This story has as much to do with a gun than it does with him being a cop. Lock him up, give him the death penalty, do whatever. He deserves nothing less.
... No. It does prove that the 'Good Guy With a Gun Will Keep Us Safe' arguement does not always apply. It also illustrates how a 'Responsible gun owner with a spotless record' can easily become a murderer.
Bingo.
Everybody is law-abiding until they are no longer law-abiding.
As I said earlier- tongue in cheek- that retired cop almost assuredly had debated gun control in the past with 'liberals' stating, "Don't punish the law abiding citizens. Get the criminals!"
Thirty, do you advocate the banning and confiscation of all firearms?
... By 'Nut case', in the terms of those people who think there is going to be a Zombie Apocalypse, so they stockpile an arsenal to fend them off. Or the people who think they can hold off the U.S. military with a storage locker of AR-15s and 10,000 rounds of ammo. Don't those people know that Zombies don't exist and that the U.S. military has F-16s armed with 500lb bombs?
Agreed, many of them need mental health treatment and either can't afford it, or can voluntarily sign themselves out of treatment. I've seen many a kid with severe needs turn 18 sign themselves out, stop taking their meds, and out they go into the community.
Oh and you forgot drones!
Actually many realize that zombies don't exist. Do you watch fiction TV or read fiction books?
The premise around a zombie invasion is that if you are prepared for one then you are prepared for just about anything. Do you make any preparations to keep your family safe or will you just wing it and hope the government will bail you out? We saw how they bailed out New Orleans, I'm sure they have it perfected now though.
This story has as much to do with a gun than it does with him being a cop. Lock him up, give him the death penalty, do whatever. He deserves nothing less.
... No. It does prove that the 'Good Guy With a Gun Will Keep Us Safe' arguement does not always apply. It also illustrates how a 'Responsible gun owner with a spotless record' can easily become a murderer.
Bingo.
Everybody is law-abiding until they are no longer law-abiding.
As I said earlier- tongue in cheek- that retired cop almost assuredly had debated gun control in the past with 'liberals' stating, "Don't punish the law abiding citizens. Get the criminals!"
Thirty, do you advocate the banning and confiscation of all firearms?
This story has as much to do with a gun than it does with him being a cop. Lock him up, give him the death penalty, do whatever. He deserves nothing less.
... No. It does prove that the 'Good Guy With a Gun Will Keep Us Safe' arguement does not always apply. It also illustrates how a 'Responsible gun owner with a spotless record' can easily become a murderer.
Bingo.
Everybody is law-abiding until they are no longer law-abiding.
As I said earlier- tongue in cheek- that retired cop almost assuredly had debated gun control in the past with 'liberals' stating, "Don't punish the law abiding citizens. Get the criminals!"
Thirty, do you advocate the banning and confiscation of all firearms?
Absolutely not.
Well why not? According to you all of us gun owners are ticking time bombs. You sure you don't want to just charge me with murder right now even though I haven't had a speeding ticket in 15 years?
Actually I shouldn't single you out, I apologize for that. There are quite a few here that have voiced that whole "legal law-abiding gun owner until they committed a crime then weren't" garbage.
This story has as much to do with a gun than it does with him being a cop. Lock him up, give him the death penalty, do whatever. He deserves nothing less.
... No. It does prove that the 'Good Guy With a Gun Will Keep Us Safe' arguement does not always apply. It also illustrates how a 'Responsible gun owner with a spotless record' can easily become a murderer.
Bingo.
Everybody is law-abiding until they are no longer law-abiding.
As I said earlier- tongue in cheek- that retired cop almost assuredly had debated gun control in the past with 'liberals' stating, "Don't punish the law abiding citizens. Get the criminals!"
Thirty, do you advocate the banning and confiscation of all firearms?
Absolutely not.
Well why not? According to you all of us gun owners are ticking time bombs. You sure you don't want to just charge me with murder right now even though I haven't had a speeding ticket in 15 years?
Sigh.
You know very well my position, Unsung. I've said it numerous times and I don't care to repeat it if you're never going to listen to it. Up until this point, you had been presenting a reasonable argument, but again... the argument falls short and of course... one is left to such tactics as these.
