If you have not already heard......another sad individual.

[Sojourner]

i dont understand it. americans claim that they keep guns in their households as a form of protection because the crime rate over there is so high.


well sorry, but their crime rate wouldnt be so f**king high if they had tougher laws to obtain guns in the first place.

Americans get particurly aggressive when this subject is ever mentioned, the thought of percieved freedom being taken away drives them nuts. Simply having breath testing has been the subject of many privacy lawsuits which are often supported by the public under the freedom idea, yet how much freedom someone has quadraplegic because they were hit by a drunk driver on the way home from work well who really knows.

What is the big problem with having to have a license? Police should know what is out there, and that license should be rescinded for criminal activity or violent mental problems. Yet nothing like this will be happening any time soon.

The sad part about it is the parents of Colombine High who get literal abuse thrown at them continually for promoting gun laws, how can a situation ever improve with so much vitroil being thrown around?

[matt]

Oh dear.


Virginia state gun laws. Frequently asked questions:

Is a permit required to purchase rifles, handguns and shotguns? No.

Is registration required for rifles, handguns and shotguns? No.

Is licensing required for the owners of rifles, handguns and shotguns? No.

Do you need a permit to carry rifles and shotguns? No.

Is a permit required to carry a handgun? A permit is required only if the
weapon is concealed.

Is there a one-handgun-per-month limit on gun sales? Yes


Are there limitations on assault weapons and magazines? No


May police limit the carrying of concealed handguns? No

Must child-safe locking devices be sold with guns? No

Are background checks required at gun shows? No

Are minors restricted from possessing guns? In part

Is a licence/permit required to buy handguns? No

Are all guns registered with law enforcement? No

Is safety training required for handgun buyers? No

Is it illegal for holders of concealed-weapon permits to carry guns into
schools? Yes

[smac]

Oh dear.


Virginia state gun laws. Frequently asked questions:

Is a permit required to purchase rifles, handguns and shotguns? No.

Is registration required for rifles, handguns and shotguns? No.

Is licensing required for the owners of rifles, handguns and shotguns? No.

Do you need a permit to carry rifles and shotguns? No.

Is a permit required to carry a handgun? A permit is required only if the
weapon is concealed.

Is there a one-handgun-per-month limit on gun sales? Yes


Are there limitations on assault weapons and magazines? No


May police limit the carrying of concealed handguns? No

Must child-safe locking devices be sold with guns? No

Are background checks required at gun shows? No

Are minors restricted from possessing guns? In part

Is a licence/permit required to buy handguns? No

Are all guns registered with law enforcement? No

Is safety training required for handgun buyers? No

Is it illegal for holders of concealed-weapon permits to carry guns into
schools? Yes

Yep, oh dear. That's bloody disgraceful - did they expect the last one to protect anyone after the first lot?

[matt]

Is there a one-handgun-per-month limit on gun sales? Yes

wtf?
remarkable yet unsurprising.

[Mr66]

This will keep happening as long as all aspects of US society keeps using violence
as a method of solving problems.
I say all aspects because this behaviour starts at the top with politicians who
think the death penalty will keep the crime rate and that wars are necessary to
keep rogue nations in check.
If the so-called 'leaders' of the country can't control themselves, how do they think
that the people should'nt resolve their problems with violence.
This isn't a critique of the current numbnuts which are in White House, this is
a problem which has roots going back 200-250 years.
Stricter gun laws on paper may be good, but I can't ever see them being implemented
to the degree that they need be.

[bayman]

while not condoning anything i can understand killing yourself, killing an ex, killing family members (people you know), but after that i do not understand why bring others into it ? is it for notoriety ? is it for the 15 minutes of 'fame' or to be infamous in that area for the next 50+ years

i just dont understand bringing others into it as seems to have happened here

[PhilG]

..

[Ian]

Jimmy, you may be able to clarify some of this.
I would assume changing the laws over there would be a lot harder than it was here, all that had to happen in Aus was new legislation introduced by the Govt. and be passed through both houses of parliament, but in the US it is part of their constitution. I would assume that it would require a refurendum (or what ever they call it over there) to change the constitution, and as voting is not compulsery in the US, the pro-fire arms groups would come out in force and make sure that it didn't get through anyway.

