How are those gun control laws coming along

[kiwitt]

Six killed in California salon shooting

Six people were killed and three were wounded in a shooting at a hair salon in a normally sedate Southern California beach community, authorities said.

The six deaths were confirmed and three other victims were taken to a hospital in critical condition, police Sgt. Steve Bowles told KCAL-TV.

Police arrested a man in a traffic stop a 1 kilometre from the shooting scene and he was taken into custody, Bowles said. He added that multiple weapons were seized.

The motive was not immediately known.

The shooting was reported at 1:21 p.m. (10.21 NZT) in a cluster of small businesses on Pacific Coast Highway.

The quiet beachfront city of approximately 25,000 residents identifies itself as the Gateway to Southern California's Orange County and is located about 50 kilometres southeast of Los Angeles.

It is home to Leisure World, a gated senior citizen community of 9,000 people, as well as the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station military complex.

I think the US has too many of these types of sad events. Yes, they happen in other countries, even in peaceful places like New Zealand and Norway. But the frequency of random mass-killings in the US is so high in comparison, it really saddens me.

 

[Defiant47]

Perhaps certain freedoms are more important than the deaths caused as a result of providing those freedoms (and due to the freedoms themselves).

 

[emzie]

Six killed in California salon shooting I think the US has too many of these types of sad events. Yes, they happen in other countries, even in peaceful places like New Zealand and Norway. But the frequency of random mass-killings in the US is so high in comparison, it really saddens me.

Of course they happen more in the US than anywhere else, the US has a lot more people. If you were doing a rough, all-things-equal comparison, you'd expect for every mass shooting Aussieland had, America to have 15. For every mass shooting Kiwiland had, you'd expect 60 in the US.

 

[Ajidica]

America still has more mass shooters per-capita among developed countries.

 

[emzie]

America still has a significant more mass shooters per-capita among developed countries.

Define mass shooting first. If we're talking spree killing / random killings I'm skeptical of your claim, though would be interested in seeing any literature on the subject.

 

[NickyJ]

Of course they happen more in the US than anywhere else, the US has a lot more people.

Precisely. Also, I wonder whether the murderer is related to drug cartels. I mean, we are talking about California.

 

[Ajidica]

Precisely. Also, I wonder whether the murderer is related to drug cartels. I mean, we are talking about California.

Drug-Shooting in an Old Person Free Range Nursing Home Retirement Village?

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

of course you can't smuggle drugs or illegally cross the border into New Zealand as you can in America.

 

[kiwitt]

However, we in New Zealand have stricter gun-control laws, so the opportunity for it to happen is less for this type of "random shooting".

What I really want to emphasize is the point of the thread. Why is owning guns seen as some kind of right in this day and age. In the pioneering days when the related amendment was made maybe, but not in the 21st century.

 

[warpus]

America still has more mass shooters per-capita among developed countries.

Is this really so surprising (assuming it's true)? I mean.. Gun ownership is mandated as a RIGHT in the U.S. constitution! A right! As a non-U.S. American that still seems crazy to me. What other country has that as a right?

There is a definite and undeniable element of gun culture in America... The more guns there are around, the more risk of them being used to shoot people in the face..

 

[Skwink]

Well we could always outlaw guns. I mean, things went great when we outlawed alcohol. Instead of drug dealers, we'd have gun dealers. And higher numbers of people in prison too.

 

[kiwitt]

Is this really so surprising (assuming it's true)? I mean.. Gun ownership is mandated as a RIGHT in the U.S. constitution! A right! As a non-U.S. American that still seems crazy to me. What other country has that as a right?

There is a definite and undeniable element of gun culture in America... The more guns there are around, the more risk of them being used to shoot people in the face..

Exactly ... hence the title of my thread.

 

[emzie]

However, we in New Zealand have stricter gun-control laws, so the opportunity for it to happen is less for this type of "random shooting"

Your gun control laws are rather lax by western standards. Certainly more lax than our restrictions here in Canada. Yet within our restrictions (pretty hard to get an AR-15, if you do, it's limited to 5 rounds at a time) one could easily pull off a mass shooting. The reason they're less common in Kiwiland than the US has more to do with culture / society (less income inequality, stronger stronger social safety nets) and population than it does with the ability to own an AK-47 or a semi-automatic pistol.

 

[warpus]

Your gun control laws are rather lax by western standards. Certainly more lax than our restrictions here in Canada. Yet within our restrictions (pretty hard to get an AR-15, if you do, it's limited to 5 rounds at a time) one could easily pull off a mass shooting. The reason they're less common in Kiwiland than the US has more to do with culture / society (less income inequality, stronger stronger social safety nets) and population than it does with the ability to own an AK-47 or a semi-automatic pistol.

Plus everyone in New Zealand is super friendly

Not to mention that there is really only 1 large city, and it isn't really that large to begin with.. A lot of people live in smaller communities where there is a lot more.. community.. together-ness? Eh, I can't think of a good word to describe it, but there is def. a feeling of "family" there, in most of the towns. You get that with a smaller community, but in New Zealand I got the sense that it is much much stronger than in North America.

And yeah, no gun culture in NZ. I don't think..

 

[Joecoolyo]

Well we could always outlaw guns. I mean, things went great when we outlawed alcohol. Instead of drug dealers, we'd have gun dealers. And higher numbers of people in prison too.

Skwink stole what I was going to say. Once you ban something, it always makes the problem a hell of a lot worse than it already is.

 

[AluminumKnight]

Because here in the U.S., we need our guns to protect us from commie invasions! Oh wait, our own oppressive socialist government bent on controlling our every move! Hmmm, Muslim terrorists targeting small towns in Texas? No, wait, I got it! We need our automatic weaponry when we go rabbit hunting! And isn't that worth suffering through some mass shootings once in awhile?

 

[NickyJ]

Well we could always outlaw guns. I mean, things went great when we outlawed alcohol. Instead of drug dealers, we'd have gun dealers. And higher numbers of people in prison too.

Yeah! More organized crime in the gun running racket! So much better than letting law-abiding citizens own guns. Suuure.

In fact, why stop there? Knives kill, so let's ban 'em! Yeah! And bows and crossbows... Hey, baseball bats kill. BAN THEM!!! Heck, lets ban pipes, wrenches, bricks.... Oh, oh, I know! Let's ban rocks! People can kill each other with rocks, so we better ban them!

 

[Junius]

Well if you are taking about mass-murder in general i'm not sure why gun laws would prevent them. If you are intent on killing as many people as possible i'm not sure why a gun law would stop you. Though if it did you would probably use alternate means. There have been mass killings with explosives, swords, even vehicles. I don't imagine anyone decided to kill a large number of people simply because they own or have easy access to a gun. Guns make things easier for the killer to be sure. Lack thereof certainly doesn't prevent them.

We should also remember the history of gun control in Europe and elsewhere was at its outset about keeping the elites in power and avoiding arming the average person. Gun control isn't always so benevolent.

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

Of course once the gun laws are passed everyone will be a law-abiding citizen and they won't buy them illegally.

 

[Skwink]

Yeah! More organized crime in the gun running racket! So much better than letting law-abiding citizens own guns. Suuure.

In fact, why stop there? Knives kill, so let's ban 'em! Yeah! And bows and crossbows... Hey, baseball bats kill. BAN THEM!!! Heck, lets ban pipes, wrenches, bricks.... Oh, oh, I know! Let's ban rocks! People can kill each other with rocks, so we better ban them!

And don't forget hands. Lots of people have been killed by hands.