Quote:
Originally Posted by Flaming Homer
Yes Obama has been fairly laxed on gun control. But I wouldnt go so far as to say he is a gun supporter. Now that he's in his second term I can really see him going to battle on this issue and no longer has to pander to the right. However If Romney had gotten into power I really wonder if he would have taken the opposite angle.
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I could be wrong on this, but most of the gun laws that have changed during Obama's presidency were state laws, correct? Meaning he doesn't really have the ability to stop states from allowing conceal/carry and things of that nature. (Again, I could be off on this, I'm in holiday burned out mode)
There are so many issues that lead up to events like this. You can never completely eliminate tragedies like this--obviously there are sick people out there who are willing to ruin the lives of others. But there are ways to limit the number of attacks like this, as well as the casualties of said attacks.
I'm not sure how it is in other states, but in Pennsylvania--there are basically zero state-run mental health facilities. There was one, Mayview, about 15 miles outside of Pittsburgh, but it closed a few years ago. And where did all of their patients go? Safe houses, into family custody, or just wherever they saw fit to put them. So these people who should be under constant supervision are often left to their own devices, all at varying levels of competency.
Mental health access in this country is an absolute joke. Often times health insurance won't fully cover it, or won't cover it without including a huge deductible or copay. And without insurance, don't even bother trying. You can't afford it. Period.
So you have a whole host of people who should be under some form of psychiatric care, who are receiving none, many of whom have easy access to firearms. The media takes these stories and runs with them. It's a huge combination of problems, and there isn't any one easy answer.
Making mental health accessible and affordable and introducing more stringent gun control laws (as well as repealing some of the more ridiculous ones of late, allowing concealed weapons on campuses/in religious buildings/in bars and restaurants, etc) wouldn't eliminate the problem entirely, but it would go a long way to limiting these incidents.
EDIT: Are you effing kidding me??
http://www.examiner.com/article/conn...ning-to-picket
If anyone would ever beat down the Westboro Baptist idiots, I'd personally pay for their bail.