Buffalo and Uvalde blew gun lobby reasons to oppose sensible gun laws out of the water..

A related issue of mental healthBuffalo and Uvalde  blew gun lobby reasons to oppose sensible gun laws out of the water..

Updated: June 3, 2022  _124122934_gun_related_crimes_640-2x-nc_updated.png (976×764) (bbci.co.uk)      The US has got twice the gun crime rate as others like us.  This  BBC site is a treasure trove of data  from non-biased sources.

Updated 6/2/22 I  am sick and tired of the gun lobby's reasons to oppose sensible gun laws.  In a Facebook dialog in response to the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas,, and now Tulsa. I got a  typical and nonsensical response to any attempt to fix the problem. " OK, so it was bad but what about Chicago?" Give me a break. Both are bad. The other," the way to deal with bad guys with guns, is to give good guys more guns."  When it comes to many good guys with a pistol, they are outgunned by one with a AR 15 and in body armor.. Give me a break. Another BS "argument: pass what you'd call sensible gun legislation, and the next thing you know the government will take your guns away from you". Colorado and Connecticut passed sensible gun laws and my friends and I still have our guns. Give me a break  Cooling off periods? That may have slowed down the Tulsa killer who bought his AR 15 2 hours before his rampage? "Selling weapons of war to those under 21? That would have stopped the '18-year-old Uvalde killer. "It is all a mental health problem so fix that and all will be fine".  That one assumes much, but so many of the killers had no red flags. Either they were too young or confided in a few or they were not taken seriously and if there were, there were no red flag laws and mechanisms to stop a purchase.   Another responder to a cartoon posted by a friend that showed 19 kids and two teachers at St Peter's gate with an anti-gun message expressed outrage that someone would dare make such an event a political one. Excuse me:.  I replied: .." It is a political issue because the solution lies with the government. ...and politicians have the power to regulate access to civilian use of war weapons. Otherwise, why does the NRA finance so many politicians' campaigns? They know it and you do too. " 

On May 27, I heard a really stupid argument from those who should know better but who want to discuss anything but gun control, one door entry exit for schools:.. Ted Cruz, a Senator prized for his intelligence and education, flat advocated it again and again.. Ted Cruz should have known better.  Here is my May  27 Facebook posting and Cruz's continued advocacy for the one-door stupidity.

One suggestion being made in the case of Uvalde is to have one exit and entry in a school and lock it. Not sure how that works in a multibuilding campus, but certainly having one exit is a stupid idea. Imagine 500 kids running to one door in the case of a fire, tornado, and a shooter with an AR15. ( An elementary school teacher (I know )having trained for shelter in place in the case of an active shooter knows that there must be another way. An elementary school in the Columbine school area(years after the infamous high school incident) had outside doors in some of the classrooms and in another school, all rooms had escape doors. Ironically, her own daughter had to shelter in place in a school shooting incident and it took an hour and more before her classroom "was cleared". The shooter was in the next room and had shot himself. Fortunately, he was not armed with a wall-busting AR15,, but a shotgun. After that experience, she resolved if there was an emergency door to the outside,, and in an upper elementary grade level was inside, she would tell the students to scatter and run like hell. .Not every school can have a door to the outside, but it is instructive of the importance of multiple exits. (A quick reply from someone who read this is that no fire marshal would ever ok the one entry/exit approach anyway).

Sen. Ted Cruz proposes one door entry at TX schools, safety experts say it's not feasible | KEYE (cbsaustin.com)

One-door schoolhouses not credible solution, officials and experts say | The Texas Tribune

My response to the Chicago gang violence deflective issue posed by a Facebook responder was this:  

Typical "what about".." deflective issue and answer. . Don't look at that tree, look at this one..So. two wrongs make a right.? Both are connected by one thing: it is easy to get an AR 15 whether you are a gang member or a kid gone loco...but two different sociological circumstances at work and the kinds of victims. are different as well. The best answer is fix them both and the common tie that binds are the availability to those who want to kill with weapons of war..If Uvaldi showed anything, good guys with guns are outgunned...another useless answer. Another stupid deflective answer: institute common sense gun laws and the next thing, the government will take away your guns. Yeh, slippery sloper. Do like we did in Colorado and in Connecticut. Did your guns get taken away from you?

• 9 questions about gun laws in Colorado, answered | Colorado Public Radio (cpr.org)

 "Voters in the state chose to close the so-called ‘gun show loophole’ after the Columbine massacre in 1999, requiring background checks for purchases at trade shows.

