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Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Saw this tonight.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-20-mall-shootings_x.htm...
Shop on ebay and buy your wife a guitar for Christmas. Or better yet Shop at Al's web site.
Seriously I hope all of our Left Coasters are OK.
Don't know what this guy was thinking. :confused:
A sad thing to start this holiday season. :( |
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Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | another reason for me to hate malls |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Gospel Guitar Guy:
Don't know what this guy was thinking. Mike, I don't believe 'thinking' was part of his plan. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | It hit a lot of people really hard around here. Not a lot you can do to prevent some people from just going off like a time bomb.
With all of the joy and happiness of the season comes a lot of pressure, depression and loneliness as well. I think the push to have "cheer" only amplifies the hurt and anger that a lot of people are going through. Whether it is drugs, mental illness, a lack of "control" or just screwed up direction there are many who are at or close to the edge of really bad decisions.
Just keep loving those around you and and reach out where you can. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Scary stuff. I suspect the "mental illness" thing had a lot to do with the spree. Maybe someone should open up a flak jacket boutique. |
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January 2004
Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | Yet another example of the need for fewer gun laws (sic).
There will always be nutty people, but we need to do more to keep guns out of their hands. I cant wait to hear how this repeat offender who was ordered by a judge to not possess weapons got his gun. But the media never seems to tell us that information.
Here is my gun control plan; take all the money being spent for the war in Iraq and offer $3000 cash no-questions-asked for every stolen or illegal gun turned in to police who would then destroy it. It would be the best money this nation ever invested. |
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Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Interesting plan Brian. My guess is that bad guys would probably start breaking into unoccupied homes even more to look for guns to turn in. This would result in more homeowners shooting and killing the bad guys. I assume that this is your plan?
Criminals aren't going to turn in their guns. Heck, those are the tools of the trade. |
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January 2004
Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | If a few criminals get shot by home-owners that helps improve the numbers. And I disagree about criminals not turning their guns in. Many criminals are stupid, self serving dope-heads, they are not exactly known for their mental prowess. Many of them would jump at $3000 for a illegal gun. If we could get even 30% or 40% of the illegal guns off of the streets that would be a big step in the right direction and hopefully there would be a porportional reduction in gun violence.
Also maybe if legal guns owners knew that all of the sudden their guns were worth $3000 to a crook, maybe they would do a better job of locking them up and keeping them secure. I think it's a brilliant plan. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Well, it's good in theory......
I think most gun owners do a pretty good job of being responsible.
As to your assesment of criminals, it's pretty accurate. But I would guess that most will keep their main gun and try to steal the ones to turn in for cash.
If memory serves this has been tried before with little or no success in reducing violent crime. |
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Posts: 5327
Location: Cicero, NY | As long as I can keep my AK-47 for, uh...oh yeah, deer hunting... |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Hey Brian, now that you've played it for a while, how about a review of your Taylor T5? |
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January 2004
Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | The cash for guns program has been tried and has been very successful, but it was legally challanged by the NRA, I guess the NRA supports the rights of even dope-head criminals and the mentally incompetent to bear arms. also the payout was a bit too low (something like $200-300). To really be effective they need to offer more money per gun.
As far as the T5 goes, I really like it. It really shines through a PA. I also played it with a bass and drums through a Fender Twin amp, it was nearly as good as any Les Paul I have played. It is very light and fast. One negative comment, I am not sure I like the shorter scale (24.5? I think). The shorter scale makes it a bit fussier with tuning, and it seems to lack some of the bass thump that a regular scale guitar has. But I bought it mainly for leads through a PA anyway, and it sounds great doing that. |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | As posted by MWoody:
Just keep loving those around you and and reach out where you can.
Well said.
As posted by Buckaroo:
Maybe someone should open up a flak jacket boutique.
Call it "Victoria's (You fill the rest in)" :D |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Victorias Girdle? |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | IMHO...Anyone who would turn in an illegal gun for a large lump of cash would just use the money to go out and buy a bigger, better gun. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Old arguments, if everyone was carrying a gun would there be less crime?
We tolerate not carrying our fingernail clippers or 1" pocket knife onto planes or into courthouses when they stock the place with sharp #2 pencils anyway!
If you want to hurt others you will find a way. We just need to find better ways of watching out for each other. |
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January 2004
Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | The whole point is fewer guns on the street, especially illegal guns, equals a good thing.
People always talk about Canada, England, and Austrailia and how they have much less gun violence. And it always comes back to the fact that these countries have significantly fewer guns in circulation.
To reduce gun violence in the U.S. we must reduce the numbers of guns on the streets. So even if a crook turned in one gun and took his $3000 and bought a nicer gun, it would still be one less gun, and that's a good thing.
