With the nation still stunned over the tragic shooting of a reported 71 people, resulting in 12 deaths, at a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," gun control again features prominently in the debate.
According to a story in The New York Times, the alleged shooter, James Holmes, 24, was able to order almost 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the internet, which it claims has a virtual gap in oversight. He also reportedly had amassed an arsenal of weapons. There are those who believe stronger gun control regulations could have prevented him getting his hands on these weapons. The Wall Street Journal reported that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg immediately called for tighter gun control regulations.
Conversely, there is the argument from supporters of the 2nd Amendment that it was laws against guns in the theater that gave him free reign to shoot without fear of counter attack. This was featured on the Sunday talk shows on FoxNews as many struggled to deal with the tragedy.
But is the bigger debate what needs to be done about mental health issues and what can be done about identifying mental health problems before it's too late?
What do you believe is the primary debate that should be prompted by the Aurora shooting - gun control and the 2nd Amendment or mental health issues facing many in the country?
1994 ,Congress approved a 10-year ban on 19 types of military-style assault weapons.But the law expired in 2004 with Bush threatening a veto and the NRA and Republicans in Congress against it and the Democrats running scared from the election of 1994. Had this law still been in effect Holmes would have been prevented from buying the assault rifle and the high capacity magazines (100 rounds).Please check out the following websites for solutions to this problem. www.fixgunchecks.org www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org www.Bradycampaign.org www.BradyCampain
Sadly, that was still orders of magnitude more than anyone else in the theater that night...
I saw this saying on a shirt, but, it holds a true sentiment. If a person wants to hurt other people, lack of access to firearms is not going to stop them. They will just find a different avenue of destruction. Bad people do bad things. Plain and simple. But, taking away the right and ability of good people to defend themselves will not stop a person bent on destruction from carrying out a plan. Not to mention, outlawing gun ownership will only ensure that the victims will be unarmed. The criminals won't care if they are breaking the law. They will always find a way to get what they want. We, as Americans, have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. And as another famous saying goes... " Those who would give up their rights for security will have neither!"
Problem is, data doesn't support the theory of gun bans. When guns are banned in an area, crime rises. When gun bans are relaxed, crime drops. Happens that way everywhere. Same with the assault weapons ban. Crime with assault weapons actually went up after the ban was instituted, down after lifted. Unfortunately, criminals are kind of funny that way. Don't really pay much attention to laws that are in place.
The 1994 Crime Bill actually did not outlaw AR-15s, AK47s, and such rifles; nor did it outlaw the possession or sale of so-called "high capacity" magazines. As for the rifles, the Crime Bill outlawed flash hiders, bayonet lugs, and collapsable stocks. The rifles themselves were still readily available. Magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds manufactured after a certain date could no longer be sold on the open market, but those magazines manufactured prior to that date could still be possessed and sold. A biproduct of the 10-round magazine limit was the birth of the subcompact pistol as manufacturers began designing pistols around a 10-round magazine rather than a 15-round magazine. The law in and of itself showed no appreciable reduction in crime.