Angry parents push for gun control

[strickj]

Welp we all knew it was coming after the NIU shooting.Yup thats right,we need more gun laws:rolleyes:

from the story:

A group of NIU students' parents met Saturday at Oakton Community College in <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = RUNTIME /><RUNTIME:TOPIC id=PLGEO1001005011260000>Skokie</RUNTIME:TOPIC> to push for stricter gun control laws.

"These guns are not for self-defense. They're for mayhem," said Connie Catellani, a Skokie mother whose son is a senior at NIU.

Jennifer Bishop, a leader for a national program director for victims' families, also spoke.

"We are outraged because this doesn't have to happen," Bishop said

whole story here: http://wgntv.trb.com/news/chi-niu-parents-gun-control-080216,0,4231209.story

Now it has been said that this guy did not meet a "psycho profile" so we all know that more gun laws would not have stoped him.

I saw this story on chattanooga fox news last night with a video that had the views of both sides(to my surprise:eek:)They featured an interview with NRA stating our views,but I can not find that video so deal with it.

[Guest canynracer]

They are just mad cause they live in a town named "Skokie"

like what the hell kinda name is that???

[Mike.357]

hell kinda name is that???

Skokie is the Indian word for marsh

[Guest canynracer]

ok, then they are just mad cause they live in a marsh

[Guest 270win]

People who want to blame a gun for a murder are doing the same thing that folks who blame liquor for a DWI accident. Who made the choice to drink too much, be intoxicated, and drive? Who made the choice to pick up the firearm and use it for evil purpose? The person made the choice not the objects. Should we ban alcohol because people misuse it? Of course not the same as guns. We punish DWI offenders the same as those who cause problems with guns are punished. My firearms are not used for evil so why should i be punished due to the actions of a nutjob in Illinois? I should be able to protect myself EVERYWHERE i go from those kinds of people.

[molonlabetn]

Few people make rational decisions when they are angry. These folks have every justification to be angry... but that doesn't make them right.

[Guest CrazyLincoln]

Ok, from the video, they claim 3 things would have prevented this:

1. Univeral background checks - Uhh, dude passed background checks

2. Legislation to control the illegal trafficking of guns - All the guns were purchased legally

3. Ban high capacity magazines (yes, they actually said magazines) - However, since he had multiple weapons, this is not so much a factor.

Actually, he didn't even use "assault weapons".

I guess ignorance is bliss...

[Guest newsphotog]

Few people make rational decisions when they are angry. These folks have every justification to be angry... but that doesn't make them right.

+1, well said.

The debate is raging here in Memphis as well after the school shooting last week.

[Guest Len]

Its good for the debate to rage. Once the facts get out:

1) He passed a background check and had an IL handgun ID card

2) He purchased the firearms legally

3) He did not use "assault" or "assault-style" weapons (has everyone noticed the media's use of the term "assault-style" recently)

4) He was never adjudicated mentally incompetent

The only reasonable conclusion has to be, that unless this country were to completely outlaw private ownership of all firearms and then go about collecting the tens of millions of firearms now in private hands, that tragic events such as this will continue to happen regardless of gun laws.

What I'd like to see is a debate about why people in this society seem to turn to events such as this. What was wrong with this guy and what can we do to prevent/predict/help these folks in the future? I mean, we seem to live in a culture where more and more people are having feelings of complete alienation or depression, mental illness rates are growing ever higher as are mental disability rates (the % of autistic children in my county's school system has gone from less than .5% to close to 3% in a decade -why is that?)

As long as we are a "sick society," this stuff is going to happen, guns or not. Seems to me is we should look at the underlying causes rather than applying a slap-dash band-aid that will do nothing except change the implement of death from gun to knife or IED or whatever.

[Guest cap4004]

Its good for the debate to rage. Once the facts get out:

The facts are a minor inconvienience to the AG crowd.

He passed a background check and had an IL handgun ID card

I'm afraid this sounds like AG ammo.

He did not use "assault" or "assault-style" weapons (has everyone noticed the media's use of the term "assault-style" recently)

What does "assault-style weapon" even mean?

The only reasonable conclusion has to be, that unless this country were to completely outlaw private ownership of all firearms and then go about collecting the tens of millions of firearms now in private hands, that tragic events such as this will continue to happen regardless of gun laws.

Not sure it's reasonable, but that is their conclusion - they are just looking for the facts to support it.

(the % of autistic children in my county's school system has gone from less than .5% to close to 3% in a decade -why is that?)

