Gunman opens fire in North Illinois University

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/15/2008 3:05:48 PM
Author: onvacation

Strm, I understand your position on guns, and there are guns being used for good reasons, but I do think that guns in the hands of the wrong people are at least part of the problem. Medication is a whole other issue, and you''re right in that it can drive sane people mad. But can you imaging a killing spree with a knife or tomahawks? The problem with guns and bombs are that they can kill too easily. Not to mention that shooting a gun must make one feel more empowered than blasting bombs.

I really dont want too get into this... a car or truck could have been used too kill far more people.
Blaming inanimate objects for the actions of people is wrong...

Also I called it 100% right....
"He was a fairly normal, unstressed person," Grady said. But he added that Kazmierczak''s family reported the gunman had been on some unnamed medication and stopped taking it."

 

[Maisie]

Date: 2/15/2008 3:14:08 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 2/15/2008 3:05:48 PM
Author: onvacation

Strm, I understand your position on guns, and there are guns being used for good reasons, but I do think that guns in the hands of the wrong people are at least part of the problem. Medication is a whole other issue, and you''re right in that it can drive sane people mad. But can you imaging a killing spree with a knife or tomahawks? The problem with guns and bombs are that they can kill too easily. Not to mention that shooting a gun must make one feel more empowered than blasting bombs.

I really dont want too get into this... a car or truck could have been used too kill far more people.
Blaming inanimate objects for the actions of people is wrong...

Also I called it 100% right....
''He was a fairly normal, unstressed person,'' Grady said. But he added that Kazmierczak''s family reported the gunman had been on some unnamed medication and stopped taking it.''

I agree that a gun is not dangerous until its placed in the wrong hands.

 

[Angel7]

I''m not going to touch on the gun rights topic..but what''s sad is that these killers take their own lives and we can never get the answers as to "why" they have to hurt others and then themselves in the end....

 

[musey]

Date: 2/14/2008 7:02:28 PM
Author: musey
I just found out that a kid I went to high school with was shot/possibly killed in the shooting. Major bummer.

Good news, HS friend is injured and in the hospital, but in STABLE condition! Phew.

I feel so terribly for all the victims of this horrible incident... My parents were so worried when I moved from IL to Los Angeles, citing the crime and violence rates. It really goes to show you that tragedy can strike anywhere.

There was a shooting at my school during my first year of undergrad, and I remember how it shook the whole campus. I truly hope that the University is taking extra steps to help the students and staff during this time.

 

[Sha]

Date: 2/15/2008 3:14:08 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 2/15/2008 3:05:48 PM

Author: onvacation


Strm, I understand your position on guns, and there are guns being used for good reasons, but I do think that guns in the hands of the wrong people are at least part of the problem. Medication is a whole other issue, and you''re right in that it can drive sane people mad. But can you imaging a killing spree with a knife or tomahawks? The problem with guns and bombs are that they can kill too easily. Not to mention that shooting a gun must make one feel more empowered than blasting bombs.

I really dont want too get into this... a car or truck could have been used too kill far more people.

Blaming inanimate objects for the actions of people is wrong...


Also I called it 100% right....

''He was a fairly normal, unstressed person,'' Grady said. But he added that Kazmierczak''s family reported the gunman had been on some unnamed medication and stopped taking it.''

I don''t want to get too much into the gun rights issue, either... because it could become quite a debate..but to me, a gun can''t be compared to an inanimate object like a car or a baseball bat or an apple.... a gun''s main function is to kill. Not the same for cars or baseball bats..although of course they can be used for the same thing as well. Guns quick quickly and efficiently. Which is probably why most would-be killers use guns instead of loading up a car with explosives, using a knife etc.

There a lot of evil people in the world, and there will always be. That''s a fact you can''t escape. Like I sad... EVIL PERSON + EASY KILLING MACHINE = QUICK AND EASY DESTRUCTION.

I do agree that if a teacher had been armed as well then maybe the gunman wouldn''t have gotten so far... but I just DON"T feel the world would be a better place if everybody walked around strapped. Too many potential killing machines for me. I think we need less guns overall, not more.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/15/2008 5:47:42 PM
Author: Sha

a gun''s main function is to kill.

really? my guns have never killed anyone and they have been fired hundreds of thousands of times.
Wow another use for a gun who would have thought!
Swimming pools are far more dangerous not too mention cars lets ban them!

 

[monarch64]

I feel horrible for everyone involved in this situation. Living in Chicagoland of course, this hits very close to home for DH and I...some of the students who were killed came from suburbs adjacent to ours.

I would like to say that I don''t believe that guns or gun control is the issue here as far as why this happened, etc. I just watch Bowling For Columbine a couple weeks ago for the first time (it came out in ''02), and Moore brought up some very intriguing questions...if you''ve seen it you know what I''m talking about.

I do find it quite ironic that the gunman was pursuing a career in social work. And I''m really wondering why the "unnamed medication" he allegedly stopped taking recently has yet to be named...god forbid the drug companies get hit with another lawsuit.

 

[Sha]

Date: 2/15/2008 7:03:00 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 2/15/2008 5:47:42 PM

Author: Sha


a gun''s main function is to kill.

really? my guns have never killed anyone and they have been fired hundreds of thousands of times.

Wow another use for a gun who would have thought!

Swimming pools are far more dangerous not too mention cars lets ban them!

There are many guns around that have never been used to kill anybody. That doesn''t change the fact that a gun is designed to kill, does it?

Someone can use a gun for another purpose.. for example, for protection, or for ''fun'' on a sporting range, in the same way that I can use a car to sleep in, or as an ornament in my front yard.... it doesn''t change what the thing has mainly been designed to do.

What do you use your gun for?

With regard to your comment on swimming pools, cars - I guess any item can be used to kill someone, if you''re creative enough. Plastic bags, glass bottles.... but you can''t ban these items because their MAIN purpose is something OTHER than killing- unlike guns. A car is made to be driven - swimming pools are made to swim in etc, and as far as I know, MOST people use them for these reasons. So I don''t think that line of argument is logical.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/15/2008 7:38:57 PM
Author: Sha


There are many guns around that have never been used to kill anybody. That doesn''t change the fact that a gun is designed to kill, does it?

Someone can use a gun for another purpose.. for example, for protection, or for ''fun'' on a sporting range, in the same way that I can use a car to sleep in, or as an ornament in my front yard.... it doesn''t change what the thing has mainly been designed to do.

What do you use your gun for?

With regard to your comment on swimming pools, cars - I guess any item can be used to kill someone, if you''re creative enough. Plastic bags, glass bottles.... but you can''t ban these items because their MAIN purpose is something OTHER than killing- unlike guns. A car is made to be driven - swimming pools are made to swim in etc, and as far as I know, MOST people use them for these reasons. So I don''t think that line of argument is logical.

if you want we can discuss this another time and thread... its enough for this thread...
How about we just agree to disagree and leave it at that....