I’m listening to Thom’s program now. I think one point that is not mentioned often is that the 223 round that the AR15 fires travels at three times the velocity of more normal 45 or 9mm rounds. The 223 was developed by the military to do maximum injuries to opponents. It totally destroys tissue and organs. It is a military round not a hunting or target round. Just based on their original design, they should be totally banned (weapon platform as well) from being sold to the general population
As Thom points out it could be a decades long war to get gun control and even then there will still be killers with access to guns. We should use or develop non-lethal means to stop a shooter that wouldn’t kill other people.
Sleeping gas – exploding canisters of sleeping gas could be fired in the general direction of the shooter. After capture, an antidote could be administered to everyone breathing the gas.
Dazzler – temporarily blinds or disorients the shooter with intense radiation (rifle-like devise) see Wikipedia for more info under non-lethal weapons.
Skin Penetrating Tranquilizer Grains with Antidote – fired by a shotgun like devise with a very wide pattern as to more easily hit shooter could possibly be developed.
Bear Spray, Tasers and Pepper Balls fired by paintball guns could also be used.
People would likely prefer a non-lethal weapon in which nobody would be accidentally killed or if the weapon gets the wrong hands, it couldn’t be used to kill. An effective non-lethal weapon that automatically dials 911 when used, could be widely owned but only used in emergency situations. So possibly, a teacher could just point and pull a trigger; a shooter would be knocked-out with police and first responders on the way.
We should have funds going to research and development of non-lethal weapons and an ongoing study to determine the most effective non-lethal weapons for different situations.
Background checks, bans on some firearms, registering firearms and having a license to have a gun with insurance should be a goal, but getting non-lethal weapons available as soon as possible should be a priority. We need to use technology to help solve this very tragic problem as soon as we can.
Thanks to Hillary and you for showing evidence of the correlation of the Reagan era and the birth and rise of indiscriminate, mass gun killings. Reagan’s reign birthed new phrases that were super spread into our nation’s lexicon, along with the massive suffering from …
“Random Violence”,
“Drive By Shootings”,
“Road Rage”.
… this country was a much better place before Reagan.
Are guns (things) more important than human lives?
Or are human lives more important than guns?
So far, the conservative Republicans have answered, Guns are more important than the lives of children, women, and men, of any age. Guns are more important than the lives of unborn zygotes, which in all other respects have an inalienable right to life!
Gun rights trump all other rights. Right?
Guns were invented to kill people and other living creatures, the primary purpose of guns is still to kill people and other living creatures;.
Again, another reason to modernize our democracy by creating a national vote across the entire voting public. We can't wait decades!! Just imagine the enthusiasm there would be across the nation if we could all get together (say - every 3 months during the year, if needed),
and have what I am calling a National Referendum Freedom Ballot. The radical far right would HATE this, because everyone would have an equal say as to what passes, and THEY WILL LOSE! Because on issue after issue, they do not have a majority vote.
We could do the same with all the important, pressing issues of the day - big money owning our political system, voting rights, gun laws for a truly more free society, health
care for all, taxing the ultra wealthy, and the very important and timely issue of climate change legislation. Our democracy needs a big shot in the arm. It's in critical care, needing life support.
-This would create a greater confidence in our democracy. A democracy of free speakers, speaking truth to power. Each ballot issue would have to be trimmed down to a basic legislative idea that has great importance to the furthering of a more equitable, democratic society.
Legislators could write a bill and say that they want it to be put up for national referendum ballot, so that everyone able to vote could decide on whether the initiative passes or not.
The legislators and the president could explain why they are for or against the new bill, being debated within the public discourse, with details being displayed on their websites.
The democratic initiatives that the Democratic party is working towards would be advanced with little delay, if these issues have a majority vote from the public.
Today our democracy is being oppressed and is even going backwards by authoritarian ideas being promoted.
-WE could promote legislation that would invest in our children.
-We could shame, and even promote the impeachment of a Supreme Court Justice. (Picture someone in your mind?)
It could create conditions that would support a free people, promote the 'American Dream' of social mobility -- and the weight of oppression and the big lie could become much less powerful.
We've seen from Jan. 6th attempt to overthrow our democracy that the ultra wacky conservatives will do anything to hold power.
I believe that National Referendum Freedom Ballot: would be a patriotic act that would affirm our democracy and bring us to a freer, more liberal nation. - Brent
I am not sure the analogies used by Mr. Hartman are effective for general voter support, however, most voters will probably agree that we need some common sense gun regulations in the US - just like we need some common sense in Mr. Biden's and the Democratic Party's attempt to force ineffective Covid shots on everybody.
