The Right to Bear Arms

[think positive]

[HAL]

It depends on the environmental factors.

[stui magpie]

Interestinglt the USA doesn't even make the top 10 when it comes to firearm related deaths per 100,000 of population.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate

Considering it's supposed to be a world leader and a first world country though, looking at the countries in the top 10 doesn't reflect real well on the USA at all.

[think positive]

[Proud Pies]

no wonder they won't vote against it

Here is a list of every politician who is receiving money from the NRA to make sure guns are easy to own

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?cycle=2012&id=D000000082

[Bruno]

[Bruno]

[Bruno]

You know what I find interesting and this is more just as an aside ... but "Hollywood" (i.e. the industry) is apparently full of people who describe themselves as "liberal progressives". I find it inconsistent then that "Hollywood" is just so keen to have so many guns in the films they make.

Now, I am not AT ALL saying Hollywood's contribution to the USA's "culture" is THE driving force behind gun deaths in the USA (after all, Australia gets all these same films and we don't have the same gun problem) but you'd think the people running Hollywood (given their progressive values) would be more aware / more willing to remove guns from their films... similarly to how how they removed cigarettes.

(Note, I am not saying all guns should be removed from all films / television. It's more that guns just seem so ubiquitous in Hollywood productions these days).

Also, you'd think the "god loving" red necks would similarly want to do things to minimize guns in the community too.

Alas.

[Nick - Pie Man]

Interesting point. They are probably only 'liberal progressive' when it doesn't cost them anything. Guns and explosions put bums on seats.

[David]

I'm not in favour of sanitising films, but the way guns are fetishised in film advertising has always bothered me. Pretty much every action movie will give prominent place to a gun. It's a visual code, essentially: guns = exciting; this will be an exciting film.

I don't think it's necessarily so tenuous to argue that it (along with violent video games) might have played a role in creating a culture of gun fetishisation. This is all worthy of more in-depth research, but I think there's reason to suggest a link. Most people who watch violent films won't go on a shooting spree, of course, but it only takes an unbalanced individual who's been exposed to this stimuli and can easily purchase a gun for a situation like this to occur. I don't think that's necessarily a reason to regulate media content, however.

For me, the easiest answer to all of that is to simply restrict access. The human mind is complex and unpredictable; taking unnecessary killing machines out of shops is simple.

[Nick - Pie Man]

That's a very practical way to look at it. I see this more as a mental health issue... but that's my fetish

[3.14159]

There is move by Hollywood to remove guns from films and replace them with sumthing more wholesome.

[David]

[Bruno]

[David]

Thanks! Good to be on the same side for once.