[Pseudo]

Oh.

My.

God.



Amazing how quick people are to pounce on these happenings to fuel their own personal agendas.

[Mr66]

Ultra Right Wing Americans.
Just as sick,evil & dangerous as Fundamentalist Muslims suicide pilots.

[Dutchy]

A bit off topic but Ive always wondered why there are no suicide bombings in the US by Muslim extremists (apart from 9/11), seem to get them all around the world but no the US?

[Ian]

The red necks do enough damage with out them

[Mr66]

A bit off topic but Ive always wondered why there are no suicide bombings in the US by Muslim extremists (apart from 9/11), seem to get them all around the world but no the US?

Americans do a great job of slaughtering themselves so why bother outsourcing.

[therisingblues]

The big boy's gun club in the U.S is very powerful. I have heard stories, but the details are sketchy, so I'll just say that Mr Joe Average trying to make a safer neighbourhood for his kids to grow up in would soon learn better than trying to take the issue up with that particular group.
RIP. all those that died, condolences to all that knew them, and a speedy recovery to all that survived.

[PhilG]

..

[TroyGFC]

pART of his suicide note "rich kids, debauchery and deceitful charlatans".

[Jimmy]

Jimmy, you may be able to clarify some of this.
I would assume changing the laws over there would be a lot harder than it was here, all that had to happen in Aus was new legislation introduced by the Govt. and be passed through both houses of parliament, but in the US it is part of their constitution. I would assume that it would require a refurendum (or what ever they call it over there) to change the constitution, and as voting is not compulsery in the US, the pro-fire arms groups would come out in force and make sure that it didn't get through anyway.

Hi this is Jimmy's wife here just to clear up a few misconceptions. One of the reasons why this issue is so heavily contested and rarely results in legislative action is because the responsibility lies at the state level. Gun control laws are a state issue thats why you'll find very strict laws in some states and very relaxed laws in others. For example, by law Texans can carry a concealed weapon. On the other hand, states like New York have much stricter laws. However, its been proven that states with stricter gun control laws do not necessarily have a lower gun crime rate per capita. Simply stated, gun control like so many other issues (education,taxes,driving permit rules,blood alcohol levels,pedophile laws,etc) are driven by a state government not at the federal level. It is very difficult to argue this issue without letting one's political affliation show. This tragedy is horrific and so sad on so many levels. However, as a proud American, I'm deeply disturbed by the comments made earlier. If you are upset with Howard's alliance with Bush, become an active citizen in your local government and do not reelect the Liberal party this year. But to take uneducated cheap shots at the USA's domestic and foreign policy during this tragic time is the lowest of lows.

[smac]

You sound too smart to be Mrs Jimmy. You do know he is a Sturt supporter don't you?

To be fair on Ian, he was asking for clarification - admitting he wasn't sure. Interesting point that it is a state issue - can the feds 'take over' an issue such as this and legislate nationally?

[Jimmy]

You sound too smart to be Mrs Jimmy. You do know he is a Sturt supporter don't you?

To be fair on Ian, he was asking for clarification - admitting he wasn't sure. Interesting point that it is a state issue - can the feds 'take over' an issue such as this and legislate nationally?

smac, the missus wasnt having a go at Ian be assured of that

she was a little troubled at earlier comments...she is a pretty serious person when it comes to this sort of thing.

I knew i found the right one

[Armytank]

However, its been proven that states with stricter gun control laws do not necessarily have a lower gun crime rate per capita.

Mrs. Jimmy, I was with you except for this statement. Sorry, I cannot see how this can be argued considering the sheer amount of guns that are available in the US. It doesn't matter what laws there are, with the amount of guns and the gun culture that exists, any change in law would seem to be too late.

Take away the guns............take away the culture...............take away the dead people.

As I have never been to the US and really know very little of the legislature, you can consider this as my uneducated cheap shot at US domestic policy however at this tragic time it is probably the best time to be raising these issues I would have thought.