Guns are weapons, just like words are weapons. It largely depends on how the users are allowed to used them. There is a steep penalty for shouting 'Fire' in a crowded environment, and we have prison and death sentences for people who kill defense less people. But, the majority of US voters have allowed their legislators to conduct perpetual wars with everything from little guns to robot guided missiles for the last 75 years against mostly innocent people in other countries, and we have sent our young people to do it - calling them heroes. Is it not unremarkable that the same mentality has, increasingly, come home to be practiced on US soil by unstable people?
The violence perpetrated by words by media owned by less than a dozen corporations is a, perhaps, equally violent wave that we have sat by silently permitting for the last 50 years.
Some gun control is absolutely necessary, and a background check is common sense. Equally needed is access to assault weapons, of course. But how do we protect ourselves from a Homeland Security System and Police Departments that are weaponized like SWAT teams? In the preludes to WWII Scandinavian countries with significant weapons controls were taken by German forces on bicycles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_invasion_of_Denmark_(1940) - no one had any means of self defense. Swiss citizens have gun training and guns to protect their country and neighborhoods (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21379912).
We absolutely must have zero tolerance for school violence of any kinds; the kind of fears of children now live with result in life-long mental health problems. However, we should also try to walk in the shoes of children, mothers and fathers in the places where we have allowed America to conduct for-ever wars (https://www.biblestudy.org/question/what-does-thou-shall-not-kill-mean.html).
Mr. Hartman citation:
We must be willing to ask, “What the hell happened to common sense?”
And we must know that every step we take will be attacked in bad faith by the NRA and their Republican allies as “not having solved the problem.” Nonetheless, we must persevere.
It's taken over 50 years for America to go from a “normal” number of guns and our first mass shooting in 1966 to the orgy of guns and killings that exploded on the American scene when the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress let the Assault Weapons Ban expire in 2004.
Along the way there have been hundreds of pro-gun changes to the laws, both state and federal, from both legislatures and courts, as well as changes in public opinion.
Reversing forty years of pro-gun momentum will take a similar multi-decade campaign, one law and court challenge at a time. We can’t let ourselves get discouraged at the inevitable setbacks along the way.
Today we’re at the cusp of real and lasting change, whether it happens in Congress this year, as the result of massive voter turnout this November, or in 2024.
If there was ever a time for us to speak boldly with the courage of our convictions, this is it.
What Do You Call Humans Hunting Humans? It’s WAR for Profit!
Those who strive to ignore and distract from the collateral damage of our new Civil War are just as immoral as the human game hunters they are excusing.
Comparing any other form of ‘frequent’ deaths in society, such as highway ACCIDENTS, drug overdoses, or heart attacks, with the premeditated hunting of humans by other humans (domestic terrorists) is an immoral attempt at normalizing hate-based murder.
No other frequent death totals are comparable, except the killings of WAR.
As demonstrated by our war in Iraq, more Iraqi civilians were killed, “collateral damage,” than combat personnel from all sides. Humans hunting humans in our public spaces is all collateral damage from our new Civil War. The one-sided arming of this Civil WAR and the subsequent legalized bribery by gun profiteers needs to be STOPPED.
We have been lied into 'accepting' far too many collateral deaths of WAR, both overseas and at home and the lies and immoral deaths need to END. If that means doing what Australia, England, Norway and New Zealand have done, LET’S DO IT! Being an exceptional outlier on humans hunting humans does not make USofA great again. The collateral human deaths in those nations have dropped dramatically, but we are still exceptional with our hate-based rising mountain of dead, mutilated and unidentifiable human bodies.
USofA has the highest rate of guns/person and the highest rate of deaths from enabled, hate-based, humans hunting fellow humans. This is beyond correlation. It’s causation.
Any and all freedoms require restrictions when those freedoms are abused and harm others. Depending on self-control to avoid massive harms of WAR always fails. Hate-based WAR crimes can’t be assuaged. They only grow when ignored.
This is about a national effort to stop enabling those who hate to optimize their hunting of human game.
The assault weapons ban should never had the sunset provision. Next, we are also going to have to increase the number of members on the Supreme Court as well. 29 members sounds much better. They could be given time off with a working, random rotating bench of 15. It would be really great if the House could present the public with a list of viable candidates to vote on, rank order, to later be accepted by the Senate. That way it would be much less politicized. (I’m all in on ‘democra-cising’ our democracy!)
Dr. Phil did his June 1st show on Uvalde, common sense laws, and the psychology involved. He briefly explained the weapons, bullets, and magazines. He addressed the basics of the perpetrators and how to handle questions from your children or grandchildren.
This is just what we need to grow public understanding. Thom has the history to go with that and what it's going to take to get to a better place. I appreciate his ideas on the timeline. This is not when we should give-up or despair, although it's god damn hard with the medical center shooting that happened Wednesday.
No one seems to know where the money came from to purchase the weapons. What we do know is testosterone remains the most dangerous substance on earth. I borrowed that from Thom.
