US boy, 9, 'kills sister, 13, over controller'

originally posted by: Deluxe
a reply to: fleabit

I can believe that having a gun could increase risk of suicide. Seems logical that it's a quick way to out ones self.

You really can't blame the gun however. The suicidal person is really the issue.
Take away the gun and that person still has issues and needs help and might commit suicide at some other time in some other way.

So taking away the gun doesn't cure the underlying problem.
The mental health issue is really what this is about and needs addressing.

Yes, but it's also wrong to think that the gun does not complicate the issue, because it does. So a solution to both help curb gun deaths and suicides should involve both helping the human issue, and well as having better laws around obtaining guns and keeping them in your home. The finger pointing saying "fix it, it's your problem not mine," won't fix a thing. All that is happening is NO regulation behind any of it.

a reply to: fleabit

Making it harder to obtain guns would accomplish exactly zero in this case. You are using this tragic incident as an excuse to get more gun laws passed. Yours is a perfect example of why the right is so distrustful of the left, jump at any and all chances to leverage more laws using people's emotions (if nothing else). It never ends, and it won't ever end.

originally posted by: Itisnowagain
a reply to: SaturnFX

games have age ratings. children aren't allowed access to the truly violent stuff. bad parenting however will allow for that, same with rated R movies, porn, etc.

If viewing violence does not do anything to the childs brain then why are games and movies age rated?

Mostly because many of the things in age rated games require consent to view..such as drug/alcohol use, sex, etc...and kids cant consent.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
a reply to: SaturnFX

Actually,

You get the point...if you had to be stabbed or shot, go with the stab, far more likely chance you will be alright vs shot

But the saying should be: Don't go to a gun fight.

Agreed

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

the keeping it in your home part would make a difference though
as in how its kept.

as in education.

a reply to: TinySickTears

No argument there, but it has nothing to do with purchase laws, which was my point in the other post.

His was just an emotional leverage point...and a bad one.

Actually I've been searching online and it seems being stabbed is much more lethal than being shot.
I suggest googling it.

originally posted by: SailorJerry
again its a head and heart problem, not a gun problem.

These people tryin so hard to push gun measures, including the gov, dont really want to fix the issue.

its like trying to cure diabetes by banning silverwear

Yeah right. If the gun had been stored with a trigger lock or in a gun cabinet the girl would alive. Heck it only needed to be put on a high shelf and the girl would be alive.

You are all just blind to the fact that you are sloppy with your guns. Last year 250+ people were killed by little kids and you will not even consider storing them properly.

Now one of you is going say that 250 deaths is insignificant.

Is this girl death insignificant to her mother. Oh wait, you'll come up with a way to blame the mother.

originally posted by: Deluxe
Actually I've been searching online and it seems being stabbed is much more lethal than being shot.
I suggest googling it.

According to FBI data for 2016, 11,004 of the 15,070 murders in the United States were committed with firearms. Handguns were the most common type of firearm used in 7,105 cases. In 3,263 cases, the type of gun was not reported to the FBI or was listed as “other” while in 903 instances, the weapon was not identified or was listed as “other.”

FBI Stats
You were saying?

a reply to: seagull

Seems I touched a nerve there. Sensitive much?

Pretty sure it's been mentioned in this thread a few times already, but context is everything (seems like a foreign concept on ATS sometimes).

I didn't call you you or anyone else a coward (though something about protesting too much?)... I said the gun is the cowards choice... which it often is... as it likely was for this 9 year old boy (context). This doesn't exclude tough guys or non-cowards also choosing guns, like yourself, obviously, for confronting packs of feral dogs, big cats, coyotes or many other situations where there may be a legitimate use for a gun.

Feel better?

As I stated earlier, I am mostly a libertarian, and support private ownership of guns.

However, that doesn't extend to supporting stupid from other more vehement gun advocates, that try to deny the lethality of guns, or compare them to other objects that can kill but were designed for another purpose in a never ending tirade of false equivalencies.

I've used guns more than a few times in my life, but luckily have never had to use one in defense... so I have some idea what I'm talking about.

