How Do Gun Laws Influence College Shootings?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the influence of gun laws on college shootings, emphasizing that increased accessibility to firearms correlates with higher risks of violent incidents. Participants argue that individuals with mental health issues pose a significant threat when they have access to guns, while also noting that violence can occur through other means if firearms are unavailable. The conversation highlights the complexity of gun ownership in the U.S. and Canada, with differing perspectives on whether more guns lead to increased safety or violence.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of U.S. and Canadian gun laws
  • Knowledge of mental health issues related to violence
  • Familiarity with the cultural context of gun ownership
  • Awareness of historical data on gun violence trends
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the impact of gun laws on crime rates in the U.S. and Canada
  • Explore studies on mental health and violent behavior
  • Investigate the relationship between video games and real-life violence
  • Examine case studies of college shootings and their aftermath
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for policymakers, mental health professionals, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the implications of gun laws on public safety and violence in educational institutions.

  • #121
[rant]
There are plenty of arguments for the legalization consumption (not selling) of controlled substances.

Not the least of which is the fact that it's MY body. Where does the government get off telling me what I can and cannot put in my body? What, we should ban some substances just because they are bad for our health? Fine, whatever, but that's going to put McD, Wendy's et al out of business.

How about the fact that it makes criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens? How about the fact that in the US, you can get financial aid if you rape 50 women and dump their body's in dumpsters, but if you get busted for 1 joint they cut you off.
[end rant]

Anttech, you said that perhaps since those in the UK are unable to get illegal fireams, that they turn to illegal substances. This argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Nobody sits around and says: "hmmm... I've got about 400 euros here... I could buy a pistol to go blast some fools... or I could just get wasted". Sorry, they're just not substitute products.
People do drugs because they like to get high, whereas they own guns for a multitude of reasons. Those that obtain them illegally usually have nefarious purposes in mind; seldom is it home protection.
 
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  • #122
Anttech, you said that perhaps since those in the UK are unable to get illegal fireams, that they turn to illegal substances. This argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Ohh sorry I was being sarcastic... Ill edit my post
 
  • #123
People do drugs because they like to get high,
People also do drugs because they need to (heroin addition--> you can die if you don't have your fix), and they also do them to escape from reality, especially in poorer areas.
 
  • #124
Sorry that your sarcasm was lost on me.

Not that it has any bearing on the discussion at hand, but I feel compelled... I view the war on drugs as one of the last great injustices in our society.

http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/heroin.html

Actually, withdrawal from heroin is less dangerous than from alcohol.
 
  • #125
Anttech said:
People also do drugs because they need to (heroin addition--> you can die if you don't have your fix), and they also do them to escape from reality, especially in poorer areas.
heroin addition isn't that bad, it's the multiplication and division that threw me for a loop
 
  • #126
ptabor said:
[rant]
Not the least of which is the fact that it's MY body

Much like gun laws, the drug laws are in place due to a perceived risk to the public. Nobody really cares if you OD on cocaine and die, but they do care when "cocaine-crazed negroes" start to think they're as good as white folk (that was an actual argument to the US senate). On the side of guns, people want guns illegal because there is a perceived risk that guns cause crime.
 
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  • #127
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2908621023073531157&q=the+drugs+were+legal

here is a nice fictitious program by the bbc, which looks at what would happen if drugs became legal. It has interviews with real experts. Good analysis
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #128
Another, in Pennsylvania: http://news.yahoo.com/fc/US/School_Violence


This time, the gunman sent the males and adult females out and then opened fire on the remaining dozen girls, shooting 4 execution style.

Another female was killed in the recent Canadian shooting.

14 females killed in Ecole Polytechnique shooting in 1989
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/École_Polytechnique_massacre

Is this violence directed specifically at women? The Polytechnique shooting certainly was - http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2000/12/06/massacre001206

He began shooting. Fourteen young women were killed. Thirteen other people were injured.

Then he killed himself, and left behind a note that said feminists had ruined his life.

The shooting horrified the nation and has come to symbolize violence against women.

Possibly the recent Colorado shooting, too
http://www.examiner.com/a-315481~Student_Details_Colo__School_Shooting.html

Cassidy Grigg, 16, said the man walked in, fired a warning shot at the floor and ordered the students to line up. He told some to leave and others - all girls - to stay.

"You could tell that he wanted the females," Cassidy said on NBC's "Today" Thursday. "He tapped me on the shoulder and he told me to leave the room. I told him, 'I don't want to leave.'"

Are there a lot of gunmen in school shootings that specifically target females?
 
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  • #129
0TheSwerve0 said:
Are there a lot of gunmen in school shootings that specifically target females?
"You won't have sex with me? Women must die!"

It's probably not too far from the truth. Guys having lots of sex probably won't go all crazy and start killing people.
 
  • #130
When the Amish have school shootings, the world is going to end...oh dear.

I won't say anything about an Amish drive by, because that would be wrong...
 

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