Tragedy at Virginia Tech

Yes, it would be a terrible violation of individuals rights. However, I think it would, at least, help the problem if you required a mental evaluation before a gun purchase. Anyone who's a danger to themselves or others, should most definitely not get a gun. But like you say, "normal" people kill too.

I absolutely agree but, that's just easier said then done.

__________________
"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

My thoughts exactly. Compulsory mental evaluation may be an easy and effective way to both drop the sale of guns and filter out the irresponsible users of these weapons. Let those who wish to own a gun pay for this evaluation. Sure these 'psychopaths' may find other means to reach the result they hope for (as mentioned) but putting some constraint on the resources to do so will at least stop some of these occurrences from happening. It certainly would have changed the outcome at VT.

In other words, people with some kind of mental or psychological problems, people in therapy, people who are in a depression or have been in a depression, people suffering from post traumatic stress etcetera etcetera, should be viewed as second grade citizens while the "normal" majority arms itself against them? Is that a constructive way to build a society on? Do you really think that people with mental problems would feel encouraged to seek help for their problems if they knew that some of their given rights as Americans would be taken away from them the minute they sought help? All it would do is to marginalize these people even more than they allready are.

__________________
The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

--------

They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

I believe in the right to bare arms, but I also believe that if guns were not so readily available then so many people would not have died that tragic day at V.T. We have to remember that: The right to bare arms does not have to mean guns.

__________________

“The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

Yea, I have the right to have arms. Without them, I wouldn't be able to do anything.

.

Could you walk without arms?

Yea, but who would want to walk around with no arms? Unless you never had them to begin with, of course.

Hard to believe it's been a year since the tragedy at Virginia Tech. I read on the net that they had a remembrance ceremony for the victims today … and I really hope there are new laws passed soon in this country regarding the treatment of the mentally ill… We had a female officer killed not too long ago by a mentally ill man who was supposed to be in a treatment center by court order… but the center had accidentally turned him out.

Something else I still find so appalling today, is that on that same day last year, over 40 women and children were murder in a small village in Darfur by gunmen whose average age was only 13... And, from what I understand, not one major news media (in America) even bothered to report that tragedy…

__________________

Yes I hope that all are healing from the trauma. At the time I'm ashamed to admit, one of my thoughts were how long until the next incident I do often wonder though if debate for stronger gun control ever becomes an issue in these regions.

Regarding non-Americocentric media coverage, that is indeed very sad, the incident you mentioned was also not covered by the commercial media in Australia. Yet at the same time the antics of certain sportsmen are covered adnausium

Maybe certain so called celebrities in stead of spending time in Rehab, could be exported to these areas ... I'm sure that the media would cover things then.

What a wonderfull world we live in eh

__________________