More recent gun laws in the Colorado were embraced by Pres. Biden in an address to the nation  June 2. 2022.   Full Transcript: Biden’s Speech on Gun Control - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

• Universal background checks for all sales, including private sales.
• A ban on magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.
• Restrictions on gun ownership for certain domestic violence offenders.
• A Red Flag Law that allows a family member or law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove someone’s firearms if they’re deemed a danger to themselves or others. These are known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders.
• A requirement that gun owners securely store their firearms when not in use.
• A requirement that gun owners report to law enforcement any lost or stolen weapons.
• Allowing cities and counties to pass stricter gun laws than the state.
• Preventing people convicted of certain violent misdemeanors from buying a gun for five years.
• Closing the so-called ‘Charleston loophole’ that allowed gun dealers to finish a transaction without a background check if the check wasn’t completed in three days.
• The ‘Vote Without Fear Act,’ which bars the open carry of firearms within 100 feet of a polling location.
• Creating an Office of Gun Violence Prevention."

 Per Wikipedia:Gun laws in Connecticut regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Gun laws in Connecticut are amongst the most restrictive in the country. Connecticut requires training, background check and permitting requirements for the purchase of firearms and ammunition; and a ban (with exceptions) on certain semi-automatic firearms defined as "assault weapons" and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds. Connecticut's licensing system for open and concealed carry is relatively permissive.

Colorado's new mental health legislation may help curb mass violence

Nearly every couple of weeks, it seems, we hear of another school or mass  shooting or a bomb being planted in this or that public place.  Even among my European friends, Colorado is famous, not for its skiing or tourist destination, but for Columbine and Aurora.

 Several months ago, a 16 year old placed explosives in a Colorado suburban school and, as the judge  ruled last week, he  will be tried as an adult for attempted murder..  The accused defense: it was just a prank and the bomb batteries were dead.

 What is wrong with Colorado?, they ask.  I remind them that it has become a phenomena in other parts of the world, but world perception is that is it more of a problem in America than elsewhere.  The most recent incident at McNair Academy outside Atlanta, fortunately ending without casualties thanks to a brave bookkeeper, Antoinette Tuff.  Newtown, Connecticut has entered national consciousness with the same intensity as does the word “Columbine”. 

While every incident is a little different, what appears to be common to most , whether AK 47’s with 500 rounds of ammo or a homemade bomb are the weapons, are mental health issues . The McNair 20 year old male mentioned to Ms. Tuff that he was “ off his psych meds.” The known mental health problems of the Aurora movie theatre shooter is the main focus of  that trial and his insanity defense.  Whether it is out of control rage, revenge for wrongs, a sense of being victimized, a cry for help,  or seeking death by cop  in a media  blaze of notoriety, we  see a common thread of mental health problems.

 There is no “silver bullet”  (so to speak) to forever ending  commission of such kinds of violence. It takes a variety of approaches that can only make such acts less likely.  Whatever your stance on the interpretation of the 2^nd amendment,  mental health issues have  usually been overshadowed by the debate over  constitutional rights. One exception is  Colorado. Both tougher gun laws and mental health legislation have been enacted this spring.

Where the 2^nd amendment and mental health issues intersect is in tightening the rules on  background checks.  If  we all agree that those with a history of mental illness should not be able to buy  weapons,  can anyone tell me how that can be policed without comprehensive background checks?  I do get the argument that these laws  would not have deterred Newtown, Columbine, or those using explosive devices, but there are other instances where it could have had some impact such as in Aurora and/ or if access and reporting laws were improved.  

One of the deterrents to  intercepting those with mental health problems is that seeking professional help has not been affordable.  One of the little noticed provisions of Obamacare is mental health parity. Access to medications and time spent with a professional receives similar coverage as other chronic diseases, like diabetes or high blood pressure, and would not be considered a pre-existing condition, disclosure to insurers of  which until now shot up the cost of health insurance premiums or led to denial. 

In response to Aurora,  legislation was passed in May  which would provide $20 million for expansion of mental health services. Early next year, the state plans to establish walk-in crisis centers around Colorado, a 24-hour mental health hotline,  mobile units to travel to rural areas where access to mental health services is limited, and greater access to 24 hour holds. The hotline will be particularly helpful to parents and friends at wits end about what to do if they fear a child or a friend is  out of control or for those realizing they themselves fear they  may be tempted to act out and commit violence against others.