Root Causes..

 

I think its more in our culture, its all about you, individuality. Everyone is told they're the greatest better then everyone else, were a society of narcissist. If you believe you're the only thing that matter, you're going to do what you want, when you want and put anyone down in your way. I think that's the issue here, that and violence has been a part of our culture since our nation was founded.

Taken from either extreme - ego, and what happens when that ego is challenged by material loss, or someone preventing that person's desire for something - that's one reason. The other is more of a down-and-out kind of problem, coupled with a lack of empathy towards others. This is what happens here - poor people, who loose their jobs (and their last remaining sense of pride) often have an act of violence when someone puts them down, or they feel unfairly treated. It's nuts, but this I've understood happens here on occasion. In two cases I know of, it's knives, and not guns that did the harm. But I'm sure, had they had guns instead, it would have been the same scenario. Yes, it's a matter of what the individual does, but bad circumstances often do encourage bad behaviors to come to the surface; economics does have a significant effect on crime rates, a correlation that's pretty apparent.

Yes, that has been a recurring problem here in the US! History is repeated, and often behavior is handed down from one generation to the next.. The old mentality, for all of it's good points, does have some bad aspects from a violent past. So, children often pattern themselves after their parents (understandably), and what we see today can be the result of a history being passed forward. One of the shooting in Texas, as I recall, involved the son of a blacksmith, who's trade disappeared as the suburbs advanced and the economy changed. The whole family was in turmoil, and when someone looses their means of making a living, we have a scant safety-net, and often there's a sense of pride being lost that can turn up trouble in some unfortunate ways.

But on a better note, we should be learning from the mistakes, and working to remedy the problems (I would at least hope so?).:\

 

Look at huge difference in culture....

 

the town with the lowest crime level is the town where guns are required. I not sure but I bet the Uk controls its borders well...in america since so many want a open border smuggling weapons in is VERY easy...If i was not broke i could go out and get a illegal gun. If we wanted to do something we'd have to make them illegal and tightly control imported goods and the border.

 

Bottom line it's next to impossible to keeps guns out, you can make them illegal and people would just buy them illegally and in larger numbers.

 

you shouldn't have taken the uk as an example. probably the worst country in europe when it comes to guncrime.

 

arent guns legal in canada?

 

I did some research and thought about it .... you're both right I guess. I just...didn't know a lot about this stuff... thanks for helping I guess.

Ideas on the why part..

 

I think the matter has a lot less to do with guns, and a lot more to do with learning, states of mind, and circumstances.. People who commit these acts are getting the wrong signals somehow - usually from family, or from not being taught some basic lessons in morality (and consequences). It may go back to when they were infants - how they were nurtured and cared for at an early age, and did they learn basic lessons about fair play with others? I feel we cannot begin to fix the problem without getting at the root causes; gun control might reduce some of the tragic occurrences, but one of the things guaranteed in the constitution is the right to keep and bears arms, ultimately as a national defense force, and as a natural right (on the frontier, guns were essential). It may also be seen as an ultimate check on government, if that government becomes despotic in nature (we had just won our independence from a King who had gone mad, and the early citizens were not about to let that happen again!)

So, unless we think this is not an essential right (by passing another amendment to change the constitution), we will have to live with it.

I think perhaps it's more a matter of the transmission of ideas, and of those susceptible to suggestions that may lead to harm. So, if it happens in one place, it gets repeated elsewhere.. Back when I was rather young, we had had a pattern of bombs being set in buildings; this "trend" was then duplicated by other individuals, who had a similar mindset to close down buildings. (the Weather Underground comes to mind..) Maybe if the news didn't sensationalize it so much, and repeat it night after night, those bad ideas might not have such a severe ripple effect? I'm just thinking out loud here...