Neil misses the point on gun control

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Darrel Salisbury
Published: May 26, 2008

Anna Neil missed the point by such a distance as to not even be in the same galaxy with it: “Finding ways to protect people from guns,” May 24.

Cho Seung-Hui’s behavior was known, it was not properly treated, nor was it properly communicated.

Cho Seung-Hui could have chosen explosive or incendiary devices made from common household products. How would Ms. Neal deal with that?

PEOPLE kill people, using guns, explosives, incendiaries, knives, clubs, poisons, hands and feet. The use of all of those things requires a mental impulse; none are capable of voluntary action.

The rate of deaths by firearm are higher in this country than in others, but this country is far down this list in suicide rates. People will find a way to kill, if that is their desire.

“Wizards,” “witches” and others are being killed in Africa with clubs, knives, and other instruments. When was the last time a witch or wizard was killed in this country? PEOPLE are the problem. We
must find a way to keep PEOPLE from killing people.

DARREL SALISBURY

Lorton

Reader Reactions

Posted by ( barnun ) on June 03, 2008 at 1:34 pm

phdee, my son can trace his family roots back thru the reservations to not 1 but 2 great warrior cheifs. don’t ever, ever whine to me about how your ancestors were treated. He is not raised to feel sorry for himself because of something that happened to his ancestors. I dont know where you come up with your opinions, you get mixed up in here. you confuse your conversations and the disucssions at hand. It’s obvious that you are bitter, hateful, spiteful and to emotionally distraught to logically discuss current events issues. Phdee, this page is about gun control. If your ancestors had been better armed, they wouldn’t have been slaves. You seem to forget how many white men lost their lives to free your ancestors and yet now you choose to hate them all. My country owes your ancestors an apology, but it owes you nothing.

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Posted by ( phdee ) on May 31, 2008 at 6:33 pm

Amoroque:  In no way was I trying to embarass you or “put you down”, if it came across that way.  My question was serious. It just seemed to me that the stats were high, and I don’t read of many such cases.

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Posted by ( phdee ) on May 31, 2008 at 3:37 pm

Barnum, I may get emotional about racism (the American way of life) whereas you get emotional in pushing for a return to those glorious days of Southern racism, lynchings, white culture, etc. —Still waiting for your list of dime store novels I read. (I don’t even recall if our Ben Franklin store had novels - I had no money for them if it did.)

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Posted by ( RonCharest ) on May 31, 2008 at 10:51 am

Amoroque,

America already has a greater percentage of people per population “locked up” than any other nation in the world.  Yet, we have a higher crime rate than almost every other nation in the world.  In fact, our violent crime statistics, involving the use of firearms, resembles that of a nation in civil war. 

I really wish more Americans would go and spend a few years living in a country that has strict gun control laws.  If enough Americans did, as I have, there would no longer be any debate on such insane ideas as giving college students the right to carry loaded firearms on a campus.

The NRA started out being a lobbying group for firearm manufacturers,  They’ve done a really great job convincing the people of this country that the only freedom comes at point of a gun. 

Oh, and I was trained in the use of firearms while in the military - training that way too many people who do carry firearms have never received.  I’ve lived in dangerous places, and traveled in even more dangerous places, but never felt the need, as a civilian, to own a gun.  I refuse to live in such fear.

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Posted by ( phdee ) on May 30, 2008 at 3:42 pm

Barnum, what a fertile imagination you have.  What dime store novels have I read?  And I do have lots of personal experience from being around sharecroppers—-even my father was one at one time. You must be part of the American drug problem - hallucinations.

This forum you claim is not for abortion.  Ah, the “hitler” dictator has spoken in his fascist manner, like all the anti-immigrant crowd.  Always trying to control things and tell everyone what to do or so - aling with lots of namecalling.  “The right and wrong of taking a life is not based on religion” ??? Bit right or wrong, it still is nearly always bazsed on religion, especially abortion, which you in your post brought up.  Curious:  when is it right to take a life.  To answer you have to vascilate. Also, you must be one of those “traitors” - to use an anti name for us so-called “apologists” since Americans love to claim this country was founded and guided by religion. Is that a lie?
—You’ve got to face it barnum, you are a bigoted victim of your own beliefs and opinions. No one else counts.

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Posted by ( barnun ) on May 30, 2008 at 2:30 pm

phdee ? we already caught you taking stories from old dime store novels and trying to make them as your personal history of a share cropper. I dont mind if you quote me, but please do it accruately. here is the quote you incorrectly changed. “the right and wrong of taking a life is not based on religion”. you have repeatedly refused any and all facts that do not agree with your emotional battles against the american way of life. This is not the dicussion forum for the immigration issues.

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Posted by ( phdee ) on May 30, 2008 at 2:07 pm

Barnum, you wouldn’t know a fact, and you have no logic.  I just love your posting on this website where you said opposition is not based on religion/  Oh yeah!!! Where have you been all these years, especially since Roe?

Amoroque: I don’t dispute the existence of a crime problem. However, I do read newspapers, watch TV, surf a little on the internet, etc., and I would be less than honest if I did not say I very, very rarely hear or read of a “crime” committed or attempted where the victim defended himself with a gun. I read the “police briefs”, “crime reports” etc in papers, and there is rarely one such “crime” there. The police reports almost always, however, have more than one crime by someone with a gun (or alleged to have one).  I have seen articles where a criminal was overcome by a worker or citizen, but often it was physical force, not a gun. Having 2.5 million “self defene3se” actions would require some method of reporting.  Are the police keeping it secrtet?  Or newspapers? I still thank it is fish and an exaggeration. A recent poster here a week or so ago posted a letter that alleged (with supposedly links for proof) that immigrants (illegal) commit 1.2 million SEX crimes in the US a year.  Out of an estimated 12,000,000 that’s 1 out of 12—and that’s just for SEX crimes. We know the anti-immigration crowd claims illegals are involved in murder, rape, robberies, DUI, tax evasion, etc. (just ask Barnum).  It would seem there would not bemenough illegals to assign the crimes.  It’s all fabrications.—I don’t intend to surf the internet - I don’t believe anyone has country-wide stats on this topic - just “stats” to fit some “theory”..

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Posted by ( barnun ) on May 30, 2008 at 10:30 am

phdee will never listen to facts or logic he doesn’t want to hear. the uk has strict gun control laws and their overall crime rate has gone up. the criminals have less fear knowing that most households no longer have any form of defense.

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Posted by ( Amoroque ) on May 30, 2008 at 9:57 am

You are exactly right, America does in fact have a crime problem.  The crime is what we need to focus on eliminating by enforcing stricter sentences for repeat offenders that are constantly “allowed” to victimize our families, our friends and our neighbors.  Firearms are the first and sometimes the only line of self defense against an attack. 
If you feel that these statistics are “fishy” and “exaggerated” I challenge you to find other statistics that would disprove my previous comment.

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Posted by ( phdee ) on May 29, 2008 at 3:30 pm

If guns are used 2.5 million times a year as self defense from a crime, then the US really does in fact have a crime problem. How many crimesx were committed where these was no “gun used in defense”?  I wonder how each of these 2.5 million instances was found out. All sounds fishy and exaggerated to me.

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