White House gun control petition tops 100k

[Glenn E. Meyer]

The petition isn't really needed by the antis. The usual proposers of such legislation have announced that they will submit the bills again. All over the news. As they did before.

Would any sitting president sign it (let's not get political) - if it suits them - sure. What else is new? To get to the Pres., the progun forces would have to cave.

Have to go now. Everyone be good!

GEM

 

[mrbatchelor]

There are also petitions to build a Death Star.

It seems that Sheik Abdul Hussein beat us to it.

See the bottom of the page here: http://www.thegeektwins.com/2010/07/10-best-life-size-star-wars-replicas.html#.UM4V0azC3Io




Now, as has been pointed out, the petition actually forms a mechanism to "give the populace a voice in the governance" that is supposed to be the role of the House of Representatives. What we're seeing is that the House is so utterly disconnected from the electorate that the Executive can appeal directly to the masses.

 

[jeepstrapped]

If you are that worried about it, start a petition to improve mental health care including screenings and treatment.

 

[mrbatchelor]

If you are that worried about it, start a petition to improve mental health care including screenings and treatment.

This actually makes sense.

 

[Sparks1957]

This actually makes sense

... which increases the probability of it not happening.

 

[mrbatchelor]

... but banks still have armed guards and tight security. If we can post armed guards to protect pieces of paper we say have value, then we can post armed guards to protect our children.

When was the last time anyone was in a bank that had a real armed guard at the door? Perhaps in major metropolitan areas, but certainly not in smaller areas.

The bags of money have an exploding dye pack in them, and the tellers just hand them over no questions asked. Nobody shoots it out.

I was actually inside a NationsBank in San Francisco several years ago that was robbed while I was in an account manager's office. All he did was look at his phone, say excuse me, get up and close the office door, then ask me to sit and wait while he made a call. He was on the phone listening intently for several minutes saying yes, no, yes, yes, no, and never giving me any indication what was happening. (Other than obviously something was very wrong.)

After a few minutes he apologized, opened the door, explained the bank had just been robbed, and he had kept me there for safety. Standard policy.

Steal a million dollars in paper money from a bank and the treasury replaces it to the bank. Steal one life in a shoot out and no one replaces it, ever.

Yes, we need answers. We need policies. We need solutions. But the bank analogy fails.

We need better access to mental health resources in this country. And quite honestly, as one married to a mental health provider, I know that we need to modify the way people get "tagged for life" with mental issues. Grief counseling because your sister or brother who was estranged from the family took their own life can get the wrong check box on your medical insurance and you'll get blocked from gun ownership. My wife is very careful about what she does and doesn't record in a medical chart. You have to put enough to get the insurer to pay, but you do not want to put so much that inaccurate BS follows the patient around for decades.

The system is broken. So, as above, start the petition for better mental health services.

MB

 

[mayosligo]

I have seen talks of an Executive Order to ban assault weapons and create other new or revisited gun restrictions. How do we think this would work out? POTUS has done this before.

 

[bfskinnerpunk]

The demographics in the USA is changing. This isn't the 70's, 80's, or even the 90's demographics anymore. It's a whole new crowd and mentality.

In addition, the "makers" are now outnumbered by the "takers" and we saw that in this election. We have an emotional, infantilized citizenry, now. Big government loves that kinda crowd.

The members of forums like this are very different than most. I believe that you folks fail to appreciate the willingness of the modern American to A) give up their freedoms and B) demand entitlements just for breathing the air, here.

There is very little, in my opinion, to prevent our government from creating strong controls on firearms. I just don't see any resistance on the part of the public.

Titillating tragedies that are hyped even further by the media create the illusion that our kids are in danger nationwide to rampant shootings.

sigh

 

[Jack_Bauer24]

+1 to Nate45

That is the only way, anything less and it will happen again.

 

[Dr Big Bird PhD]

Armed guards are part of a business model based on profit. Since schools are not profit based, funding comes from taxpayers who are not and have never been willing to pay the price for such things.
Many schools border on bankruptcy already. Armed guards are not a viable option

I find it interesting that you can make this perceptive analysis yet ignore the overall implications of "non-profit" and "government controlled business".

Why does no one ask the question, why are we in a deficit crisis? Why does America churn out such uneducated children? Why is there a shift in youth feelings toward government intervention in our society? Why is there a misconception that the only proper self-defense is to make the tools used in assaults illegal rather than learning to fight for yourself on even grounds? Why is there so much ignorance on firearms? Why is our country slowly deteriorating into democratic socialism rather than a Republic of capitalism?

It's the same answer as to why gun free zones exists. The same reason why our financial sector is riddled with sub-prime spending. It is the same reason why President Barack Obama has been re-elected.

I agree with democrats, and bureaucrats. No gun, other than military and LE personnel, should ever be present on government run property. However, government run property should be entirely restricted to that which government functions on. Legislation, courts, cabinets, etc. The government has blinded everyone with this altruistic notion of good will. That people have a right to a certain market product. They tell you that healthcare is a right, that education is a right, that there should be no profit in such markets. They believe one the largest fallacies of the resultant mass spread of Keynesian economics. That something can exist without a profit motive. That a profit motive is in fact an aspect of sadism on society, leaching wealth off others by selling products at a premium rather than by need. They will tell you that you don't need guns, like you don't need extreme wealth, or a gas-guzzler. The greatest need comes first.

And then people wonder why those markets experience inflation and bankruptcy first. They wonder why their children come home from school and go to occupy protests, proclaim a tool is inherently evil, and want a classist society where the rich are burdened with blame, the poor receive aid, and congress will save us from ourselves. Then we, the Americans of the 2nd Amendment, are so confused when our god-given, constitutionally recognized rights are infringed.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I find it interesting that you can make this perceptive analysis yet ignore the overall implications of "non-profit" and "government controlled business".

