and be able to make independent upper body movements while on unicycle. You can practice this technique by turning your upper body at an angle to your unicycle while riding straight ahead. Key to this technique is keeping planted in your seat. Since about half of the shots in a competition are cross shots where you will extend your arm across your chest, you must be able to twist your upper body to get the shot. When we practice, most of our work is done without a pistol focusing on rider position and handling. Try it riding off-road down a mountain pass! Left hand on your seat handle, pistol in your right!
So…
Why do you believe that the “militia” is poorly regulated? And how does that lead to lots of innocent American children getting killed?
You hadn’t heard that one? Every gun nut as well as every responsible gun owner throws that one out every now and then. It’s about as original as “where’s your other wheel?” and makes just about as much sense.
JJuggle
Nope, gotta say I hadn’t heard that one. Always the other direction like “forget the dog beware the owner” sayings. Most are corny at best.
Here there is a gentleman’s agreement between burglars and burglarized: in 99.9% of the cases they visit your house when there is nobody in…
You should import this rule 
! it’s more efficient!
We already have that agreement in place, but the only ones that seem to realize it are the burglars 
I have been asking my co-workers about their “gun ownership” interests, discretely of course, and I have been amazed at the responses: far more people own guns than don’t own guns!
As a non gun owner in America it is scary to think that so many people own guns, more so considering American’s predisposition to shoot first and ask questions later.
If you own a gun or have access to a gun, you are a potential killer. There is no other way to slice it.
I feel far safer traveling in countries where gun ownership is less rampant.
I know this is not really the place but I’d like to appologise for my rather rash actions in the Conn. Shooting thread. My posts were insensative and rude and if I could I’d remove them I would as my views expressed then are not representative of my normal state of mind.
I think I’m a bit more on the fence about gun ownership now - some of the posts here have really opened my eyes to the pros and cons of the 2nd amendment.
My apologies to anyone I may have offended.