So lad, maybe you are the one "casting aspersions towards people you don't know".

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Really hit a nerve there... lol

I refer you to this previous post, as it mostly applies to you too.

Key point to note:
Didn't call you a coward... not directed at you in any way... but your vehement response suggests you're the easily offended type. Toughen up buttercup.

Maybe you need to not assume everyone is attacking you when conversing in an internet forum.

People who want gun control point to people like you as examples of the stereotypical macho-bravadoism that is often associated with guns.

Your temperament makes gun advocates look bad.

a reply to: puzzlesphere

And I suggest you go back and take a look at some of my previous posts on this very thread. I think you will find them very measured and reasonable.

Yes, it is posts like yours which do strike a nerve of sorts, but perhaps I read too much into it. In any case, I'm not so sure it makes anyone look any particular way as I was merely stating an equally exaggerated counter to your response. Either way, I'm not too worried about it (especially given my other responses here and this thread and others).

Indeed it is stereotyping which polarizes sides in debates such as these. And it doesn't take much either. Calling people, directly or generally as a group, 'cowards' is one of the good ways to start. However, that aside for a moment, I think one of the other problems in these discussions is people's failure to see the larger picture on topics such as Constitutionally granted "rights" versus localized (and sometimes knee-jerk) reactions to specific events, tragic as they may be. Bring up the word 'Constitution' and some sides of the debate just roll their eyes and don't hear anything after that, believing the person discussing such things to be a 'jailhouse lawyer' of sorts. In reality though this is oftentimes not the case. And the sad and challenging facts are people interpret different rights with differing levels of importance depending on their own personal view of society. This is incorrect. In reality no single / individual right carries any more or less weight than any other right. And frankly, this is precisely why these 'rights' were adopted into the Constitution of this country to begin with.

Constitutional rights such as those enumerated in the 1st and 2nd Amendments to the Constitution (among others) carry a far larger importance in the overall strength of this nation than just some crazed radical's rantings on a street corner or a tragic yet isolated incident such as that described in the OP. People's failure to understand this, and their eagerness to extinguish these 'rights' over a single event or even a series of events overlooks the underpinning importance and foundation of these tenets or rights.

This segue's perfectly into a more in depth discussion about what are those underpinning reasons behind these and other rights under the Constitution. However, I think I will stop here as I'm not sure what purpose that discussion would serve here on this particular thread, a thread about a tragic incident wherein a 9 year old boy murdered his sister over a silly thing like a video game controller.

a reply to: SmilingROB

...

You are all just blind to the fact that you are sloppy...

You see, and this is precisely what I just got done posting about in response to another post.

Stereotype much?

And people wonder why discussions get so polarized. Here's a good example.

a reply to: ketsuko

Armed forces all over the world will always use the best weapons of war they can get. You know that and your point is disingenuous. At one time, those weapons were the best available and were what the armed forces of any group did use to arm themselves. Why? Because they are effective and do the job

I agree and again you muted your own point. But you cant see it and I cant help that.

a reply to: SaturnFX

Where'd you get that picture of me?

a reply to: SaturnFX

That could just mean guns are more popular than knives as a weapon.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: puzzlesphere


Constitutional rights such as those enumerated in the 1st and 2nd Amendments to the Constitution (among others) carry a far larger importance in the overall strength of this nation than just some crazed radical's rantings on a street corner or a tragic yet isolated incident such as that described in the OP. People's failure to understand this, and their eagerness to extinguish these 'rights' over a single event or even a series of events overlooks the underpinning importance and foundation of these tenets or rights.

Spot on--anyone who argues against this has not intelligent foundation for their argument, IMO.

As I'm taught in martial arts, there is a major difference between a reaction and a response--the people who fail to understand that which you noted are those who tend to react to things in life.

We need more responses.

It's such a waste to die at the age of 13. So much potential loss.

May the deceased girl rest in peace and forgive his brother.

My condolence to the parents.

originally posted by: Deluxe
a reply to: SaturnFX

That could just mean guns are more popular than knives as a weapon.

Yes, because everyone in their house has a drawer full of forks, spoons, and handguns.

Are you just joking at this point?