Last week's tragic shooting in Colorado has turned America's focus to gun control.
The gunman, 24-year-old James Holmes, was armed with a military-style semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, a pistol, and gas canisters. Officials say he bought four guns in four different gun shops over the last 60 days, as well as 6,000 rounds of ammunition.
Some, including New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, are now questioning the ease with which people like Holmes can buy guns.
"Soothing words are nice, but maybe it's time that the two people who want to be president of the United States stand up and tell us what they are going to do about it," he told a radio station on Friday. "I don't think there's any other developed country in the world that has remotely the problem we have. We have more guns than people in this country."
This week, we're asking our political bloggers what they think about America's gun control laws. And we'd like to hear from you, too.
Despite public calls for tighter gun laws, experts say the Colorado tragedy is unlikely to change anything. Further, a large number of Americans approve of the current gun laws.
According to a Gallup poll, in 2010 only 44 percent of Americans favored making gun control laws "more strict." That's down from 78 percent in 1990.
Those who oppose tighter laws cite cases of mass shootings in Europe, where gun control laws are far more strict. They say that's evidence that tighter laws won't keep tragedies from happening.
But an incident like the one in Colorado will always open the gun control debate once again. Heath Ledger's father spoke out publicly on the matter. "The guy's obviously a nut case," he told Australia's Herald Sun, referring to the gunman in Colorado. "He has obviously lost it. I think what America should be doing is restricting the availability of ammunition or revisiting their gun laws -- that's what they should be doing.''
Here's what our political bloggers have to say:
Colorado Shooting Is No Excuse for Gun Control
Image via ASurbeck/Flickr
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Comments 22
Criminals dont follow laws, so any gun laws will only affect those of us who do (obviously). I do not think more laws is really the answer to anything. It seems in this case, and others, there were warning signs that the perp was not mentally stable. Maybe what our country needs is better mental health care, not stricter gun laws. As long as weapons exist, they will be used. Innocent people have to right to protect themself.
One thing I MAY support, is not letting anyone obtain arsenals of weapons legally, because chances are those people who do are doing straw purchases (selling them to criminals who cant buy them), or, feel they need that many for a reason (you dont need 12 assault rifles for protection).
Regardless of how strict gun laws are, there will be people with guns & criminals will continue to obtain them illegally. I took a class that covered safety & gun handling & my concealed weapon permits definitely makes me feel safer knowing that if some lunatic starts shooting, or breaks into my home or tries to harm me or my family, I am trained to defend myself. I support the 2nd Amendment & as I said, stricter laws WILL NOT change or stop determined criminals or crazy people.
If people who would like to carry a gun for protection been allowed to do so, the shooter could have been stopped. Or, more likely, knowing this, would not have attempted it in the first place.
"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." ~ U.S. Constitution, 2nd Amendment.
This amendment was put in place, not so people could hunt or target-shoot, but so they could defend themselves. Particularly against a tyrannical government. The Founding Fathers realized that one of the first steps to a dictatorship is to remove the ability of the People to defend themselves. I am NOT saying that we are at that point, or that we ever WILL be at that point. What I AM saying is that it is clearly stated in the founding documents of this country that guns will NOT be banned.
Further, as others have stated - you are never going to stop the lunatics from getting the guns. There will always be an 'underground'. Reference the Prohibition Era. Banned all the alcohol? HUGE business pops up with Speakeasies. Reference Chicago: Ban the guns? HUGE murder rate among gangs - including plenty of gun killings.
Oh wait, that's not reality...
From what I understand, the gun control movement isn't really gaining any support after this horrific incident. Legal gun owners who follow the law didn't cause this person to go insane and do this. It's like NCAA punishing the players of PSU for what their leaders failed to do. It's ridiculous. You don't punish those who are not responsible.
People who treat guns with respect, use them for hunting and protection should not be limited because there are criminals in this world who use guns in a violent manor. Restricting guns will only affect law abiding citizens, NOT the criminal who get them illegally already. What we need to do is restric the corrupt gun stores who sell to people regardless of whether or not they have a permit.
You know, I heard a stand-up comic (can't remember who now) once say that the best way to cut down on gun-related crimes is to jack up the price of AMMO. I think he said to charge $1000 per bullet, which is a little ridiculous I think, but even just 5 or $10 a bullet would make people stop and think before letting fly a barrage of bullets. Let's face it, those guns are USELESS without ammo, unless you want to use it as a blunt instrument.
As always, my belief is that if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. I don't think the answer is stricter gun control laws, what we need is harsher PUNISHMENT. If people know that their actions WILL send them to prison, maybe they'll think twice before they commit these heinous crimes. But criminals know that FIRST they have to get caught, THEN they get to plea their case to a judge and jury and even IF they are found guilty, they have numerous opportunities to appeal the decision. On top of that, prison is no real punishment in this country. They are given a place to live and 3 meals a day, with free health care and schooling opportunities. Hell, I have heard of people committing crimes just so they can have that free health care because they were diagnosed with cancer or some other expensive-to-treat illness. It's ridiculous and we need to go back to the days when criminals were treated like criminals and stop treating them like little misunderstood children!