Gun laws

How sad for both children. Whoever gave a five gear old a gun killed her. I wouldn't give a five year old anything sharp! And you need a license to work in some salons... Bowling for Columbine was the first time I became aware if how serious this was and it will never change (- it's in the Bill of Rights. So true.....so terribly sad,what will it do to the sibling in later life, he shot his sister........through no fault of his own.Just can't get my head around what these parents were thinking. RIP little one. There is no way on this planet that I would give or allow my children or grandchildren to handle any guns at such a young age. Agree with RuthM the storage of guns is all important. The other evening we had a dinner party and the gun debate came up.I am one for a good debate and not one of us could come up with a answer.The general consensus was as long as it is making certain parties a lot of money nothing will change.:(

The first step to changing gun laws should be to have a legal requirement for gun owners to keep guns under lock and key and ammunition under a separate lock and key. Then there would be no accidental shootings of two year olds and far less teen suicides with daddy's gun. The pro gun lobby cannot claim that is an encroachment on American rights, it is merely a safety issue. But Obama decided to try and ban assault rifles as well as increase background checks on potential gun owners. Assault rifles while unnecessary for home ownership (they are somewhat insane) are certainty not a key issue in gun deaths in the US. This is just a knee jerk reaction to the recent school shootings. As for background checks, a reasonable idea but seems impractical for interstate if someone wants something hidden they'll find a way. The only people that will be stopped getting a gun this way are probably honest people that once had a bout of depression. Furthermore mental health background checks for anything are always a bad idea as it means gun owners are less likely to go to their doctor with issues like depression out of fear their guns will be taken away - I certainly know a few people in the UK who were frequent shooters (pheasant, duck, grouse etc.) who avoided treatment for depression at certain times in their lives because of this and one of them it was hugely detrimental for. So Obamas gun laws were stopped in their tracks, but really he must have known they would be. Actually, Ruth, the assault weapons ban action has been in the works for a long, long time and has nothing to do with recent shootings. There was an assault weapons ban in place through the Clinton administration when it expired and Congress failed to extend it. The Obama Administration and some in Congress have been pushing for its reinstatement (although unsuccessfully) for quite some time. This is in no way a knee jerk reaction. Do you have anything other than anecdotal evidence to suggest that background checks prevent people from seeking mental health services? I believe the mental health background checks that are being promoted are to ensure those who have been hospitalized for treatment cannot obtain weapons (and, I may be incorrect, but I believe it is only those who are hospitalized involuntarily.) These mental health background checks are to ensure that those with serious mental health issues, like the shooter at Virginia Tech, are unable to obtain weapons. The background checks the proposed legislation would enact would expand criminal background checks. Currently, you can buy a gun at many gun shows without any sort of check of your history. Criminal, mental health or otherwise. People are cautious enough when it comes to seeking help for mental health issues, it would be impossible to demonstrate evidence that people will avoid seeking help out of concern that their guns would be taken away if they went to their doctor, it is impossible even to estimate how many people avoid seeking help regardless of guns. But I can assure you if I was feeling depressed I would not seek help unless I absolutely had to. My father lost his licence in 1987 and it took him 15 years to get it back. His collection of classic guns, many of which had been custom restored were jammed in a police lock up where the extremes in temperature and humidity damaged the high grade custom walnut stocks. He was unable to participate in his favourite pastime, shooting, and lost an enormous social circle because of it something which didn't really aid his recovery much. More importantly who is going to draw the line at 'serious' or 'not serious' mental health issues? Being that 1 in 4 people suffer from depression at some point in their lives and the rate at which American's like to buy guns this would be next to impossible. You're going to need a heck of a lot of psychiatrists. What doctor is going to want to say 'no my patients mental health is not serious he can have a gun?', next thing the patient shoots up a shopping mall, the doctor gets sued. No one will be able to get guns in America's suing culture. No poor person certainly, my father only got his back as he saw a private psychiatrist over a period of 15 years and as he knew him so well his psychiatrist wrote a letter to the police asking for his licence back for him. Poor people are lucky if they see a psychiatrist at all. I don't for one second think assault rifles should be legal but in the grand scheme of things banning them is not going to make a huge amount of difference. It's not going to stop suicides, accidental shootings, lovers quarrels it will only limit damage in shootings in crowded places, which honestly whilst horrific are not the majority of gun deaths and a large number of handguns or even a shotgun in a closed environment can be almost as effective in any case. - Obama won't get through background checks as these will stop American's getting guns, something which gun toting Americans believe to be a civil right. - Obama won't get through banning assault rifles as while they sound scary they are not really massively responsible for gun deaths in America and the gun toting American right will deem this the first step in banning other weapons. It would be nice if he could but he has to be realistic what he is up against. But he can prevent kids accidentally shooting each other, kids shooting other kids with their parents guns, kids shooting themselves and guns being stolen to be used for subsequent crimes. A law to lock guns up in homes could prevent all of this but it does not appear to have been considered (perhaps I missed it). A law to lock guns up would not encroach on the American right to bear arms.

