Obama and guns in the usa.

[BTO_farmall]

******s Pullin Triggers, Who Cares, Let em', Easier on The Tax Payer. Me, Ya Know I'm Always Strapped, Ya ain't Gotta Check, SAFETY ALWAYS OFF!!!!!!!!! Redneck Till The Day I Die, And Long Live em'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[newguy]

Freewheat.. do not know a Walmart that sells rifles in Canada. Or a machinery dealer that advertises a free gun when you buy a combine?? It is very easy to see the thinking towards guns in the states is differant than the average Canadian.

[ASRG]

I view a gun as nothing more than another tool that I need at times. If I have to put an animal down I sure don't intend to club it to death!
I don't hunt or enjoy it. I keep the guns I have locked up in a gun cabinet unless I'm using it. I have no problem with registering the guns I have.
The fact is some people shouldn't be allowed to have a gun....just like some shouldn't be allowed to drive!

[chuckChuck]

Oneoff. After all your posts you have basically said nothing about the issue of gun violence in the US. I agree that Canada has lots of corruption at various levels of government and within business. You only have to look at what is coming to light in Quebec and also in Toronto in regards to organized crime and the construction industry. Canadians should not be overly smug and proud as we have lots to fix in this country too. And I agree the US has been very successful in some ways. However they have also have a history of describing themselves as the greatest nation on earth. While they may be the most powerfull country economically or militarily that does not equal the greatest in my opinion.

It is pretty much a given that of course everyone has their biases and reinforces their own point of view with supporting facts. There is not much need to point that out, as most adults understand this. However if your going to engage in discussing issues of the day, in which case the issue is guns in the US, then it would be more interesting if you actually discussed the issue by presenting some arguments other than commenting that some posters are biased or that Canadian shouldn't have opinions about US problems.

I will give you several reasons why this is a problem that should concern Canadians. Since we are close neighbors with the US many of their policies impact our country directly. Much of our popular "culture" is from the US and has an impact on our society. Celebrating or glamorizing gun violence through movies, music, and video games undoubtledly has some impact on the minds of young people here in Canada. Some Canadians have a very American view of guns and think our gun laws are too restrictive.

I would like to know whether you think American gun laws are good or bad? What about Canadian gun laws? Would be better of with more restrictive gun laws or less restrictive gun laws? Do you think we should be concerned about the American cultural view of violence?

[oneoff]

The American right (and many think their duty) to bear arms is a part of the foundations of their country. Those that possess "guns" may have several present or future uses in mind. (eg. recreational, hunting; utilitarian; personal protection and defence of country and personal freedom).
The right to acquire even more guns will not be changed in the USA (in my opinion) and even if it were; there are such stores of every imaginable weapon and ammunition in that country; that the present supply will be adequate for some lifetimes.

To attempt to regulate or restrict their possession has only contributed to stocking up and hoarding an even larger arsenel. From the action and interest at WalMart gun departments; I would suggest that there is only an even greater current interest in firearm aquisition.

Are baseball bats, knives, pipe wrenches and any articles that can be held in one's hands to be prohibited in due time; because of the possibility of improper use.

And what about the electronic devices such as lasers; high voltage contraptions and various aerosols and sprays that might be used as a part of violent acts.

There are necessary and legitimate uses for all these items. To take away anyone's Constitutional right to possess every gun they ever saw in their lives will cause more deaths than if they/we rely on responsible use of the tools mankind has developed over the years.

Give up the crusade. Guns are an integal part of an average United States citizens' life. And they might very well ask what business any Canadian has to attempt to interfere with their lives.

Stripping away someone else rights is a lot like attempting to bring everyone down to a common level. There may very well be some personal liberties that gun control activists could have imposed upon themselves.

[agstar77]

The actual ammendment calls for a government militia to bear arms not joe public. The NRA has conveniently omitted that part. Another part of the Hysteria around guns in the U.S.

[Hopperbin]

To samhil's comment

tman - I'm curious as to why you think the wrong shirt
size at JC Penny might cause an angry reaction. To Samhill the guy has a machine gun strapped to his back at a JC Penney store. Comprendey?? I can see if someone has some one that does not like them gotta protect oneselve lol. But a machine gun will cause a lot of collateral. One cannot actually carry one in a JC Penney store can they?

[tman]

samhill, I was being a little facetious with that shirt size comment. Seriously, it can take so very little to set someone off because they're having a bad day, a bad year or bad life. I've had the great misfortune to meet and know many people who are complete assholes to fellow human beings because they're 60 year old spoiled brats or they have issues of abuse from their childhood that they haven't dealt with. Just ask anyone who works/worked in the service industry such as a waitress about those type of people.

Now give those same people guns and that waitress better not make any mistakes with their food/drink order. And be sure not to cut anyone off in traffic or road rage turns into homicide...experienced gun owners or not.

It doesn't matter when someone gets introduced to a gun. If they have had the proper childhood and are taught responsibility at an early age, they will be responsible with a gun whether their first hunt is at age 9 or 35.

[chuckChuck]

Oneoff How many mass murders on the scale of Newtown have you seen committed with a pipe wrench or a baseball bat? If all these other weapons are so effective as machine guns and assault rifles then the military would still be using bayonets and horses.

You also underestimate the ability of cultural change. Slavery was once an integral part of American culture. Blacks were once segregated from whites in schools and on buses. While racism still exists in the USA there has been a profound cultural change.

Who knows how this will play out. But societies do change and it usually starts from the citizens themselves and then the politicians catch up.

Ask your self this question. If I need guns to defend my family and property is that a good place to live? Excessive violence and lack of security in society is a sign of serious problems.

As the American empire slowly declines I think the risk of social unrest increases. And this will impact Canadians.

[oneoff]

Is it totally OK if only one person (or maybe a couple at most) gets killed in a violent incident?

You're concentrating on the magnitude and modus operandi.

That isn't the most important consideraation at all. People ignorantly think that all access to guns can be regulated. Will they then "be safe" or just "feel safe".

And your disagreement is with US gun ownners; not me. If you were to have a dialogue with US gun owners in the USA; you would not be greeted as pleasantly as the conversations on this forum.