Unarmed cops.

[WarGamer]

How about the cop who pulled over Timothy McVeigh?

If the cop was unarmed, would have McVeigh shot him with the gun he had on his person?

Would McVeigh have ever been caught?

Just one example in 1000's...

In a more peaceful compliant society, armed cops might not be necessary. But look at the local news. We have a REAL violence problem here and the tool of choice is the gun.

Training, psych screenings, careful hiring and prosecutions when they go bad. That's really all we've got right now.

EDIT: And ya know how the SEC addressed fraud after Madoff? They regulated the industry so that no single person in an investment firm had too much autonomy. They structured teams of people to watch over each other. Checks and cross checks. Policing should be the same way. Discourage the Blue Wall of silence and reward Team behavior.

[brush]

1. The problem is a society awash in way too many guns.

Plain and simple.

[WarGamer]

2. Yup.

I haven't heard a viable solution, though.

We have a violent culture. If there no guns, it'd be something else.

There's just SOMETHING about our culture, in every neighborhood and social strata... rich and poor, people are violent.

[brush]

3. Guns make it too easy to take out many people quickly.

We've tried it with guns galore for centuries. Time to try something else, like the rest of western society where you can't just walk into a gun store, buy a gun and go and shoot up and kill eight people like the guy in Georgia at the message parlors.

[WarGamer]

4. Barn doors been open for 100 years and there are cows on every corner

Constitution says you can't round them up and confiscate them.

Next move?

Why not look at the culture in ADDITION to the guns?

[brush]

5. Australia had a buy-back program in the '90s after a mass shooting...

Strict gun laws were also passed. They haven't had a mass shooting since. It can be done. We need to get past the NRA and the republicans to get it done.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/10/australia-enacted-strict-gun-control-laws-after-a-horrific-mass-shooting-in-1996-it-worked.html#:~:text=In%201996%2C%20Australia%20Enacted%20Strict%20Gun%20Laws.,It%20Hasn%E2%80%99t%20Had%20a%20Mass%20Shooting%20Since.

[WarGamer]

6. I think you meant to say "get past the Constitution"

Constitutional Convention?

It can't be done.

Australia, small population, small number of guns. No Constitution.

So... about culture?

[brush]

9. Not at all. We had an assault weapon ban here from '94...

to '04. Repugs in Congress let it expire instead of re-upping it. It can be done. There have also been buy-backs in cities.

Why keep looking for excuses not to do it when it's been done and shown that it works?

[WarGamer]

10. It didn't ban assault weapons.

Do you study this stuff?

It made it illegal for an assault weapon to have a flash suppressor AND a pistol grip, for example. But could have a detachable magazine and fire semi-auto.

The law was near useless, written to simply change the "style" of assault weapons. Fact.

[WarGamer]

7. Oh and you're wrong about no mass shootings since 1996.

There are at least 3.

And... did you know that as of 2012 there were MORE guns in Australia than there were in 1996?

More guns, less crime... why can't WE do that here?

Culture? Easy access to guns? Let's hear REAL solutions.

[brush]

11. I love your can't do pessimism. 3 mass shootings in Australia since '96.

Three?

Three?

I'd love the US to have that number. We have more than that per day. Three since '96 shows it's working, dude. Get real and stop the pessimism that nothing can be done about it. It can be if we have determined legislators behind a drive to drasticly reduce the mass shootings here.

I and many others a tired of the can't doers regurgitating republican talking points that nothing can be done.

[WarGamer]

12. Hmmm?

There are MORE guns now in Australia than pre-ban. Fact.

Comment?

Oh and PLENTY can be done. Just not what you're advocating.

[brush]

14. Oh now you're suddenly saying something can be done. What then?

And what do you think I'm advocating?

[WarGamer]

15. Everything you've proposed can't be done or is useless

You mentioned buybacks for example. Silly.

The only people that trade in the gun for a gift card didn't want the gun.

Here's what CAN be done.

1) Stiffer background checks.

2) Mandatory sentencing for gun crimes

[brush]

17. Now you're finally coming up with something.

What did it, asking you to stop the republican talking points? Your suggestions are welcome. And you're wrong about buy-backs. They worked in Australia as hundreds of thousands of guns were turned in. You just can't offer peanuts. A substantial sum has to offered.

[WarGamer]

19. You've successfully ignored this FACT 3 times.

There are MORE guns in Australia today than pre-ban.

Comment?

[brush]

20. Who ignored it? I knew 600k guns were bought back...

and as you cited, they've had only three mass shootings since '96. Wouldn't you love that to be the rate here? They're averaging one every 1 every 7.3 something years.

Maybe they'll do another successful buy-back if that number edges up a tad.

[WarGamer]

21. Let's slow this down.

Number of guns goes UP but they have low crime.

Why?

And FWIW, their definition of mass shootings is 4 fatalities, very different from our definition here.

Irrelevant though... in our country

[Phoenix61]

23. Seems the 80/20 rule may be in play.

“But gun ownership per capita has dropped by 23% during the same time, said Associate Prof Philip Alpers from the University of Sydney.

"Far fewer people now have a gun in their home but some people have a lot more guns," Associate Prof Philip Alpers told the BBC.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-australia-44105129

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Australia doesn't have that 2nd Amendment. We, unfortunately (since Heller) allow an...

armed society with few restraints.

[brush]

13. You do know there was an assault weapon ban here passed...

during the Clinton admin. From '94-'04. The republicans in charge of Congress in '04 failed to extend it. So don't tell me nothing can be done.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. Yes, we did. And it helped, but was not what we could call a solution. If we did one today...

it would probably have grandfathering in it again, and the gun show and ghost gun loopholes have to closed.

[brush]

18. Yes. It's worth trying. Too many Americans are getting slaughtered.

We can't let it continue that you and I or anyone else can suddenly be caught unawares in a mass shooting through no fault of our own.

[hunter]

22. Most regular cops don't have the temperament or the skills to use guns appropriately.

In my personal experience once the guns come out everything is fubar.

Especially when cops have military or militaristic training.