Society, lawmakers must deal with U.S. gun culture

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Reacting to violence

Society, lawmakers must deal with U.S. gun culture



Friday, October 13, 2006
Reacting to violence

Society, lawmakers must deal with U.S. gun culture


Reacting to the recent deadly shootings at schools in Colorado, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, President Bush convened a special White House conference Tuesday which focused on values and community action.

In the attacks, which occurred Sept. 27 and 29 and Oct. 2, a gunman in Colorado took six girls hostage in a classroom, sexually assaulted them and then killed one. In Wisconsin, a 15-year-old walked into his high school and fatally shot the principal. And in Pennsylvania, an intruder shot five girls to death at an Amish schoolhouse.

School violence is a complex and seemingly intractable issue. However, those taking part in the conference believe there are keys to stopping it. They include learning how to spot troubled students, boosting their self-esteem and preparing for emergencies. Speakers said warning signs of possible violent behavior include changes in dress, mood, friends and diet. Students expressing suicidal or despairing thoughts also warrant special attention.


Those conclusions are backed up in the 2002 Safe School Initiative, a study of school shootings and other school-based attacks conducted by the U.S. Secret Service in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education. The study was designed to develop information about the shooters’ pre-attack behaviors and communications in order to help inform efforts to prevent school-based attacks.

The study found that school shootings are rarely impulsive acts. Rather, they are thought out and planned in advance. In many cases other students knew in advance that the shooting was to occur, but did not tell an adult.

The study concludes that some school attacks may be preventable, and that students can play an important role in prevention efforts.

Parents also must become more involved. It has been shown in many studies, by the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office and the nation’s top universities, that chief among the causes of school violence is the spreading culture of violence that has been shaped and marketed by the entertainment industry over the last few decades. There is a demonstrable link between watching violent acts in movies and on television and acting aggressively in life — especially among impressionable young people. Every parent has the authority to monitor a child’s television and movie viewing habits. Every parent has the opportunity to detect whether a child carries a gun. Every parent has the responsibility to discourage violence.

Once again we are in shock and mourning. But what have we done as a nation even after so many fatal school shootings? Lawmakers propose and debate stricter gun control laws, but after a lot of arguing and finger-pointing nothing is done.

There are an estimated 200 million weapons in circulation throughout this country, many kept in private homes. There are more than 30,000 firearms-related deaths annually in the U.S.

The best memorial to the people killed in the three most recent attacks would be for our political leaders to recognize and deal with the madness of our gun culture. Whether they will have the courage to do so remains to be seen.
 
The best memorial to the people killed in the three most recent attacks would be for our political leaders to recognize and deal with the madness of our gun culture. Whether they will have the courage to do so remains to be seen.

Wow talking about generalizing...
 
they make 30,000 gun realated deaths a year sounds like a lot. School shootings are not yielding 30,000 deaths.....and even so, with the country approaching a 300,000,000 population that is only .0001% of the population. So 30,000 does sound like a lot but as compared to the actual number of people in the country its really not that many. I don't see anything epidemic about this.
 
they make 30,000 gun realated deaths a year sounds like a lot. School shootings are not yielding 30,000 deaths.....and even so, with the country approaching a 300,000,000 population that is only .0001% of the population. So 30,000 does sound like a lot but as compared to the actual number of people in the country its really not that many. I don't see anything epidemic about this.

3M out of 300M = 1%
300K out of 300M = 0.1%
30K out of 300M = 0.01%
300 out of 300M = 0.0001%

Sorry, but my original degree was in Math, and I see people screw this sort of simple thing up all the time.

Ken
 
Aren't close to half to the firearm related deaths suicide?

At this point, it is well over 50%. From the CDC WISQARS database here, out of about 30.1K firearm deaths, 16.9K were suicides in 2003 (most recent data). Also, interestingly, 730 are listed as accidental deaths. In the 0-14 age range, there were 56 accidental firearm deaths and 74 firearm suicides (for the "do it for the children" crowd).

Suicides accounted for <50% not too long ago, but the overall reduction in firearm related homicides has not been mirrored by a reduction in the suicide rate.

-Gary
 
Also, realize that when you're looking at those stats, that in the vast majority of those deaths of young children, whether homicides or accidental (obviously there are very, very few suicides), the gun wasn't in the hands of some young person. "Child proofing" guns (as if such a thing were really possible) would have very little impact on the number of firearm deaths among youg children.

Ken
 
derek,

Suicides are at least half of all firearms related deaths. Motor vehicle accidents cause 3 times the number of deaths as do firearms homicides.
 
How many die from Drunk drivers ??
how many die from bad doctors ??
how many die from drowning ???

What we need is MORON controll .

Annually More children die from car accidents, drowning and poisoining then gun deaths EACH.

But they don't look to ban cars, pools or house hold cleaners.
 
Annually More children die from car accidents, drowning and poisoining then gun deaths EACH.

But they don't look to ban cars, pools or house hold cleaners.

no they don't and I've never heard of a case of accidental poisoning with a household cleaner where they brought the parents up on chages of negligence or anything else. but if your kid gets to your gun and blows his/her own head off look out.....


I understand you need to control your firearms and I think you should lock up all your household cleaners too.....but an accident is an accident.....just because it's a gun vs. a household cleaner shouldn't mean additional charges for the firearm accident. Injury and death is injury and death no matter what the cause...gun, knife, bottle of bleach, car, falling from a window....whatever.
 
Society, lawmakers must deal with U.S. gun culture

That's right. We're here. We're not going to give up our guns or any other rights just to help you with your phobias. Just grow up and learn to deal with it.

Ken
 
That's right. We're here. We're not going to give up our guns or any other rights just to help you with your phobias. Just grow up and learn to deal with it.

Ken

Ken, this is the T&G. They are pretty conservative in most every area EXCEPT firearms.
 
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