This story has as much to do with a gun than it does with him being a cop. Lock him up, give him the death penalty, do whatever. He deserves nothing less.
... No. It does prove that the 'Good Guy With a Gun Will Keep Us Safe' arguement does not always apply. It also illustrates how a 'Responsible gun owner with a spotless record' can easily become a murderer.
Bingo.
Everybody is law-abiding until they are no longer law-abiding.
As I said earlier- tongue in cheek- that retired cop almost assuredly had debated gun control in the past with 'liberals' stating, "Don't punish the law abiding citizens. Get the criminals!"
Thirty, do you advocate the banning and confiscation of all firearms?
Absolutely not.
Well why not? According to you all of us gun owners are ticking time bombs. You sure you don't want to just charge me with murder right now even though I haven't had a speeding ticket in 15 years?
Sigh.
You know very well my position, Unsung. I've said it numerous times and I don't care to repeat it if you're never going to listen to it. Up until this point, you had been presenting a reasonable argument, but again... the argument falls short and of course... one is left to such tactics as these.
Actually I thought I had a decent grasp until I saw the whole "law-abiding until they are no longer law-abiding".
well, the guy WAS law abiding....until he murdered a man in a movie theater... law abiding now?? not so much...
... The point is made to counter the arguement that responsible, law-abiding gun owners are beyond reproach when it comes to gun regulation/registration... ora any part of gun regulation debates... that they haven't done anything wrong, therefore, they should be exempt from any part of the conversation. The point will go away when the gun advocacy groups stops using 'responsible gun owner' as an arguement to ensure everybody that they incapable of commiting a crime in the future.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
he responsibly murdered this guy. he could have missed and hit a bunch of people not involved with the incident. that is responsible, isn't it?
... I believe the point is... people are not consistent. It is our nature... we change as we age. Most of us change as we get older, right? Things that used to be important, aren't as important to us anymore, right? Then, there is the aging process itself. Anyone have a grandfather that thought he could still drive a car in traffic the way he used to... but, now, he is a terror on the highway? Or ever run into an old boss you once had? At one point, he commanded an entire department and had the power of hiring and firing and handing out raises or lay-off pink slips. Now, he's just a tired old man who cannot command the respect from the guy at the Taco Bell. I'm hoping that I will realize when it is time for me to sell off the car and use the bus to get around... before I kill somebody because i can no longer handle the things that used to be second nature to me. I guess my point is, Mr. Reeves should have just come to the realization that he was no longer in charge, anymore. He doesn't have to police what everyone else does. He is no longer in uniform. Welcome to life. We get old.. and yeah, it sucks... but, that's just the way life works. Try enjoying it.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
lawyer here at work went on a cruise with his family over the holidays and got put together with an american family ... the topic came down to guns ... the american family were absolutely shocked to find that my co-worker didn't own a gun and knew no one who did ...
the threat of a british invasion is not really very plausible anymore ... try living in a world without having to carry a gun ... you guys just might like it ...
There's really no turning back. there are simply too many guns now (in the USA). Seriously, everyone should have one. I've spoken to several people lately who got their firearms from deceased relatives. Some of these people dont even want them. So they sit in a box -- possibly stored properly -- possibly not...Or they sell them to unload them, or give them to their neighbor.
What is going to happen when future generations get the absurd amounts of stockpiles of hand-me-down guns?
Oh, my grandmother shot a round through a wall once...around the time we realized she had Alzheimers. Old people with guns is scary. We took her guns away -- well, my father did. I dont know what ever happened to those guns.
lawyer here at work went on a cruise with his family over the holidays and got put together with an american family ... the topic came down to guns ... the american family were absolutely shocked to find that my co-worker didn't own a gun and knew no one who did ...
the threat of a british invasion is not really very plausible anymore ... try living in a world without having to carry a gun ... you guys just might like it ...
Don't generalize all Americans. I will never own a gun, and I know many people feel the same way towards them. Just because a situation occurs with your lawyer friend should not dictate everyone!
