That is not correct.

It may be part of a solution but not the "ONLY" solution.

Another part of the solution could also be recognizing mental health issues and spending the money to treat them.

This person was not a "criminal" before killing the innocent children and teachers. No sane person would have done what he did.

The "criminals" don't care one bit about gun control. They don't seek permission to own one.

The majority of the countries on this list have strict gun controls - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196941/The-violent-country-Europe-Britain-worse-South-Africa-U-S.html#ixzz2F4LRKtVV Obviously, it's not the "ONLY" solution.

Old saying: "If we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns."

God bless the little children, and God take vengeance on the ones who harm them. 

My sincerest condolences to all those affected.

I do however feel that all the extensive media coverage and "exploration" for reprehensible events of this nature does indeed fuel the twisted fantasies of the next [insert noun here] in line.  The world stops and looks at them for awhile.

As far as the tweetlebies in the O/P, well they got what they wanted too.  I zoomed Doc's image up and read their twits.  I've properly kicked myself.

  Blaming the deaths of children on a lack of gun control sounds somewhat opinionated and biased. I am disappointed, no, saddened by your viewpoint.

Perhaps a jet airliner would be your weapon of choice? Land mines? Fertilizer and diesel oil? Maybe just good old sticks and rocks? Whatever.

 The problem is people, not weapons. Increasing/adding gun laws reduces gun crimes, nothing more, but it does help take away my right to defend myself from someone who chooses to ignore those laws, and the one that says "thou shalt not steal" God and I can work out "Thou shalt not kill" later if need be. I'll take that chance if the criminal will too.

 The "right to bear arms" was originally meant to enable an armed militia to be able to defend the people from an oppressive government. Well, that certainly fell by the wayside, didn't it. Now we elect them. Coming from a former Penal Colony, I'm not surprised you down-unders have trouble grasping "rights" and "personal freedoms"  

I used to hunt, ate what I shot, I used to target shoot, great fun. I have never fired a weapon in anger or war. I don't even own a gun right now but I will defend my right to own one. One less gun in the world? Yeah, as soon as all the Armies go home, and all the wars stop, we can talk about that.

/The End

Absolutely agree. Time to put the screws to the Insurance Companies to treat mental and physical illness equally.

Also correct.

Correct, but I don't see hordes of criminals coming to invade my living room. The FACTS and statistics prove that home weapons harm the owner/family/friends far more often than criminals.

I was taught weapons from knives through hand guns, bolt action and automatic weapons, 30 and 50 cals, mortars and anti-tank weapons. Even during war, when on leave, and in peace (well, something like it, anyway), my weapon would be broken down and stored in the highest kitchen cabinet... and the kids were 3 and 2 yrs old.... no danger BUT always acted as if there were.

If you're concerned about self defense, learn krav-maga. Or buy a nuclear weapon. 

Its looking more and more like this kid was mentally ill, perhaps autistic, personality disorder.. etc etc...(latest reports) and altho it doesn't excuse his actions, it more than likely contributed to them,

Should he have had access to guns? of course not.. was his mother probably at fault for not securing them, probably... she paid the price.

Would he have found a way to kill people without a gun? Who knows.. Hard to believe he wouldn't have,

I'm not against finding a way to keep guns out of the hands of people who don't need to be around them, I am against trampling the constitutional rights of people who have done nothing to have their right to protect themselves taken from them.

My argument in NO way tries to diminish the memory of those who lost their lives, I have been grieving all day.

I just tend to look at the bigger picture before making knee-jerk reactions that can cause more harm than good.

Perhaps you live in a secluded, gated community....... it happens.. all day, everyday in all areas of the country... along with carjackings, armed robberies, burglaries, attempted murders, murders, rape, etc etc et cetera. Just because you haven't been victimized, doesn't mean you won't be.

Source please. (also, please see Hankers source)

Even if you can produce some stat on that, which, i actually doubt.. Its not the number of instances that proves anything, In communities where legal gun-owners are prevalent.. crime is just.. lower... because criminals stay out of communities known to be armed.. ergo.. less home invasions.

Krav-maga.. will not stop a bullet.

I was going to try to write something very thoughtful and yes maybe even thought provoking but you folks are hitting on all the correct points in the discussion. 

I find that I am left with the same thought I have whenever something tragic like this happens.  Mankind or humans have walked the Earth for more than 2000 years and we have yet to figure it out and unfortunatly it doesn't look like it is going to happend any time soon.  So sad.   

You didn't read/comprehend, John.

....I knew someone wouldn't.

Again....

Just one less gun in the world is one less gun that can be used to do more of this.

It is not debatable.  It is a truism.

