Gun Control

[DefenderAO]

Well there was an Old Testament and a New Testament, each loaded with inviolate truths handed down from God, but at the same time suggesting those truths had changed and evolved considerably. 

I believe they were there to show inadequacy, in principle, which was fulfilled through Jesus (perfect life, death, arose).  They were never meant to save and do zero for fixing us today. They were stated, yes, but no one could keep up with their burden and weight.  They were God's standard, and the Father met the standard through the Son.  

 

[funhusker]

Okay. It's now becoming clear that "Our Trans will kill your Christian children" was hatched by panicky rightwing think tank influencers and amplified by the likes of Donald Trump Jr. 

Might just win the False Equivalency sweepstakes. 

I'll admit that when I first heard the shooter was trans and a former student of the school, my first thought was the shooter probably went through a lot of trauma growing up because the school made her feel like less of a human.  But I never thought anyone "had it coming."

But if the school follows most Presbyterian beliefs, I'm guessing the shooter would have been supported wholly.  But it is the South...

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

I believe they were there to show inadequacy, in principle, which was fulfilled through Jesus (perfect life, death, arose).  They were never meant to save and do zero for fixing us today. They were stated, yes, but no one could keep up with their burden and weight.  They were God's standard, and the Father met the standard through the Son.  

None of which sets a consistent and unambiguous moral standard for a country that was founded on religious freedom. 

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

I'll admit that when I first heard the shooter was trans and a former student of the school, my first thought was the shooter probably went through a lot of trauma growing up because the school made her feel like less of a human.  But I never thought anyone "had it coming."

But if the school follows most Presbyterian beliefs, I'm guessing the shooter would have been supported wholly.  But it is the South...

The consistent thread is people who felt bullied and powerless and willing to die in a blaze of revenge. The vast majority were not trans.

 

[DefenderAO]

None of which sets a consistent and unambiguous moral standard for a country that was founded on religious freedom. 

Jesus' contention is He's that standard.  Focusing on the rules or laws is weightiness.  He says He offers freedom from those things.  

He's either a lunatic, a deceiver, or legitimate.  He can't be a special prophet and not one of the prior three.  He walked around saying He was God.  

Our free agency allows for choice on which one it is.

 

[DefenderAO]

I'll admit that when I first heard the shooter was trans and a former student of the school, my first thought was the shooter probably went through a lot of trauma growing up because the school made her feel like less of a human.  But I never thought anyone "had it coming."

But if the school follows most Presbyterian beliefs, I'm guessing the shooter would have been supported wholly.  But it is the South...

Can you clarify your last point?  Some might not follow...

 

[RedDenver]

If the goal is to tackle gun deaths, wouldn’t you want to start by tackling the greatest source of the issue?  Mass school shootings are abhorrent but represent an extremely small number of gun deaths in a given year.  Those deaths are terrible and solitons need to be looked for but mass shootings represent about 500 out of the 19,000 gun related  murders each year.  School shooting are a small portion of the 500.   And it’s very very hard to stop that type of motivated shooter outside of catching their mistake beforehand.
 

Saying you don’t want to make severe penalties to maybe help stop some of the 18,800 murders a year that aren’t school shootings because those shooters don’t care about deterrent penalties is not seeing the forest through the trees.  

Good points.

However, I consider some shootings as much higher priority to resolve, especially school shootings.

I'll also point out that literally all of these shootings can be addressed by getting rid of the guns.

 

[nic]

Are you really seeing comments that Christians had it coming? That's some really tortured logic. I've waded through a lot of liberal grief and anger and not seen anything close to that rationalization. Wondering if a couple stupid people made that argument and it got over-amplified by certain news sources desperate for the distraction. 

Hate breeds hate comments. Must not have prayed hard enough. Not direct statements that they had it coming, but suggestions their actions/beliefs helped lead to the attack. Also recent legislation. One example below. 