I will not discuss guns with anyone who cannot be open-minded enough to think outside the box as to looking for solutions.
There's really no turning back. there are simply too many guns now (in the USA). Seriously, everyone should have one.
And this mentality is truly disturbing.
Sorry, I was being sarcastic.
Well, kinda being sarcastic...Honestly, I despise guns and swore I'd never own one. But I lived in a dangerous area for awhile and I seriously considered it. In fact, I had a purchase lined up and backed out. Then I decided to move and risk a lot of financial stress for safety instead. I still dont own a gun, but I see how that sarcastic comment is starting to sneak into the thoughts of folks like me who thought they'd never own one. If all your neighbors have one, and all the criminals can get them so easy, will there be a point when every one of us needs one, like it or not?
There's really no turning back. there are simply too many guns now (in the USA). Seriously, everyone should have one.
And this mentality is truly disturbing.
Sorry, I was being sarcastic.
Well, kinda being sarcastic...Honestly, I despise guns and swore I'd never own one. But I lived in a dangerous area for awhile and I seriously considered it. In fact, I had a purchase lined up and backed out. Then I decided to move and risk a lot of financial stress for safety instead. I still dont own a gun, but I see how that sarcastic comment is starting to sneak into the thoughts of folks like me who thought they'd never own one. If all your neighbors have one, and all the criminals can get them so easy, will there be a point when every one of use needs one, like it or not?
Sorry, I thought you were serious. It's not like I haven't heard that said once or twice already, and they were spoken seriously.
Unless there is a zombie apocalypse, count me out for ever joining the herd and having to own a gun because everyone else does. I won't live in that kind of world, and if the US comes down to that, with no zombies in sight? I'll be exporting myself and my family.
"I think it's the people who WANT to own guns that are the ones that probably shouldn't have them"
( I botched trying to quote whoever posted that....) I'll be shocked if you don't get a lot of grief for this comment, but I have to say I feel the same way. Also, to the suggestion that there should be a way mental health professionals can restrict patients from getting guns following a diagnosis.... excellent suggestion, but the reality is that mental illness diagnosis often comes WAY TOO LATE in the process...as my bizarre story illustrates:
A few years ago my much-loved adult family member (successful, educated) shifted from undiagnosed bipolar disorder to a full-blown psychotic break. He called me from the other side of the country in a panic, manically rambling, ducking beneath windows in a relative's house, convinced that there were 52 people in cars chasing him down, seeing rodents spinning in his car wheels - weeks of full-blown hallucinations and paranoia and rage. Followed by a crippling depressive episode. His symptoms were about as severe as they get, and he was clearly a danger to himself and others. If you think you can just get an adult into psych eval and treatment against their will, guess again. Unbelievably, he could fake "normal enough" to police during the manic episode. Also unbelievably, after physically dragging him into psych ER during the depressive episode, he was given a shot of atavan and released (with the recommendation for voluntary follow up psych care). This was my first glimpse into mental health treatment and it was a real eye opener.
Sorry this is so long, but my point is that this man, in his 40s, had never felt he needed a gun UNTIL he had his psychotic break. And this very ill, paranoid and hallucinating man was able to get a gun within 1-2 DAYS. He never used it in the weeks he had it, thank god. By comparison, it took his siblings, adult kids, and a parent SIX MONTHS of trickery, pleading, dragging, police contact, phone calls with lawyers, psychiatrists, ER wards, psych hospitals to get him into psych eval, diagnosis, and eventually into treatment he has (so far) stayed with.
Gun-rights people will say this is a very rare and isolated occurrence. Even so, my takeaway is that in the US we need to find a way to make mental health services much more accessible, and guns much less accessible. Both things need to happen.
Unless there is a zombie apocalypse, count me out for ever joining the herd and having to own a gun because everyone else does. I won't live in that kind of world, and if the US comes down to that, with no zombies in sight? I'll be exporting myself and my family.