All that's needed is for there to be a President with sufficient balls to mandate control and a penalty for violation as summary execution.

It will not happen because there will be NO President ever elected with the balls to face the 'gun lobby'.

...and there will always be people [pro-gun] who will expound all sorts of data about why it wouldn't work.

...yet the alternative certainly has a high mortality rate amongst innocents.

Unfortunately, 20 kids and 6 other adults also "paid the price". Her house/possessions should be sold to pay the funeral expenses. 

Right. From your local rent a tank. I can't believe you actually think that.

As I wrote:

A citizen has the right in the framework of the armed forces/police. The Second Amendment was written when invasion was a real danger. It ain't anymore. As for wacko far extreme right wing Gov't. take over paranoia? It's just that.

Look it up yourself, John. I'm not your research ass't.

Sorry...that just isn't true. In fact thanks to our government it has become more real and possible. And muskets!?...please! We're in the 20th century now.

I don't own a gun but I am pro gun ownership...however I am also pro gun "control" which is not to say that I'm against anyone owning a gun.

There just needs to be far better control over guns from production to destruction.

Anyone buying a gun should be required (or no gun purchase will be allowed) to go to some sort of gun training course at the very least once a month where they can actually shoot the gun. To many people buy guns and never fire them and you can't understand the power of a gun until you have fired it....this is not video game or action TV. If anyone fails to do this the gun must be turned in until you show willingness to comply with the responsibility of gun ownership.

If at any time in the future you decide you no longer want the gun...you cannot under penalty of law sell the gun to anyone other than a licensed gun shop...and form must be filled out and signed by both parties showing that the gun has not been stolen and/or sold to a private party...and has been taken out of circulation.

Any gun in the home that is not being used "must" be secured at all times to not only prevent unauthorized use but theft as well...failure to comply will result in hefty fines and/or prison time. Being placed under the bed or any other non secure place is not acceptable. If any gun in your possession should happen to get stolen due to your failure to secure it properly...there will be hefty fines and/or prison time involved...and if the gun in used in a crime resulting in death you will share some of the blame as well.

These are only a few things that can be done to prevent guns getting into the wrong hands and make people more responsible...but as we have seen over and over again...even sane people can snap. So I guess yearly psychological screening would also be in order or every 6 months...shouldn't be to much to ask to save a life.

None of the above intrude on anyone's right to own a gun...they just make you more responsible for owning one. The life you save may be your own.

And come Dec 21st...you may just wish you had a gun when all the nutjobs come out believing it's the end.

When I lived in the UK we went thru' Hungerford and Dunblane and the government acted decisively........

Now I live in the US and I hope the US government wakes up and does some of the same.............I know the starting point over here is a lot more complex however more innocent children's lives were lost today............enough is enough, regardless of what side of the fence you are on.

I get it... I just don't agree.... and you didn't answer my questions...as I suspected you wouldn't.

It's easy to find reasons for gun control, not so easy to find justification for taking away innocent peoples RIGHT to protect themselves, They aren't the ones running around shooting children.

Execution for owning a gun?

Probably aren't hordes of people invading homes in Palm beach... yet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jey1pBl8AY

I can't force anyone to acknowledge the obvious.

Thought so. Saying something is FACT.. doesn't hold up well when one can't produce.. the Facts.

Again.. refer to Hankers link... and refute it.. Anything else.. is whistling Dixie.

Look.. can ANYONE deny that more innocents are killed by illegal guns than legal ones????

and if So.. what good is taking guns out of the hands of legal owners??

Execution for being in possession of one without legal authority to do so...if there were to be gun prohibition.

More people are killed by guns than by people without them holding up a finger and going "bang".

Outside of specifically the military, security and police there should be no such thing as a 'legal gun'.

IF and it's a big 'if' guns were 'owned for protection' why pray tell are there all these high powered automatics etc in 'private ownership'?

Anyone planning to 'protect oneself' from a distance of half a mile against hordes of human vermin?

It's frankly absurd, and yet there are all these sane/sensible/logical people defending ownership....

It's pointless debating.  Gun Owners are right...they have their right....just too bad people have to die for this 'right'.

I have stated the bleedingly obvious....so there's nothing more to add.

[I'll just go on continuing to oversee people's rights here to voice their opinions, no matter how stupid I think they are]....

It's almost like gun control advocates just plain, flat out, refuse to read.. reasonable arguments from the other side.

 All i know is this..I don't like guns.. AT ALL...I'm against assault weapons, (one wasn't used today as far as I know) but... if someone is coming at me with a gun... I want to be able to defend myself.

I suppose some of you believe pepper spray is a valid option.