 

[Decoy73]

Super interesting article, poll of 400 AR owners.  Some confirmation for me, and lots of more interesting info (for me) on race, education level, military past etc.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2023/american-ar-15-gun-owners/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f001

This tells me that fear mongering works.  And the gun companies know and profit from it.  I wonder how many of those owners have ever had to fire it in defense of their homes or families.  I’d guess 0.0%

 

[BigRedBuster]

This tells me that fear mongering works.  And the gun companies know and profit from it.  I wonder how many of those owners have ever had to fire it in defense of their homes or families.  I’d guess 0.0%

Yes..yes...yes.

The gun industry, gun lobby and gun culture in this country has promoted, for decades, this idiotic belief that you and everyone around you is soooo much safer if you go out and buy the most military like gun you can find.  You then have the power.  

This is a symptom of a very serious sickness in our culture.

 

[DefenderAO]

This tells me that fear mongering works.  And the gun companies know and profit from it.  I wonder how many of those owners have ever had to fire it in defense of their homes or families.  I’d guess 0.0%

The latest mass shooter was dropped by an AR-15.  The good guys were able to end it quickly.  A pistol would not do that; more difficult at range with greatly reduced stopping power.

Sadly, when seconds matter the police are minutes away.

If we could Thanos-snap AR's away, who still keeps them?  Police and .mil only?  With no snap and hard confiscation attempts, would the criminals abide or care?  

 

[Decoy73]

The latest mass shooter was dropped by an AR-15.  The good guys were able to end it quickly.  A pistol would not do that; more difficult at range with greatly reduced stopping power.

Sadly, when seconds matter the police are minutes away.

If we could Thanos-snap AR's away, who still keeps them?  Police and .mil only?  With no snap and hard confiscation attempts, would the criminals abide or care?  

So because the police are minutes away, the teachers should be prepared to whip out a AR to defend their students?   What are you getting at?  
 

Nobody here is opposed to police and military using them and confiscation isn’t happening.  There’s too many out there and it would be too messy.  Ban future sales or at least make it not so damn easy to get one.  Is that really asking too much?

 

[TGHusker]

That's great. You're against the American gun cult, as are all right-minded Americans.

Can we get a pledge from you to vote against NRA-backed candidates, to defend our children from these gun nutters?

Here is my email to my congressional rep and both senators - I will also make a phone call follow-up to their offices

I've been a registered republican since 1976.     We both share a commitment to our Christian faith and the pro-life movement.  With that said, I'm at a loss on how the GOP can be pro-life in regards to abortion and pro-death when it comes to gun control.     I could not vote for a Dem who stood for radical abortion rights. But now we have this other life issue.  How can I vote for another GOP candidate if the party refuses to denounce it's blind & radical loyalty to the NRA and refuses to ban assault type weapons - which are killing children across the land. You cannot be pro-life and hide behind the 2nd amendment and support the NRA's incorrect interpretation of the 2nd amendment that would allow for 'weapons of mass destruction'.  You cannot be pro-life part way - I beg you to lead! I was raised a hunter.  I don't want recreational guns or guns for self protection banned - just those that have no value other than killing many people quickly.  I cannot vote for a GOP candidate who bows to the NRA in this pro-life issue.  Please be consistent in your pro-life views.  Please work to ban assault type guns.
Thank-you. 

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Jesus' contention is He's that standard.  Focusing on the rules or laws is weightiness.  He says He offers freedom from those things.  

He's either a lunatic, a deceiver, or legitimate.  He can't be a special prophet and not one of the prior three.  He walked around saying He was God.  

Our free agency allows for choice on which one it is.

Well that's moral relativism for you. 

 

[DefenderAO]

So because the police are minutes away, the teachers should be prepared to whip out a AR to defend their students?   What are you getting at?  
 

Nobody here is opposed to police and military using them and confiscation isn’t happening.  There’s too many out there and it would be too messy.  Ban future sales or at least make it not so damn easy to get one.  Is that really asking too much?

I'm not against educating, training, and arming procedures.  But then we're just one psycho teacher away from that being a nightmare.

What's a policy that doesn't punish the law-abiding who will never do anything harmful (roughly 13.5 trillion chances to happen this CY and 13.499999 trillion times it did not) and keep them out of the hands of people who a. don't follow laws and b. have sociopathic tendencies?