Quote Originally Posted by TomOfSweden View Post
I don't think has to do with heart. For me it's simply down to reading statistics and manipulating government policies to minimise violent crime and murder. As long as it's done within a democratic framework, I don't really care how it is achieved.

It's a more complicated issue than just banning guns. But it's painfully obvious that USA's policy it has had sucks monkey balls as far as violent crime and murder is concerned. If I'd be American, (or rather US citizen, WTF do you guys call yourself?)

I'd personally demand political changes to be made to fix the problem, but who cares what I think here in Sweden

There are many roots of the problem and I do think they have been identified. The solutions go something like this:

* Decrease poverty.
* Decrease alienation of the poor.
* Lessen the availability of guns.

I'm convinced of that acting on any of those will lessen the problem. The two first are related, but giving convicted criminals the right to vote would be a good first step. Having affordable and good state sponsored schools on all levels is another one of those fairly cheap ways to raise the poor out of hopelessness. Removing the guns is of course by far the cheapest solution, but not the least complicated and is a very very long term solution.

But USA is very rich which no doubt is the result of having such little aid to the poor. Being poor in USA only sucks slightly less than being poor in the jungles of Africa. They have plenty of reasons to work hard as hell. And they do and USA is rich, so there is obviously a positive pay off.

The important thing to reconcile is that USA has the high-school shootings they do and the high prevalence of murder because that is what the voters have chosen. US voters want this society. They obviously think the heightened chance of getting their kids mowed down in school is a price worth paying for their wealth and right to bear arms. They might not have reasoned just like this on their way to the voting booths, but this is the choice they made.

...and then we've got crazy people. Crazy people without guns are just as crazy as crazy people with guns, the difference is that they can't shoot anybody. But mental care is an extremely expensive solution to this problem.

It's a complex issue with many solutions, and all the solutions costs money and freedoms. The question is simply if you think the price is worth paying?
I don't think has to do with heart. For me it's simply down to reading statistics and manipulating government policies to minimise violent crime and murder. As long as it's done within a democratic framework, I don't really care how it is achieved.

It's a more complicated issue than just banning guns. But it's painfully obvious that USA's policy it has had sucks monkey balls as far as violent crime and murder is concerned. If I'd be American, (or rather US citizen, WTF do you guys call yourself?)

I'd personally demand political changes to be made to fix the problem, but who cares what I think here in Sweden

There are many roots of the problem and I do think they have been identified. The solutions go something like this:

* Decrease poverty.
* Decrease alienation of the poor.
* Lessen the availability of guns.

I'm convinced of that acting on any of those will lessen the problem. The two first are related, but giving convicted criminals the right to vote would be a good first step. Having affordable and good state sponsored schools on all levels is another one of those fairly cheap ways to raise the poor out of hopelessness. Removing the guns is of course by far the cheapest solution, but not the least complicated and is a very very long term solution.

Yes we do need to do something about poverty and I see that happening every day in many parts of the country. The US may be viewed as rich however my family and extended family are not rich. We lived in many parts of the US as my father worked for General Motors. Yes there are rich people in the US however there are many many more that are not rich. We work hard, raise our kids, pray and work at improving the world around us. None of my brothers and sisters own guns and we have not voted for the violence or condon it. Yes I vote and hope that the person I voted for will stand behind his/her promises,yes maybe a bit unrealistic, made.
But USA is very rich which no doubt is the result of having such little aid to the poor. Being poor in USA only sucks slightly less than being poor in the jungles of Africa. They have plenty of reasons to work hard as hell. And they do and USA is rich, so there is obviously a positive pay off.

The important thing to reconcile is that USA has the high-school shootings they do and the high prevalence of murder because that is what the voters have chosen. US voters want this society. They obviously think the heightened chance of getting their kids mowed down in school is a price worth paying for their wealth and right to bear arms. They might not have reasoned just like this on their way to the voting booths, but this is the choice they made.

...and then we've got crazy people. Crazy people without guns are just as crazy as crazy people with guns, the difference is that they can't shoot anybody. But mental care is an extremely expensive solution to this problem.

It's a complex issue with many solutions, and all the solutions costs money and freedoms. The question is simply if you think the price is worth paying?

There is violence in the world around us, did they are vote for it? I don't think so. We all have free will and just because I voted one way doesn't mean that it caused someone else to get a gun and shoot people. Look at the middle east, africa, china, south america....I could go on. Yes mental health is way to expensive, I think that issue is just not one in the US. We as human beings must work at ending poverty, violence and making guns less available where ever we are in this world. Yes some countries are better at it and some not if we open our eyes and minds maybe we can learn from each other.........