Shooting in Switzerland

[Tez3]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/27/several-people-killed-switzerland-shooting

Despite the liberal gun laws there are still shootings in Switzerland the latest being this morning. There is no one answer ie no guns or all guns, people who have a mind to kill people will do so in spite of everything. Perhaps in fact these shootings have nothing to do with gun control or lack of it and more to do with individuals who choose to kill as many as they can. Perhaps an answer has to be found to two different problems, those of the killers and those of whether you allow weapons or not to the general populace.

 

[Drasken]

This news is very unfortunate. It is never good to hear about killings, no matter where it happened. I just hope this isn't cited by anti gun people as proof guns are bad. People killed before guns were created, and will if guns are taken.

In fact I found it interesting that a link at the bottom talked about a stabbing and shooting in London.... But aren't guns illegal there?

I think your statement is very correct. If people are wanting to kill, they will. It's not easy to find the right course of action. Sometimes there isn't a right course of action. If guns are taken away then people will use swords or knives. If they take swords and knives then people will use baseball bats. Eventually we'll work our way down to having empty rooms with even furnature being illegal. The issue is much more complex than weapon control laws.

 

[Tez3]

This news is very unfortunate. It is never good to hear about killings, no matter where it happened. I just hope this isn't cited by anti gun people as proof guns are bad. People killed before guns were created, and will if guns are taken.

In fact I found it interesting that a link at the bottom talked about a stabbing and shooting in London.... But aren't guns illegal there?

I think your statement is very correct. If people are wanting to kill, they will. It's not easy to find the right course of action. Sometimes there isn't a right course of action. If guns are taken away then people will use swords or knives. If they take swords and knives then people will use baseball bats. Eventually we'll work our way down to having empty rooms with even furnature being illegal. The issue is much more complex than weapon control laws.

Guns aren't illegal in the UK, it's a common mistake people make. Guns are restricted and we do have illegal weapons of course.

 

[Drasken]

Guns aren't illegal in the UK, it's a common mistake people make. Guns are restricted and we do have illegal weapons of course.

Thanks for clearing that up. I had assumed due to things I had heard, and honestly didn't do my own research since it didn't concern me too much due to me not living there. But now I know, and knowing is half the battle...

Still, my stance is that I personally hate guns and feel that any battle should be more about skill than who can pull the trigger faster.
But we have guns unfortunately and thus we must deal with that. Still, taking guns won't stop psychos that are set on killingpople. So the issue is much more complex than taking weapons. Either way this is a horrible incident and it saddens me that people still kill so needlessly....

 

[ballen0351]

Still, my stance is that I personally hate guns and feel that any battle should be more about skill than who can pull the trigger faster.

Shooting is a skill. You should try it some time.

 

[Instructor]

The thing that just rubs me the wrong way is the double standard. People kill each other all the time with all kinds of things, on purpose, and on accident. Yet Guns are what they want to ban. Arguably the average family automobile is just as dangerous as any handheld weapon yet no push to ban those.

If a person is bent on killing another person it doesn't matter what you ban, they'll find a suitable implement to get it done.

 

[Drasken]

Shooting is a skill. You should try it some time.

Actually I own a gun and visit my local gun range often. But you can't tell me that everyone is skilled when we have idiot kids holding their gunssideways and unloading a full mag at someone at a distance of 30 feet. At that point it's "spray and pray" tactics and about who pulls the trigger the fastest and gets lucky.

 

[Tez3]

The thing that just rubs me the wrong way is the double standard. People kill each other all the time with all kinds of things, on purpose, and on accident. Yet Guns are what they want to ban. Arguably the average family automobile is just as dangerous as any handheld weapon yet no push to ban those.

If a person is bent on killing another person it doesn't matter what you ban, they'll find a suitable implement to get it done.

I think this type of mass murder has little to do with guns and more to do with the psycholical make up of the perpetrator, guns of course in many places are the easiest thing they can use to destroy a lot of people, obviously others will use bombs, poisons etc.

I think there are discussions and decision to be made in every country about whether guns are limited or not but I don't think we ought to be throwing these horrible events into that mix, for one thing it makes it too emotinal, how can people not be emotional when things like this happen. I think too that the arguments for and against widespread gun ownership/control shouldn't be about politics either, not one scoring of the other because thier political allegiances demand it. The argument is should guns be controlled or not and this argument based on facts not feelings, owning guns isn't a metaphor for anything else, it is what it is...owning weapons. People who don't like weapons aren't stupid for not liking them, people who own weapons aren't stupid for owning them but the name calling, derogatory comments and bickering is masking the real problems of whether guns should be controlled or gun ownership encouraged.