You could say that I ignore the over-all implications because they are not on-topic for our forum.

Hint.

 

[Gary L. Griffiths]

Armed guards are not a viable option.

But having weapons and armor in strategically located lockers around the campus is. Properly trained volunteer teachers and staff would have keys and be able to quickly respond to a threat. The cost would be minimal -- only the price of the weapon, body armor, locker, and training.

 

[BGutzman]

The problem is most people are ignorant of guns... Oh my goodness most people just about load britches at the word "gun" said by a stranger. Enough people aren't growning up with shooting and gun safety as part of their childhood.

I have heard several people including a major network reporter say point blank that the 2A was a 300 year old amendment that has no place in todays society. Funny it seems to be applied to some other amendments as it fits there needs also..

I see a society that condones things, I wont touch on, except to say they go against all the traditions and values I was taught and grew up with. I don't know where it all ends, and I cant debate it here, but to say it all has an effect. Average people are taught guns are "Always" a threat, never good and never used by trustworthy people... Complete crap..

The media couldn't be less gun friendly and all of it has an effect... I worry for the day when we are all disarmed and sheeple is all we are... My signature block says what I believe... Freedom was killed by ignorance...

Normal / Traditional is being framed as extreme and prejudicial and things that were once fringe are though of as main stream and proper... This applies to many, many things..

 

[KMAX]

I see a society that condones things, I wont touch on, except to say they go against all the traditions and values I was taught and grew up with. I don't know where it all ends, and I cant debate it here, but to say it all has an effect. Average people are taught guns are "Always" a threat, never good and never used by trustworthy people... Complete crap..
Normal / Traditional is being framed as extreme and prejudicial and things that were once fringe are though of as main stream and proper... This applies to many, many things..

Much is condoned and much is excused or blame/responsibility is shifted. No real need to touch on specifics.

 

[Tom Servo]

I don't think it's wise to pretend over 100,000 people are something to ignore though either.

Give me 1,000 people with the knowledge to use anonymous proxies and IP spoofing, and I can get more "signatures" on a petition than that. These aren't an accurate indicator of public opinion, and I truly doubt anyone in the administration is actually taking the time to read them.

I have seen talks of an Executive Order to ban assault weapons and create other new or revisited gun restrictions.

It hasn't been done via EO before because EO's can't be used to enact legislation. That's outside the Executive Branch's powers. EO's exist to clarify and modify enforcement of existing laws.

If this sort of thing were tried, the Supreme Court would pounce on it like starving hyenas.

 

[motorhead0922]

Actually, the armed guards in school would be free. There are untold numbers of teachers, principals, custodians, etc who would carry at school if allowed. A good friend who teaches and has had his CCW for decades recently petitioned his superintendent for permission, and was denied. The super gave him the usual fantasy that they have procedures in place, blah, blah, blah. As we just saw, procedures do nothing when the criminal is determined. The teacher in the classroom is the last line of defense, and all they can bring to a gunfight is their unprotected bodies.

 

[mayosligo]

Thanks for clarification on the EO Tom.

 

[44 AMP]

Thanks to the information age, everyone can express their views with the touch of a button or three. Nothing requiring much effort, such as actually writing a letter and mailing it.

100,000 people pushing a button to say "add me to the petition" on their cell phone (and likely a huge percentage of them under voting age) is an indicator,but not a strong one.

Those in power know this, and while they will be all to happy to trot out their usual demands, or even increase them, even they know that instant passage of the legislation is not good governance, it is bowing to mob rule.

There will be much outcry, people will demand "something" be done. But what can be done and what should be done are two vastly different things.

 

[teeroux]

Armed guards are part of a business model based on profit. Since schools are not profit based, funding comes from taxpayers who are not and have never been willing to pay the price for such things.
Many schools border on bankruptcy already. Armed guards are not a viable option.

My hometown school has 450-ish kids, K-12. Two buildings. Two armed guards, full time, plus part-time coverage, say 4 total, conservatively. Average salary of say 25k. That's $100,000. The entire population is only a couple thousand people. You'd be asking them to pay $500/person. A family of 4 would be paying $2,000 a year. No way that's happening.

We do that very thing here. Its the whole parish not single towns the budget is divided in. Every township/city has the same coverage. Unfortunately its only middle and high schools. Maybe a few more mills on the tax renewal and we can budget some of our Deputies in every school. The program started with a Federal Grant and when the money ran out the School board and Sheriff's office worked together to budget it in. We have 28 Deputies assigned as school resourse officers full time.

 

[jason_iowa]

Obama is not interested in taking guns. The NRA is as bad as the anti gun establishment neither one is helping our gun rights. You should believe the crap the NRA says about as much as the anti's do. We have the Constitution on our side. We have a population in both parties both as citizens and politicians that are not going to support this.

As far as most of you are concerned I'm the worst kind of godless liberal and I am. I also spent more then my fair share of time here and around the world defending ALL of the Constitution not just the bits and pieces that I like and believe me there are parts I would like to cut out just like anyone else but that's not the way it works. Calm is what we need. Reactionary behavior is for the fringe not sound minded, intelligent people with a strong case.

Let the anti's be reactionary. Let them wear themselves out. Let them look heartless for using this tragedy for a cause. Don't be like them. Our cause is to important and to just. I believe we all support anti violence so lets guide the discussion where it needs to go. Stop the violence. Tools don't create, commit, cause or condone violent acts. Violence here and around the world is caused mostly by inequality. When people don't feel safe and secure they act out. We watch it happen around the world on a daily basis. Fix that and it solves 99% of the violence in the world.