(off-topic...)The diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders has become much more relaxed in recent years. I'm sure that accounts for most of the difference. What once would have been diagnosed as hyperactive:eek:, shy:blush:, etc. is now being linked to autism.

[saintsfanbrian]

Don't for get ADHD. What used to be just a normal hyper child now is placed on Ritalin.

[Guest HexHead]

Few people make rational decisions when they are angry. These folks have every justification to be angry... but that doesn't make them right.

I disagree. They aren't justified in their anger. They are the voters that keep electing politicos that make their entire state into a killing field. It happened a few weeks ago at a mall there and will happen again. By preventing law abiding citizens there from having the means to protect themselves against this type of thing happening over and over, the victims blood is on their hands. They are the people that need to be held accountable.

[Guest SUNTZU]

They are just mad cause they live in a town named "Skokie"

like what the hell kinda name is that???

Skokie is the Indian word for marsh

ok, then they are just mad cause they live in a marsh

[Mike.357]

marsh

off topic really but the entire Chicagoland area was a marsh at one time. There is still a lot of marshland and lakes there. Probaly why there was a large Indian population way back when. Aside from crappy gun laws the area is not a bad place to live. A little over populated I think, and that is why we took our oppurtunity to leave. But there is no shortage of things to do there.

[Guest Len]

Still off topic. Yeah, I agree. I have friends in the area and business as well, so I have been to Chicagoland many times and always enjoy it. Very congested, but the CTA trains go everywhere for not much $. I do miss mass transit options living here.

off topic really but the entire Chicagoland area was a marsh at one time. There is still a lot of marshland and lakes there. Probaly why there was a large Indian population way back when. Aside from crappy gun laws the area is not a bad place to live. A little over populated I think, and that is why we took our oppurtunity to leave. But there is no shortage of things to do there.

[The Rabbi]

Peoria means land of the fat pigs. Manhattan means the place where we all got drunk.

OT: People whose kids have been shot to death have every right and reason to be angry and distressed.

But in times like that politicians have a responsibility to govern appropriately and avoid demagoging the issue by proposing new legislation that will supposedly "fix" the problem, whatever that is.

[Guest jackdog]

I Agree that these folks have every right to be angry. But demanding tougher gun laws seems just about stupid to me. After what happened in Tinley park a couple of weeks prior and now this. These folks need to be looking a different direction. H*$L maybe Illinois has become the shepple capital of America.

[Mike.357]

King Richard is proposing new tougher laws on semi auto assault weapons and .50 cal rifles.

Now riddle me this. How many killings in Chicago were committed with semi auto assault rifles and .50 cal weapons?

Why doesn't anyone call him out on this? I would love to see him shouted down when he starts making a speech using this retoric.

Edited February 20, 2008 by Mike.357

[Guest jackdog]

King Richard is a total AZZ

[Guest CrazyLincoln]

These law proposals make as much sense as outlawing 'insanity'. This kid was obviously messed up. Until we look at the root problem and treat it, we will have this problem. Laws won't solve this problem.

Did anyone notice this kid stopped taking his meds? Don't get me wrong, there are lots of mental related drugs do good for some people, but stop throwing drugs at the problem.

I think the health care communities should take a long look at the issue. If legislators really want to pass a law that bad, pass one that says medication cannot be given unless counseling has no effect.

No disrespect to those in the healthcare business, but I'm sick of this "throw a pill at it" culture. I have friends on 15 pills that go nuts when they don't take them, and I'm helping them more with behavioral changes than pills ever did. Granted their cases are mild, but many cases could be solved by someone who's willing to sit and listen.

Compare how many people are medicated for every little thing compared to 30 years ago. Thats why this is a modern problem. People had guns for 2 centuries without this problem. New guns laws won't solve it.

[DaveTN]

Few people make rational decisions when they are angry. These folks have every justification to be angry... but that doesn't make them right.

Absolutely. I don’t know what it is like to lose a child to violence and I pray to God I never find out. These people are devastated and grasping at straws; they want to do “somethingâ€.

<O:p</O:p

But making sure that a shooter has a target rich environment that is unarmed just doesn’t make sense to me at the very basic levels of common sense.

<O:p</O:p

We have been “fighting the war on drugs†for how many years and how many billions of dollars now? Drugs are illegal but I’m sure we would all know the general vicinity in our towns to go buy a bunch of crack.

[strickj]

but I’m sure we would all know the general vicinity in our towns to go buy a bunch of crack.

Thats true,but drugs are not in just those places.That part of town is where there sold.The house next door to you uses,while crack is made in the out skirts.Drugs are everywhere!<!-- / message -->