American Politics Discussion Thread

[superdeath]

Just to update on those mass shooting statistics. In the year 2022, there were 735 mass shootings in the USA. 5 of them were school shootings, 2 in places of worship.

I saw the headline of an article about Gavin Newsom, stating "Second Amendment is becoming a suicide pact". For a second I thought I found the first sane American, but later in that article I find out he is still pro-gun for "responsible owners".

Oh right, Europe had 10 mass shootings. 3 of them in Russia.

I might be alone in this, but WHERE the shootings happen doesnt matter. (yes, when they happen in schools it is worse because security SHOULD be tighter) Being so anti-gun as to not even allow them for responsible owners... that to me is insane.

More of a mental health issue than a gun issue imo.

[Krill]

It's not a mental health issue and trying to phrase it as such is, and always has been, disingenuous.

You don't see homeless schizophrenics shooting places up.

[superdeath]

Homeless Schizo's dont really have the easy means of acquiring guns when they are more worried about food/shelter.

Its a mental health issue because only someone mentally ill would think "oh, i know what will solve X issue i have with society or this group of people... a gun and lots of ammo!"

Now, how to solve it? Twofold. 1. Make mental health checkups more or less mandatory for gun owners (or even the public tbh) 2. Require those that wish to have a firearm go thru the kind of background check that my job had me go thru.

[Krill]

Its a mental health issue because only someone mentally ill would think "oh, i know what will solve X issue i have with society or this group of people... a gun and lots of ammo!"

So what mental disorder do they have? Simple question, if there is a systemic pathology then there would be a disorder in either the DSM V or ICD 10. What illness do they have SD?

[superdeath]

The illness is called Fanaticism.

Or just plain stupidity. Low iq. People dont just pick up a gun and go "i know what im going to do today!" I dont want to sound like the Gun-totin' Far right, but... Guns dont kill people.. People kill people. Does it make it easier to kill multiple people? Yep. So does molotovs, bombs, and any other terroristic act.

I WANT better gun control laws, but i dont want Jowy's European style gun laws where only police and military can carry them/possess them. Im not conspiracy theorist at all, i dont believe the gubment is gonna come and subjugate us if we dont have guns to defend ourselves. Im simply worried more about someone who is physically stronger than me harming me, my family, or my things. My firearm evens the playing field.

[Krill]

I didn't know Osama Bin Laden was mentally ill. Or Timothy McVeigh.

Fanaticism is not mental disorder. It is not a health condition any more than a person's choice to be a vegan is.

Frankly SD I'd like it if you would actually offer the actual diagnosis if you want to make your assertion. I even gave you the two diagnostic manuals to look in to help you.

[superdeath]

I didn't know Osama Bin Laden was mentally ill. Or Timothy McVeigh. 

Fanaticism is not mental disorder. It is not a health condition any more than a person's choice to be a vegan is.

Frankly SD I'd like it if you would actually offer the actual diagnosis if you want to make your assertion. I even gave you the two diagnostic manuals to look in to help you.

I mean, both of those people pretty much HAD to be. Whether they ended up getting diagnosed is another story tho.

Id argue those that choose veganism over a delicious steak have something wrong with them.

I might be able to find a disorder that fits what i think most mass shooters have, but im not an expert in said field and im not going to put myself in that position. Ill just state that no sane man/woman would pick up a gun and commit mass murder.

[Tarkeel]

Frankly SD I'd like it if you would actually offer the actual diagnosis if you want to make your assertion. I even gave you the two diagnostic manuals to look in to help you.

I'll help out: Here is a link to the online version of ICD-10, opened at the relevant chapter.

[Tarkeel]

I WANT better gun control laws, but i dont want Jowy's European style gun laws where only police and military can carry them/possess them. Im not conspiracy theorist at all, i dont believe the gubment is gonna come and subjugate us if we dont have guns to defend ourselves. Im simply worried more about someone who is physically stronger than me harming me, my family, or my things. My firearm evens the playing field.

You see, there's your problem: You believe the lies you've been fed. That's not even close to how european gun laws operate.

Norway actually has more registered firearm than the US, accounting for almost 25 guns per 100 persons. Unregistered guns take it up to 28. It's actually pretty common to own a gun here; I have friends who do, but I have actually yet to see a gun outside of my military service, security forces, and sporting goods stores.

Part of the reason is that we have functioning laws governing weapons. The opening article states "The purpose of the law is to protect society against unwanted incidents involving weapons and to promote the safe use of weapons." It regulates that on general purpose you need a license to own a firearm, but a registered hunter is allowed to keep eight functional firearms without licensing, and more if they can document a special need for it.

Perhaps most importantly though, it sets out safeguards for how your weapons are stored: Unloaded, at home (or your gun club), in a locked container adhering to a given security standard. (There is ofcourse an excemption for polar bear safety at Svalbard).

[Charriu]

Another good example is Switzerland, where they also have lots of guns, but regulated like in Norway.