... I think people should be prepared for natural disaters that are common to their region. Like people in California should be prepared for earthquakes and folks in Oklahoma prepared for tornadoes, Gulf Coast for hurricanes. Those are not end of days events and people should forecast to be without services for up to 2 weeks. But, stockpiling a rack of AR-15s, thousands of rounds of ammo, booby-trapping your property from the walking dead is a bit on the insane side. If a global extinction event occurs, such as a high angle asteroid hit or a mega-volcanic eruption that results in thousands of years of nuclear winter and 80% of all life on Earth is extinguished... i don't want to live through that. I do not want to live to see a world where all people are reduced to animals, murderers and monsters.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
lawyer here at work went on a cruise with his family over the holidays and got put together with an american family ... the topic came down to guns ... the american family were absolutely shocked to find that my co-worker didn't own a gun and knew no one who did ...
the threat of a british invasion is not really very plausible anymore ... try living in a world without having to carry a gun ... you guys just might like it ...
Well I'm an American and I don't own a gun and I'd be hard pressed to think of more than 1 or 2 people I know who own them either.
The only people we should try to get even with...
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
Well I'm an American and I don't own a gun and I'd be hard pressed to think of more than 1 or 2 people I know who own them either.
... I agree. I don't own a gun... i know of people who do, but, not many of them. And... i don't live in fear. I am weary and cautious in certain situations... but, i do not live in fear.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
i am an american and have no gun. will never own one. i know more people who own guns than don't. i know a guy who was once one of my best friends. over the years he has collected an arsenal. mac 10, ar15, ,>10 pistols, a few shotguns etc., he is afraid the government is going to come take his property. i would go to his house and he would just have guns everywhere just sitting out,. bullets strewn all over the house. it made me feel uneasy. he was never ever a hunter. unfortunately, i am no longer friends with this guy. he is who i would classify as a gun nut.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
lawyer here at work went on a cruise with his family over the holidays and got put together with an american family ... the topic came down to guns ... the american family were absolutely shocked to find that my co-worker didn't own a gun and knew no one who did ...
the threat of a british invasion is not really very plausible anymore ... try living in a world without having to carry a gun ... you guys just might like it ...
Well I'm an American and I don't own a gun and I'd be hard pressed to think of more than 1 or 2 people I know who own them either.
This may just be a Florida thing, haha, but I thought the same thing for many years. Then I slowly discovered that many people I knew (that I would least expect) owned guns but kept it very quiet. I know a ton of people that have guns and they know its controversial so they dont want people knowing they have them. And they keep it queit because they'd rather not have them stolen. Thanks for that! But I'd guess the majority of people I know dont have guns. However, of the ones that do have them, some of them have a fucking arsenal. This stuff makes me wonder how accurate the reports are that there are 300K guns in the USA.
"I think it's the people who WANT to own guns that are the ones that probably shouldn't have them"
( I botched trying to quote whoever posted that....) I'll be shocked if you don't get a lot of grief for this comment, but I have to say I feel the same way. Also, to the suggestion that there should be a way mental health professionals can restrict patients from getting guns following a diagnosis.... excellent suggestion, but the reality is that mental illness diagnosis often comes WAY TOO LATE in the process...as my bizarre story illustrates:
A few years ago my much-loved adult family member (successful, educated) shifted from undiagnosed bipolar disorder to a full-blown psychotic break. He called me from the other side of the country in a panic, manically rambling, ducking beneath windows in a relative's house, convinced that there were 52 people in cars chasing him down, seeing rodents spinning in his car wheels - weeks of full-blown hallucinations and paranoia and rage. Followed by a crippling depressive episode. His symptoms were about as severe as they get, and he was clearly a danger to himself and others. If you think you can just get an adult into psych eval and treatment against their will, guess again. Unbelievably, he could fake "normal enough" to police during the manic episode. Also unbelievably, after physically dragging him into psych ER during the depressive episode, he was given a shot of atavan and released (with the recommendation for voluntary follow up psych care). This was my first glimpse into mental health treatment and it was a real eye opener.
