Look, I don't really want to get into the gun control argument, either, but I knew it was bound to be brought up. Hopefully we can have a thread for expressing sadness and disgust and anger at the tragedy that isn't overshadowed by that, but I know how it goes so...
For the record, could someone plainly and simply explain to me how stricter gun laws would stop a determined criminal who intends to murder a bunch of people? It seems to me that anything short of outright banning wouldn't make much difference, if the person is serious.
I won't argue your answer so don't expect a debate, but I'll read any reasonable response to my question. Other than that, I'm sticking to expressing my weariness and upset without pushing any agenda.
You are a smart individual though, you understand that it WOULDN'T make a difference... If someone wants a gun they will get it, regardless of the legality of it.
I personally believe guns should be banned because I personally don't see the need for a normal everyday citizen to have a gun period, other than for hunting, but that is not necessary in today's modern world. I am willing to give it up, or perhaps create a sort of "Rent a gun temporarily for hunting season on hunting grounds only" type deal...
Only law enforcement and military should possess firearms, no one else should be allowed to.
However, having said that, I am not delusional enough to believe that banning them would solve all these issues, as people get guns illegally all the time, even these days. That wouldn't change with guns being banned in general.
In England and Australia it has worked. Australia was pretty bad years ago then John Howard (former PM) did a buy back scheme and if you're are carrying a firearm you go to jail for a long time, even though you never did anything. Change the constitution, that may help?
Gunmen still act in those countries, how often compared to others is irrelevant, those countries simply do not have as many criminal degenerates than America has, and America covers more land than those countries as well, so not fair to compare them really...