I’m listening to Thom’s program now. I think one point that is not mentioned often is that the 223 round that the AR15 fires travels at three times the velocity of more normal 45 or 9mm rounds. The 223 was developed by the military to do maximum injuries to opponents. It totally destroys tissue and organs. It is a military round not a hunting or target round. Just based on their original design, they should be totally banned (weapon platform as well) from being sold to the general population
Non-Lethal Technology along with Gun Control:
As Thom points out it could be a decades long war to get gun control and even then there will still be killers with access to guns. We should use or develop non-lethal means to stop a shooter that wouldn’t kill other people.
Sleeping gas – exploding canisters of sleeping gas could be fired in the general direction of the shooter. After capture, an antidote could be administered to everyone breathing the gas.
Dazzler – temporarily blinds or disorients the shooter with intense radiation (rifle-like devise) see Wikipedia for more info under non-lethal weapons.
Skin Penetrating Tranquilizer Grains with Antidote – fired by a shotgun like devise with a very wide pattern as to more easily hit shooter could possibly be developed.
Bear Spray, Tasers and Pepper Balls fired by paintball guns could also be used.
People would likely prefer a non-lethal weapon in which nobody would be accidentally killed or if the weapon gets the wrong hands, it couldn’t be used to kill. An effective non-lethal weapon that automatically dials 911 when used, could be widely owned but only used in emergency situations. So possibly, a teacher could just point and pull a trigger; a shooter would be knocked-out with police and first responders on the way.
We should have funds going to research and development of non-lethal weapons and an ongoing study to determine the most effective non-lethal weapons for different situations.
Background checks, bans on some firearms, registering firearms and having a license to have a gun with insurance should be a goal, but getting non-lethal weapons available as soon as possible should be a priority. We need to use technology to help solve this very tragic problem as soon as we can.
Thank you,
Doug
Thanks to Hillary and you for showing evidence of the correlation of the Reagan era and the birth and rise of indiscriminate, mass gun killings. Reagan’s reign birthed new phrases that were super spread into our nation’s lexicon, along with the massive suffering from …
“Random Violence”,
“Drive By Shootings”,
“Road Rage”.
… this country was a much better place before Reagan.
Are guns (things) more important than human lives?
Or are human lives more important than guns?
So far, the conservative Republicans have answered, Guns are more important than the lives of children, women, and men, of any age. Guns are more important than the lives of unborn zygotes, which in all other respects have an inalienable right to life!
Gun rights trump all other rights. Right?
Guns were invented to kill people and other living creatures, the primary purpose of guns is still to kill people and other living creatures;.
Again, another reason to modernize our democracy by creating a national vote across the entire voting public. We can't wait decades!! Just imagine the enthusiasm there would be across the nation if we could all get together (say - every 3 months during the year, if needed),
and have what I am calling a National Referendum Freedom Ballot. The radical far right would HATE this, because everyone would have an equal say as to what passes, and THEY WILL LOSE! Because on issue after issue, they do not have a majority vote.
We could do the same with all the important, pressing issues of the day - big money owning our political system, voting rights, gun laws for a truly more free society, health
care for all, taxing the ultra wealthy, and the very important and timely issue of climate change legislation. Our democracy needs a big shot in the arm. It's in critical care, needing life support.
-This would create a greater confidence in our democracy. A democracy of free speakers, speaking truth to power. Each ballot issue would have to be trimmed down to a basic legislative idea that has great importance to the furthering of a more equitable, democratic society.
Legislators could write a bill and say that they want it to be put up for national referendum ballot, so that everyone able to vote could decide on whether the initiative passes or not.
The legislators and the president could explain why they are for or against the new bill, being debated within the public discourse, with details being displayed on their websites.
The democratic initiatives that the Democratic party is working towards would be advanced with little delay, if these issues have a majority vote from the public.
Today our democracy is being oppressed and is even going backwards by authoritarian ideas being promoted.
-WE could promote legislation that would invest in our children.
-We could shame, and even promote the impeachment of a Supreme Court Justice. (Picture someone in your mind?)
It could create conditions that would support a free people, promote the 'American Dream' of social mobility -- and the weight of oppression and the big lie could become much less powerful.
We've seen from Jan. 6th attempt to overthrow our democracy that the ultra wacky conservatives will do anything to hold power.
I believe that National Referendum Freedom Ballot: would be a patriotic act that would affirm our democracy and bring us to a freer, more liberal nation. - Brent
I am not sure the analogies used by Mr. Hartman are effective for general voter support, however, most voters will probably agree that we need some common sense gun regulations in the US - just like we need some common sense in Mr. Biden's and the Democratic Party's attempt to force ineffective Covid shots on everybody.