That one (less) gun just might be the one in the hands of the next wacko that takes his frustrations to the shopping mall, or rock and roll club, or high school, or whatever.
PS - he also might take his $3000 and buy a U681T5 and a small PA and start performing folk songs for a living!! |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | So even if a crook turned in one gun and took his $3000 and bought a nicer gun, it would still be one less gun, I don't get the math there. |
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Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | So even if a crook turned in one gun and took his $3000 and bought a nicer gun, it would still be one less gun,
I am presuming that the crook bought another illegal gun. Even if he bought a legal one fresh from a factory, that would still be better than the illegal one he just turned in.
But assuming there are 1 million illegal guns out there, when he turned in the first one there would now be 999,999. If he turned in the next one there would be 999,998. A good thing. |
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January 2004
Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | MWoody wrote:We tolerate not carrying our fingernail clippers or 1" pocket knife onto planes or into courthouses when they stock the place with sharp #2 pencils anyway! If you want to hurt others you will find a way. We just need to find better ways of watching out for each other.
Imagine two headlines:
(1) "two crazed students armed with assault weapons and a shotgun massacre 10 children at local high school, community in morning"
or
(2) "two crazed students attack classmates with nail clippers and a #2 pencil, a Janitor and a soccer mom kick their asses and they get suspended".
Which school do you want your kids to attend?
Or if you are leaving a resturant late one night, would you rather face a mugger who was armed with a nailclipper or a 357 magnum?
A gun can make even a kid a mass murderer, a pencil or nail clipper makes him a minor pain in the ass. |
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June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | Here is the math: The easier it is to own a gun, the more likely it is that someone will get killed by one.
Forget violent murder for a minute. Just focus on innocent children that get killed by gun accidents in their own homes. How many of these deaths happen in homes that do not have guns in them?
I know, the vast majority of gun owners are law abiding hunters or citizens safely executing their constitutional right to own a gun. That's great. But it does not change the equation. I hate that fat-ass fact-twisting slob Michael Moore. But he got it right when he said that he could not think of one reason that anyone should need to own a gun (other than legitimate hunting purposes). Personally, I have no problem with a person going crazy and terrorizing a shopping mall with sharp #2 pencils.
Dave |
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Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Every time I get sucked in to this discussion I try to remember how I said I wouldn't get sucked into this discussion again.
My only point is that you cannot regulate, legislate or mandate common sense, courtesy or behavior.
Not on this earth. |
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Posts: 338
Location: SE Michigan | MWoody wrote: My only point is that you cannot regulate, legislate or mandate common sense, courtesy or behavior.
I agree, however as a society we can have sensible laws that try to insure that "less courteous" or the "badly behaved", or those who lack "common sense" are not armed with lethal fire-arms, against which the average citizen doesnt stand a chance of fighting back.
And sorry for getting all political here, I am just outraged by the endless stream of gun violence. Certainly a forum that can talk about turkey's spreading their legs and fishnet stockings can spare a moment for critical social issues. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | This is what we need:
Everyone is allowed 5 legal "kills" in their lifetime (anything over that, you're automatically executed).
It would GREATLY reduce "stress" (you're not gonna have any "pent up" anger just KNOWING that (IF you wanted to) you could blow away the clown that's pissing you off).
99.9% of the kills would be the "stupid people" that piss off others, anyway.
We don't need 'em.
We'd be thinning out the population, and if the StupidOnes can't breed, it only improves our species.
And Lastly (and Most Importantly):
People'd be a helluva lot NICER to each other . . . |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Sorry, but I feel the need to chime in here.
Or if you are leaving a resturant late one night, would you rather face a mugger with a nailclipper or a 357 magnum? I'd rather have the 357 Magnum when facing a mugger. Just see him/her crap their pants when I pulled it out.
13,000 people die every year from guns (non-suicides). Statistically, this equates to deaths vs. owners of .017%.
80,000 people die every year in car crashes, and far more people are maimed. As a statistic, this equates to deaths vs. owners of .035%.
If we are serious about reducing senseless deaths, let's get rid of all the cars.
More to the point, let's look at some places like Rwanda and Sudan, where political leaders ruthlessly and indiscriminately murder hundreds of thousands of people because only the government has guns. Can't happen here? I don't believe it ... I don't trust our politicians as far as I can kick them. I'm sure there are one or two of them that would have made a move if they thought they could get away with it. And THAT'S what the 2nd Amendment is all about.
P.S. I do not belong to the NRA and I do not own a gun. I prefer the company of my 120 lb. German Shepherd and my 34 oz. Louisville Slugger for personal protection. But my wife is a gun owner and wouldn't hesitate to use it if she or her family were threatened. |
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Christmas Shopping Isn't Safe Anymore