Sorry this is so long, but my point is that this man, in his 40s, had never felt he needed a gun UNTIL he had his psychotic break. And this very ill, paranoid and hallucinating man was able to get a gun within 1-2 DAYS. He never used it in the weeks he had it, thank god. By comparison, it took his siblings, adult kids, and a parent SIX MONTHS of trickery, pleading, dragging, police contact, phone calls with lawyers, psychiatrists, ER wards, psych hospitals to get him into psych eval, diagnosis, and eventually into treatment he has (so far) stayed with.
Gun-rights people will say this is a very rare and isolated occurrence. Even so, my takeaway is that in the US we need to find a way to make mental health services much more accessible, and guns much less accessible. Both things need to happen.
Unless there is a zombie apocalypse, count me out for ever joining the herd and having to own a gun because everyone else does. I won't live in that kind of world, and if the US comes down to that, with no zombies in sight? I'll be exporting myself and my family.
... I think people should be prepared for natural disaters that are common to their region. Like people in California should be prepared for earthquakes and folks in Oklahoma prepared for tornadoes, Gulf Coast for hurricanes. Those are not end of days events and people should forecast to be without services for up to 2 weeks. But, stockpiling a rack of AR-15s, thousands of rounds of ammo, booby-trapping your property from the walking dead is a bit on the insane side. If a global extinction event occurs, such as a high angle asteroid hit or a mega-volcanic eruption that results in thousands of years of nuclear winter and 80% of all life on Earth is extinguished... i don't want to live through that. I do not want to live to see a world where all people are reduced to animals, murderers and monsters.
Agreed. Come to terms with this mentality and live the rest of your life without fear.
i am an american and have no gun. will never own one. i know more people who own guns than don't. i know a guy who was once one of my best friends. over the years he has collected an arsenal. mac 10, ar15, ,>10 pistols, a few shotguns etc., he is afraid the government is going to come take his property. i would go to his house and he would just have guns everywhere just sitting out,. bullets strewn all over the house. it made me feel uneasy. he was never ever a hunter. unfortunately, i am no longer friends with this guy. he is who i would classify as a gun nut.
... I often wonder what people think the outcome is going to be when 'the government comes to get them'. I mean, if you start with the local police and somehow, defeat them... you will face the county Sheriffs Department. Let's say you succeed and kill them all, now you have to face the State Police... then, the Federal Authorities backed by the local National Guard, then the Army, Air Force and Marines and all of the technological Hell at their disposal. At the Sheriffs level, you will need to defend your position from automatic weapons fire, helicopters and wheeled armored vehicles. Beyond that, you will face large bore tracked armored vehicles and armed aircraft. All they have to do is shut off you water and wait you out. The fact is... if the government wants to get you... they will. ... The truth is... the government does not want to get you. To them, you are nothing more than a pathetic little gnat that poses no real threat to their power. You are typically not worthy of their time and effort because you are not as important as you make yourself out to be.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
Well I'm an American and I don't own a gun and I'd be hard pressed to think of more than 1 or 2 people I know who own them either.
... I agree. I don't own a gun... i know of people who do, but, not many of them. And... i don't live in fear. I am weary and cautious in certain situations... but, i do not live in fear.
I don't own a gun either. Know a few that do for sure and have always assumed there are others who own guns and keep it quiet. But I have visited one of these basement arsenals that some people keep and it is one of the creepier rooms I have ever entered.
Unless there is a zombie apocalypse, count me out for ever joining the herd and having to own a gun because everyone else does. I won't live in that kind of world, and if the US comes down to that, with no zombies in sight? I'll be exporting myself and my family.
... I think people should be prepared for natural disaters that are common to their region. Like people in California should be prepared for earthquakes and folks in Oklahoma prepared for tornadoes, Gulf Coast for hurricanes. Those are not end of days events and people should forecast to be without services for up to 2 weeks. But, stockpiling a rack of AR-15s, thousands of rounds of ammo, booby-trapping your property from the walking dead is a bit on the insane side. If a global extinction event occurs, such as a high angle asteroid hit or a mega-volcanic eruption that results in thousands of years of nuclear winter and 80% of all life on Earth is extinguished... i don't want to live through that. I do not want to live to see a world where all people are reduced to animals, murderers and monsters.
