What Is Wrong With America?

[magpie]

firstly, how can the ownership of weapons that cause so much destruction be owned by an individual? owning a gun means that there is a weapon at a crime scene which can easily be taken from you and used against you.
secondly, the provision of health care to the needy, in a civilised society isn't it a wonderful thing to take care of the most in need?
thirdly how can they elect a politically amateur egoist to protect their foreign interests?
fourthly i completely support the kneelers at various sports venues!
unrelated but the reports from catalonia are horrific, why would we want to belong to a union that a member nation treats it's citizens so tragically?

[ToraToraTora]

several major problems of course their barbaric health care system is a disaster but as the topical subject is guns etc I can only repeat what I put in alba's post below: "it would mean a new amendment piggy to replace the 2nd. it would take a monumental shift in attitude. The gun lobby and NRA etc are very intransigent and very powerful. The president/Congress etc just aren't powerful enough to do anything about it. Many more will die I'm afraid. "

[mikey4444]

TTT...the situation will change when the majority rise up and change things. The American people have shown in the past, that saving 1000's of innocent lives every year just isn't important enough.

We were faced with the same decision after Hungerford and Dunblane, but common sense prefailed in the end.

America could do the same if the will was there. This is all their own fault.

[DTCwordfan]

there's a realist taking on the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms....Dream on - 70% in both Houses......impossible.

[DTCwordfan]

Having said that, there is one way a Democrat could introduce a controlling measure and Bam-Bam didn't.....that is to tax the bullets and shot - giving relief to those who buy through a registered gun-club or centre, the Americans use to this concept, for example in allowing losses in Vegas et al, to be claimable against IRS national income tax.

[ivor4781]

it will never happen.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

[goodgoalie]

If you were injured in an incident like this in the USA, were taken to hospital, treated to save your life and then released when recovered, would you be presented with a bill, or would it be covered by the public purse?

[zebo]

If nothing changed after Sandy Hook, said by some fanatics to have been a hoax, nothing will ever change in the US and they will just have to live with it.

[Gromit]

President Trump received more political donations for his election campsignfrom the Gun Libby, than any other President, ever!
Which is why nothing will change.

[Gromit]

Lobby.

[malagabob]

President Trump stated reclently , he will not change the law on Americans right to bear arms. There wasn't any change when a large number of 6 year olds were gunned down in school a few years ago so they're not going to change the law now.

[albaqwerty]

The rise in sales of guns after this massacre depicts what the US is.
That is, 'if ''they'' have a gun to attack me, I'm gonna have a gun to protect me'
Wonder how many of the 59 and 515 had a gun on them?
Wouldn't have done them any good.
As for health care in the US, I read on here yesterday that the paramedics who stabilise you , it's free and then it's up to your insurance (if you have any) to cover the rest of the cost of treatment.

[youngmafbog]

Nice try attempting to put it all on Mr Trump. Obama presided over multiple gun 'issues' but did not acheive a gun repeal.

Also in this particular case I dont think the gun laws would have made much difference. He was determined and built up over time. Even in this country if you really want weapons and have the money (he was apparently a millionaire) you can get them.

[youngmafbog]

//Wonder how many of the 59 and 515 had a gun on them?
Wouldn't have done them any good. //

In this case no, in other cases maybe so the argument is flawed.

[mikey4444]

YMB...surely the point here is that he obtained at least some of these weapons completely legally.

Yes, of course criminals can get their hands on weapons here in Britain, but not legally. The gun laws in some American States are so lax, or to use a word that Americans hate, liberal, that he was allowed too repeatedly buy weapons and ammunition that is totally inappropriate for any normal persons needs.

There may be 1000's of nutters like Paddock, probably 10,000's, just waiting for the opportunity to do what he has done.

The future for America is chilling.

[youngmafbog]

Mickey I suspect all the weapons he bought legally. However the point is that when someone is so determined and has money is really doesnt matter as he could just as easily buy them on the black market.

I'm not saying I think the guns laws are 100% correct at all, I really dont understand how any citizen can buy an automatic weapon, just that in this particular case I dont think any gun laws would have stopped him from some sort of massacre.

[mikey4444]

YMB....logic would seem to suggest that its very much easier to build up a deadly arsenal legally, than to do the same thing illegally.

The ordinary people of America need to stand up and be counted, and at least try to stop this ludicrous proliferation of deadly weapons.

But, as someone said yesterday.... if all those innocent children at Sandy Hook could die, and Congress do nothing, than I fear we will be seeing this sort of thing happen every few weeks for the rest of my life.

[naomi24]

//I dont think any gun laws would have stopped him from some sort of massacre. //

Neither do I.

[EDDIE51]

goodgoalie I asked that same question on a USA website and the answer is 'NO' the government WILL NOT pick up the bill.
People taken to an emergency room , the equivalent of our A & E are only given free treatment to stabilise their condition, all other treatment costs money and a LOT of money. For example if a person had a leg or arm shot off, all the free treatment would do is to stop the bleeding and dress the wound. Everything after that, fitting an artificial limb and rehabilitation would have to be paid for and it could cost $millions. Even worse hardly any insurance policies will cover criminal or terrorist related injury, so the victims will face bills of thousands of $ .
No chance of change to the gun laws while Trump is in power, his son Trump jnr is a spokesman for the National Rifle Association NRA .
Believe it or not the NRA want silencers for guns to be compulsory, at the moment most states ban them. If the shooter in this killing had had a silencer on his gun no one would have been able to hear where the shots were coming from and get out of the line of fire. Many more would have died.

[TWR]

Don't know if this has been said, why did the Hotel not Question the person when he booked in to the Hotel, surely the Gun Case should have stood out.

[EDDIE51]

naomi, gun laws such as we have here in the UK would have stopped it. To get a gun licence here you need to provide an acceptable reason for needing a gun and go through a long police investigation. Self defence IS NOT an acceptable reason and anyone stating self defence as a reason for wanting a gun is 100% certain to be refused. Also the type of gun used in this shooting is totally banned in the UK, even self load weapons are banned here, let alone machine guns which is what this man was using.
Sale of ammunition is also very tightly controlled in the UK, you could not get the thousands of rounds that this guy was found with.
Each sale of ammunition has to be approved and a reason given.