The first step to changing gun laws should be to have a legal requirement for gun owners to keep guns under lock and key and ammunition under a separate lock and key. Then there would be no accidental shootings of two year olds and far less teen suicides with daddy's gun. The pro gun lobby cannot claim that is an encroachment on American rights, it is merely a safety issue. But Obama decided to try and ban assault rifles as well as increase background checks on potential gun owners. Assault rifles while unnecessary for home ownership (they are somewhat insane) are certainty not a key issue in gun deaths in the US. This is just a knee jerk reaction to the recent school shootings. As for background checks, a reasonable idea but seems impractical for interstate if someone wants something hidden they'll find a way. The only people that will be stopped getting a gun this way are probably honest people that once had a bout of depression. Furthermore mental health background checks for anything are always a bad idea as it means gun owners are less likely to go to their doctor with issues like depression out of fear their guns will be taken away - I certainly know a few people in the UK who were frequent shooters (pheasant, duck, grouse etc.) who avoided treatment for depression at certain times in their lives because of this and one of them it was hugely detrimental for. So Obamas gun laws were stopped in their tracks, but really he must have known they would be. Actually, Ruth, the assault weapons ban action has been in the works for a long, long time and has nothing to do with recent shootings. There was an assault weapons ban in place through the Clinton administration when it expired and Congress failed to extend it. The Obama Administration and some in Congress have been pushing for its reinstatement (although unsuccessfully) for quite some time. This is in no way a knee jerk reaction. Do you have anything other than anecdotal evidence to suggest that background checks prevent people from seeking mental health services? I believe the mental health background checks that are being promoted are to ensure those who have been hospitalized for treatment cannot obtain weapons (and, I may be incorrect, but I believe it is only those who are hospitalized involuntarily.) These mental health background checks are to ensure that those with serious mental health issues, like the shooter at Virginia Tech, are unable to obtain weapons. The background checks the proposed legislation would enact would expand criminal background checks. Currently, you can buy a gun at many gun shows without any sort of check of your history. Criminal, mental health or otherwise.

The first step to changing gun laws should be to have a legal requirement for gun owners to keep guns under lock and key and ammunition under a separate lock and key. Then there would be no accidental shootings of two year olds and far less teen suicides with daddy's gun. The pro gun lobby cannot claim that is an encroachment on American rights, it is merely a safety issue. But Obama decided to try and ban assault rifles as well as increase background checks on potential gun owners. Assault rifles while unnecessary for home ownership (they are somewhat insane) are certainty not a key issue in gun deaths in the US. This is just a knee jerk reaction to the recent school shootings. As for background checks, a reasonable idea but seems impractical for interstate if someone wants something hidden they'll find a way. The only people that will be stopped getting a gun this way are probably honest people that once had a bout of depression. Furthermore mental health background checks for anything are always a bad idea as it means gun owners are less likely to go to their doctor with issues like depression out of fear their guns will be taken away - I certainly know a few people in the UK who were frequent shooters (pheasant, duck, grouse etc.) who avoided treatment for depression at certain times in their lives because of this and one of them it was hugely detrimental for. So Obamas gun laws were stopped in their tracks, but really he must have known they would be.

It's up to the NRA !!

No, and I don't think they should be changed.

A five year old has shot and killed his 2 year old sister...... do you think Obama is gonna finally change gun laws? It's not up to Obama. If it were, gun regulations would have already been strengthened.

"My First Rifle"... words fail me.. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4910461/boy-5-shoots-and-kills-two-year-old-sister-with-first-rifle.html

A five year old has shot and killed his 2 year old sister...... do you think Obama is gonna finally change gun laws? US get rid of guns......? Absolutely never. I remember a certain British journalist speaking his mind and was nearly forced to leave the US for telling the truth.

no