People die EVERYday.. from my aforementioned non-gun related methods... yet... not a peep, from anyone.. about it.

This nut-job was gonna hurt people.. with, or without a gun.

You still didn't answer my simple questions...

and cmon.. playing the stupid card?... surely that's beneath you.

In 2009, a total of 1,314 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those 1,314 fatalities, 181 (14%) occurred in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Out of those 181 deaths, 92 (51%) were occupants of a vehicle with a driver who had a BAC level of .08 or higher, and another 27 children (15%) were pedestrians or pedalcyclists struck by drivers with a BAC of .08 or higher.

Not to diminish.. but.....One year...One country... one way of being killed. 1,314... a bit more than 20. Why aren't you railing against this?

I'm FAR more worried about one of MY kids being hurt of killed by a drunk, than I am a maniac.

Bad people, will continue to do bad things, lets work on fixing THAT.. before we go blaming their weapon of choice.

If you can find a way to eliminate possession of guns by bad people, while not infringing on the rights of innocents to protect themselves from said bad people...

.. I'm on board.

Probably the biggest killers of children in Oz are those people who leave their kids in cars on a 30 degree day ....that's 47 in 10 minutes and 50-something in 20.

...and those who manage to back over their kids in 4 wheel drives [SUVs] cos they can't see them.

....and drowning...cos parents don't keep watch.

Stupid parents, not guns.

Classic Archie...lol.

But seriously, RIP, little ones. Our world is fast becoming a shithole which you no longer have to endure.

I regret you were cut so short, not having the chance to experience a good long life. Yet am glad you don't have to endure the upcoming failure of society as a whole.

I am as patriotic as the next guy, but this country is going down, and this is only the beginning.

At the risk of alienating a few here... but it needs to be said.

That's it... right there! NO GUNS OUTSIDE OF THE MILITARY, SECURITY or POLICE... PERIOD.  But what about the poor hunters?  Fuck the hunters!  There's enough butchers around if you want/need meat... and there's NO SPORT in taking a high powered rifle to an animal that can't even throw stones back to defend itself.

As for the bullshit argument about criminals and guns and self defence, etc, if there are NO guns in the wild AT ALL, people will have NO NEED to defend themselves with guns against guns.  Simply, the threat would cease to exist if NOBODY can access guns

To implment this NO GUN policy, NO non-miltary firearms would be produced EVER AGAIN and ALL gun stores would be CLOSED permanently.  It's as simple as that.

As for the bullshit argument about guns being necessary because of black market and illegal/non-licensed guns, there will always be an element who don't comply, but the 150,000,000 other guns no longer in circulation means fewer gun related deaths... fewer senseless and unfathomable tragedies such as this one.

Had all of the above been put in place some years ago, this man would not have been able to access a gun to slaughter 27 innocents.  And as more and more of these illegal firearms are taken out of circulation, as they inevitably would be, the fewer and fewer guns in the hands of those criminals who don't comply.  Probem solved!

As for the bullshit argument "I am a responsible citizen and it is MY right to bear arms", it is that very same thinking and assumed 'right' that puts a gun in the hands of the extremely unbalanced, with multiple personality disorders and an inferiority complex, psychopath next door.  In other words, you can't have your cake AND EAT it too... meaning, if you don't want the armed and extremely unhinged effwit going into a school near you, with a mind to massacre a bunch of innocent kids, then YOU have to give up that fucked up 'right' to bear arms to prevent it.

As for the bullsit argument that "knives and spears kill people too", yes, but not to the same extreme as guns.  Like when was the last time you read/heard of some deranged mass murderer going on a wholesale killing spree, armed only with a knife and/or spear?  When was the last time you heard about some lunatic pulling out a knife in church and killing 8 people before he was overpowered and stopped?  Frankly, you haven't... and you won't, but you see/hear/read about gun related massacres all the time. 

A line has to be drawn and Americans have to have the balls to draw it.

Yeah, I'm passionate about taking firearms out of the hands of ordinary civilians.... ALL civilians, because I was aged 11 and saw the senseless snuffing out of a life when a garage owner I knew had the entire side of his head blown away by a shotgun.  Nobody should ever have to witness that, least of all a child... and the pro-gun attitude puts children in harm's way, if not directly by the flying bullets, then by the associated trauma of gun violence and needless and senseless gun deaths. I dare anyone to tell me I'm wrong on that score... because I'm not.

Remember the events of July 22 in Norway last year? Norway isn't a traditional gun-toting country......hell the police aren't even armed! I still feel safer here than any other place in the world, but as you can see, sick people will still get bombs/guns no matter what the weapons policy of the country is.