I agree. Some gun enthusiasts, the way the talk, make me think that they can't wait until the end days though. Like in your other post about the "govt coming to get them", they feed on their fear while collecting and standing by their gun pile. Like they're going to survive...
oh yeah, forgot to add to my post, that guy has a concealed carry permit and he is ALWAYS strapped. going to public places with him was getting to be too much for me, because he was a bit of a hothead to begin with. the gun made him fearless. i was afraid to even argue politics with him when we would be drinking somewhere.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Comments
By 'Nut case', in the terms of those people who think there is going to be a Zombie Apocalypse, so they stockpile an arsenal to fend them off. Or the people who think they can hold off the U.S. military with a storage locker of AR-15s and 10,000 rounds of ammo. Don't those people know that Zombies don't exist and that the U.S. military has F-16s armed with 500lb bombs?
Agreed, many of them need mental health treatment and either can't afford it, or can voluntarily sign themselves out of treatment.
I've seen many a kid with severe needs turn 18 sign themselves out, stop taking their meds, and out they go into the community.
Oh and you forgot drones!
Actually many realize that zombies don't exist. Do you watch fiction TV or read fiction books?
The premise around a zombie invasion is that if you are prepared for one then you are prepared for just about anything. Do you make any preparations to keep your family safe or will you just wing it and hope the government will bail you out? We saw how they bailed out New Orleans, I'm sure they have it perfected now though.
You know very well my position, Unsung. I've said it numerous times and I don't care to repeat it if you're never going to listen to it. Up until this point, you had been presenting a reasonable argument, but again... the argument falls short and of course... one is left to such tactics as these.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
The point is made to counter the arguement that responsible, law-abiding gun owners are beyond reproach when it comes to gun regulation/registration... ora any part of gun regulation debates... that they haven't done anything wrong, therefore, they should be exempt from any part of the conversation. The point will go away when the gun advocacy groups stops using 'responsible gun owner' as an arguement to ensure everybody that they incapable of commiting a crime in the future.
Hail, Hail!!!
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I believe the point is... people are not consistent. It is our nature... we change as we age.
Most of us change as we get older, right? Things that used to be important, aren't as important to us anymore, right?
Then, there is the aging process itself. Anyone have a grandfather that thought he could still drive a car in traffic the way he used to... but, now, he is a terror on the highway? Or ever run into an old boss you once had? At one point, he commanded an entire department and had the power of hiring and firing and handing out raises or lay-off pink slips. Now, he's just a tired old man who cannot command the respect from the guy at the Taco Bell.
I'm hoping that I will realize when it is time for me to sell off the car and use the bus to get around... before I kill somebody because i can no longer handle the things that used to be second nature to me.
I guess my point is, Mr. Reeves should have just come to the realization that he was no longer in charge, anymore. He doesn't have to police what everyone else does. He is no longer in uniform. Welcome to life. We get old.. and yeah, it sucks... but, that's just the way life works. Try enjoying it.
Hail, Hail!!!
the threat of a british invasion is not really very plausible anymore ... try living in a world without having to carry a gun ... you guys just might like it ...
I've spoken to several people lately who got their firearms from deceased relatives. Some of these people dont even want them. So they sit in a box -- possibly stored properly -- possibly not...Or they sell them to unload them, or give them to their neighbor.
What is going to happen when future generations get the absurd amounts of stockpiles of hand-me-down guns?
Oh, my grandmother shot a round through a wall once...around the time we realized she had Alzheimers. Old people with guns is scary. We took her guns away -- well, my father did. I dont know what ever happened to those guns.
I will not discuss guns with anyone who cannot be open-minded enough to think outside the box as to looking for solutions.
Well, kinda being sarcastic...Honestly, I despise guns and swore I'd never own one. But I lived in a dangerous area for awhile and I seriously considered it. In fact, I had a purchase lined up and backed out. Then I decided to move and risk a lot of financial stress for safety instead. I still dont own a gun, but I see how that sarcastic comment is starting to sneak into the thoughts of folks like me who thought they'd never own one. If all your neighbors have one, and all the criminals can get them so easy, will there be a point when every one of us needs one, like it or not?
