I'm not saying we're perfect - knife crime is pretty rife over here, especially in London
Well... that's the thing. People who want to hurt other people will find a weapon - a gun, a knife, acid. People who want to hurt LOTS of other people and can't get a gun will set bombs. (And sometimes if they can; we've got lots of bomb threat/bomb terrorism here too.)
That's why I'm not anti-gun as a concept, knowing that killers will find a way, and knowing that there are plenty of safe, responsible gun owners who never get in the news because they're safe and responsible.
But putting the armament of a soldier in the hands of a civilian, going from owning nothing to owning an arsenal of armor, ammo, and explosives without triggering a red flag - that I have MASSIVE problems with, because that path leads directly to tragedy.
I also want to know what failures of the social safety net meant that this guy went so far off the rails without help. He's said nothing, but when his parents knew instantly that he'd done something...
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Date: 2012-07-22 11:36 am (UTC)Well... that's the thing. People who want to hurt other people will find a weapon - a gun, a knife, acid. People who want to hurt LOTS of other people and can't get a gun will set bombs. (And sometimes if they can; we've got lots of bomb threat/bomb terrorism here too.)
That's why I'm not anti-gun as a concept, knowing that killers will find a way, and knowing that there are plenty of safe, responsible gun owners who never get in the news because they're safe and responsible.
But putting the armament of a soldier in the hands of a civilian, going from owning nothing to owning an arsenal of armor, ammo, and explosives without triggering a red flag - that I have MASSIVE problems with, because that path leads directly to tragedy.
I also want to know what failures of the social safety net meant that this guy went so far off the rails without help. He's said nothing, but when his parents knew instantly that he'd done something...