Guns are weapons, just like words are weapons. It largely depends on how the users are allowed to used them. There is a steep penalty for shouting 'Fire' in a crowded environment, and we have prison and death sentences for people who kill defense less people. But, the majority of US voters have allowed their legislators to conduct perpetual wars with everything from little guns to robot guided missiles for the last 75 years against mostly innocent people in other countries, and we have sent our young people to do it - calling them heroes. Is it not unremarkable that the same mentality has, increasingly, come home to be practiced on US soil by unstable people?
The violence perpetrated by words by media owned by less than a dozen corporations is a, perhaps, equally violent wave that we have sat by silently permitting for the last 50 years.
Some gun control is absolutely necessary, and a background check is common sense. Equally needed is access to assault weapons, of course. But how do we protect ourselves from a Homeland Security System and Police Departments that are weaponized like SWAT teams? In the preludes to WWII Scandinavian countries with significant weapons controls were taken by German forces on bicycles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_invasion_of_Denmark_(1940) - no one had any means of self defense. Swiss citizens have gun training and guns to protect their country and neighborhoods (https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21379912).
We absolutely must have zero tolerance for school violence of any kinds; the kind of fears of children now live with result in life-long mental health problems. However, we should also try to walk in the shoes of children, mothers and fathers in the places where we have allowed America to conduct for-ever wars (https://www.biblestudy.org/question/what-does-thou-shall-not-kill-mean.html).
Mr. Hartman citation:
We must be willing to ask, “What the hell happened to common sense?”
And we must know that every step we take will be attacked in bad faith by the NRA and their Republican allies as “not having solved the problem.” Nonetheless, we must persevere.
It's taken over 50 years for America to go from a “normal” number of guns and our first mass shooting in 1966 to the orgy of guns and killings that exploded on the American scene when the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress let the Assault Weapons Ban expire in 2004.
Along the way there have been hundreds of pro-gun changes to the laws, both state and federal, from both legislatures and courts, as well as changes in public opinion.
Reversing forty years of pro-gun momentum will take a similar multi-decade campaign, one law and court challenge at a time. We can’t let ourselves get discouraged at the inevitable setbacks along the way.
Today we’re at the cusp of real and lasting change, whether it happens in Congress this year, as the result of massive voter turnout this November, or in 2024.
If there was ever a time for us to speak boldly with the courage of our convictions, this is it.
What Do You Call Humans Hunting Humans? It’s WAR for Profit!
Those who strive to ignore and distract from the collateral damage of our new Civil War are just as immoral as the human game hunters they are excusing.
Comparing any other form of ‘frequent’ deaths in society, such as highway ACCIDENTS, drug overdoses, or heart attacks, with the premeditated hunting of humans by other humans (domestic terrorists) is an immoral attempt at normalizing hate-based murder.
No other frequent death totals are comparable, except the killings of WAR.
As demonstrated by our war in Iraq, more Iraqi civilians were killed, “collateral damage,” than combat personnel from all sides. Humans hunting humans in our public spaces is all collateral damage from our new Civil War. The one-sided arming of this Civil WAR and the subsequent legalized bribery by gun profiteers needs to be STOPPED.
We have been lied into 'accepting' far too many collateral deaths of WAR, both overseas and at home and the lies and immoral deaths need to END. If that means doing what Australia, England, Norway and New Zealand have done, LET’S DO IT! Being an exceptional outlier on humans hunting humans does not make USofA great again. The collateral human deaths in those nations have dropped dramatically, but we are still exceptional with our hate-based rising mountain of dead, mutilated and unidentifiable human bodies.
USofA has the highest rate of guns/person and the highest rate of deaths from enabled, hate-based, humans hunting fellow humans. This is beyond correlation. It’s causation.
Any and all freedoms require restrictions when those freedoms are abused and harm others. Depending on self-control to avoid massive harms of WAR always fails. Hate-based WAR crimes can’t be assuaged. They only grow when ignored.
This is about a national effort to stop enabling those who hate to optimize their hunting of human game.
https://time.com/6182186/countries-banned-guns-mass-shooting/
The assault weapons ban should never had the sunset provision. Next, we are also going to have to increase the number of members on the Supreme Court as well. 29 members sounds much better. They could be given time off with a working, random rotating bench of 15. It would be really great if the House could present the public with a list of viable candidates to vote on, rank order, to later be accepted by the Senate. That way it would be much less politicized. (I’m all in on ‘democra-cising’ our democracy!)
Dr. Phil did his June 1st show on Uvalde, common sense laws, and the psychology involved. He briefly explained the weapons, bullets, and magazines. He addressed the basics of the perpetrators and how to handle questions from your children or grandchildren.
This is just what we need to grow public understanding. Thom has the history to go with that and what it's going to take to get to a better place. I appreciate his ideas on the timeline. This is not when we should give-up or despair, although it's god damn hard with the medical center shooting that happened Wednesday.
No one seems to know where the money came from to purchase the weapons. What we do know is testosterone remains the most dangerous substance on earth. I borrowed that from Thom.