Unless there is a zombie apocalypse, count me out for ever joining the herd and having to own a gun because everyone else does. I won't live in that kind of world, and if the US comes down to that, with no zombies in sight? I'll be exporting myself and my family.
"I think it's the people who WANT to own guns that are the ones that probably shouldn't have them"
( I botched trying to quote whoever posted that....)
I'll be shocked if you don't get a lot of grief for this comment, but I have to say I feel the same way. Also, to the suggestion that there should be a way mental health professionals can restrict patients from getting guns following a diagnosis.... excellent suggestion, but the reality is that mental illness diagnosis often comes WAY TOO LATE in the process...as my bizarre story illustrates:
A few years ago my much-loved adult family member (successful, educated) shifted from undiagnosed bipolar disorder to a full-blown psychotic break. He called me from the other side of the country in a panic, manically rambling, ducking beneath windows in a relative's house, convinced that there were 52 people in cars chasing him down, seeing rodents spinning in his car wheels - weeks of full-blown hallucinations and paranoia and rage. Followed by a crippling depressive episode. His symptoms were about as severe as they get, and he was clearly a danger to himself and others. If you think you can just get an adult into psych eval and treatment against their will, guess again. Unbelievably, he could fake "normal enough" to police during the manic episode. Also unbelievably, after physically dragging him into psych ER during the depressive episode, he was given a shot of atavan and released (with the recommendation for voluntary follow up psych care). This was my first glimpse into mental health treatment and it was a real eye opener.
Sorry this is so long, but my point is that this man, in his 40s, had never felt he needed a gun UNTIL he had his psychotic break. And this very ill, paranoid and hallucinating man was able to get a gun within 1-2 DAYS. He never used it in the weeks he had it, thank god. By comparison, it took his siblings, adult kids, and a parent SIX MONTHS of trickery, pleading, dragging, police contact, phone calls with lawyers, psychiatrists, ER wards, psych hospitals to get him into psych eval, diagnosis, and eventually into treatment he has (so far) stayed with.
Gun-rights people will say this is a very rare and isolated occurrence. Even so, my takeaway is that in the US we need to find a way to make mental health services much more accessible, and guns much less accessible. Both things need to happen.
I think people should be prepared for natural disaters that are common to their region. Like people in California should be prepared for earthquakes and folks in Oklahoma prepared for tornadoes, Gulf Coast for hurricanes. Those are not end of days events and people should forecast to be without services for up to 2 weeks.
But, stockpiling a rack of AR-15s, thousands of rounds of ammo, booby-trapping your property from the walking dead is a bit on the insane side.
If a global extinction event occurs, such as a high angle asteroid hit or a mega-volcanic eruption that results in thousands of years of nuclear winter and 80% of all life on Earth is extinguished... i don't want to live through that. I do not want to live to see a world where all people are reduced to animals, murderers and monsters.
Hail, Hail!!!
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
I agree. I don't own a gun... i know of people who do, but, not many of them.
And... i don't live in fear. I am weary and cautious in certain situations... but, i do not live in fear.
Hail, Hail!!!
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I often wonder what people think the outcome is going to be when 'the government comes to get them'. I mean, if you start with the local police and somehow, defeat them... you will face the county Sheriffs Department. Let's say you succeed and kill them all, now you have to face the State Police... then, the Federal Authorities backed by the local National Guard, then the Army, Air Force and Marines and all of the technological Hell at their disposal.
At the Sheriffs level, you will need to defend your position from automatic weapons fire, helicopters and wheeled armored vehicles. Beyond that, you will face large bore tracked armored vehicles and armed aircraft. All they have to do is shut off you water and wait you out.
The fact is... if the government wants to get you... they will.
...
The truth is... the government does not want to get you. To them, you are nothing more than a pathetic little gnat that poses no real threat to their power. You are typically not worthy of their time and effort because you are not as important as you make yourself out to be.
Hail, Hail!!!
"...I changed by not changing at all..."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."