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Rick Shepherd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 June 2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1095
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 1:21am | IP Logged | 1
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Koroush - exactly. Indeed, there's been a fantastic bit on 'The Daily Show' by John Oliver, comparing Australia's success with gun control to the all-too-common attitudes of the US '2nd Amendment Defence' crowd:
John Oliver Investigates Gun Control in Australia - Part 1
John Oliver Investigates Gun Control in Australia - Part 2
John Oliver Investigates Gun Control in Australia - Part 3
Partly hilarious, but only up to a point, when one remembers that morons like Philip Van Cleave are real, and dangerous - because while they continue to block common-sense legislation, more people are going to die needlessly.
Just a reminder - the US gun death tally is now at nearly 4000 (reported) incidents:
Slate.com Gun Death Tally
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Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15939
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 8:36am | IP Logged | 2
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100k downloads of the blueprints for the 3D-printer gun.
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Eric Ladd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 4505
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 9:26am | IP Logged | 3
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I bet there aren't even 100K 3D printers out there yet.
Rick, that 3 part special is funny and sad all at the same time.
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Shaun Barry
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 08 December 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 6896
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 9:30am | IP Logged | 4
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Whoever feels the sick need to print out one of these stupid plastic guns, I hope these things blow-up in their skeevy little hands, when they try to test-fire them for the first time.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133279
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 9:50am | IP Logged | 5
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It's common sense. Reduce the number of deadly weapons that are freely available in the community, and you reduce deliberate and accidental deaths resulting from such weapons. •• Unfortunately, it is increasingly obvious that membership in the NRA requires having one's "common sense" surgically amputated. (I find myself reminded of the "Gumby Surgeon" scene on MONTY PYTHON. Graham Chapman as a Harely Street doctor, is all very proper and intelligent, until they add the Gumby handkerchief and mustache, then he becomes an idiot. Much the same thing as happens to a lot of seemingly rational people when they pick up a gun.)
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Stephen Robinson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 5835
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 11:58am | IP Logged | 6
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The U.S. obsession with guns is confounding. There was one theory that the most paranoid gun nut fears retribution because there's been no real consequence -- in the way of bloodshed -- for the slaughter of the American Indians and the slavery and oppression of blacks.
Obama's election and re-election triggered a spike in gun purchases. He'd never stated any intention to ban guns. There was no logical fear, but perhaps there is this fear that Obama will eventually "have his revenge" on "good Americans" and that what they need to defend themselves from. I recall Gingrich stating during the GOP primaries how there was no telling how "reactionary" Obama would be in a second term, unencumbered by fear of another election. This, by the way, is the most cynical interpretation of someone's actions. Obama governed fairly moderately so instead of extending any benefit of the doubt, Gingrich takes the position that Obama is hiding his "true" "sinister" motives. And it's the same mentality that scuttled background checks.
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Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15939
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 1:46pm | IP Logged | 7
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And yet another one: LINK
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Craig Markley
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3969
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 2:04pm | IP Logged | 8
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Are parents ever charged and convicted?
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Koroush Ghazi
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 October 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 1681
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 6:01pm | IP Logged | 9
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I thought it worth noting this wonderful take on the fact that the US Department of Defense has apparently taken steps to block the downloading of the 3D gun plans.
Apologies for linking to the awful Faux News, but it does go towards showing the mindset behind the gun lobby. Gems in the article include:
QUOTE:
| The world's first 3D-printed handgun, The Liberator, has had its liberty taken away by the government. |
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QUOTE:
Defense Distributed is a not-for-profit group founded by Wilson, a law student at the University of Texas. He said the Liberator project was intended to highlight how technology can render laws and governments all but irrelevant.
"I recognize that this tool might be used to harm people," Wilson told Forbes. "That's what it is -- it's a gun. But I don't think that's a reason to not put it out there. I think that liberty in the end is a better interest." |
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It really does all smack of a Rebel Without a Cause mindset, doesn't it. Forget fighting for genuinely noble causes, we're now apparently involved in some sort of blind stumbling struggle for the nebulously defined "Freedom", at any cost.
Is this what America has become? A country of people defying sensible laws and social responsibility, purely out of selfish ignorance and an innate desire to "stick it to the man"? Like a small child saying no to his mother's reasonable demands, just because.
It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, from Lord Acton:
QUOTE:
| True Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought. Liberty without responsibility leads to decadence and decline. And when we abuse our freedom, we will lose it. In order to remain free we must each govern ourselves. |
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Joe Zhang
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 12857
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 6:43pm | IP Logged | 10
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"A country of people defying sensible laws and social responsibility, purely out of selfish ignorance and an innate desire to "stick it to the man"?"
=====================
I see it as a desire to "be the man" without ever earning the position. By just buying a gun.
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Glen Keith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 July 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 851
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 7:05pm | IP Logged | 11
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Pew Research: Gun Homicide Rate Down 49% Since 1993 Peak; Public Unaware
For some reason the hyperlink isn't working. Here's the link:
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/05/07/gun-homicide-rate- down-49-since-1993-peak-public-unaware/
Edited by Glen Keith on 09 May 2013 at 7:22pm
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Koroush Ghazi
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 October 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 1681
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| Posted: 09 May 2013 at 9:59pm | IP Logged | 12
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I suggest actually reading the article you posted Glen. Here's a Working Link
Basically, the article says there's no consensus of opinion on the cause for the decline in the gun crime rate, but that it can be due to a variety of things such as demographic change, as well as improvements in public policy and law enforcement.
The article also notes that "Compared with other developed nations, the U.S. has a higher homicide rate and higher rates of gun ownership...".
Most importantly, the article points out that "Internationally, a decline in crime... has been documented in many countries since the mid-1990s". So this is not a US-centric change. As I noted in an earlier post, Australia also had a declining gun crime rate prior to our gun ban, but as the author of the analysis pointed out, the rate of decline in gun crimes became steeper after the ban, and we also went from an average of one mass shooting a year, to none.
So the question you have to ask yourself is, what would the rate of gun crimes be in the US with reduced access to guns? The evidence suggests it would be even lower than it is now, and you'd probably also have less mass shootings. Is that not worth pursuing?
Edited by Koroush Ghazi on 09 May 2013 at 10:00pm
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