Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

481–490 of 1001 posts

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#481

Post by Gatsky »

jonp888 wrote: post #40

As a foreigner, I do not see it as productive to seek any explanation or expect any reaction when yet another news story like this comes along. It's clear that this is the way Americans wish to live, and it is their perogative to do so.

I have learned that some Americans consider it crucial to arm themselves in case there is a tyrannical government in the future. This seems nuts to almost everyone else in a first world country, and probably many other Americans. But these people, who are not in fact nuts or cretinous, actually believe this and consider it of paramount importance. In one sense, the point can't be argued.

My view: If the US population really wants to do something school shootings in the near term, then the physical layout of schools should be changed so that someone can't just walk in and shoot children. Does this make school look and feel like a dystopian prison? Yes. But that's the price of freedom, which probably shouldn't be born by dead primary school children. This strikes me as the only politically feasible solution right now.

Gun regulation seems likely to help and is a fairly logical solution, but too many people seem allergic to it, and there are already so many unregistered firearms out there. While we are dreaming, reshaping society so everyone is kinder and less likely to shoot each other is also likely to help.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#482

Post by tstrimple »

spoils19 wrote: post #174
westondeboer wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is a talking point that has no proof.

Can you find numbers to refute it? It's more likely that the parent comment is true than the opposite.

This is not how the burden of proof works.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#483

Post by glogla »

librish wrote: post #89

It's time we start legislating based on empirical evidence instead of lofty ideals. Yes, if everyone was responsible perhaps it would be OK for all of us to own firearms. But so many people are utterly irresponsible, and guns make that irresponsibility lethal. People should safely store their fire-arms, but they don't and guns get stolen and sold illegally, or used by their teenage child. People shouldn't point a gun…

I wonder what would you say about the same argument for mandatory veganism or outright banning cars? The evidence is pretty clear there as well.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#484

Post by jdr23bc »

LoveGracePeace wrote: post #415
Aeolun wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If enough people actually cared about this, then you’d have people marching on the capitol, like after a certain president was not re-elected. If people haven’t gotten motivated enough after literally decades of this shit, I find it really hard to blame the law.

Quoted post unavailable.

January 6th is somewhere in the neighbourhood of the kind of scenario your referencing.

Ubiquitous guns change the equation for all kinds of theoretical events. They may be a boon in the "armed populous saves country from corrupt gov't" case, and a curse in another case.

Were a more extreme version of Jan 6th to occur in the future, adding civilian firearms into the mix may not be a good thing.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#485

Post by chmod600 »

charles_kaw wrote: post #428
chmod600 wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Where many U.S. states permit concealed carry of handguns, handguns are virtually illegal to carry in Canada. Transporting them from your home to the range is legal, but they must be unloaded, locked, and permits are required for the transport." I see no mechanism by which those laws would reduce mass shootings. A mass shooter would simply ignore them. The other policies you mention may be more relevant, but it goes…

>I see no mechanism by which those laws would reduce mass shootings. A mass shooter would simply ignore them. On virtue of how many shootings have begun "without warning", the cultural context in canada versus the us is quite different. The expectation of actions when you see a firearm is very different in these two countries! - in the US, someone with an openly carried firearm may be transporting it or any number of…

"The expectation of actions when you see a firearm"

The poster to whom I replied was discussing concealed carry and transport in a car.

Your reply to me is nonsensical. If someone is intent on harm, they are unlikely to broadcast it with open carry.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#486

Post by teakettle42 »

eyelidlessness wrote: post #469
chmod600 wrote: post #358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Where many U.S. states permit concealed carry of handguns, handguns are virtually illegal to carry in Canada. Transporting them from your home to the range is legal, but they must be unloaded, locked, and permits are required for the transport." I see no mechanism by which those laws would reduce mass shootings. A mass shooter would simply ignore them. The other policies you mention may be more relevant, but it goes…

As a former gun rights advocate who is now in favor of basically eliminating guns except for hunting… > I think gun owners would be much more receptive to regulation if they felt people were genuinely trying to separate narrow and effective laws from broad infringements that annoy many and accomplish little. From both positions, I’d favor regulation that explicitly aims to limit gun possession as much as legally poss…

Simply: no.

Take a cold hard look at the institutions that fail children so spectacularly that they create mass murderers at a historically unprecedented rate.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#487

Post by HomeGear »

beloch wrote: post #83

Canada is the U.S.'s neighbour and is probably closer, culturally, than any other nation. Gun ownership is also high in Canada. In terms of guns per capita, the U.S. is #1 by a long shot, but Canada is #7 [1]. In Canada, guns owned per capita is one third of what it is in the U.S.. Canada also has mass shootings. The annual deaths from mass shootings per capita in Canada is 0.032, which is about one third that of the…

Now run the numbers on gun deaths. Chicago has 30+ a weekend at times.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#488

Post by hikingsimulator »

Gatsky wrote: post #481
jonp888 wrote: post #40

As a foreigner, I do not see it as productive to seek any explanation or expect any reaction when yet another news story like this comes along. It's clear that this is the way Americans wish to live, and it is their perogative to do so.

I have learned that some Americans consider it crucial to arm themselves in case there is a tyrannical government in the future. This seems nuts to almost everyone else in a first world country, and probably many other Americans. But these people, who are not in fact nuts or cretinous, actually believe this and consider it of paramount importance. In one sense, the point can't be argued. My view: If the US population…

No post body was provided.

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#489

Post by prawn »

bogomipz wrote: post #383
onesafari wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The root cause may be bullying and ostracization combined with the media contagion effect. This is a repeating pattern. Bullying: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/05/25/uvalde-texa... The gunman in Tuesday’s elementary school massacre was a lonely 18-year-old who was bullied over a childhood speech impediment, suffered from a fraught home life and lashed out violently against peers and strangers recently an…

There's a paper that was presented at an American Psychology Association conference on the media contagion effect. I think this might actually be the original study. It mentions "Profiles of shooters indicate that they are often socially isolated and suffer a pattern of ostracization or bullying, yet they tend toward narcissism."[1] It also mentions that these three traits - depression, social isolation and pathologi…

I'd say there are a number of angles from which to tackle the gun violence problem, but this would surely be one of them. Plus, worth dealing with independent of guns anyway. I wonder if there are links (including inverse relationships) between depression/isolation and classroom sizes or intensity of curriculum or single-sex schools. High school puts hormonal teenagers in a competitive environment every week day for hours; not everyone will cope well with that crucible.

Is there a stronger element of the individual and individual glory/success/achievement in the US than other countries that might explain the narcissism?

Re: Mental illness, mass shootings, and the politics of American firearms (2015)

#490

Post by Intermernet »

Vecr wrote: post #444
tshaddox wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it illegal to require licenses for explosives and fully automatic weapons?

It is, the constitution says "the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed", there's nothing in there about guns in particular.

So 18 U.S. Code § 832 is unconstitutional?
Post reply on HN